I need a new DA

Paul A. said:
Any of the machines LSN mentioned will work extremely well for you. I personally went from a Porter Cable to a rotary because I wanted more bite. I then got a Flex 3401 and absolutely love it. For me, coming from the forced rotation of a rotary, I found the Flex perfect for both bite (cut) and finesse final polishing. I have tried the Rupes products and were amazed at the feel however did that after I already had my Flex and was getting what i wanted from the Flex machine.

Having said all that, I will get a Rupes someday. Both the Flex and the Rupes are what some consider expensive but it's worth every penny, thus my question regarding if you had a budget in mind.

I will add that I kept my old, original Porter Cable and use that every job to apply waxes and sealants. Plus it's good to have a backup machine just in case something happens to your new one. Unlikely but ya know...
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Thanks I appreciate your opinion. Looks like I'll be getting the flex first and next year I'll get rupes


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And just to be clear, I went with the Flex 3401 which is forced rotation dual action. The Flex XFE model is a free spinning longer stroke DA much like the Griots BOSS or the Rupes machines.

You mentioned speeding up your time detailing and I personally found the Flex forced action DA 3401 as good as my rotary for correcting down scratches and rough paint conditions but also just as adept at finishing out compound haze and restoring max gloss and shine or even getting better results with a cleaner wax/sealant when doing 1 step jobs. A plus is the excellent build quality of the Flex as well. Built like a tank and feels like it.

I hear from those here using Rupes or Griots BOSS systems and getting the same results so it comes down to a personal preference. I do believe it from the picture evidence of some of those folks here. I just like having the "beast" working as Mike Phillips calls it!

Again, Lumorales, this is just my opinion and experience. I stay well clear of the Flex vs. Rupes vs. Griots BOSS battles here and elsewhere and will never disparage anyone in the other camps! I fully respect others who have found what they like best and fully acknowledge those folks may be getting even better results with those other systems. I have found what i like and refine my technique with it every job!
 
dennis hiip said:
I second the Adams SK. Worth a look. I got it. It's smooth, quiet, and has not bogged down yet. $229 and often 15% off that.
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Got mine for 200 shipped!! If you ask me I think it's right there with a rupes! Solid machine


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boxerdude84 said:
Got mine for 200 shipped!! If you ask me I think it's right there with a rupes! Solid machine


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Thanks for your info

I have some deciding to do

Thanks again


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Lumorales1975 said:
I have a Meguiars MT300 at the moment! What's a good DA for a weekend detailer that gets the job done faster.


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I obviously have a different definition of Weekend Warrior than others because for the pricing of the flex and rupes machines, that sounds more professional grade than weekend warrior, TO ME.

I say Any of the 3 Griot's Machines. 6, 15 or 21. Because the warranty is so great, you'll be in good shape!
 
[Heavily edited for brevity]

Rather than just recommend machines it would be helpful if somebody could discuss the advantages or applicability of forced rotation vs. a long stroke DA. No doubt they're all good, but when and why would a hobbyist choose one over the other? I've done a lot of reading and the differences in terms of usage for non-pros aren't very clear.

Based on what I've read:

  • 15 mm seems to be the sweet spot for non-pros to upgrade over 8mm DA. Gets about 2x the work done for the same pad time on a panel, easier to handle than 21mm, more comfortable

  • Forced rotation is better for spots where you need to keep the pad spinning - curves, concave areas, ridges
Can somebody with experience please confirm or refute this? I'm just trying to define some parameters where newbies can better decide what upgrade would be more helpful.
 
2pennies said:
I obviously have a different definition of Weekend Warrior than others because for the pricing of the flex and rupes machines, that sounds more professional grade than weekend warrior, TO ME.

I say Any of the 3 Griot's Machines. 6, 15 or 21. Because the warranty is so great, you'll be in good shape!
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I was thinking the same thing. I consider myself a weekend warrior that has very little free time to dedicate to even consider it a hobby. For myself, my two cars that I really take care of and want to look nice hardly ever even need correction...maybe a little polishing to get rid of some spider webs. With that said, I was just in the same position at to which DA to buy. I usually like to buy the best, but in the back of head, it was killing me to invest the money on a flex (what I wanted) for it to just sit. Quite frankly, for as little as I need it, the HF would have been perfect but was afraid that I would use it once then put away for several months and go to use it again and be dead...money down the drain! I ended up with the GG6 because of all the rave reviews and lifetime warranty...$100 to boot!

To me it would depend on how much your going to be using. If not that much like me, I would just keep the Meg's or if it's showing it's age, then the GG6. But if you are doing more cars and more often then I can see the longer throws. Or, lastly...sometimes you just want what you want and if money isn't an issue, do what makes you happy!
 
RippyD said:
[Heavily edited for brevity]

Rather than just recommend machines it would be helpful if somebody could discuss the advantages or applicability of forced rotation vs. a long stroke DA. No doubt they're all good, but when and why would a hobbyist choose one over the other? I done a lot of reading and the differences in terms of usage and results aren't that clear.

