Congrats on the great choice of products, and for taking the time to pamper your '03 Accord! I think you'll be amazed at the transformation Meg's Ultimate line can perform for you.
Although I'm still a young man myself, I have taken a beating over the years, and have had a few shoulder, wrist and knee injuries that keep me from detailing without a bit of extra help from machines.
Trust me, it's worth investing the money in a proper DA (dual action, sometimes called random orbital) polisher kit. Your body and your cars will thank you for it. If you're like me, you'll love using one so much, that your entire house will be waxed and polished before you even know what happened!
In all seriousness, it will save your joints a good bit of trouble, and it will save you time (which is infinitely valuable IMO).
When I was a bit younger and naive, I decided that I could forego my usual professional polisher method of paint correction on my old Nissan X-Terra, and go straight to hand polishing with Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. I spent an entire day just correcting the hood and front fenders!
Mind you, both products give incredible results by hand application (better than anything else that I've had experience with), but you will see better, tangible results through using a proper polisher and pad combination. Plus, you can pamper your entire car and do it without getting nearly as sore.
Also, don't do what I did once and get sucked into the trap of buying a run-of-the-mill "polisher" at Wally-World or like stores. Likely, they will be the old school "wax spreader" style (underpowered motor on top of a pad), and simply won't save you any time if you try to use one for compounding and polishing. They do give marginally better results than applying by hand, but it's a waste of money IMO. For more on why, this article/forum post by Mike Phillips is a good read (and really, as are all of his other articles here on AG!):
"Wax Spreaders".
I avoided buying a proper DA for years due to the initial cost, and now wish I could get that wasted time back. Even if you use it once a year, it's worth the investment. Make sure to read the articles and posts on this forum regarding use and care before buying one, so you know what to expect (and what to buy, the first time!). Also, don't be afraid to ask people on the forums (or at AG tech help) about your choices before placing an order. They'll be glad to help!
I probably sound like an advertisement at this point, but I just don't want to see you get burned like myself. Go grab a polisher kit at a good detail supplier, wherever that may be. AG does have a bunch of good kits available.
Personally, I own a Griot's Garage Random Orbital polisher and absolutely love it. It's worth spending the $20 or so more vs. a Porter Cable, especially for the lifetime warranty and top notch customer service.
For your situation (lighter, occasional use), expect to invest in at least 2 compounding foam pads, at least 1 polishing pad and only 1 wax application pad. Pad selection is probably the most confusing part, so don't be afraid to ask or read posts and articles on the forums about it. Kits can help with this as well.
If you need to save as much money as possible, there's a polisher available at
Harbor Freight (the link is to a good post on the forums). You'll have to spend money and time ordering the right polishing pad combination for it though. In the end, you're only looking at a potential savings of $50 to $80, assuming the machine works as it should.
However, I personally would never invest in anything but "disposable" hand tools at Harbor Freight. Just my humble (and unfortunately, experienced) opinion!
Happy detailing! :xyxthumbs:
