Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
Just to add....
Here's a really simple approach that would also get you into machine polishing. If you're going to take care of your own car - sooner or later you're going to want to get into machine polishing as hand polishing is for the most part a waster of time, energy and resources.
The most simple polisher is also one of the most reliable polishers on the market. It's the Porter Cable 7424XP. I share it in a review I just wrote for a new Mothers Ceramic Wax. In the review for the wax I also show that along with purchasing a Porter Cable polisher you'll need to purchase a 5" backing plate and some pads.
This is as cheap as you can get and still have a quality tool.
Review: Mothers Ceramic Wax by Mike Phillips
Mothers Ceramic Wax
The cheapest way to get into machine buffing,
Either of these tools below. In the above review I showcased the Porter Cable because it would have been poor etiquette to show a GRIOT'S tools with a MOTHERS product. (make sense?)
The Porter Cable is a solid performer with decades of time-proven reliable history. A more powerful tool for just a few dollars more would be the new Griot's G9 Random Orbital Polisher. It comes with a 6" backing plate but I recommend getting the 5" backing plate because this way you'll invest your money in the smaller, 5.5" buffing pads - not 6.5" buffing pads. The nutshell story about this is smaller pads rotate better on tools like this and also FIT your car's body panels better.
Griot's Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher - $159.99
Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher - $149.99
5" Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate - $17.99
White Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Foam Pad - $6.99
Both of the above tools are the same basic type of tool. The Porter Cable or as we call it - the PC - is an 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher. The Griot's G9 as the name implies is a 9mm free spinning random orbital polisher. The difference between 8mm and 9mm is tiny. The BIG PICTURE is both tools are SHORT STROKE polishers and in my humble opinion a better choice for any beginner versus a LONG STROKE polisher simply because it's easier for a beginner to maintain pad rotation with short stroke versus long stroke when it's your ONLY tool for buffing out a car.
A car = multiple body panels of different shapes and sizes. Long stroke are great for large flat panels but short stroke are much better for all shapes and size body panels.
For what it's worth... I've been doing this as long or longer than anyone breathing. By "doing this" I mean both detailing cars AND WRITING about detailing cars. (There's a lot of great detailers that can't type) And here's the deal...
I can no longer count how many times a person has started a thread like this, (on any platform), where they are working by hand, THEN they take the leap-of-faith and purchase a polisher, and then they say something like this,
Wow! I should have done this 20 years ago...
Or fill in the number of years to anything you like.
Here's a really simple approach that would also get you into machine polishing. If you're going to take care of your own car - sooner or later you're going to want to get into machine polishing as hand polishing is for the most part a waster of time, energy and resources.
The most simple polisher is also one of the most reliable polishers on the market. It's the Porter Cable 7424XP. I share it in a review I just wrote for a new Mothers Ceramic Wax. In the review for the wax I also show that along with purchasing a Porter Cable polisher you'll need to purchase a 5" backing plate and some pads.
This is as cheap as you can get and still have a quality tool.
Review: Mothers Ceramic Wax by Mike Phillips
Mothers Ceramic Wax
The cheapest way to get into machine buffing,
Either of these tools below. In the above review I showcased the Porter Cable because it would have been poor etiquette to show a GRIOT'S tools with a MOTHERS product. (make sense?)
The Porter Cable is a solid performer with decades of time-proven reliable history. A more powerful tool for just a few dollars more would be the new Griot's G9 Random Orbital Polisher. It comes with a 6" backing plate but I recommend getting the 5" backing plate because this way you'll invest your money in the smaller, 5.5" buffing pads - not 6.5" buffing pads. The nutshell story about this is smaller pads rotate better on tools like this and also FIT your car's body panels better.
Griot's Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher - $159.99
Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher - $149.99
5" Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate - $17.99
White Lake Country 5 1/2 Inch Flat Foam Pad - $6.99
Both of the above tools are the same basic type of tool. The Porter Cable or as we call it - the PC - is an 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher. The Griot's G9 as the name implies is a 9mm free spinning random orbital polisher. The difference between 8mm and 9mm is tiny. The BIG PICTURE is both tools are SHORT STROKE polishers and in my humble opinion a better choice for any beginner versus a LONG STROKE polisher simply because it's easier for a beginner to maintain pad rotation with short stroke versus long stroke when it's your ONLY tool for buffing out a car.
A car = multiple body panels of different shapes and sizes. Long stroke are great for large flat panels but short stroke are much better for all shapes and size body panels.
For what it's worth... I've been doing this as long or longer than anyone breathing. By "doing this" I mean both detailing cars AND WRITING about detailing cars. (There's a lot of great detailers that can't type) And here's the deal...
I can no longer count how many times a person has started a thread like this, (on any platform), where they are working by hand, THEN they take the leap-of-faith and purchase a polisher, and then they say something like this,
Wow! I should have done this 20 years ago...
Or fill in the number of years to anything you like.
.
