What's the best DA

[dlc95]

Thanks everybody for their feedback, it helps clarify things.

One last question, still Recomend the G15 at $260 (retail) over the G9 at $125? Is the difference between the two worth an extra $135?

I'm not sure I can use the long throw on my 750 sqft of enameled aluminum panels as their already thin? I'm not looking to eat through the surface but rather polish it and put a protective finish on it.

I know this last statement sounds counter intitutive as polishing is basically sanding the surface BUT I just did the trailer with the HF, B&S yellow flat pad, HD Uno, on speed 2.5 to 3, if I rotated the pad it ate the enamel/white color off faster and didn't leave a shinny polished surface just made it thiner faster. But...if I stalled out the rotation and just let it vibrate on speed 1 while I made my passes, it'd thin out the enamel slower and it'd leave a nice polished surface faster, and then I could hit it over 3 or 4 more times (re-doing the section, no passes) with same technique and it would polish up real nice and not be as thin as speeding up the pad and letting it rotate. So... In this case (I'm not sure about all enamel panels, or just my 20 yr old prevoiusly polished and oxidized ones) it was much better to not have it rotating. (And yes I tried all kinds of other pad & product combos before the yellow/Uno set up).

Time before the latest one I polished the trailer, I used HD Polish with a B& S Orange pad and it cleaned up and didn't thin out the panels but it didn't really leave a deep, glossy surface. It was shinny but not glossy and it didn't hardly maintain. It was returni g to oxidizing after 2 washes and waxes. So I polished the $#### out of it this time to see if I could create a surface that was easier to maintain and keep from reverting back to oxidising.

Which is why I advocate the use of just the PC/HF style tool. Sounds like you already have what you need to get the job done. You can further decrease aggression my using a 6" plate/pad on that tool.

With the 15mm tool you could reduce aggression by keeping the tool speed down, and bring the arm speed (rate at which the polisher is moved over the paint) up.

 

[dcjredline]

There is a "best" given my situation, that's why I provided so much info. Basically is it best to get a G9 or a G15 & PC?

Don't want to believe the latest hype on the G9 and buy something that doesn't work for my needs.

What in your situation makes the G15 BEST over any other 15mm DA?

FLEX 3401 is a great finishing machine, if you are used to a Rotary why would you think a Flex would eat through your trailer panels"? Ive used mine on MANY trailers.

 

[opie2]

What in your situation makes the G15 BEST over any other 15mm DA?

FLEX 3401 is a great finishing machine, if you are used to a Rotary why would you think a Flex would eat through your trailer panels"? Ive used mine on MANY trailers.

I had this same question...i love my supa beast. Lay into it as much as needed and never worry about stall. so much faster when i need to be. I will never buy a free spinning tool again lol

Like mike always said...turn and churn

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[CAdetailer]

The difference between polishing and sanding is the aggressive grit. You should have (roughly) the same amount of machine work happening. Sounds to me like you need to kick up the machine’s working ability (speed & rotation) and dial down the aggressiveness of your pads and product. So maybe start with a light polishing pad and something like Griot’s Perfecting Cream and USE the machine. If that doesn’t give enough correction then try the Griot’s Correcting Cream. Then try a heavier polishing pad with the Perfecting Cream if the previous setup doesn’t work followed by the Correcting Cream. You should be dialing in a pad and polish/compound combo that works while letting the machine do the work it’s supposed to do. Otherwise, you will get inconsistent results if you’re trying to limit the machine because your pad and polish are too aggressive.

Did this spent a half a day trying a bunch of different combos, this is not clear coat, it's raw oxidized enemanel that's a coulpe thousands thick when it's new, not when it's 22 years old and been washed many times, machine polished, hand polished before. It was so bad when I got it, if you bumped in to it you'd have a 6" white streak stuck on your clothes.

 

[CAdetailer]

What in your situation makes the G15 BEST over any other 15mm DA?

FLEX 3401 is a great finishing machine, if you are used to a Rotary why would you think a Flex would eat through your trailer panels"? Ive used mine on MANY trailers.

"Trailers" with Fiberglass smooth sides? If so that material is very different from enamel aluminum panels.

 

[CAdetailer]

Ok HF DA has been fully repaired so it'll remain in the stable and lives to polish another day!

At this point since the HF is fully functional, I think I'm going to use the HF with a 3" pad for small spaces and as a back up polisher AND I'm going to skip the G9 and look at getting either a G15 or a Flex 3401 any thoughts on one VS the other?

Also since you guys have tried to help me figure this out, let me help you save $100's if not $1,000's replacing cheap chinesse plastic $hit that has broken, well any kind of plastic and/or metal. Search youtube for the "Super glue & baking soda trick". It's 100 X better than plastic welding, it's like JB weld for plastic but cheaper, easier, and holds/bonds better, and cures instantly. it's also inpervoius to gas, I've fixed cracked 5 gallon gas jugs, gas tanks, this polisher, etc. You can get the locktite brand cyanoacrilimide (super glue) at Wally world in the construction adhesives for $2 or $3 and a box of baking soda for $2. Best way to apply it is get some card stock, I used the back of the Sup glue package, folded in half long ways, put about $.50 sized pile of baking soda on it, rub out any clumps. Apply a thin layer of glue to the surface your welding, then take the card and tap out/ sprinkle as little as possible baking soda in to the glue, you'll see it asorb then keep sprinkling until the glue is cover in white powder. Give it 10-20 seconds and either tap the object or blow on it to remove the excess baking soda. You can build as many layers as you want this way and your in better control and you get better mixing VS putting the baking soda down first and them putting glue on to it. It comes out all bumpy and wonky and doesn't make very good layers this way.

Have fun this little trick just saved me $125 from having to buy a replacement Po!isher and now I can buy an upgrade polisher instead and I don't have to wait a week or two to finish the job.

P.S. Try to NOT get it on your fingers, the reaction gets hot and it'll almost burn you and it's a PIA to get off and it cures instantly. So don't touch the glue with baking soda on your fingers or vice versa.

 

[dgage]

G15 and 3401 are two completely different machines. The G15 is a random orbital that uses an off center weight to get rotation and work done, The 3401 is a geared, forced rotation random orbital.

If you’re worried about too much work being done on the aluminum panels too quickly, you’ll want to stay away from the 3401. The 3401 will power through where the G15 will stall and protect the surface if improperly positioned or too much pressure is used. If you want a lot of correction done quickly, the 3401 is your tool but it must be respected and used carefully or it will cause damage.

 

[dgage]

Did this spent a half a day trying a bunch of different combos, this is not clear coat, it's raw oxidized enemanel that's a coulpe thousands thick when it's new, not when it's 22 years old and been washed many times, machine polished, hand polished before. It was so bad when I got it, if you bumped in to it you'd have a 6" white streak stuck on your clothes.

I understand what you’re saying but when pros polish metal, they don’t usually slow down the buffer wheels much if any, they usually have one wheel and buffing compound for correction and the other wheel and a polish for burnishing.

But paint is a material and not all paints or materials are the same and that’s where an expert comes into play. And you’re the expert on what you’re working with and as long as you come up with a method to get the results you want, nothing else matters. Good luck with that. Please share before and after pictures as I’d like to learn more about what you’re dealing with and how it turns out.

 

[dcjredline]

"Trailers" with Fiberglass smooth sides? If so that material is very different from enamel aluminum panels.

And how many of those trailers are you doing? lol. What about my question about the 15mm DA's?