boubou

"Hand" here is the best orbital polisher...



Do what ever you want with a machine... your hand will do better.....
.... just ask to your "willy"...


And after having polished a complete car you will see if you're a real man or not.... and the result is definitely better than in using one of these orbital polishers made for lazy people...!

And always keep in mind that you don't need to transform your car into a big birthday cake covered by 100kg of cream...!!!
the less polish you use, the less you will need to polish... for a same final result!

I personally use this product : Carlack 68 (No no... I'm not kidding... it's true!)

A great result with a great protection...!

nicknec

I have been looking for these for years- but could not remeber the brand. I worked at a high end detail shop during the summers of my college years. This is only machine they would use in the shop. They are the best I have ever used. We used these on cars with 50 year old original paint to exotics.

Thanks subterFUSE!

C's Bimmer

After just having a life changing experience with Zaino and no longer using Rejex, I am in the market for a random orbital. I looked over this thread and it looks as though the Porter Cable 7424 and the Griots Random orbital are both $129.99. Which do you think I should go with?

Being that I have never used an orbital before and am very concerned about burning the paint, I think I'm going to go with the Griots. They have me pretty sold on the fact that it can't burn through my paint, regardless of how hard I press down. I understand that both are random orbitals, so neither is ever stationary in one spot, but the one thing that caught my attention with the Griot's is this, "an internal fan to cool off the backing plate (thus, no heat build-up in our pad, or on your paint)."

What do you guys think? If both are the same price, I can't go wrong with Griots, right?

tachyon

As I mentioned here, I have the Griot's and I like it. Even after working it hard for a few hours, it doesn't get too warm.

However, after using a random orbital now for one year, I find it a bit tame. Some may consider that a nice feature - it's nearly impossible to kill your paint with it. But it also means it takes a lot of work and time to get the job done properly (not as much as by hand).

I'm considering getting a rotary polisher also - fast polishing with a better bite, keeping the RO for light work and laying down the Zaino sealants, for example.

If you review what the experts at Autopia say, the Cyclo seems to be an excellent alternative. Knowing what I know now, that's what I would get if I was only going to buy one machine.

I'm sure that clears it up for you.

C's Bimmer

Actually it does. I'm buying the Griots, again, per your suggestion. Hahaha! Got any other good advice? Since this will be my first orbital, I'd rather try something tame and nothing that could cause damage to my paint. I'm pretty meticulous and good with tools/machinery, but would rather try something that is more novice at first. After the first year or two, maybe I'll move on to something a little more advanced, like the Cyclo that Subterfuse has.

I also spoke to Griots directly and the Porter Cable is not identical to theres anymore. Griots pretty much put Porter Cable on the map with their random orbital. But since Black and Decker bought out Porter, the equiptment has changed. The entire set up on the Porter is different from the Griots. Everything from the design of the backing plate and how it disipates heat to the motor itself. The Griots has a 6amp motor, whereas the Porter is a 3.7amp motor.

Anyway, I'm going with Griots. Thanks again Tachyon!

C

yapaul

Can you also talk about the type of pads you would use with these machines? And are there pads that I should avoid? Thanks!

tachyon

Lake Country Pads seem to be the choice of many on Autopia.

Most manufacturers use a color scheme to gauge the 'roughness' of the pad. Yellow and orange pads are somewhat rougher with more bite - good for knocking down moderate to severe swirls. White pads are sort of all purpose and can be used to polish out minor swirls as well as finishing. Blue and black pads are for finishing glazes and sealants.

But the polish product makes a difference too. A less-abrassive polish on an orange pad can bring a nice final finish. Or a more aggressive compund on a white pad can do some serious swirl work. It's a bit of an art to figure out which combinations to use. That's why it's good to review the experiences of others on Autopia. And always start with something that will cut less than you may need, and then work into the tougher stuff if needed.

silver bullet

If your car is micro marred or hologrammed or spider webbed or whatever hand polishing will not produce enough friction even with a compound to "remove" these surface scratches. The polish may temporarily fill in the scratches and produce what appears to be a scratch free surface, but in a few months those scratches will show up again. To truly get the paint level and scratch free you pretty much have to go with at least a machine like the PC.

bruce_miranda

What are the options for us in the UK. I tried to see if I could import a Porter or Griot but the cost is not worth it at all.

E60M5E60

The Porter Cable 7424 is highly regarded for various reasons. Well priced, ideal weight (not too light and not too heavy) and a very good selection of pads. Unfortunately, Porter Cable hasn't been able to obtain CE certification and therefore not importable in the EU.

You can get one from ebay or places like toolking shipped to UK. Then you have two options. You can use a transformer to run it or have a shop re-wind the rotor for 220V.

I am not sure if Bosch makes any variable speed orbital polishers but its worth asking.