Rupes LHR21ES vs. Meguiars G110V2

I originally posted this on another forum but since Phil is stocking the Rupes now I thought I'd post this up here.


There have been a lot of questions and comments across multiple forums and Facebook regarding the Rupes Bigfoot Polisher so I decided to do a comparison test that would show how capable this machine is verses a standard DA.


For the comparison I used a Jeep hood with medium to hard paint, Meg's microfiber cutting pads, Meg's D300 & M101 compounds and the world famous Kevin Brown Method. I decided to use this combo to keep the testing between the two machines as equal as I could and so I didn't have to account for to many variables, ie. pad deflection, porosity, etc...


Knowing how well a DA using the KBM would polish out sanding scratches, I decided to raise the stakes and use a 3M Scotch-Brite medium cut pad to scuff up the hood.








The area was divided In half, approximately 20" by 20".

The contenders....Bigfoot 21 on the left. G110v2 on the right.





Meg's compounds....Little brother and his MMA Heavyweight champ big brother.






Both pads were primed with D300 and a light pass was made on another part of the hood to "spread" the compound as equally as possible then D300 & M101 were added. 5 IPA wipedowns were done after each pass and before each picture was taken. The pads were also cleaned between each pass with compressed air.


First up was the G110V2. Speed was set to 5. Medium to medium-heavy pressure was used along with slow passes while still allowing for good backing plate rotation.


Primed and ready to go.





After 1st pass.





After 2nd pass.





After 3rd pass.





After 4th pass.




In the 4th pass picture you can see pigtailing caused by paint accumulated in the pad. Now, I was really pushing this machine to get the most cut possible with this combination. I think this shows just how much the abraded paint can affect the finish. :clap2:


The 5th and final pass.




I used a stopwatch to time only when the machine was running and the accumulated time for all 5 passes was 13 minutes.


Next is the Rupes Bigfoot. Speed was also set to 5 but light to medium light pressure was used. The speed of the passes were the same as the G110V2. As far as backing plate rotation goes, the 21mm throw is so big that having plenty of rotation was never an issue!


Also primed and ready to go





After 1st pass





After 2nd pass





3rd and final pass.





The total time with the Rupes was a little over 7 minutes.

The final overall appearance of both sections were the same, although the pictures show a couple scratches in the last Rupes pic there were some left in the G110V2's area as well. Not only did the Bigfoot give me the same cut in nearly half the time, there is no comparison in the comfort level between the two. The Bigfoot is just so smooth and well balanced!

Hopefully this helps answer some of the questions you may have, but if you have anymore feel free to ask.

A special thanks goes out to Kevin Brown for your tireless efforts educating us in the processes of paint finishing with the random orbital. Without you we'd probably still be spraying conditioners on pads and adding "3 pea size drops". LOL

Mike Murphy

 

Saw it on autopia. I have a combo that is sure to knock even KB's socks off. Just playing the waiting game for the proper combo to be available

sent using my thumbs, mispelling most words

 

nice!

 

Thanks for the comparison Mike; puts it in perspective nicely. It looks like the Rupes finished down better too.

So there you have it: Speed, power, and a superior finish. :worship2:

 

Nice comparison. Really looking forward to getting my Bigfoot.

 

I agree, that wouldn't have been my go to combo to remove those scratches in a real life situation.

I don't know if you have ever felt those 3M pads but they are a replacement for heavy steel wool and will tear the skin off your knuckles very quick. I mostly use them for removing rust or old paint on wood during house renovations. I've never seen or felt paint, that the scratches were as big or as deep as the scratches that I put in that hood, on any vehicle and I worked construction for 25 years.


I was just trying to show that all things were equal and I thought the contrasting colors worked well to show that. So many times people do a review and say what they did, ie "primed" the pad, but their idea of priming might not be what you or I do so we get a different result and with the cost of this machine being what it is, I really wanted to give an apples to apples comparison.

Sorry if I seem short with my response but it's getting late and my brain shut down a while ago. I don't mean to offend if I did.

Mike

Oh,btw, can't wait to hear what you have up your sleeve.

 

Nice comparison .

 

That's for the great comparison and review! Now I'm gonna have to spend money I don't have

 

great write up thanks

 

glad to see this test done. my next question would be . . . . . take the Griots for examply has like a 850 watt motor and the rupes only has a 500 watt motor. Does the machine bog at all or how does that effect anything?

 

I wouldn't necessarily use wattage as a legitimate comparison between the two machines. Let me try this example. If you only had a stock Civic to pull a very heavy load and the load was such that the stock motor wouldn't move it very well you'd be left with choices to make to move the load. Increase the power output of the stock motor and try to make it do something it was not designed to do, or get something that was designed to move heavy loads, like a large truck. It may not have the HP of a super tuned motor but it has much more torque.

The PC's were designed for woodworking/sanding whereas the Rupes was designed for polishing paint. The centripetal force created by this machine is so great that it doesn't need a huge motor to accomplish its task. In fact they engineered a "breaking" mechanism into it that slows the rotation of the backing plate due to it continuing to spin after it's turned off like a rotary might with a heavy pad.

Check out the spacer that Kevin Brown installed to eliminate the brake and to allow free rotation of the backing plate (which is what you want with a DA machine anyway). It makes a HUGE difference!!!

As for bogging, you could get it to bog down in tight areas. But the last car I did, I compounded the entire car, except in the small recessed areas that I needed a 3" pad to get to, with no issues at all.

 

Mike, thanks for the info. Is there a huge difference between the rupes 15 and 21?

 

damn, this makes me want to get one now LoL.

 

I installed the spacer after KB asked me if i was a wussy, I am not wussy:0


Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk 2

 

Lol Bryan. Your not the only one that he asked that question.

 

I've never ran the 15, but from looking at the diagrams they appear very similar. Also the 15 uses 5.5" pads and the 21 uses 6.5".

 

...and the LHR15 obviously has a 15mm offset vs. the massive 21mm offset of the Bigfoot.


LHR15 ES:
• 5" backing plate
• 15mm-diameter orbit
• 5,000 RPM/OPM maximum speed


LHR21 ES
• 6" backing plate
• 21mm-diameter orbit
• 4,200 RPM/OPM maxim

 

It is amazing to think that the difference in offset between those two machines is almost the same as the offset of a standard DA.