... Are there any major tips and tricks to keep in mind when switching from a free spinning to forced rotation polisher? Or, is the best teaching tool to just get out there and use it...
Yes, to the second question. You won't know how it feels until you use it. Once you start using it you will learn its tendencies.
Like the previous responders have stated, it will want to drive itself, or walk around, more than you are used to coming from a random orbital, but that's something that you should be able to control and get used to fairly quickly with a little time behind the machine.
Since the machine will never stall, you don't have that inherent safety mechanism that random orbitals provide. You need to be a little more diligent as far as process and precautions go, e.g., polishing at or near edges, body lines, etc.
As far as tips or tricks go, one of the things I noticed when first using a forced rotation polisher, is that the polish doesn't migrate throughout the pad in the same manner as it does with a random orbital. With a random orbital I always apply the product near the outer circumference of the pad as it tends to migrate to the center of the pad. That is not the case with the forced rotation... The polish tends to stay more or less where it is applied, therefore, I'll apply the product more uniformly across the face of the pad.
Have fun... Get out there and use it!
