Amateur Looking for Good Budget DA

M

Mass. Wine Guy

New member
I want to polish/correct paint on my two VWs. Total amateur with no plans to detail for a living. I can only work in good weather because I have no garage, so I won`t be overusing the machine. I want to buy a da buffer/polisher with enough power and ability to do what I need.

I can spend up to about $130. Harbor Freight is too cheap and poorly made according to reviews. Bought a TorqX but looking to return it for something better.

Are new PCs any good, given the downslide in quality many report? Should I just bite the bullet and get a GG6?

Help me Obie Wan. You`re my only hope.
 
The GG6 is a great DA. Plus a lifetime warranty cannot be beat. I have the GG6 and have had no problems

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
I have a PC, does what I need it to. I could probably get things done faster with a more powerful machine, but then again, I don`t do this for a living. Like you, just 2 cars to maintain and I`m definitely no pro. For the price, the PC is your best bet unless you really want to pony up for a GG6.

Keep in mind you will still have the added cost of backing plate(s), cutting/polishing/finishing pads, etc. I kept it low-price and got some of the flat Lake Country Orange, White, and Black pads, all in the 5.5" variety (5" backing plate). You can get MF pads to do the heavy cutting, if your vehicles require it.

At any rate, good luck!
 
GG6 if you would like to get it through Autopia just wait for a big sale 20 percent of to get it, should be one in few weeks around labor day. Also they will match Auto Geek sales so between the 2 you should be able find a nice sale to use to get a GG6 in your Budget. Its a solid machine with an amazing warranty behind it. Just get a 5" backing plate and pads to go with it 6" plus pads work ok but 5" is more powerful and more versatile.
 
Buster906 said:
The GG6 is a great DA. Plus a lifetime warranty cannot be beat. I have the GG6 and have had no problems

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Winner...Advance Auto occasionally has GG`s avaliable as well, sometimes you can catch a 20% off code...
 
Amateur or not, I`d get the best/most appealing/smoothest/most powerful unit you can possibly afford.

Vibration can be a genuinely serious issue; "white finger" is nothing to scoff about.

The ability to do the required correction in a time-efficient manner can be the difference between actually getting the work done vs. trying to convince yourself that "enough of this [crap]! " is the same as being truly satisfied with your results.

If you don`t like using a machine (or at least if you don`t mind it too much..some of us don`t actually *enjoy* doing this stuff), and/or you don`t get the results you want given the time/effort you`re willing to invest, then the whole polishing thing becomes a non-starter. Take something seemingly minor like the on/off switch- imagine how much polishing you`ll really do if every single time you turn it on/off you think "oh man, I simply HATE using that switch!" Subjective stuff matters when *you* are the subject.
 
Accumulator said:
The ability to do the required correction in a time-efficient manner can be the difference between actually getting the work done vs. trying to convince yourself that "enough of this [crap]! " is the same as being truly satisfied with your results.
Click to expand...

Perzactly...been there, done that.
 
As mentioned above--what ever DA you purchase you`ll need to add the $$$ to get a 5" and a 3" backing plate. That being said I started with a GG6 with 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads to polish our two VWs--believe me you`ll need the extra torque/power of the GG6 to work on VW hard paint. Also, consider this, if you`re only taking care of your own cars you might use the polisher 2-4 times a year--so 4 years down the road you have a problem with the unit--with the GG6 just call Griots and they will take care of it for you--no need to spend $80-100 for a service call.
 
Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing has a pair of videos on Youtube that compares the HF and GG6. They are quite detailed, and he goes through the pros and cons of each. Just a hint: Scott (the guy in the videos, and a full time pro) uses the HF. Gary Dean uses the HF. And there are others who use the HF, and they are professional detailers of high repute. If they are using the HF in a professional day in/day out, it should certainly be usable for an amateur.

Is the GG6 a bad polisher? No, but the HF isn`t either, and costs half of what the GG6 does. The GG6 has a better warranty, vibrates a little less. The HF is much cheaper, needs third party backing plates (because from all reports, the HF backing plate is unusable), and according to the videos, stalls less than the GG6.

Note that the HF can be had with a 2 year extended warranty for $12 or so. Its not the lifetime warranty of the GG6, but should help with peace of mind.

There is a video of the HF polisher being taken apart, and every part is examined, in detail, on Youtube as well. From that video, the unit is actually pretty good in terms of assembly and parts quality. There are also a number of videos that show how to replace the grease in the gear head, add a longer power cable, and shift the power button to the top of the unit.

And just to put everybody`s mind at rest, and limit the hate posts that are sure to follow, I live in Canada, where there are no Harbor Freight outlets, and I own a PC 7424XP, and a Flex XC3401. I don`t own a HF DA, but if they were available here, I would have bought one over the PC 7424XP.
 
Other than 1) long-term durability and 2) the ability to do *SERIOUS* correction quickly, I don`t see any difference between polishers for Pros and Amateurs since the other factors (e.g., vibration) are uniquely subjective. I`m not a Pro Detailer/mechanic/landscaper/whatever, but 99% of the time, in *every category under the sun*, the stuff that`s made for Pros is better for me. Sometimes the price spread is worth it and sometimes it`s not, whole different consideration in cases where the cost does factor in (if the price doesn`t matter just buy the best). IMO the polisher choice kinda falls into a gray area since different things matter more/less to different people. Gotta figure out what`s right for *YOU* and that might not be what`s right for [whomever].

