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BradE

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I am considering buying a PC from Coastal Tool. I currently have a rotary buffer, but its getting kind of old and I am going to replace it before spring. I have used a friends PC before, but only on a limited basis, so I don't have a real feel for what it can do.



I like rotarys, but they are kind of expensive to replace, and the pads are then are not exactally cheap. So, for all you PC owners out there is it worth the money? Is it really able to tackle tough swirl marks with taking 5 hours to get rid of them?



TIA.
 
I love the PC. But if you are experienced at a rotary, which might be considered the "gold standard", then I don't see why you would need a PC also. Unless, you want to do some simple stuff without worrying about burning holes into your paint.....



H
 
I hear ya on doing the small stuff. I get sick of draging the damn thing out for little things, that's part of the reason I was considering the PC.
 
I love mine and would definatly recommend it. I was able to get almost all of the swirls and scratches out of my dark blue Audi using the PC and 3M SMR ( I forgot to tell the dealer not to wash it last time it was in for service, big time swirls). It also saved a lot of wear and tear on my arms and back.
 
Also because of the size of the PC, it is easier to access places on your car/truck that are difficult to get at with your rotary. And...if you keep your vehicle/vehicles in very good to good condition year round, you won`t really be needing heavy duty polishing and or compounding. Maybe once in a while to buff out a nasty scratch or two but thats about it. The PC can do all the rotary can except for the serious paint defects. My .02



TBone :)
 
Heck I dont have one but I want one so buy it SL. DO one of your reviews on it afterwards I would love to read your impressions.
 
And they've done a pretty good job. But I have a PC on order now and can hardly wait to use it. There are just so many positive remarks about it, but it was David's video and Greg's Ferrari story that convinced me to buy one.



I would love to have a rotary to use as a back up. That's the type of buffer I first learned to use (Black and Decker). I've used Sioux and Webasto (sp?) buffer as well.



But I just don't have a need for a rotary so my plan now is to rent a rotary at Home Depot or wherever, and use the PC for the usual work.



My old orbital's going on the shelf unless I totally hate the PC.
 
I bought a PC and found it to be good for very, and I mean very light swirls, and forget about scratch removal. I then bought a Makita rotary buffer and you can read my review of this machine in the "Review" section.



If you couple a new rotary with Meguiar's "Softbuff" pads at 6.5 inches you'll be set to even do small things.



Please do yourself a favor and read the review. Get a PC for applying wax, or polish. But for surface repair (even the light stuff) stick with the rotary.
 
Showroom,



I would say that the PC is worth the money. I would also say this...I bought my PC from Coastal as well. I am happy with it.



However, I also say that the foam white pads which come with the Coastal PC are not really what you want for serious detailing.(I know, I have used them several times). The orignial PC pads produce a nice shine, but I am planning to order the Classic Motoring PC pad kit with the velcro pads.



I became tired of changing with the wrench...not to mention that the pads which come with the PC cannot be washed with much soap at all. I washed my first pad in mildly warm water and a little bit of dawn. I must have used too much Dawn because when I put the pad on the PC to "spin" it dry on 4, the pad broke, and I lost half of it. I have read on the forum that soap breaks down the "permanent" glue which bonds the pad to the backing plate. My remedy, go with CMA and the velcro kit, with pads you CAN wash.



I would say order from Coastal, and order the motoring pads...you might save a few bucks. Otherwise just order from Classic, and you get the pads and velcro with the unit from day one.



Have fun...I find the PC to work very well, and produce a great shine with very little effort.



SJ
 
Thanks for all the responses so far, keep'um comming. :up



Jazzy,



I did read your review about the Makita 9227c. That is one of the rotarys I am considering. I like the idea of a 600RPM starting point instead of 1000. It seems to be more of a "safe" rotary. It was a very good review, and I am keeping it in mind.
 
I just ordered a PC 7424 from Coastal. For $115 plus $6 shipping - that's hard to beat. Since my car is new I'm not planning on needing to 'repair' much for a little while. So I've ordered some 'Ulimate Bonnets' from Meguirer's that will fit over the standard pad. For now I just plan to remove residues to save some time - and my shoulders. Later on I'll get the CMA kit.



