jucee187

sup all... i just bought a simoniz 10' orbit waxer/polisher..gettin ready for the summer.. however im kinda nervous to use it because the damn thing spins soo fast... i was wondering if anyone has used one and what are your comments/concerns/tips?... any help will be greatly appreciated..
Thanks

ps: i know im in the wrong forum..but i figured i get the best chance of my msg gettin read here...

Fabvsix

Nothing beats "elbow" grease ! That will or can fook up your clear coat. I have one brand new in a box, want to buy it ? I guess you get the drift......:thumbsdn: :thumbsdn:

jucee187

aww man..ru forreal!?1.. then how come alot of professional detailing shops use them?...

Fabvsix

Are you a professional ? I'm not and I have fucked up my other car with that buffer etc......one slip, phone rings and you can really screw up .......

spiroh

I just bought a Porter Cable 7336. It's a 6" polisher. I still havent had a chance to use it yet. For all your detailing ?'s go to autopia-carport.com; Forum section. You will learn a lot.

jucee187

thanks man.. i went to the site and it told me the dangers of these machines..i mean the damn thing spins at 2600 OPM.. and i never used one before so ill just stick to hand waxin for now..and return this product and save me $90 + possible disaster.. unless.....hmm my sister will let me practice on her car.?..haha.maybe not..:P

Fabvsix

AS I said, NOTHING beats "Elbow Grease".................

EricL

For little stuff -- perhaps...

However, I have a dear friend that details cars that are worth more than a lot of beachfront real estate, and he uses an Orbital on them exclusively (excepting small blemishes).

The following link has the "Porter Cable" and polishing pads: http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....2060&SKU=10625

When used in the hands of the right person with the "correct" grit polishes, the result can be amazing (my wife's car needed the machine and it's perfect [better now than off the lot and it's 5 years new).

Griot's page:



links:

cheap pricing:
http://www.planetportercable.com/tools/randomorbit.html

more info:
http://www.pnw4runners.net/tando/wax/detail1.htm

EricL

Get the Griot's book -- the trick is starting with the mildest machine polish and getting some good instructions.

It's not like the old wool pad buffers that you see at the car washes.

If you are "worried" and don't have any practice with what a particular polish can do, you might start by hand (using polish intended for use by hand) and dig up a bunch of research material first before heading to “power land”.

You can burn the clearcoat off by hand or with a machine (I’ve seen it done)! OUCH

gohawks63

A rotary buffer (what body shops use to buff out a car), in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing can seriously damage to your paint.

An orbital buffer on the other hand is extremely safe.

The difference is that an orbital buffer constantly changes the pattern of it's rotation and it also spins at a relatively slow speed. As a result, even if you hold it in a spot for a while, since the spin pattern is constantly changing, you won't damage the paint.

A rotary buffer spins much faster and doesn't alter the spin pattern. As a result, if you linger in one spot for too long, especially on edges and corners, you'll burn the paint.

Orbital buffers are only good for waxing and polishing, but because they don't spin fast enough, they aren't effective in trying to remove scratches or swirls.

Rotary buffers can be used to polish and wax (only if you know how to use it), but are also effective for removing scratches.

To your question, I have used an orbital buffer and it has worked well. You can polish a car in half the time, but you still need to get to those hard to reach places by hand.

MikeS 18

Spiroh,

How long did it take National Tool to get you the PC7336? I am impatiently waiting for mine!

Guys, the ORBITAL polisher it totally different than the grinder/polisher that professionals use. Read up on this at autopia if you don't believe me. Or visit Meguiars video site at http://www.meguiars.com/clinics/clinics_template.cfm

So if you want to do it really well, go to National Tool online and get a Porter Cabe 7336 for about $100 shipped and then get a pad kit from CMA http://www.properautocare.com/porcabackit.html and get to it.

Hey, with a black car, I've got to be anal about this right?

spiroh

It took me about 1.5 weeks to receive. be patient, it's on the way.

The reason why I bought the polisher, is because I wanted to save some time. The PC can get pretty fast if need be. You will never get rid of those swirls, that black cars carry. Just make sure you use good wax (Zaino, Klasse, etc..) and you'll be ok.

MikeS 18

IT JUST ARRIVED! YAHOO!

EricL

We must have had very different experiences...

The orbital was used on my wife's car (with 3M’s Finesse-it) to remove some swirls and scratches in the clear coat and looks perfect.

If you get an abrasive enough polish, you can grind down to metal (I can probably find some "compound" that will strip your paint down as well as some wet sand paper...)

They also use the coarse and fine versions of the Finesse-it system with wet sanding and there is one situation where 3M does recommend a high speed ORBITAL (10,000 rpm)…