Do i really need a PTG?

Well today is my birthday and i recieved 350$ from the family and i was thinking about saving somemore and buying a PTG (Defelsko Positest DFT Combo). But someone just told me i dont need one. I liked the idea of having one because ... well for the obvious reasons. But i also thought about getting a Infratech CM5300. I am not sure what i should do. What should i do? Or just save which is probably the best thing to do if i do not need a PTG.

 

No, not really. A PTG is nice to have, but with experience you can get a feel for paint thickness and correct accordingly. It's nice to have if you're going to chase deep scratches with sandpaper though.

I have used one in the past, but I don't personally own one. I might buy one next year as I'm looking at picking up a big contract from a body shop (and knowing the paintwork will be invaluable).

 

It would be nice to have if you can afford it, I have an old magnetic one that I use on cars which I think have been resprayed but the owner does not know that it has, makes polishing and wet sanding much easier, hopefully I'll purchase an electronic PTG this month.

 

I personaly would say that a paint gauge is quite valuable and should be on every detailers arsenal.

I mean imagine getting a vehicle with readings of 60microns or lower? Not sure if I would polish such a vehicle under those conditions...we had to pass out on the yellow Z06 due to clear coat issues but if we didn't have the PosiTector 200 we would have gone a head an polished it out and what happens if we burnt through the clear coat..then we would have been responsible for a re-pray/re-paint...to me the trade off's are significant..but that's just my opinion.

Paint Gauges are not cheap, but I'm a firm beleaver that you get what you pay for.

 

Could not have said it better :applause:

Every detailer should have one for their own good. Even if you've been detailing for years, you can't "Have a feel" for a car that has a thin clear coat.

 

Carlos... but its hard to tell with the positest DFT combo that it only detects the whole layer(paint and clear) right? i think it makes more sense to get the posi 200 but $2700 is really steep.. its nice to have though

 

Well yes, they aren't cheap at all, I agree. Now about the DFT combo, if you compare it with the PosiTector 6000 (which is the right comparison) the DFT is just as good as the PosiTector 6000, it's acuarte and fast. The only difference is the fact that you can't graph, store..ect..ect..but at the end the DFT does the same as the PosiTector 6000..best part too is that it's a lot cheaper.

Now for the PosiTector 200, that's a whole differnt type of paint gauge, the technology behind it is mind blowing. I mean it really does what they do to pregnant ladies, it's a great machine...there is another one but it's really, really expensive.

 

The 200 is the gauge that is able to separate the layers?

 

Yes, the Advanced model is the one that will seperate between the layers. But the PosiTector 200 is only for plastic/fiberglass..ect..ect..not meant for metal/aluminum..ect..ect.

 

I see can the advanced 600 tell how much clear coat alone, thats the one thing I wish I could know. MY combo gauge just gives one reading and I am thinking about steping up to one that can tell me just clear so I know how much I truly have to work with.

 

The PosiTector 6000 wont tell you how much clear coat is on the surface like the PosiTector 200. I could be wrong here, because I'm still getting the hang of the gauges..so I'm no expert on them, so don't think that I know it all...but the PosiTector 6000 can graph...I'm still working on the graphs though..well hope this helps...but like I said I'm no expert. I learn something new about the these PosiTectors every day.

 

Thank you Carlos

 

No problem, I'll share as much as I know...I found a paint gauge out there that is supperior to the PosiTector 6000 that it will take individual readings just like the PosiTector 200 but it's not very cheap at all, it's in the $10,000.00 and up range....not cheap at all but I figuired I'd start with the PosiTectors as I've read great reviews on them.

 

Using Nicas Z06 as an example........$2700 for a paint gauge vs a paint job on a new car......Id rather dump the cash on a tool than look like one.

 

I think this thread has convinced me, just reading costs me money now! BTW if I see that paint sn in the 70-80mil range and a rotary might be to much to use can I use my Flex RO carefully and not worry about burning the clear?

 

Quote: mean it really does what they do to pregnant ladies..."

Tempting but I'll resist

Paint Thickness Gauge - Paint Film Thickness - Detail University - Auto Detailing Forum

Paint Thickness Gauge, do you use one? - Detail University - Auto Detailing Forum

 

Interesting...... a human PTG. I would be very interested in hearing more about this. Can you tell by looking at it, or do you just feel the paint and figure it out?

 

Where can i rent one of those human PTG's