Got the G9 in today, I`ll share some quick thoughts and first impressions. It feels good in the hands, love the ergonomics on the front grip. The body is definitely smaller than the Boss/Rupes models. Quality looks good, some rough edges I noticed on the seam underneath the front platypus head where it`s not mating up super flush. This is going to bother me over time, it`s a spot where if you have your grip over the head, your fingers are going to really notice the rougher edges of this seam, the rest of the polisher looks great though.
I`m loving the quick disconnect power cord, I wish every single one of my polishers had this feature now, especially the newer Rupes with their longer cords. The cord feels like a quality cord and has a good velcro strap for wrapping it up, feels sturdy when plugged into the polisher. Ambidextrous speed dial is a nice idea and is large, however on the right handed side it`s positioned a bit further into the surrounding rubber casing than on the left handed side, makes it a bit harder to adjust the dial for a righty on my G9. Trigger lock feels good, trigger is okay, it`s not progressive and it doesn`t feel anywhere near as good or smooth as my Rupes or Chechnya, but it will get the job done. The rubber tool rest is a nice touch, I always kept the D-handle on the GG6 as a tool rest, should be a standard for all polishers going forward.
I immediately swapped over the 5" Griot`s backing plate (#10555), this plate is a direct replacement for the G9. I`m away from most of my gear and polishers at the moment, I only have 6" Rupes pads and a few B&S 5.5" pads, and the Chechnya S15 to compare the G9 to directly. The G9 definitely has power, speed 6 seems like a monster. Not the most quiet polisher, but I generally run some form of ear protection with all my DA`s. Now, with the 5" plate and 6" Rupes pads, there`s definitely still some vibration getting through. Compared side by side with the S15, it`s a night and day difference, the S15 is smooth butter like the Rupes. Same story with the 5.5" B&S flat pads. It`s certainly still a smooth polisher especially compared to the earlier models and feels better than the GG6, and it`s possible my 5" setup is throwing it out a balance slightly. I might run out and grab a 6" Griot`s pad locally and throw the 6" plate back on to see if it balances it out better since they designed it around the 6" setup.
Overall, good first impressions, definite noticeable improvements over the GG6 and offered for the same price, can`t ask for much more than that! The quick disconnect power cord should be an industry standard if it can prove durable enough, awesome idea. Imagine only needing one cord for all of your polishers.
Size profile compared to the S15:
Seam underneath head that`s not flush:
), I`d probably want one of these GG9 things myself. Though I`d *have* to have something in the 3" range..shame it can`t accommodate that (but I bet somebody will figure out a hack for it).
