Coleman Powermate 7" Polisher

Gadfly

Gadfly

New member
The temperature is 43 degrees and I had to try out the new polisher. The Coleman Powermate 7" is worth the $50.00 I paid for it. I con, now, understand why the Makita, Porter Cable and the others are worth at least $100.00 more.



The Coleman has no guts. Sure, it revs up to 1000RPM+ but if you put ANY pressure on the pad it quits.



Now, that said, it does perform the function that I bought it for. Babying it along, DACP with a cutting pad (Megs 6.5") it DID remove swirls. Following up with HI-Temp Lite Cut, the shine is just fine.



This is obviously not a "production" machine, but for my amateur needs, it works.
 
I called the importer and this was their reply:



"We are responding to your inquiry on behalf of Coleman Powermate. The sander/polisher is designed for more heavy duty tasks. It should not stall with a minimal amount of pressure applied to it. If you are experiencing difficulties with the product it is covered under a 2-year warranty. The product would have to be sent to our company's address below and once received an order will be placed for a new unit to be sent."



We'll see. But, I must say that they are trying to do the "right thing."



If and when I get the replacement machine I will post a report.



Gadfly
 
Isn't this a rotary machine with at least 2 or 3 amps behind it? :confused: I think I've actually seen this machine myself.



I wouldn't think that it should stall either.... maybe there is something wrong with your machine? I mean, it wouldn't be able to sand at all if polishing stops it dead...
 
Thanks for posting this, I had wondered about this polisher when I was originally looking at budget polishers. Despite the long backorder, it is going to come before I thought. Should be hear by the end of the month!

I got the Harbor-Freight one.

I'm hoping something is wrong with yours right now. Is it jerky at all [if one brush is bad, it will have to make a full revolution before it can get power again, thus the jerkyness.] If you think about it, even an electric drill should be able to sufficiently turn a 4" pad or so, and they have little motors.



Regardless what the issue turns out to be, I hope you get it resolved, and I [as well as others, I'm sure] would be interested in hearing what is really the problem.

Good Luck,

Kevin
 
I returned the defective machine and have received a new one - almost by return mail! FedEx Ground to be exact.



It's too cold to try the new buffer, but at 11 amps it should do the job. We'll see.
 
I couldn't wait. The "fresh" machine performed no better than the first. At 1000 or 1500 RPM it can't take any pressure on the pad. A MAJOR dissapointment!



I have asked for my money back. We'll see.
 
Wow, what a dissapointment...I can't believe that they would even think of selling such a product. I wonder what "lab conditions" they tested it under originally...



I'll be sure to post up a review of the Harbor Freight [Chicago Electric] polisher once I get it...
 
Well, it arrived and I tried it out on a hood I got from the bodyshop where I work. Here is some stuff I wrote up about it...

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30978&perpage=18&pagenumber=2

but I don't know if it'd be worth your time to read. I haven't really had that much experience polishing, especially with this tool.



One thing I can say is that it has enough power for me. Of course it slows slightly when it hits the surface, but it isn't more than I'd expect from a high $ tool.



I've been using it without the handle, and that seems like a good thing for now. I'm still learning how to control it...it seems to wander, pulling all directions having a mind of it's own.



It comes with a 7" velcro backing plate, but I wanted to use it with my 6" pads for now, so I ordered up this 5.5" velcro backing plate from TopoftheLine.com. The combo seems to work well.



The machine seems pretty quiet, although I've only used it inside. In smaller rooms with hard surfaces, the sound can get somewhat unbearable [polishing bathroom counter].



In the time I've used it, I noticed the head getting warm, expecially when applying a little more downward force to the machine. One thing I'd like to look into is what to use to lubricate this thing. I really don't know much about tool maintanance, and the book's suggestion was too broad for me to know what to use.



There are a couple things I'd like to know:

1. What kind of lubricant should be used to lubricate the polisher?



2. What control techniques prevent the polisher from wandering all over your buffing surface?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top