recommend against newbies using rotary buffer?

[Old Tiger]

Lot less vibration than a DA alone, at least my unit is, which is a 61384

Indeed it is very low vibration.

 

[statusdetailing]

I have the Dynabrade Polisher wth their Random Orbital Head. It is a beast. 3/4" stroke and the standard BP is 8". The machine weighs in @ 12.5 lbs. It is the heaviest machine I own. It is also one of the easiest to operate. It will accept a 6" DA BP so you can use smaller pads too. The Head alone costs $ 129 from Dynabrade online store, abrasivedge.com. The head weighs 3 lbs but is AMAZING! I ordered a second head to use on a lighter rotary.

Obviously the weight is a huge disadvantage but how do these things compare to a flex or rupes da?

 

[manman]

Lots of good feedback in here. Right now I'm down to trying to decide between either getting the flex because I think it's a good balance between learning curve and correction efficiency (tend to have a pretty busy schedule), or just spending the money to have it done professionally at a reputable place, and then just getting a PC or GG for home.

I'm leaning towards the latter since from what you guys are saying it sounds like if I'm not going to be working on other peoples cars, I only have to worry about the state of my own. If I'm starting off from a nice swirl free finish and using proper washing and drying techniques I probably shouldn't need to worry about any increased time needed for certain jobs using the flex vs regular DA.

I'll give it some thought... there's a price difference for sure, but it's not too bad for me. Even so, I'm looking to upgrade my suspension soon too, so every dollar saved does help

 

[RedXray]

I cut my detaling teeth on a rotary in the mid 70's and can't remember not ever having one. Being a paint/body guy it's the "go to" buffer after wet sanding a fresh paint job. You're making a good choice starting with a DA type of machine IMO. I use my DA's more than the rotary's for corrections. Now the rotary comes in handy spinning the (DA's) pads dry after washing. This helps keeps you working if you have a limited supply of foam pads for the given job. The rotary and a wool pad will also make quick work of those yellowed faded plastic headlights with a compound like M105. Harbor Freight sells a rotary for under $50 which will work fine (for awhile).

 

[Old Tiger]

Obviously the weight is a huge disadvantage but how do these things compare to a flex or rupes da?

I have more polishers than sense! I have 3 rotarys, not counting the DynaBrade. I bought it for large horizontal surfaces. I have a 3401 and a Cyclo for vertical surfaces. I also have the 3rd gen GG and the Megs g110 v2.
It is by far my favorite for horizontal panels. I have donne vertical panels with it too. You can replace the 8" BP with any standard DA 5/16 DA BP. I ordered a Merker from the great Kevin brown on Buff Daddy. For a Detailing Icon, Kevin is so approachable. I will use the Merker on my light rotary, a Festool shine X weighing in @4.2 lbs. It has a metric spindle and I got a great price from DynaBrade, only $85. You can also change to rotary or forced rotation with the DynaBrade head. It is the best of all worlds IMO!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

What type of detailing do you plan on doing, this will answer your question.

1. Only your car?
2. Detailing for money?

If detailing for money, do you plan on doing daily drivers or show cars?

I will be detailing my own car- not a daily driver, more like a weekend driver.

Jet black so pretty much shows everything.

Doesn't need to be car show perfect, but I want to put in the time to keep it swirl/haze free as much as possible.

Looking for a good balance between ease of use (i.e. learning curve) and time efficiency.

Manman you are better off getting a DA alone. A griotts garage 6 inch DA will be perfect for you along with a 5inch backing plate and some 5.5 inch pads.

Once youve gotten rid of the swirls, youd need to use good washing and drying techniques to maintain the finish as long as possible.

Very sound advice for someone STARTING OUT and ONLY taking care of their own cars.

Millions of cars have been de-swirled and maintained using a simple DA Polisher like the Porter Cable 7424XP, Griot's Garage or Meguiar's G110v2. Millions.

See this article...

5 inch Backing Plates on Meguiar's, Griot's and Porter Cable DA Polishers

If you plan to detail others cars for a living, you are better off getting a heavy duty Flex / Rupes DA and a rotary for those especially hard clear coats. If you wish to go for rotary, get a scrap black painted panel and spend hours practicing on it. Know how much arm movement you need, how many passes etc and other techniques. Familiarize yourself with the machine, so that chances of doing a mistake on your or customers car is very less.

More good advice.

Never limit yourself to a single tool, add future tools as you become proficient with the DA Polisher.


Check out this article...

It's not that hard...


Note these people are not just "learning" on daily drivers aka new cars, they're learning on someone's "toys" or Special Interest Vehicles. More risk for me, more fun for them...



In the below live broadcast I show a 15 year old boy how to machine polish

Live Broadcast Video - 1965 Plymouth Valiant - Extreme Makeover

And in this one I show a 21 year old girl how to machine polish

Video & Pictures: 1965 Fastback Mustang - Gtechniq EXO Show Car Makeover!

