Finally bit the bullet; Ordered new Griot's D/A

J

jaymz

New member
Not sure I really need this, but the prospect of more "nuts" and less time spent on paint correction, finally overcame my frugalness.



Have had a Porter cable unit for 5-6 yrs, but reviews of the new Griot's machine convinced me to give it a shot.



Since I'm a cheap *astard, I was looking for a sale, but apparently this doesn't happen often. Normal price seems to be $129, but then you have shipping ($16 or so) and if I buy from in-state vendor, I get hit for sales tax (SHOPNBC). Finally bought from AutoAnything with free shipping, no tax and a $10 off coupon; Net was $119. Still wish I could have done better, but that's the best I could find. Sure wish the vendors would man-up and discount this thing more. I hate the "price control" Nazis.



Now, just gotta wait for it to arrive. Hope it lives up to expectations.

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Jim
 
jaymz- Good move :xyxthumbs IMO you gotta weigh the cost against the benefits, and if you can swing the expense it's worth it to make the work easier.



Which size pads are you planning to use with it?
 
Accumulator said:
jaymz- Good move :xyxthumbs IMO you gotta weigh the cost against the benefits, and if you can swing the expense it's worth it to make the work easier.



Which size pads are you planning to use with it?
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I have an assortment of LC pads; plan on using 5.5"-6" pads; have mostly the CCS variety. Also have 4" CCS pads. Used the 6" pads yesterday, and they worked fine: lots of power in this unit kept the pads spinning much better than my old PC. 4" pads worked OK, but still easier to stop spinning than the 6" ones.



Jim
 
jaymz said:
I have an assortment of LC pads;.. lots of power in this unit kept the pads spinning much better than my old PC. 4" pads worked OK, but still easier to stop spinning than the 6" ones.
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Glad it's working so much better for you than the PC. Sorta surprises me that you find it easier to stop the spinning with the smaller pads though :think:
 
Tyrus3 said:
Congrats! Is this the one you bought? I've been looking into buying one as well ans saw it on Amazon.com. The extended cord one is only $10 more. Maybe I'm confusing this with something else though. I'm still researching machine polishers/polishing.



Amazon.com: Griot's Garage (GRI10765STDCRD) 6" Random Orbital Polisher: Power & Hand Tools

$105.98 shipped (edit, tax not included, might be added later on)
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That's the one...and a damn good price. This specific item/price does not come up when just searching under "griot's 6" buffer."



Jim
 
That is a crazy good price for that buffer...



Even though I'm a PC guy, I might grab one just to test it out and have a second platform...
 
I am also I interested in this DA let us know how you like it.. I dont wanna spend that kind of money the. Regret not getting the flex because this one can't do what that one can do.. If someone can confirm this will do just fine I'll prob bite the bullet and buy it.
 
toymachine2009 said:
I am also I interested in this DA let us know how you like it.. I dont wanna spend that kind of money the. Regret not getting the flex because this one can't do what that one can do.. If someone can confirm this will do just fine I'll prob bite the bullet and buy it.
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If you mean that the Griot can't do what the Flex DA can do your wrong.
 
Legacy99 said:
If you mean that the Griot can't do what the Flex DA can do your wrong.
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Well that's why I asked the question... If it can do what the flex can or not.. If it can I'll order one.. If the flex is way out of it's league I'll just save $$ and wait on the flex..
 
toymachine2009 said:
Well that's why I asked the question... If it can do what the flex can or not.. If it can I'll order one.. If the flex is way out of it's league I'll just save $$ and wait on the flex..
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A few months back before the new PCXP, Griot RO and Megs DA the Flex was King. Now with the more powerful DA's and new compounds/polish ( Wolfgang Twins, Meg's 105/205 and Optimum Spray Compound/polish) the Flex is no longer King. It may be a tad faster in correction being that it is forced rotation, but does that justify the price. I know there are a lot of satisfied Flex owners out there, but for someone just doing an occasional polish (2 times a year) any of the above mentioned DA would work fine. If on the other hand you want power and cost is not an issue, get the Flex.
 
Legacy99 said:
A few months back before the new PCXP, Griot RO and Megs DA the Flex was King. Now with the more powerful DA's and new compounds/polish ( Wolfgang Twins, Meg's 105/205 and Optimum Spray Compound/polish) the Flex is no longer King. It may be a tad faster in correction being that it is forced rotation, but does that justify the price. I know there are a lot of satisfied Flex owners out there, but for someone just doing an occasional polish (2 times a year) any of the above mentioned DA would work fine. If on the other hand you want power and cost is not an issue, get the Flex.
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Cool thanks for that.. One more question.. For griots should I order it in a package that comes with griots polishes and pads and waxes.. Or should I just get there polisher and get polishes from mezerna or meguiars.



I am just looking for best combination of pads and polishes like you said. And I don't want to get there packages if there polishes are not as good as other brands.
 
I have a Flex and a PC, and I use both constantly with my GlossHaus system. The Flex has more raw correcting power but has a bit more learning curve and risk. It is also a more demanding machine to use - it wants you to pay attention and hold it with two hands. The PC/Griot's, etc. are extremely easy to use and have the added benefit of being able to use a range of smaller backing plates for different size pads, something the Flex is pretty limited with.



I'd start with the Griot's and get a Flex later if you stick with it. I wouldn't want to give away either, but since I'm not a detailer for a living, I'd choose the Griot's/7424XP if I had to choose one.
 
toymachine2009 said:
Cool thanks for that.. One more question.. For griots should I order it in a package that comes with griots polishes and pads and waxes.. Or should I just get there polisher and get polishes from mezerna or meguiars.



I am just looking for best combination of pads and polishes like you said. And I don't want to get there packages if there polishes are not as good as other brands.
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I'd go with other brands of polishes and probably other pads (at least for many applications).



Griot's Machine Polishes- Note that it's been a while since I've used these (IIRC I was last using v2.0 or 3.0) and they might've been reformulated. But when I used them (both v1.0 an v2.0) they simply weren't all that great and certainly not what I'd reach for for serious correction. I'd lean towards the M105/M205 twins or something from Menzerna.



Griot's Machine Pads- their orange foam polishing pad is *VERY* nice for what it is, a regular polishing pad (much milder than the usual "orange foam"). It finishes *almost* as nicely as a black/etc. finishing pad from other vendors. The things to watch out for are a) limited cut (it's not a cutting pad) and, also along those lines, b) it's just a little big for that polisher so it tends to be on the gentle side (not always a bad thing). Their red waxing pad is fine IMO. So I'd consider some of these pads but I'd also want something more aggressive (and probably a bit smaller) for serious correction and if you have really soft paint you might want a dedicated/true finishing pad.



And remember that if you go with the M105/M205 twins you'll need a lot of pads.
 
toymachine2009 said:
So I take it you use M105 and M205 and is that all you would need? no other polishes inbetween? or after?
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That's all you need to start with, and lots of pads. You might be able to eek out a bit more gloss with a super fine finishing polish, on a dark car, but its really splitting hairs at that point.
 
toymachine2009 said:
Why do you guys keep saying lots of pads for only 2 products?
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With the M105 (and, to a much lesser extent the M205), it's just the nature of the product; the pads get loaded up with dried-up product and cut-off paint and you can only clean them to a certain extent via brushing/rubbing with a towel/compressed air/etc. before you finally have to wash them out. They won't work right with the products until fully dry, and that can be a problem when you're in the middle of a detail.



With some other products you can get by with fewer pads, but whenever you're doing serious correction IME more pads is better than fewer. Loaded-up pads don't cut as effectively.
 
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