Good Luck
 
Could you just give us an overview of the pads and products you use with the rotary? I know there are some other sites that have some info, but not really the specific pads and products and order of application to get the best results. Like if you have some scratches that you can feel with your fingernail, or some heavy swirls etc. Do you start with wool and work your way down to less agressive pads and abrasives like with the PC? Also, how did you learn the technique for the rotary? Practice on an old hood or something??? The horror stories scare me a bit, but I would definitely like to have the power of a rotary for some heavier paint problems......



H
 
I love my PC for SMR, FI II and AIO. I've also waxed with it and that worked very well and very fast too. Another little bonus is that the PC can also be used as a sander. In fact when I bought my PC from one of my tool suppliers I bought the sander which came with a backing plate and about 4 different grits of sandpaper. I'm refinishing a door in our house so I used the PC on it last night and it worked great. It's only a quick wrench change away to convert it back to a polisher. So it is really two tools in one. :up
 
I was able to buy my PC locally at Lowes for $109 about a month and a half ago (still the same price last week when I was there). They do not sell the 7424 but they have the 7336 which is the 6" ro sander (exact same machine). It already has the 6" counterweight. It comes with a backing plate for adhesive sanding discs instead of the polishing pad, but since you will probably buy a velcro backup plate and pads that should not be a problem.
 
bigboyhf,



I leaned to use a rotary from my cousin. He was the owner of a body shop for a long time.



Most of the time you can use less of an abrasive because of the power and heat of a rotary. Like SMR works pretty well with a rotary. You will find for most things, you will not need to use andthing above 3M FI2 unless you have severe paint damage. In that case, a pro should look at it because there is a change you might go through the clear.



For light swirls, a couple of passes with SMR and a cutting pad might do the trick. Again, I think abrasives work better with rotarys because of the heat production.



For light to medium ones, it can vary. I have done 3M Perfect It III Machine Glaze with a cutting pad. Then follow up with SMR and a cutting pad. Then a few passes with SMR and a Finishing pad and that works pretty good. You can also use 3M FI2, it takes less passes with FI2, but you can also go through the clear quicker so you really have to pay attention. When using the FI2 I follow up with the same thing I do with the Machine Glaze, it might take a little longer though.



As for severe swirling, it's a tough call. Yes wool pads are great for leveling, but they can burn the paint very very quickly if you dont pay attention. I have not had to use a wool pad for some serious leveling so I can really comment further.



I have used 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound and a cutting pad on some nasty scratches. This can get away from you quickly so BE CAREFUL! Then follow up with SMR cutting pad, and then a Finishing Pad to get the compound marks out.



You don't do lots of passes when you use abrasive and a rotary, or you will go through the clear quickly. Most times, it does not take very many passes. I would say for most Autopian cars, and all other normally cared for cars you should not need to go above 3M FI2, and if you do it will be a rare occurance. Also you have to watch the speed of the rotary, you don't really need to go above 1500RPM to remove most swirls, if you go higher you can take the chance of going through the clear. It's not super hard to learn on a rotary, since you have expierence with the PC I am sure you could get the hang of a rotary in short order.



:up
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Kev [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I was able to buy my PC locally at Lowes for $109 about a month and a half ago (still the same price last week when I was there). They do not sell the 7424 but they have the 7336 which is the 6" ro sander (exact same machine). It already has the 6" counterweight. It comes with a backing plate for adhesive sanding discs instead of the polishing pad, but since you will probably buy a velcro backup plate and pads that should not be a problem. [/b]</blockquote>
So I can go buy the 7336 at Lowes.......then order the accessory kit from CMA......and I'll be all set? Are you sure the 7336 is the same as the 7424??

Anything to save a few bucks......
 
<em class='bbc'>click on the photos for more info[/i]
7424.jpg


Same thing except for the backing plate. Be sure if you buy the sander to get the 7336 because it is the sander designed for a 6" plate and it has the correct counter-balance weight.

In fact since you really should buy the CMA kit with the velcro backing plate anyway, you might prefer to order the PC sander then you will be able to use the tool for sanding or polishing simply by changeing the backing plate.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Kev [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>

The thing that I liked the best was that I could just go to Lowes and bring it home instead of waiting on the UPS guy. [/b]</blockquote>
That was my thoughts exactly!!!
 
Thanks for the tutorial!!! If I do get a rotary, I will make sure that I have someone show me and let me work on a piece of scrap at first till I get the feel for it... I have been kicking around the idea of flying up to Ron's three day course. Maybe in the spring.



H
 
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