Harbor Freight Dual action Polisher

As far as best polisher for the lowest price the Griots Polisher is hard to beat.

 

^VERY hard to beat man. Lifetime warranty, TONs of power. My first polisher was a Griots and im used to it as my Dedicated DA, i used a PC a couple months ago for the first time....WOW, felt like it had no power, i dont see how people compare the PC and GG.

Now i have a flex rotary, but ill always have my griots DA around, its a great tool

 

Wow!
Thanks for all the input guys!

I really think I'm gonna pass on this thing.
I wouldn't be using a buffer a lot but I want something that's gonna lst a few years without blowing up or breaking my eardrums with a metal-on-metal noise.

 

Well I wouldnt throw the PC under the buss. It is slightly less powerfull and slightly more noisy, still has plenty of power for the average home detailer, I expanded and began doing families cars and the occasional paid motorcycle detail so I decided to buy the GG6, otherwise the PC would have done just fine and it will last years upon years. Either machine is a good choice!

 

Always check the RPM range on the polisher you're about to buy. Typical high end polishers range from 2xxx RPM or 3xxx RPM all the way up to 6xxx RPM or 9xxx RPM. Those cheap Harbor Freight polishers usual range from 3xx RPM up to only 3xxx RPM.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Griot's Garage and either Adams of Ultimate pads.
Won't be until the end of next week though.

Still haven't decided on compunds & polishes yet.

 

We are talking Dual Action polishers. Speed is measured in OPM, not RPM. And the griots garage maxes out at 6800opm which is comparable to any other DA on the market.

RPM is what Rotary polishers are measured in. And generally speaking, if you speak to any good professional detailer, they can tell you that its rare that anything above 2k RPM is needed when polishing a car. Polishing at 3k+ is usually for grinding down gel coat on boats that is rock hard. The polishers you are talking about that go as high as 6-9k rpm are NOT for polishing cars. Speeds that high would generate insane amounts of heat and making burning through even easier.

I have a Flex PE-14 Rotary polisher, its RPM range is 600-2100 rpm because it was designed specifically for polishing automotive paint.

I recommend Phils Uber pads, they are cheap, durable and work great. Id also recommend Menzerna when it comes to polishes, they are great.

 

have to add a huge +1 to this. Menzerna is the bees nees. Look no further, incredible products

 

I purchased one of these today. Used a 25% off coupon, so I got the polisher for $45. That's hard to beat for a back-up polisher. I've spent more than that each time I've had my older PC7363 serviced (need new speed dial this time, I think) that I keep around as a back-up and carpet scrubbing duty. The
Harbor Freight polisher runs at 2000-6400 OPM. Its not that loud and the power feels at least as good as the PC. It feels well made but is a little bit heavier than the PC. All the talk about it exploding on your paint is silly.

 

Incredibly expensive too!
$30 for 16 ounces?

 

I would start with D300, and a small bottle of Megs 105. Later you may decide to try Menzerna products which are great, there are plenty of people who will trade or send samples, I do it all the time.

 

Is D300 Menzerna?
I don't think I want to try any more Meguiars.
I tried Ultimate Polish and it sucked.
Stuff dries on the paint like glue.


If I get Menzerna I was looing at
PF2500
SF4000
&
SF4500

Don't think I'll need anything more aggressive than the 2500 just can't figure out if it's worth getting 4000 and 4500

 

Your using too much if it is doing that, try less probably a lot less, work the product longer, and if need be sprits with a fine light mist of water then work a little more.

 

also are you using a polisher or by hand?

 

I was using that Meguiars Power System but I took it back.
My Griot's Garage 6" is coming today.

 

You won't have those issues with D300, which is a Megs product and engineered for the MF pads. It does sound like you're using too much product and maybe too high of speed which quickly gums up the compound, I've seen it happen to M105 a few times as well. D300 is great though, and using 4 small drops for the first pass and only 2 drops for each additional pass is all you need.

 

Thanks.
I got Menzerna
Menzerna Power Finish PF 2500
and
Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF 4000

Oh yeah
and
Lake COuntry Constant Pressure 6.5 Inch Hi-Gloss CCS Foam Pads
3 green 3 white & three red

and a 25 foot 14 gauge extension cord for the Griot's