Trista working with the rest of the team to machine polish this 1965 Mustang Fastback 2+2

Trista removing swirls on a show car...

And in this one I show a 80 year old man and a young lady and here boyfriend how to machine polish for their first time...

Video and Pictures - Two 1967 Camaro's - Show Car Makeovers!

PLUS you have everyone on this forum to help you along the way...

 

[Klasse Act]

This is a great thread and although I got to try out several rotary buffers (thanks 2old2change and our host Ivan!) I'm a lot more comfortable with my GG 6" RO for sure.

This is a great thread OP, I'm sure you've saved atleast one paint finish out there, as well as some forum member some hurt feelings or worse yet, BIG out of pocket expense repairing someones paint, i.e. a corner or edge like what's been mentioned.

Those worried, get an RO, its very safe!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

 

[manman]

Ok, so much good advice you guys convinced me I'll go with a DA to start out for now and save myself some money and potential headaches while I learn with that. Add more tools as I become more proficient and the situation calls for it.

Thanks again everyone, I'm already finding this a very friendly and helpful community!

 

[glen e]

I am very accomplished on both orbitals and rotary..I still won't use a rotary on a car unless I'm on a completely flat surface...now gelcoat is another story - it's all that you can use....

 

[Old Tiger]

Ok, so much good advice you guys convinced me I'll go with a DA to start out for now and save myself some money and potential headaches while I learn with that. Add more tools as I become more proficient and the situation calls for it.

Thanks again everyone, I'm already finding this a very friendly and helpful community!

I recommend the new GG. They put it all together this time. Fixed all the ergonomics and is much more powerful than the others. It has the best warranty too!

 

[beamerstrumpet]

I really liked this thread. Yep this is my first post, I'll do an intro in a few min. I am primarily looking at doing my own cars, but if the passer-by is interested,,, then i would be willing to do something for a price. The info on the RB is good to hear. I just passed some up in the pawn shop. I know I dont want to mess up paint,, But getting some junkyard panels is a great idea. I have a black Honda Fit that just came back from hail damage reapir. The hood and roof are shiny but a lot of swirls. The sides need done. So its DA polisher for me.
ill see ya in the intros.

 

[Wendell Jarvis]

Every time I pull out my rotary, I take precautions to prevent accidental damage. Even being very skilled with a rotary, there's a chance of something going wrong. All it takes is a sneeze while rotary compounding near an edge and as quick as you can say gotcha..it can get you.

If you'll be running a rotary on a regular basis, you will make mistake. Don't really think you can learn much of anything without making some mistakes. Common sense will take you far but the common sense of rotary compounding is that mistakes will happen.

I agree with Dave, I have been using a Rotary for years ( never looked back since) I have a Porter Cable DA, but the Makita is my choice of weapon, I respect the tool, I know it like the back of my hand, but I never get careless with it and think that I have it all down to a T..............but the results are the best.....its a serious machine so I take it serious.....we were all newbies at one point, only way to get better is "Jump in the Fire"......

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Add more tools as I become more proficient and the situation calls for it.

There you go...

Thanks again everyone, I'm already finding this a very friendly and helpful community!

Love hearing feedback like this, it means we're doing our job.

I really liked this thread.

I am primarily looking at doing my own cars, but if the passer-by is interested,,, then i would be willing to do something for a price.

Take my word for it... if you start with you own cars and they come out looking good, (and they will), you'll have people asking you to detail their cars and your new hobby will pay for itself.



:dblthumb2:

 

[Old Tiger]

Obviously the weight is a huge disadvantage but how do these things compare to a flex or rupes da?

I own a FLEX. I haven't tried a RUPES. It doesn't have a learning curve like the FLEX. The FLEX would be more versatile since you can get the Lake Country BPs and use 4" pads 5.25 or 6+ pads.Both serve different purposes for me. The Dynabrade is my choice for large horizontal surfaces. The FLEX is my vertical panel favorite.

 

[HateSwirls]

I'm very skilled at using a rotary but a few weeks back I was working on a scratch and burned the clear ,didn't go through it but burned it.
If I were you I'd practice on amd old bonnet before going anywhere near your car that you love.

It take a very long time to master it and still we make mistakes from time to time, it's part of using a rotary.
A D.A works fine with all of the great products we have to choose from these days.

My 2 cents worth

 

[Old Tiger]

I'm very skilled at using a rotary but a few weeks back I was working on a scratch and burned the clear ,didn't go through it but burned it.
If I were you I'd practice on amd old bonnet before going anywhere near your car that you love.

It take a very long time to master it and still we make mistakes from time to time, it's part of using a rotary.
A D.A works fine with all of the great products we have to choose from these days.

My 2 cents worth

I agree 100%! The Dynabrade RO Head turns a rotary into a RO or a Forced Rotation (61384 model). Take it off and you have a rotary too! All 3 types for ~ $100 plus the cost of your choice rotary.