cheap buffer/polishers?? any good?

A

aheyn

New member
Hey..

I know the old saying - good things no cheap ... cheap things no good. Lately I've seen (here in Aus) car shop places have advertised these 10" buffer/polishers - they say its random orbit....the speed is constant at 3000rpm. They're really cheap - about $25 AUS ($20US).

Are they hopeless? I havent wanted to buy a PC as I'm thinking I'll hardly ever use it...maybe once a year - which then is a waste of money.

With these cheapie ones, would they make swirl marks ??? is 3000rpm too fast/slow? I'll be using it only for applying polish (say ssr2, megs dc1&2) but thats about it...AIO by hand and the sealant&or wax by hand too . So would this do for that ?

Or should I stay away from these? I have used sanders before so I'm not a complete dummy .. I wouldnt think you could cause much damage with this one as long as I didnt apply too much pressure, and made sure it was almost moving so as not to burn the paint...correct?
 
i will start out by saying you get what you pay for. I learned this the hard way in life. Dont buy it, its prob some junk box electric buffer that will break in a few months. If you are looking for a great machine to start with I would recomend the porter cable.

you can not do damage with a orbital buffer or the pc they do not generate enough heat. The only thing that could go wrong is if you dropped the thing and clogged the bonnet with dirt then hit the car with the dirty bonnet.


:beer cheers!
 
but what about the action? if this one isnt orbital .. if it just spins in a circle - wouldnt that make swirls as it goes along??
 
random orbit stimulates hand motion just at a faster rate speeding up the waxing process no swirl marks will be made if using the right products and good bonnets
 
what if this isnt random orbit though? It actually doesnt say that.. I thought it did - just says "buffer/polisher"...240V 3000rpm speed.....if it isnt orbital, then will it make swirl marks???
 
aheyn said:
what if this isnt random orbit though? It actually doesnt say that.. I thought it did - just says "buffer/polisher"...240V 3000rpm speed.....if it isnt orbital, then will it make swirl marks???
Click to expand...

Yes. And....if you're not very careful it can/will burn right through the paint. AND...it sounds like the one you are looking at is not variable speed which is a MUST, gotta have variable speed.

I think you NEED the PC and that it's worth the $$. Maybe you and a couple buddies go in together and get one?
 
One more thought ... If it is a rotary buffer ... 3000 RPM is way too fast for modern paint finishes.
I used one years ago on single stage laquer that was a constant 2300 RPM and ended up buying a variable speed 0-1700 RPM for use on todays finishes.
 
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