Have a Cyclo, thinking about getting a PC, should I do it?

S

simplybao

New member
I've not even mastered the Cyclo yet but I think I want the PC. I've read such great reviews on it that I'm tempted to buy it.



The cyclo is so big and based on my experimentation so far, it's too big to get into the smaller spots, that's why I'm thinking about the PC. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse, LOL.



At any rate, I'm considering this:



Porter Cable 7424 Car Buffer, 7424 Polisher, dual action buffer, pc 7424, ultimate detailing machine, orbital buffer, car polisher



With 3 5.5" white pads, Grey pads, and 5" backing plate (should I buy other color pads as well, the orange comes with the PC.)



As well as



CCS Spot Buffs 4 Inch Foam Pad Kit Free Bonus!



The 4" kit doesn't come with the 3.5" backing plate, so I'm assuming I'll still need that.



Should I do it? or should I buy the flex?



As far as product, I have 1z Paint Polish, High Gloss, and Pasta Intensiv. I'm getting ready to buy a bottle of Gloss-It One step.



Or should I try to master the cyclo first?
 
I would say stick with the cyclo. I have a cyclo too and the first couple times I used it I thought I needed something better/quicker. But after using it a couple times I am starting to get the feel for it. I would like to try another machine, but I told myself I don't need anything else until I "master" the cyclo.
 
@simplybao:

If you decide to sell the Cyclo, PM me. I agree there is a little learning curve with the Cyclo, but IMO is a tremendous machine.
 
You will have far more ability to correct paint with the cyclo and the correct polishes compared to the PC. Gloss It as im sure you know was originally designed around that machine and the polishes work wet so you cant get a very long work time out of them. How much cut you want depends on how much pressure you apply to the machine.



I use mine often on 1 step jobs and its a rather quick process because the 2 4inch pads cover a large surface area at 1 time, like doing a complete door panel or a complete trunk is much easier with the cyclo.



I did this write up a long time ago but you get the idea of what tha machine is capable of..



dsms said:
I got my cyclo a few days ago and went right to work testing it. I figured the cyclo would be a simple "One Step" and finishing polish machine only and that any real correction work would need to be done using my rotary, but I was wrong. I took out my trusty test panel today and wanted to see just how much correction power the Cyclo and Gloss It polishes had.



First let me say I really like this machine. Its built like a tank, balanced and leaves a hologram free finish even after heavy correction...plus one handed polishing is a breeze. As an owner of a Flex 3401 and Makita I will say the cyclo impressed me. The whole time I was comparing it to the both machines and it definatley held its own. Yes of course the raw power of the rotary is far more than the cyclo but with the cyclo I dont have to worry about nasty holograms, even on the softest of paint. Plus the new twin edge adapters are great, changing the double sided pads is so nice. I can go from cutting pads to fiishing pads in 20seconds.



Now onto the test...



I swirled up one section of the panel with a stiff bristle carpet brush using heavy pressure.



This is what I was left with



DSC04557.jpg




DSC04558.jpg




DSC04559.jpg




The swirls were pretty heavy and as you can see there are many RDS left in the finish.



I knew it would take an agressive combo to correct this so out with the orange pads and Gloss it Extreme cut



DSC04560.jpg




The pads were brand new so I used a little extra polish to prime them



DSC04561.jpg




And now I dry spread Extreme cut evenly acorss the panel to reduce splatter when I turned the machine on



DSC04562.jpg




After spreading the polish and a few passes



DSC04563.jpg




The end result after ONLY 1 hit of Gloss It Extreme cut and the cyclo



DSC04564.jpg




DSC04565.jpg




A very good amount of defect was removed, still some RDS were left but it was to be expected, so far I was super impressed.



DSC04566.jpg




I made sure to apply a good amount of pressure when working extreme cut so I could polish out the deeper defects and as it began to breakdown further I lightened up the pressure and refined the finish. I would say after only 1 hot of EC and the cyclo using orange pads I achieved 70% correction, around 85% in some of the areas without as many RDS.



Now onto removing the finer scratches I went to Gloss It Evolution cut and the yellow pads. I would have gone to green pads because this techinically would be the finishing stage of polishing but I needed some more bite from the pad if I was going to remove even more defects so I used a yellow pad instead.



DSC04567.jpg




After using Evolution cut



DSC04568.jpg




DSC04569.jpg




After an IPA wipedown I made sure there was no filling and carefully inspected the finish. I would say it was 90% perfect, the only exeptions being a few deep deep RDS which I wasnt able to polish out.



This was a bit of an "extreme situation" being as the swirls I induced were from stiff brushes and not regular washing towels etc. If I was going for 100% correction on this bad of a finish and used my rotary I would have choosen a wool cutting pad - either gloss it white lambswool or edge yellow with extreme cut BUT the only problem would be the left over nasty holograms. With the Cyclo I dont have to worry about that and still I was able to achieve a 90% perfect finish in only 2 steps.



So from this



DSC04557.jpg




To this



DSC04568.jpg








....In 2 steps using a Cyclo:D
Click to expand...
 
dsms said:
You will have far more ability to correct paint with the cyclo and the correct polishes compared to the PC. Gloss It as im sure you know was originally designed around that machine and the polishes work wet so you cant get a very long work time out of them. How much cut you want depends on how much pressure you apply to the machine.



