harbor freight/ chicago electric rotary speeds

[ron231]

I just got my new Chicago Electric rotary from harbor freight today (figured its a good cheap way to try it out) and I was wondering about the speeds.



The dial goes min>1>2>3>4>max. What does this translate to? I wanna stay at around 1000-1500 rpms and I dont know where that is.

 

[Pats300zx]

Hope this helps.



Here goes:

1= 1000

2= 1400

3= 1800

4= 2200

5= 2600

6= 3000



The dial, however, is variable, meaning 1.5= 1200, 2.5= 1600, etc. Hope this helps out a bit

 

[JDK]

Just purchased a Harbor Freight this weekend and used in on my wife's white Avalon and then my black LS. I thought it did a great job for $20, not too heavy or noisey like I thought it would be. Since I'm not doing this as a profession, I wanted to try this before spending $150-$200 on a Mikita or Dewalt. I used a 3M backing plate and pads MQ #2 and 3M Ultra Fin. I took my time, stayed away from the edges, and kept my speeds at 1 & 2, no burns. The only paint I went through was the front of the windshield washer spray head. I've never used a PC so I can't compare but I did really like this polisher and for $20 it's pretty much a throw-away.

 

[robertrinaustin]

Just purchased a Harbor Freight this weekend and used in on my wife's white Avalon and then my black LS. I thought it did a great job for $20, not too heavy or noisey like I thought it would be. Since I'm not doing this as a profession, I wanted to try this before spending $150-$200 on a Mikita or Dewalt. I used a 3M backing plate and pads MQ #2 and 3M Ultra Fin. I took my time, stayed away from the edges, and kept my speeds at 1 & 2, no burns. The only paint I went through was the front of the windshield washer spray head. I've never used a PC so I can't compare but I did really like this polisher and for $20 it's pretty much a throw-away.

JDK, I use HF for pretty much the same thing. I thought the rotary wasn't bad either. I figure if I end up using it, I'll get a better one. I bought a sawsall for $17 that I needed once. Again, I'll replace it if I use it regularly.