I never liked gear driven polishers.

Joe@Superior Shine

Joe@Superior Shine

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I had never been a fan of gear driven polishers. They tired me out and I felt they wrestled with me the entire time I used them.

All that changed when I used my Rupes Mille for the first time!!

We used them on a Douglas VC-9C used as Air Force One and a WWII B-17 bomber we polished up.

Rather than fighting me for control, as I felt other machines had, the Mille joined me as an ally. It has a very robust but very manageable action to it. The throw is a short one but the correction ability is excellent. It is a swirl eating monster!!

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GREAT video review from another one of the masters!
 
Every time I start complaining about the surface area on my truck, I think of Joe doing an entire plane! Lol

Awesome work, Joe. (Again!)
 
Joe@Superior Shine said:
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Joe, I've followed you here since I joined and I trust what you share so I just placed my order :) Being delivered by Friday in time for my detail this weekend! I'll re-direct my wife to cal you should see see I'm using a new polisher that's not red ;)
 
Joe how does it compare to the Makita 5000C? I own 2 Makita 5000’s and find it very powerful in gear driven mode but takes the right combination of technique and pad/product to smooth it out.

ScottH
 
Great review, Joe. Thanks posting the great pics too.
 
I concur. I had been a user of the Makita BO6040 and FLEX at one time. I kept the Makita, but hardly used it. Usually only when trying to get the most out of an AIO job. It was just too much effort. I'd rather correct with a rotary. I got to try the Mille at a detail supply store here in Raleigh 2 weeks ago. They have a counter top that is painted a dark metallic blueish-black color and then has like 100 microns of clear coat on top to test polishers on.

The Mille did not fight me at all and it really glided across the panel with next to no wobble. I did not feel the need for a death grip at all and was able to hold it quite lightly. It did not take much effort to control any walking action. I tried it with the Mille pads and also the long-throw pads. It still works really good with the long throw pads. So that could be an option when working on contoured panels to use the thicker long throw pads.

Definitely got me thinking about buying one. I've been saving my pennies for a Nano Ibrid kit, but that $600 price tag still turns me off considering the amount of use it would get. I may just use that money on the Mille and some pads instead.
 
DBAILEY said:
I concur. I had been a user of the Makita BO6040 and FLEX at one time. I kept the Makita, but hardly used it. Usually only when trying to get the most out of an AIO job. It was just too much effort. I'd rather correct with a rotary. I got to try the Mille at a detail supply store here in Raleigh 2 weeks ago. They have a counter top that is painted a dark metallic blueish-black color and then has like 100 microns of clear coat on top to test polishers on.

The Mille did not fight me at all and it really glided across the panel with next to no wobble. I did not feel the need for a death grip at all and was able to hold it quite lightly. It did not take much effort to control any walking action. I tried it with the Mille pads and also the long-throw pads. It still works really good with the long throw pads. So that could be an option when working on contoured panels to use the thicker long throw pads.

Definitely got me thinking about buying one. I've been saving my pennies for a Nano Ibrid kit, but that $600 price tag still turns me off considering the amount of use it would get. I may just use that money on the Mille and some pads instead.
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Don't waste your money on the ibrid, get the mille. Dumbest idea in the world to have a 12mm throw with such small pads. Defeats the purpose.
 
WRAPT C5Z06 said:
Don't waste your money on the ibrid, get the mille. Dumbest idea in the world to have a 12mm throw with such small pads. Defeats the purpose.
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I have mixed views on mine. I rarely use it as a DA but rather mainly as a small rotary. I have on occasion brought it out to correct random marks like where my kids my rub the car with a back pack, etc but even the, it’s just as easy to wipe out the bigger buffer.


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Ok, looks like I'll be buying a Mille too. Thanks AGO!
 
WRAPT C5Z06 said:
Don't waste your money on the ibrid, get the mille. Dumbest idea in the world to have a 12mm throw with such small pads. Defeats the purpose.
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Thanks for an honest opinion.