Heh heh, which polisher some Pro/vendor/manufacturer`s rep/etc. uses has zero bearing on what polisher`s right for me, and vice-versa.
 
My posting that stated who was using the HF had nothing to do with "who" was using the HF, and more as a counter to the "HF polisher is junk/poorly made/won`t hold up" statements often being encountered. The people above (and I have identified two who are well known, undoubtedly there are others, but the others can`t be seen using their HFs) make a living at detailing and paint correction. So those two are using the HF, and they use them day in and day out. They work them hard doing a lot of detailing and paint correction with the HF, and it stands up fine for them. So, in order to address the topic at hand directly, the HF is a "...Good Budget DA" that holds up, and is good and powerful enough to do the work for not only an amateur, but holds up in professional use, too.
 
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My two cents worth on this conversion/discussion (and that IS what`s its worth!): The proverbial "You get what you pay for."

There is a reason professionals detailers use top-grade (IE, high dollar) equipment: Time is money. Buy the best you can OR maybe you can find a good used polisher/buffer on E-Bay or Craig`s List that some professional no longer uses. Again, it`s used and you get what you pay for.

I am always taken aback when noobies have this expectation of producing professional results with "inferior" products and equipment, but perhaps more correctly, it is the lack of experience and use of said products and equipment that produce less-than-expected results. Trying to buff out a self-healing paint on an older Infinity with a Walmart-purchased $38.00 buffer and supplied pad and OTC Turtle Wax compound can be a headache and disaster. While I cannot dis the Original Poster (OP) for their request of how to maximize his capital investment in a polishing machine and what that choice should be, experience will play as much as a role in using it as the polisher itself. This forum contains ALOT of help in that area; IE, what works for what situations, but ultimately the end user will need to develop that experience on their own. Much like watching a video or reading about driving a golf ball; until you do it yourself, you are not a true "golfer" and it will take a lot of practice at a driving range or on a golf course before you become proficient at it.
So, here are some things to consider with a polisher/buffer:
1) Machine ergonomics; IE, how the machine "fits" you`. Is it heavy in weight? How is it balanced? Does it vibrate a lot? Where is the speed control and ON/OFF switch located relative to my hand or thumb when holding the machine?
2) Build quality (the "you-get-what-you-pay-for" to some extent; knock-offs or copy-cat polishers CAN be well built, but the attention to detail or materials is why it is priced as it is)
3) Warranty and service (which is why Griot`s Garage machines are highly regarded)
4) Available backing plates and sizes (If your vehicle has a lot of deeper "shapes/curves" or air scoops in the bodywork, a large diameter backing pate will not access those areas, if that large diameter backing plate is all that "fits" a particular machine)
5) Pad considerations (Thick pads, thin pads, Closed-cell, Open-cell, Microfiber, yes, even wool or synthetic wool, not to mention the diameter(s) [size(s] to fit the backing plate(s) you choose.

Add to that the type of paint your vehicle(s) has (have) (Hard Clear Coat, Soft Clear coat, Self healing Clear, Single Stage, or lacquer (if it is an older classic car) , and even the vehicle itself (a compact car versus a (very) large two-ton crew cab, extended bed truck) now you have even more variables to consider in selecting a polisher and associated hardware/equipment. The one-size-fits-all approach, while it may seem appropriate, may not product the desired results and lead to more frustration than many expect.
 
Lonnie, I genuinely appreciate your comments. I`m not ready, able or justifibly skilled enough to spend $400 or more. I`m only doing some work on my cars. And only when it`s nice outside because I don`t have any place indoors to work. If the HF turns out to be awful, I`ll consider something better. If it can do what I need, great.
 
Mass. Wine Guy:
One other suggestion IF you do buy a Harbor Freight machine, Porter-Cable 7424XP, or Griot`s Garage 6" RO, is to buy 4" backing plate and 4" pads. The 8mm throw (the orbital rotation diameter that it uses for motion) is quite "small" and a smaller pad is; 1) easier to control for a beginner, and 2) more likely to access "confined" areas, like curves/contours in the bodywork of a vehicle, or under exterior mirrors, or polishing out frosted/hazed plastic headlight covers/lenses. Yes, it will take (a lot) more time to do an entire car that with a 5-1/2 " pad, but I think it "finishes" out better. (There is a whole science behind this about pad and plate deflection and the transfer lose of torque (IE working power) with larger pad diameters that you may research yourself within this forum under the Kevin Brown Methods)
Also, remember to tape (3M Blue Painter`s Tape) around plastic trim, chromed plastic trim, brushed stainless steel metal trim (on older cars), rubber seals or at tight apexes of curves/edges in body work. Even though the throw of a PC-DA is "small", it will marr/scuff plastic trim or burn through thin paint at edges during compounding. Taping jobs do no need to look professional, it just needs to be done. You will regret it if you do not when your pads turn black after getting near a rubber seal or you scuff plastic trim or worst of all, burn through paint at an edge. Plus it saves on clean-up time on plastic trim by preventing compound residue from imbedding into the trim, which can be (and IS, depending on the compound) a real bear to remove.

Just for my information, how did the town/area "North Dipstick" MA get its name?? I promise not to make fun of it, other than saying it is a "unique" name (the politically correct term).
 
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