Anyone use a Chicago Rotary Buffer?

I

Irkie500

New member
Harbor Freight has one for $50 and goes from 300-3000rpm which is really nice. Im just looking to do to some light paint correction thus I dont want to spend close to $200 on a dewalt or makita. Also would someone be able to make a list of the pads and general compounds I will need, so many numbers and different types of pads its hard for me to wrap my head around it. Thanks.
 
I am sure you will find people that have had good luck with it, but I used one one time, just to compare it to my Makita. I set it at 1100rpm, and was buffing, and when I applied the slightest amount of pressure, it jumped (with no warning) to 3000rpm on me. Luckily I was on a flat panel, and was able to pull it away quickly. I then tried it again on a junker panel, and it did it again after a few minutes of buffing, again with no warning. That was enough to confirm to me that the Makita was definitely the way to go. In my opinion, tools (for any job) are not a good place to try to save money.
 
Save your money and buy a used 9227C or DW849 on Ebay or Craigslist.



I went through two of these HF ones and luckily they took them back no questions asked. They are flaky at best. Nothing like being 1/4 way through a paint correction and have your rotary go Tango Uniform on you.



The first one I had just stopped working all of a sudden.



The second one decided to have a mind of its own and would work sporatically. Sometimes I could bang the side of it and it would work again for a few minutes then die. It was so annoying. HF is 20 minutes from my house too.



When I returned the last one they let me take a store credit instead of replacing it again. I ended up stocking up on some Collinite 476S and some other odds and ends. When I bought mine it was on sale for $29.99 so I easily spent that in HF.



Looking back I wish I would have saved the money and just took the plunge on a Makita. I was lucky and found my 9227C on Craigslist and got it for ~$100 with some bonus pads. There's always used ones on Ebay and they sell for $125ish give or take. You can get brand new ones for $160-170ish on Ebay as well.
 
I hate to say this as i bought one a while ago and never used it untill lately.I mostly use my flex3401 but i wanted to try a rotary.....so i tried it and it did a damn good job....but it will not keep the same speed with pressure.
 
I have one sitting around as a backup. Quality control is definitely an issue with Chicago Electric tools. The one I have seems to be a good unit but I have been around others that were loud and really bad sounding.



The biggest difference between this unit and the better ones like the Makita and the Dewalt is the speed control. Chicago rotaries use a voltage switch to control the speed. What this translates to is that the rpm is set to a voltage with no load. Once you apply a load, the rpm is no longer what you set the dial to. The Makita and the Dewalt use constant speed controls so when you set it to 1,500 rpm, no matter the load (within reason) it will spin at 1,500 rpm.



This really makes a difference when you need to pay attention to the speeds depending on what product you are using.
 
$50?

Wait for it to go on sale if you are definitely going to purchase one. I bought mine for $29.99 or so...
 
I have used this buffer once before, when I would apply any pressure it would slow down. I would be doing the flat surface at 1000, and the edges at 3000 without even breathing on the speed control. That can make for a potential disaster. I bought a 9227C, and I can put my body weight on it, and it wont fluctuate speed. Put it this way, I got it caught in my shorts one day it didnt stop until it ripped my shorts off, and left one hell of a bruise.:buffing:
 
Anomaly said:
$50?

Wait for it to go on sale if you are definitely going to purchase one. I bought mine for $29.99 or so...
Click to expand...



there's one guy who visits this detail shop i go to (he annoys everyone) and he bought the chicago rotary and gets the warranty (like a few extra bucks or so). when it breaks, he just gets another one and he wasn't ashamed to admit it either...
 
Save your money...I borrowed a Chicago Electric from Eliot Ness (John) to polish a 27' pontoon boat....Any pressure applied would immediately cause the RPM's to fluctuate. Thankfully I was using it on aluminum and not paint.



You can get a brand new Makita 9227C from Coastal Tools for $169 plus shipping.
 
MASKDMARVL said:
I have used this buffer once before, when I would apply any pressure it would slow down. I would be doing the flat surface at 1000, and the edges at 3000 without even breathing on the speed control. That can make for a potential disaster. I bought a 9227C, and I can put my body weight on it, and it wont fluctuate speed. Put it this way, I got it caught in my shorts one day it didnt stop until it ripped my shorts off, and left one hell of a bruise.:buffing:
Click to expand...



Hahhaha!



I accidentally caught the cord on mine before, nearly broke my wrist it wrapped so hard.
 
There is a DW849 in the classifieds for $135 shipped. Used twice he claims. You can't beat that price for the quality you'll be getting.
 
Save your money and get yourself a quality tool. I'm picking up a Hitachi. The Chicago Tools rotary was a POS when I was using it to power sand on the frame of a semi last summer.
 
Every tool has it's place. In this case, I keep one around for those "can I borrow your buffer" people. I ask them "Do you know how to use it?" They say "Yep". I come back with I am/will be soon using my "new" one but you can borrow my "old" one.



That way I don't need to shoot a friend for screwing up the Makita. By the way, all those crappy free pads you have collected over the years? Yep, they go with the "old" buffer....
 
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