I have a co-worker that owns a motorcycle repair shop with a group of buddies. They are quite busy and get asked about detailing the bikes all the time. The guy I know is always passing on the detail work since he doesn't have the time. He is familiar with the work I do on cars so he is always asking if I would be willing to work on the bikes as sub-contract work for a small finder's fee like $25. He said he can bring me at least 1 bike a week. I just thought the Nano Ibrid would be an essential tool to use on bikes. I have a heavy duty Dremel Flex shaft tool that has like 1.5 hp and a regular Dremel tool with the right angle accessory with 1" and 2" backing plates with shaft, which I use in tight areas, so maybe I can get away with that. I see the Nano Ibrid being useful for side mirrors, louvres, and recesses in the bumpers on cars, but not much more than that.
 
DBAILEY said:
Thanks for an honest opinion.

I have a co-worker that owns a motorcycle repair shop with a group of buddies. They are quite busy and get asked about detailing the bikes all the time. The guy I know is always passing on the detail work since he doesn't have the time. He is familiar with the work I do on cars so he is always asking if I would be willing to work on the bikes as sub-contract work for a small finder's fee like $25. He said he can bring me at least 1 bike a week. I just thought the Nano Ibrid would be an essential tool to use on bikes. I have a heavy duty Dremel Flex shaft tool that has like 1.5 hp and a regular Dremel tool with the right angle accessory with 1" and 2" backing plates with shaft, which I use in tight areas, so maybe I can get away with that. I see the Nano Ibrid being useful for side mirrors, louvres, and recesses in the bumpers on cars, but not much more than that.
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I got the ibrid back when it came out using some discounted gift certs and the now defunct Connect program over at Autopia and it wound up being like... $375? I have enjoyed it for polishing smaller areas, I like the brushes it came with for trim/interiors and it's kind of just fun to use, but evaluating it at full price... meh. Ever since Griot's released the specific 3'' bp for the GG6 I reach for that most of the time. There has to be a TINY area to make me use the ibrid.
 
DBAILEY said:
Thanks for an honest opinion.

I have a co-worker that owns a motorcycle repair shop with a group of buddies. They are quite busy and get asked about detailing the bikes all the time. The guy I know is always passing on the detail work since he doesn't have the time. He is familiar with the work I do on cars so he is always asking if I would be willing to work on the bikes as sub-contract work for a small finder's fee like $25. He said he can bring me at least 1 bike a week. I just thought the Nano Ibrid would be an essential tool to use on bikes. I have a heavy duty Dremel Flex shaft tool that has like 1.5 hp and a regular Dremel tool with the right angle accessory with 1" and 2" backing plates with shaft, which I use in tight areas, so maybe I can get away with that. I see the Nano Ibrid being useful for side mirrors, louvres, and recesses in the bumpers on cars, but not much more than that.
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It does come in handy. Used mine on areas of my brothers Harley recently. I got my money's worth on the ibrid. It has it's place like everything else. Is it a must have? Depends on who you speak with.
 
I love my Makita PO5000C and still perfer it over mille..to be honest , I simply don't have the hands on hours with the Mille like o have with 3401 and PO5000C.. just didn't demo and a scratch removal test.

As for Nano..allot of us purchased it for 2 reasons... eccentric swap-ability..and cordless feature
I came in and shortly liked theb1in BP in 12mm mode
..any more it just stays in 1in BP rotary mode..

If i were to do it again, I'd go Proxxom nano polisher instead and deal with cord.



Other than that
Awesome review Joe..always an entertaining/funny guy while spitting out experiences and knowledge.
 
Mike@ShineStruck said:
I love my Makita PO5000C and still perfer it over mille..to be honest , I simply don't have the hands on hours with the Mille like o have with 3401 and PO5000C.. just didn't demo and a scratch removal test.

As for Nano..allot of us purchased it for 2 reasons... eccentric swap-ability..and cordless feature
I came in and shortly liked theb1in BP in 12mm mode
..any more it just stays in 1in BP rotary mode..

If i were to do it again, I'd go Proxxom nano polisher instead and deal with cord.



Other than that
Awesome review Joe..always an entertaining/funny guy while spitting out experiences and knowledge.
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What’s the orbit mm of the proxxom?


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