Rotary to practice?

Would this be something I can use to practice usinga rotary with?
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

I started out with that and it burnt up. Looking back, it was completely pointless to buy that piece of crap machine. Do it right the first time and buy a quality product.

 

I would have to agree......you dont get ahead buying cheap tools. Keep saving for a quality machine and dont look back.

 

Its cheaper in the long run too.

 

:nod: I agree, if you start with quality you'll deliver quality at the end..well at least I think so :thumb:

 

You'll end up regretting it if that thing burns out on you, then you'll end up buying a high quality rotary and you would have spent more money than you had to. Save yourself the headache and go for the gold.

 

The answers I figured I was going to get but didn't wanna hear lol. Thanks guys guess I will continue to save for a Makita

 

I started out on the Harbor Freight rotary, but I bought it when it was on sale for $19.95. Of course, I ended up buying a Makita several months later, but for the price I paid, I feel it was not a mistake to have that one first. If you're thinking of spending the catalog price of $45.95, I'd wait.
It slows down when you apply pressure on it, but it did give me a few months of rotary practice. I knew what kind of quality to expect for $19.95.

 

Boy, There is so much good advise you got here sal329. The only other thing that I can think of if you must have it (thats O-kay) You will have a back up rotory!!! or if you are working on a peice of crap car. I now have 3 rotory's B&D-Snap on and makita. For 45 bucks what the hell...:thumb:

 

I bought one and the first time I used it started smoking before I could finish the hood on my S-10. I then found this Vector Professional Circular Polisher at a Pepboys for 49 or 59 dollars and its 10 times the machine as Chicago Electric. Has a two year warranty also.

 

sal329 Maybe he's right. I do however think a back up is a good idea.

 

That was my thinking as well. However it burnt right up while I was compounding a hood. It was only a few months old at the time.

 

LOL..mine didn't last 15 minutes.

However the Vector rotary I picked up is a quality product.

 

Thanks for all he info guys

 

I too started out with a HF rotary, then I purchased a Flex 3403. The HF rotary now performs double duty as a backup and to spin dry my pads after washing.

 

Like someone else mentioned that HF rotary often goes on sale for $19.95. I think I bought one at that price late in December one year. It's cheap enough at that price to practice with or use for grungy polishing jobs...... I loaned mine to a friend to use on an aluminum pontoon boat instead of letting my Metabo go out on that job.

The cons are it doesn't have electronic speed control so it might slow down under load and you'll have to adjust.

If you're anxious to start using a rotary then at $20 it is hard to beat. If you're saving for a good rotary then I wouldn't pay more than $20 for it. Anything close to the catalog price of $50 I'd hold off and put that money toward your good rotary.

Like you have read some guys have them go bad right away and others, like myself, haven't really had a problem with them. I think they have a one year warranty so if you have a HF store close it wouldn't be too bad. If you had to ship it back for service/replacement it wouldn't be worth the hassle/price of shipping.

 

There's a HF coupon section in our local paper today. There's a coupon for that buffer at twenty bucks. Lot's of other good detailing product coupons, too. I'm not allowed to go to Harbor Freight without adult supervision.

 

Hey, if you want to start out without spending huge cash, why not go used? I am sure you can find some deals on some used tools, with tools like the DW849 or 9227 I wouldn't hesitate to buy one that has been used. I am not usually a fan of used things, but I bought a DeWalt off of Phil a while back and I have used it a TON and it still keeps on taking beatings. No matter how long I run it, not matter how hard I work it, it keeps going

 

Found something interesting today. My local Northern Tool and Equipment store stocks the following rotary polisher:

FREE SHIPPING — Northern Industrial Sander/Polisher — 11 Amp, 7in. | Polishers + Sanders | Northern Tool + Equipment

Near as I can tell, this is the Vector Manufacturing polisher, only with a different design to the handgrip. Notice the four vent holes in the aluminum section of the tool, with two rows of rectangular holes - the top closer together, the bottom more widely spaced, like this:

- -
- -

Here's the Vector:

Amazon: Amazon.com: Vector Manufacturing 236 7-Inch Polisher/Sander: Automotive
Properautocare.com: Vector Professional Circular Polisher

Proper Auto Care's description describes the speed selector as having a numeric scale, from 2 to 6. The Northern Tool unit is just like this. Which further leads me to think that it's exactly the same thing, just with a differently colored and shaped handgrip.

They also all have exactly the same length warranty - two years.

So, two questions.

First of all, does this bit of internet sleuthing I've done make sense to any of you?

Second, is this worth taking a $67 gamble for my first rotary?

For $67, I could get the 3M UK backing plate and some more pads, for about the money I'd spend on the Makita (let alone the Flex or the Metabo units). Worth the price of admission?

(Disclaimer: the Makita is sitting in my cart at amazon.com right at this moment. Had I not found this tonight, I'd probably have pulled the trigger on that by now.)

 

After I move and get things settled I will be lookin at the local pawn shops.