How much more cut do you get when going from an 8mm to a 15mm throw dual action polisher?

Bri26

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I understand it might be hard to quantify but if using an 8mm dual action polisher with a pad that has a cut of 5 out of 8. Would you say that a 15mm throw dual action polisher would give a cut of 6, 7 or even an 8 out of 8 with the same pad? I'm trying to get a better understanding on how much the throw changes the aggressiveness of a particular pad.
 
One could say that since the orbit goes from standard 8mm to 15mm you could expect almost twice as much cutting power all things being optimal [pressure, arm speed, washer mod]

I’ve known people who’ve encountered situations where an 8mm polisher simply couldn’t fully correct paint but once they pulled out the 21mm it handled it with ease.
 
I’ve known people who’ve encountered situations where an 8mm polisher simply couldn’t fully correct paint but once they pulled out the 21mm it handled it with ease.

If this is the case, then 8mm throw Flex 3401 would be far inferior to any 15 or 21mm machine.
 
If this is the case, then 8mm throw Flex 3401 offers would be far inferior to any 15 or 21mm machine.

if you have a long throw DA (15mm/21mm) and flex 3401 vrg side by side on panel where there are curves, the long throw could slow/stop rotating where as the flex would keep spinning (since it's gear driven) many times over and do more work. sometimes there are variables...
 
For cars I believe Mike Phillips prefers the Flex 3401 because it’s gear driven and will not stop. Best tool for speed.

A long throw will cover more ground so would be faster than non gear driven 8mm polisher.

On big trucks and vans (flat panels) a long through would probably be faster than a gear driven.


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This video demonstrates the more aggressive action of long throw polishers and talks about how they have different needs when it comes to pad design

 
if you have a long throw DA (15mm/21mm) and flex 3401 vrg side by side on panel where there are curves, the long throw could slow/stop rotating where as the flex would keep spinning (since it's gear driven) many times over and do more work. sometimes there are variables...

This is where forced rotation really shines because you can really "dig in" and not worry about pad stall. Everyone talks about keeping the pad flat but in certain situations you have to tilt the polisher to really engage the pad and remove defects. This can be done with a long throw, but the chance of stalling is always there.

Joe Metlow demonstrates this technique with a long throw in this video
 
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