I use mine often on 1 step jobs and its a rather quick process because the 2 4inch pads cover a large surface area at 1 time, like doing a complete door panel or a complete trunk is much easier with the cyclo.



I did this write up a long time ago but you get the idea of what tha machine is capable of..
Click to expand...



Hmmm, maybe I'll stick with the Cyclo for a while. Your results are very impressive. I notice you have the double precision pads. I've been dying to try those but am not sure what I need to buy to make it work.



The way I understand it, I'll need to remove the hook and loop backing plate, install this: Cyclo VESâ„¢ Silver Weighted Inserts for Double Precision Pads & Brushes



and the Cyclo Quick Connect Adapter 2 Pack - CYC-79-756 correct?



I've had a hell of a time getting my pads on there evenly without them rubbing.



As far as pads goes, I've read that I pretty much will use the orange and green for the most part right?



The yellow is for more cut than the orange and the white is for applying glaze/wax right?



I like applying wax by hand so I don't think I'll need the white, but I think I may need the yellow.



I'm one of those people that likes to try new things that's why I asked about getting a PC. I'm sort of afraid of getting the Flex. It seems like alot of power for a newbie.
 
simplybao said:
I'm one of those people that likes to try new things that's why I asked about getting a PC. .
Click to expand...



PC is a very nice machine. It would be nice to have both. Great for tight spots . PC can be bought for $109 (Coastal Tool). Excellent little tool for the money.
 
the cyclo is a far superior machine. Been using one for years and years now. I used a PC for one day and got rid of it. It stinks and IMHO serves no purpose.....maybe a paper weight.



So keep the Cyclo, later get a Flex orbital and that combo should handle just about everything you encounter as a weekend warrior.



Anthony
 
I have used both in corrections, while i am still fairly new at using da's i have a good judgment on their correction ability.



Correction ability: The cyclo with proper use of pad wins over all in my opinion. When compared to the pc, while the pc might be more versitile in tight spaces, the amount of time the product has to be worked in by a pc when compared to a cyclo is significantly more.



Weight: a rough judgement i would have to say a pc weights about half the weight of a cyclo, so i can say in long process detailing a cyclo can make you arm sore.



Over at my work place we been experimenting between pc, makita, cyclo



Using the same type of polish and comparing similar abrasiveness of pads.



In terms of getting the job done i would say in order it goes from



makita rotary

cyclo

pc



Then comparing the vibration generated by the cyclo and pc. I can clearly say if you want to savor your hands stick with cyclo. The vibrations generated by the pc for me is almost unbearable. After working in one section for a few minutes my hands already feel pretty numb.



I hoped this helped
 
Speaking as someone that owns both the Cyclo gets used 99% of the time. If I had it to do over the Flex would be my choice over the PC. Flex & Cyclo would make a very good combination. When I bought the PC (and Cyclo) there was no Flex available. It has been a good machine but the Cyclo is light years ahead of it in correction ability. The Flex would likely be light years ahead of the Cyclo and easily fit into areas that the Cyclo can not. Save up, get the Flex.
 
I had a Cyclo before I sold it to buy a PC. If I can go back, I'd keep the Cyclo.

It feels more solid, and powerful. The PC's vibration is horrible compare to the Cyclo. The Cyclo is a real machine, the PC feels like a toy.
 
Regulars here know I'm a big (and very long-time) fan of the Cyclo. It's my favorite polisher to use, hands-down. That said, some sorta-random thoughts follow:



I bought my first PC because there are some areas/contours (e.g., on my XJS) that the Cyclo just can't accommodate and the PC works those areas better. FWIW, I suspect the Flex 3401 would work fine in those cases too, though I've yet to try it.



The PC with 3.5" PFW/4" foam pads is *more* aggressive than the Cyclo (kinda surprised me). With products like M105 available this probably isn't really significant, but it's still worth mentioning IMO. You have to be *more* careful with the PC/4" than you do with the Cyclo.



Gotta admit I do reach for the PC/4" for spot repairs more often than any other combo (well, sometimes I use the rotary/4" for the initial work). And fairly often it just seems like a better choice for stuff like that than the Cyclo. Considering how much I enjoy using the Cyclo and how much I despise using the PC, that oughta tell ya something ;)



No, the Flex 3401 isn't too aggressive for a newbie (again, IMO). Even with large pads it can reach areas that the Cyclo can't (use the outer portion of a large pad, it's the Cyclo's *housing* that often causes interference).



The Cyclo white pads have their place as they're pretty aggressive (maybe that oughta be "aggressive" in scare-quotes) compared to most finishing pads. I like them for final polishing/burnishing/jeweling.



The Cyclo yellow foam pads can wear and lose their cut after a few uses. Generally, I'd rather use something like M105 with orange pads.



I tried the *wool* Cyclo pads with dismal results, but I hear they work well with M105. That might be worth considering as the wool will be easier to clean on-the-fly (but no, I haven't tried it yet).
 
I've decided against getting the PC. I was never going to get rid of the Cyclo, I just wanted a new machine to play with. If I get another, I'll get the Flex based on everyone's review.



Thanks for all of the replies!
 
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