Based on what I've read:

  • 15 mm seems to be the sweet spot for non-pros to upgrade over 8mm DA. Gets about 2x the work done for the same pad time on a panel, easier to handle than 21mm, more comfortable
  • Forced rotation is better for spots where you need to keep the pad spinning - curves, concave areas, ridges
Can somebody with experience please confirm or refute this? I'm just trying to define some parameters where newbies can better decide what upgrade would be more helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info


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RippyD said:
[Heavily edited for brevity]

Rather than just recommend machines it would be helpful if somebody could discuss the advantages or applicability of forced rotation vs. a long stroke DA. No doubt they're all good, but when and why would a hobbyist choose one over the other? I done a lot of reading and the differences in terms of usage and results aren't that clear.
Click to expand...

Even better, here are a series of videos by Mike Phillips explaining the differences:

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...ndom-orbital-orbital-polisher.html#post881751
 
Whipped500 said:
I was thinking the same thing. I consider myself a weekend warrior that has very little free time to dedicate to even consider it a hobby. For myself, my two cars that I really take care of and want to look nice hardly ever even need correction...maybe a little polishing to get rid of some spider webs. With that said, I was just in the same position at to which DA to buy. I usually like to buy the best, but in the back of head, it was killing me to invest the money on a flex (what I wanted) for it to just sit. Quite frankly, for as little as I need it, the HF would have been perfect but was afraid that I would use it once then put away for several months and go to use it again and be dead...money down the drain! I ended up with the GG6 because of all the rave reviews and lifetime warranty...$100 to boot!

To me it would depend on how much your going to be using. If not that much like me, I would just keep the Meg's or if it's showing it's age, then the GG6. But if you are doing more cars and more often then I can see the longer throws. Or, lastly...sometimes you just want what you want and if money isn't an issue, do what makes you happy!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info I'm doing cars basically every weekend if it doesn't rain 🤦🏽#♂️ I definitely want to invest on a nice machine. Money not a issue I just want the best and something that can shorten my time on detailing. I find myself sometimes running over the same panel twice. I'd like something that gets it done with a good hand.


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Lumorales1975 said:
Thanks for the info I'm doing cars basically every weekend if it doesn't rain ����#♂️ I definitely want to invest on a nice machine. Money not a issue I just want the best and something that can shorten my time on detailing. I find myself sometimes running over the same panel twice. I'd like something that gets it done with a good hand.


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If this is the case brother, then you can go with Griot's, flex or rupes since money isn't an issue. For me, I have 4 cars this weekend, and i'd be spending what I earned on the more expensive machines so i'd go with the Griot's products because I love the microfiber pads and their creams are fantastic. I'll be sticking with my GG6 until i start getting more regular correction requests.
 
2pennies said:
If this is the case brother, then you can go with Griot's, flex or rupes since money isn't an issue. For me, I have 4 cars this weekend, and i'd be spending what I earned on the more expensive machines so i'd go with the Griot's products because I love the microfiber pads and their creams are fantastic. I'll be sticking with my GG6 until i start getting more regular correction requests.
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4 cars Awesome make that money. I have three this weekend. I figured if I'm going to spend the money minus well spend on a good machine. Definitely going to look into GG6 ,Flex and Rupes. I appreciate your feedback bro.


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I hear you. I do work only on weekend and I have done some paint correction in the past, but I find, for what my customers are looking for, my GG6 is more than capable. Plus, I got my GG6 kit with a bunch of pads, polishes and goodies for $150. It is light years beyond anything my terrible CG Torq polisher could do. I'm still in the learning phase and plan to attend a class taught by Mike Phillips in the future. When that time comes, i'll make the jump to a G15 or 21.
 
2pennies said:
I hear you. I do work only on weekend and I have done some paint correction in the past, but I find, for what my customers are looking for, my GG6 is more than capable. Plus, I got my GG6 kit with a bunch of pads, polishes and goodies for $150. It is light years beyond anything my terrible CG Torq polisher could do. I'm still in the learning phase and plan to attend a class taught by Mike Phillips in the future. When that time comes, i'll make the jump to a G15 or 21.
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Nice where you get the GG6 kit at


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Lumorales1975 said:
Thanks


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People want to jump to a new tool, when they usually jist need to either pick more aggressive combinations, or tweak their technique.

I like the old orange/black Buff and Shine microfiber pads with Meguiar's M100 when cutting with a Porter Cable. The Megs microfiber with D300 is a staple among the high level pros in my area.

Lake Country microfiber and Purple Thin Foamed Wool pads are also very nice.

These days I use the old blue Rupes microfiber discs and Zephir with Rupes Duetto/Mini.
 
dlc95 said:
People want to jump to a new tool, when they usually jist need to either pick more aggressive combinations, or tweak their technique.
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Don't disagree. However, I'd like some input on when/why to use a different tool to get faster results or to get them with less effort.

I did my wife's Boxster with a GG6. Got very nice paint correction after a lot of time and sweat. Tried various compound and pad combos and it's just tough to get good correction on hard paint with curves, and even harder on convex panels. If I wanted to make life easier what would be a good choice for that car and and why? I think the answer is forced rotation, but I'm not really sure. (btw, not planning to compound that Boxster again so I don't need a new tool).
 
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