How many here are still using the Porter Cable DA?

bcgreen said:
Interesting problem as I have heard others experiencing the same issue. For me, I have not had any physical problems what so ever.
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I agree. I've never had any problem.

That said, I am sure other people will be more sensitive to the vibration. I have never used a Rupes, but have read a lot of posts from members in the know that they are way smoother, and I believe it.
 
i still have my megs G100 (rebadged pc7424) and it's been reliable but it's a clunky rattle trap. since using the GG6 (over 10+ years) i haven't really looked back. when i first fired up the GG6 for the first time, i couldn't believe the torque/power it had compared to the pc, it was a night/day difference. when i bought my G100 from megs (over 14+ years ago), it had a lifetime warranty and if it ever goes out (heard megs use to get a lot of returns on these) who knows what they will replace it with (if they still honor the warranty), most likely a mt300...
 
Still got mine for carpet and headlight lenses, also for glass. Also use it for spreading wax too. Great polisher, it will be around when the others are dead.
 
The only time I get vibration on a PC, is when using 6" plates at a high speed. Barely usable.

With a 5" plate it's not mich different from the Rupes.
 
bcgreen said:
Interesting problem as I have heard others experiencing the same issue. For me, I have not had any physical problems what so ever.
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It is one of the reasons I stopped using the PC for corrections.

dlc95 said:
The only time I get vibration on a PC, is when using 6" plates at a high speed. Barely usable.

With a 5" plate it's not mich different from the Rupes.
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I am going to have to disagree with you on that. Even with the 5" plate the PC vibrates more than any of the Rupes tools I own. I also don't need to run the Rupes tools at high speed to get the correction I need. Even the Meguiar's MT300 has better ergonomics that the PC and vibrates less.
 
I do notice the vibration and especially when using smaller pads. I have a 5" counterweight and that seems to throw around pads smaller than 5".

Because I have relegated my PC to "cutting in" smaller panels I put up with the.vibration for short durations. When I apply LSPs (show waxes and sealants) I don't spin it any faster than about 3 so it's not too bad then.
 
The Guz said:
It is one of the reasons I stopped using the PC for corrections.



I am going to have to disagree with you on that. Even with the 5" plate the PC vibrates more than any of the Rupes tools I own. I also don't need to run the Rupes tools at high speed to get the correction I need. Even the Meguiar's MT300 has better ergonomics that the PC and vibrates less.
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It might be hitting a frequency you don't like.

I've had drum sticks rattle my bones before, but other guys can play then with no issue.

Same with the 3401. I find it to be a very smooth operating tool, and love using it because of that. The PC is very comfortable for me to use.
 
Mine is like the Energizer bunny; it just keeps going and going and going....
 
I'm not a professional just an enthusiast. I bought mine back in 2006 after reading and learning about the advantage of using a Porter-Cable for polishing on this website. I use it every six months on two personal vehicles and it continues to perform reliably and satisfactorily. I am able to achieve so much better results than I used to by hand thanks to all I've learned here. Thanks to all.
Nick
 
I have seriously considered upgrading to a higher wattage machine because I don't really like my PC anymore.

I've had my Megs G100 (PC 7424) for at least 15 years and I feel that it just doesn't work efficiently for me. Now mind you, I am not a professional and don't often machine polish. I have only polished a few of our vehicles during this time frame for very minor correcting. I've tried to tweak my technique according to how-tos and videos I've seen but its never really felt right to me.

For example, just recently I decided to give a light paint cleaning/polish to my very well maintained 2012 Cruze (switchblade silver) that has never been machine polished. Using HD Speed along with LC 5.5" pads on a speed of 4.5-5 the machine just felt like it was struggling when I applied any sort of pressure other than its own weight. And then I was getting this odd skipping pattern (for lack of better term) that left visible dots on the working panel.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

How is this possible with a rotating motion of the pad? Unless it actually wasn't really rotating and just bouncing (I do have the backing plate marked with a sharpie for rotation visibility). I was perplexed. I had to kick up the speed to the highest setting to avoid this odd behavior (albeit still occurring but very faintly). In the end the paint finish was *ok* but I wasn't completely blown away by any noticeable transformation in gloss or paint clarity.

This is why I may just pick up a higher powered Maxshine or Harbor machine and convert the PC to 3" for smaller sections.
 
evo77 said:
I have seriously considered upgrading to a higher wattage machine because I don't really like my PC anymore.

I've had my Megs G100 (PC 7424) for at least 15 years and I feel that it just doesn't work efficiently for me. Now mind you, I am not a professional and don't often machine polish. I have only polished a few of our vehicles during this time frame for very minor correcting. I've tried to tweak my technique according to how-tos and videos I've seen but its never really felt right to me.

