[Zack46]

I have hand polished and waxed my cars since I was 17 years old...And now of course eliminated the waxing and gone from hand polish to paint sealant via Car Pro Essence and Reload....I'm looking to upgrade my game and invest in a machine polisher...

1. What are some good brands of machine polishers and an approximate cost?

2. Should I look at Adam Polishes and Autogeek.com for good machine polishers?

3. Can you give me some tips and advice on how to use one of these....

4. Is a machine polisher really better than just doing it by hand?

[Glen e]

Read my doc on this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1dfrvhekpg...isher.pdf?dl=0

The Griots 6 inch is still the best quality with value out there, in my opinion

[DougCBJ]

it's heavy though, if i were to do it again i'd get that cordless you talk about for the extra money.

[Glen e]

Originally Posted by DougCBJ

it's heavy though, if i were to do it again i'd get that cordless you talk about for the extra money.

It’s lighter than most of the other ones that are in the hunt, but yeah, I don’t usually recommend the cordless because it’s expensive. But it clearly is the way to go if you’re trying to save your body.....I’ll never use anything else for a new car in good shape......

[DougCBJ]

If i had to do it again, i'd just spend the extra $100ish and get this one:

https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...dom+orbital.do

with how low the car is and the weird angles at the bottom when you are laying down it can actually be a pain on your shoulders with the heavier corded; however you can't go wrong with either, if you want to save the $100 the corded is great as well, it's what I have.

[EMTNLSS]

If you want a cheaper one get the griots 6". If you want to go all out and get the best I would get the Rupes LHR15 Mark 2.

They make life a lot easier when polishing. A lot quicker then polishing by hand and you get a much better result.

This is a good playlist of videos to help you learn about polishing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...V-sVRRRMXvEPrO

[KirkH]

I have:

Makita PO5000C gear driven/free spinning dual action polisher $500
Cyclo Pro 5 dual action polisher $375
Porter Cable 7424XP dual action polisher $125
Flex PE 14-2 Rotary polisher $400

The difference between the Porter Cable and the Makita is a) speed of correction b) comfort of usage. Both the PC and the Makita will get the job done. The Makita gets the job done faster and doesn't shake my teeth out. Harbor Freight has a DA polisher that does just as good a job as the PC for half the price IF you ditch teh backing plate it comes with a replace it with a $15 backing plate from Meguiar's.

Don't skimp on foam pads, buy only from Autogeek, etc. DOn't buy CHinese pads on AMazon or eBay. They are junk.

Autogeek and DetailedImage have the best prices. Polishers are usually not included in the discount codes, but 2-3 times per year, they are included. Look for 25% off and free shipping as the best deal. OR buy gift certificates when they are discounted and use the gift cert to buy the polisher.

eBay for a used polisher.

Mike Phillips at Autogeek is the pre-eminent expert. He was director of training at Meguiar's and now Autogeek. He has a TV show. Check out his YouTube videos.

https://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html

Technology in the polisher and foam /microfiber pads has come so far there is no way your hand can come close to the efficiency of a machine polisher.

[Frank237]

Went for the RUPES and could not be happier. I detailed four cars with it this past Fall and the results were quite gratifying. ALL sorts of info on the various detailing sites.


https://www.autogeek.net/rupes-polishers.html

[chozn4service]

Adams Cyclo Polisher


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[umby24]

I'm running the PC7424xp. A little bit slower, but super safe.

Here's a youtube playlist that has tons of information and teaches you how to polish, wash, wax, etc. well.

He talks a lot sometimes but the information is gold, and worth listening.

Junkman's Must watch playlist

[Sledgehammer70]

Rupes makes one of the best polishers, but it is pricey. Also the Porter Cable 7424XP is an amazing cheap offering that works, but takes more time.

But as others have stated. Get a good if not great set of pads. The polisher is the tool the pads and polish do the actual work. Get cheap pads and your car will not look good.

I have found the rupes pads to fit into my groove of detailing. There are plenty of other products on the market that work just as good, but I like the rupes pads.

The world of polish products is vast, and most do the work well. I have only tried a few so its hard to really guide you on what the best is.

Note Auto Geek is good, but their are plenty of other sites. SoCalWaxshop, clarity1, adams, amazon, etc. I just look for the best prices.

Machine polishing is amazing and saves your back. If you want to do it by hand you can, but man you in for some long days.

[ninetres]

Rupes is junk without the washer mod. True story. Found out the hard way myself. Google or YouTube it.

[Infern0]

Sub'd!

[Ruebernard]

I like the Torqx from Chemical Guys! Next go around I’ll get a cordless one.