Best backing plate and pads for rotary?

JasonD

JasonD

New member
For Christmas I received a very pretty DeWalt 849 rotary :D and now need to decide as to which plate and pads I want to use.



First of all, I read the Sticky "Rotary Usage" and noticed that most of the discussion took place nearly 2 years ago which means any product discussion is pretty much outdated.



Since I'm brand new to the rotary, I want the safest plate/pad combo possible. After reading the sticky, the consensus was the *waffle* foam pads since they ran cooler than the flat foam pads which actually run hotter than a wool pad! :eek: Is this still the case?



I'm mostly going to use the rotary for extremely damaged surfaces and will always be following up with my PC or Cyclo so a basic polishing and cutting pad will do fine, no need for a finishing pad.
 
for me with foam = keep it flat.

I too have an 849...great machine.

I use either the megs rotary velcro plate (has a nub in the middle for centering the pads), or I use the edge system which makes center the pads a lot easier.
 
I always keep it flat, but with a SUPER slight tilt going over a polish bead, do it doesn't sling.



I have the Makita 6.5" stiff backing plate on there now matched with a LC 7.5" Concaved Pad (Variable Contact). I love the combo and have tried Meguiar's in the past. I would highly suggest going with the LC's...you may want to check ou the Constant Pressure models since you are starting off. They claim to be fool proof :).
 
I have a bunch of 7.5" Curved Edge VC LC pads, will these be a good choice, or would the curved edge not be flat enough?
 
Eric,



Yes, you offer a whole line but I'm wondering which ones would be the *best* choice for a rotary beginner?? What do you think?
 
For a full-size rotary, my personal favorite is the 43-175. Its 6 7/8 diameter. fits perfectly and snug in a curved or tufted(wool/foam) pad. It can also be used on flat pads.
 
So which is better, a semi-rigid or flexible backingplate? I am thinking the semi-rigid will keep the pad flatter?
 
JDookie said:
So which is better, a semi-rigid or flexible backingplate? I am thinking the semi-rigid will keep the pad flatter?
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This is probably a personal preference issue, but *I* find the flexible ones aren't really all that flexible. Just enough that *I* like them better. I haven't had any problem with them being so flexible that I was unintentionally tilting the pad more than I wanted to.



But then somebody else might have a totally *different* view..
 
JDookie said:
For Christmas I received a very pretty DeWalt 849 rotary :D and now need to decide as to which plate and pads I want to use.



First of all, I read the Sticky "Rotary Usage" and noticed that most of the discussion took place nearly 2 years ago which means any product discussion is pretty much outdated.



Since I'm brand new to the rotary, I want the safest plate/pad combo possible. After reading the sticky, the consensus was the *waffle* foam pads since they ran cooler than the flat foam pads which actually run hotter than a wool pad! :eek: Is this still the case?



I'm mostly going to use the rotary for extremely damaged surfaces and will always be following up with my PC or Cyclo so a basic polishing and cutting pad will do fine, no need for a finishing pad.
Click to expand...



JD,



Sorry for the late reply, I hope I can contribute something here.



Wool pads are still cooler running than foam, even waffle pads. As for backing plates, this boils down to a personal preference BUT you never want a plate that is larger, even slightly larger than the pad you are using:nono This is a bad accident just waiting to happen.



I use LC pads exclusively for my rotary work. LC pads are very well constructed and very consistent in their materials. I use their wool pads also, all in the 7.5 range.



I almost always run my pad with a slight tilt and this again is based on personal preference and experience. A tilted pad, at too much of an angle, can increase the risk of burn through because instead of dispersing the heat over a wider, flatter area, you are concentrating the heat on a small more confined area.



Keeping a slight tilt can negate the pad skipping so many detailers complain about.



Hope that helps,

Anthony
 
Okay, well I'm thinking that the backingplate to get is the LC unit and I am going to start off by using some LC 7.5" VC curved edge pads that I already have before I buy new ones. Thanks for the helps guys, and I'll let you know how I do.
 
I was getting ready to order my LC backingplate from CMA, and of course looked around a bit to see if there was anything else interesting that I might want to get, and ended up buying a whole new set of LC constant pressure pads. They looked like a no brainer and I like the fact that they are 8.5" diameter pads.



Anyway, thanks for the help guys and will let you know how I like them.



Darn, I just realized I forgot to order a backingplate for my 7.5" pads. Oh well, I'm not placing an order just for that.
 
JDookie said:
I was getting ready to order my LC backingplate from CMA, and of course looked around a bit to see if there was anything else interesting that I might want to get, and ended up buying a whole new set of LC constant pressure pads. They looked like a no brainer and I like the fact that they are 8.5" diameter pads.



Anyway, thanks for the help guys and will let you know how I like them.



Darn, I just realized I forgot to order a backingplate for my 7.5" pads. Oh well, I'm not placing an order just for that.
Click to expand...



Email them and let them know you want to cancel your order and re-order. Or just tell them to add it in and charge you for it!
 
I actually emailed them about 10 minutes ago, so I'll see if they can add it or at least give me a break on the shipping since it's only going to be a single plate by itself.
 
MichaelM said:
The smaller pads will be easier to control as you get your feet wet with the rotary.
Click to expand...



Based on from my learning experiences, I don't own a rotary yet however from learning I agree with Michael here. One would think that larger pads have more "bite" to them therefore making the rotary harder to control. While 6 - 6 1/2" pads don't bite as much, therefore, making the rotary easier to use.



This is only from my limited experience with a rotary and browsing forums,,,,,,,AR
 
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