So, getting back to basics; what do you suggest?
I'm talking cars and the bike here. In another post I mentioned 2 Lexus ES-350's that I own and always attempt to maintain in pristine condition.
Confusing, huh?
Once again, Thanks for any help, suggestions, advice, instruction, etc, etc.[
/QUOTE]
Getting a new DA Polisher is going to make you happier than struggling with the first gen PC.
Griot's
The Griot's has the most power and it actually can do a pretty good job with 6.5" pads, the Griot's Brand pads area actually considered thin pads but we only carry two types, a polishing and a finishing. It still is more effective with 5.5" pads.
Meguiar's
The Meguiar's is actually a very good tool. They had some glitches in the past with build quality but that's normal for any new tool brought to market. It has the
Cruise Control Feature and the
soft start feature which are both cool features. Meguiar's matches their polisher to 7" pads and it will rotate them but like all DA style polishers, it's just simple math, a smaller pad diameter means less surface area and these types of tools can maintain pad rotating better with smaller pads than with larger pads.
Thickness and thinness area also key factors. Thicker pads absorb and dissipate the energy coming out of the tool and this shows up as anemic pad rotation.
Porter Cable
The newer, Porter Cable 7424XP is better at maintaining pad rotating than either models of the first generation. I see people make comments about how it's not powerful enough but for that it's worth I use it ALL the time and in my opinion used correctly it's a great tool. I have all three of these tools in the studio and almost always grab the PC first but that could just be because I like how the body fits my hand the best, especially when machine waxing vertical panels with one hand.
Pad Rotation
Also just to note, pad rotation is only important when you're trying to remove below surface defects like swirls and scratches. when you're applying a finishing wax or a show car wax it's not important to have the pad rotating because all you're trying to do is spread out a thin coating over the finish.
Flex 3401
If you really want some power but without the risk of burning paint or instilling holograms or buffer swirls, then consider the Flex 3401. It's a DA polisher but it's direct drive and this means you cannot stop the pad from rotating.
It's larger than the above tools and only slightly heavier. Lake country just introduced a new backing plate adapter system that enables you to put a 4" pad on this tool in in my opinion this really makes the tool a whole lot more versatile because so many cars have thin panes with either an edge or a raised body line to either side and it's a good
Best Practice to
NOT buff on edges or body lines.
Now with the 4" backing plate you can buff more safely.
Here's a thread about the backing plates and in it I include some pictures to show these benefits.
Flex XC3401 Changeable Backing Plate System - IN STOCK!
The Flex 3401 is a very different type of tool but one thing for sure, using smaller pads, both 5.5" and 4" sizes really make it an easy tool to use.
Using 6.5" pads doesn't make it a hard too to use but you'll find that if you don't hold the pad flat to the surface the tool will try to walk on you. The good news is this means the tool is
SELF-TEACHING in that it teaches you to hold the pad flat and that's sing good technique.
I have all my students use all tools in my class so instead of just reading about these tools the get first hand experience and then they can make up their own mind which tool is best for them.
With the Flex 3401 you get plenty of power. You can do any polishing project faster. You don't have to worry about burning through the paint like you can do with a rotary buffer, or instilling ugly swirls like you can do with a rotary buffer.
You can remove swirls, polish the paint to a high gloss and even machine apply wax.
See this thread,
1957 Chevrolet Belair Extreme Makeover - Flex 3401 & Wolfgang Smackdown!
(Below are a few pictures to give you an idea, there are a lot more plus a full write-up and videos in the actual thread)
This car was a swirled-out mess...
The below picture is a good representation of what's called
holograms or
rotary buffer swirls.
Swirls removed
Machine Waxed
There is no finishing pad in the new LC Hydro-Tech Pad system at the time of this project so we used a
Meguiar's W9207 Softbuff Finishing pad on the 3.0 setting to apply the
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0
Also... we're shooting a brand new Flex DVD next week, so there will be a how-to video on how to use this tool available within the next month.
I also have my next Detailing Boot Camp Class on May 5th and 6th where you can use and test out all the tools.
Detailing Boot Camp
And just like I do my best to type out detailed replies to questions on this forum to help others be successful via the forum, I do my best to give everyone the best hands-on learning experience possible in person.
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