For example, just recently I decided to give a light paint cleaning/polish to my very well maintained 2012 Cruze (switchblade silver) that has never been machine polished. Using HD Speed along with LC 5.5" pads on a speed of 4.5-5 the machine just felt like it was struggling when I applied any sort of pressure other than its own weight. And then I was getting this odd skipping pattern (for lack of better term) that left visible dots on the working panel.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

How is this possible with a rotating motion of the pad? Unless it actually wasn't really rotating and just bouncing (I do have the backing plate marked with a sharpie for rotation visibility). I was perplexed. I had to kick up the speed to the highest setting to avoid this odd behavior (albeit still occurring but very faintly). In the end the paint finish was *ok* but I wasn't completely blown away by any noticeable transformation in gloss or paint clarity.

This is why I may just pick up a higher powered Maxshine or Harbor machine and convert the PC to 3" for smaller sections.
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Did that wipe off?

I used speed for an "Option 1" Wash + Wax yesterday.

I used the 1st gen 7424, and some 7" Rupes Yellow pads had lying around (they were supposed to be for a 21 that ended up being beyond repair). Speed 4 - 4.5 was all I needed to keep that thing rotating. Removed the light swirls, and overall dullness. Dodge Charger.. I used a 3" plate and 4" Rupes Yellow foam to get the smaller areas.

I'm not a huge proponent of using a lot of pressure though. I call it "light but firm" pressure.

It could be the foams though. I never liked the orange and white LC foams. I found that with those pads I had to use a lot of pressure to get anything going. They always left me wanting more cut and more finish.
 
I do. But i'm a hobbyist and all my vehicles are newer. It can handle the correction work that i feel comfortable attempting. Meaning, any serious correction work could also do harm if you're not skilled and knowledgeable and it's hard to screw up correction work with a PC. I'm going to try and work on my sisters seriously neglected sentra this summer and I'm sure it'll show its limitations then.
 
dlc95 said:
Did that wipe off?
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Yes, it wiped off easily.


It could be the foams though. I never liked the orange and white LC foams. I found that with those pads I had to use a lot of pressure to get anything going. They always left me wanting more cut and more finish.
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I tried 3 different pads. Unfortunately they all exhibited the same spotting behavior.

-Orange LC flat
-Orange LC CCS
-Meguiars yellow DFP5


I did fail to mention that I ended up switching to Megs Ultimate Polish at speed 6. This ended up being more workable for me personally and behaved slightly better than HD Speed (with respect to the spotting issue).
 
evo77 said:
Yes, it wiped off easily.




I tried 3 different pads. Unfortunately they all exhibited the same spotting behavior.

-Orange LC flat
-Orange LC CCS
-Meguiars yellow DFP5


I did fail to mention that I ended up switching to Megs Ultimate Polish at speed 6. This ended up being more workable for me personally and behaved slightly better than HD Speed (with respect to the spotting issue).
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Ultimate Polish is awesome! ONE of my favs!

Looks like there might not have been enough Speed on the pad to stay spread out?

Why her way, I'm glad UP worked.

Personally I never really fell in love with the classic orange and white pads. They didn't like to rotate as well, they seemed kind of grabby unless primed, which in turn increased pad saturation, and required more frequent changes. they didn't seem to cut or finish all that well for me either. I needed a lot of pressure to get them to do anything. I used green and blue Buff and Shine pads for years, and got great performance out of them. I just recently started using the Buff and Shine Uro-Tech line, which is a lot like the Rupes pads. Those foams get great rotation and have an excellent cut/finish ratio. Reminds me of the LC Hydrotech in that way. The only issue is that the blue coarse tends to wear fast - much like the green and blue Rupes pads.
 
Still use my PC7424XP. I converted it to my mini-DA and my dedicated sealant or wax applicator. Runs great with 3" or 4" Pads. Corrects well too with those sizes. IMO this little DA just ROCKS and is extremely reliable! My 1st DA and it still rocks!
 
I use it all the time. I use it a lot on wood to sand and with 3” pads. It’s a good machine - especially if you like to refinish furniture
 
ZeroDfx said:
I'm not a professional just an enthusiast. I bought mine back in 2006 after reading and learning about the advantage of using a Porter-Cable for polishing on this website. I use it every six months on two personal vehicles and it continues to perform reliably and satisfactorily. I am able to achieve so much better results than I used to by hand thanks to all I've learned here. Thanks to all.
Nick
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Mine is PC 7335 and I think it is more than 20 yrs. old.
 
I use my PC solely for applying waxes and sealants with one hand
 
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