Rupes Bigfoot Nano results

sharpcanoe

sharpcanoe

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So what is the results for the Rupes Nano? For everyone who were fortunate to receive their Nano.. are you happy with them. How do they work? Any problems? Are they worth it and would you buy another one?
 
Used mine at a Ferrari show where myself and Rod Kraft were doing a demo. Very impressed not only with the quality of the tool but also performance. I can see this cutting into 75 sales! Buy it you won't regret it!
 
I think I was the very first private owner(non dist) to take delivery on it. I have a Ford GT scheduled for a detail on Mon. I should have more info once that car is complete which should be around Wed.

From what I can tell so far from briefly tinkering with it, I can tell it is a high quality tool meant for detailers that appreciate quality and precision.
 
Wondering how it does on removing swirl and buffing.. is it strong enough?
 
sharpcanoe said:
Wondering how it does on removing swirl and buffing.. is it strong enough?
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For the little that I have tinkered with it, I did a detail on a new 2016 Ford Explorer yesterday. Had minor swirls and I did the areas between the roof rack and side windows. I did both battery and chord variants and it had enough power to remove these scratches. I used both the 30-40mm and 50-70mm pads. Now I do not really have a wide array of different paint codes/applications to tell you definitively. Any review this early will really be just a narrow minded/view of its abilities. To really fully review something like this needs to be put through its paces on many different applications/paint types/on different substrates to give a proper review.
 
Want to use this for doing motorcycles... just want to buy one machine so was thinking this would do everything on the motorcycle paint wise.. are extra pads available yet? Thinking it would be a good sideline just doing the motorcycle thing for several friends.. any and all info on their performance would help.... the exchange rate between Canadian/Usa is gonna kill me tho.... looks like I may be in the doghouse for awhile.
 
sharpcanoe said:
Want to use this for doing motorcycles... just want to buy one machine so was thinking this would do everything on the motorcycle paint wise.. are extra pads available yet? Thinking it would be a good sideline just doing the motorcycle thing for several friends.. any and all info on their performance would help.... the exchange rate between Canadian/Usa is gonna kill me tho.... looks like I may be in the doghouse for awhile.
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Considering the fairings usually have a lot of flex agent to allow flexing, the paint systems are very forgiving. However since the substrate is very thin expect it to heat up quickly unless it is a composite substrate. If you are un-familair how to use these machines and how things work I would leave these things for a professional. Last thing you want is to ruin your friends bikes. Then the dog house will be a permanent living situation...
 
So the general consensus is that its a good machine but I am to not buy one as I am not a professional and should leave it up to professionals. Always thought everyone started at the bottom at some point and worked at becoming a professional. There goes my dreams... such a cruel cruel world...
 
sharpcanoe said:
So the general consensus is that its a good machine but I am to not buy one as I am not a professional and should leave it up to professionals. Always thought everyone started at the bottom at some point and worked at becoming a professional. There goes my dreams... such a cruel cruel world...
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Whoa--I don't think that's what he meant. He was just cautioning if you don't have a lot of polishing experience, then those are bad surfaces to learn on (at least I think that's what he meant).
 
Todd Helme posted a video on YouTube demonstrating 2000 grit sanding mark removal. It should be more than effective for what you would need it for.
 
Yes you may be correct and I do apologize.. He did give his opinion and great advise and info and I am very fortunate to have the experience of everyone here to learn from. Been having a crappy day and replied without thinking and I apologize for my response. I am sure I can learn how to use this machine and wanted to know what everyone using one thought about it before I bought it.
 
sharpcanoe said:
Want to use this for doing motorcycles... just want to buy one machine so was thinking this would do everything on the motorcycle paint wise.. are extra pads available yet? Thinking it would be a good sideline just doing the motorcycle thing for several friends.. any and all info on their performance would help.... the exchange rate between Canadian/Usa is gonna kill me tho.... looks like I may be in the doghouse for awhile.
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I'll be doing a new HD on May 21st and plan to do an initial review of the tool then. I think you will want another tool though for the larger surfaces, at the very least a GG6/PCXP style tool with a 3-4" pad on it. I'm pretty sure Kevin Brown will have a nice selection of pads that will work with the tool...he has them for the TA-50 now. ;)
 
RaskyR1 ... would the rupes mini be better for a motorcycle with the 3 inch pads in your opinion? Thought about the nano as it would have gotten the tighter spots but from what I'm starting to understand is that it wouldn't be good for the tanks/fenders... I would have liked to do them without removing them if possible
 
sharpcanoe said:
RaskyR1 ... would the rupes mini be better for a motorcycle with the 3 inch pads in your opinion? Thought about the nano as it would have gotten the tighter spots but from what I'm starting to understand is that it wouldn't be good for the tanks/fenders... I would have liked to do them without removing them if possible
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A tool like the Nano is ideal for motorcycles, but I wouldn't want it to be the only tool I used. While you could certainly do the larger areas with the 2" pads it will take you longer than if you used a tool better suited for larger areas, Like the GG6, G110, PCXP, LHR75, LHR75e...

Plenty of surface area to polish on these bikes! ;)



 
sharpcanoe said:
Yes you may be correct and I do apologize.. He did give his opinion and great advise and info and I am very fortunate to have the experience of everyone here to learn from. Been having a crappy day and replied without thinking and I apologize for my response. I am sure I can learn how to use this machine and wanted to know what everyone using one thought about it before I bought it.
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Before you detail other peoples vehicles I would recommend practicing on body panels (can be junkyard stuff or extras laying around the garage) with different paint types and substrates. This will help with your learning curve. Then once you are proficient you can start detailing peoples rides. Just my friendly advice from someone who has been detailing for about 20 years.

Furthermore, the nano should not be your end all tool for motorcycle applications. On most bikes I find myself using a few different tools to cover all the real estate a motorcycle or even bicycle has. What I like to do and i'm sure most seasoned detailers will agree is you want to tackle as much surface area as possible with a larger tool/pad then whatever surface area you cold not reach with that tool then you go to a smaller tool/pad or even you may have to do some parts by hand. This actually saves you time.

In essence, Rasky1 had some sound advice too. Which is along the lines of what I am advising as well.
 
I always do a test spot and the Nano will do anything other tools will do, it's a case of time. The larger surfaces are better done by larger pads, smaller area's smaller pads. My only advise is watch out for sling if you use the 1" pads with the rotary tool. It will sling no matter what so if you are doing large areas first, then small keep protection in place (on a bike I would think the areas you cannot wipe).
 
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