Hitachi SP18VA 7" Rotary Polisher

atticdog said:
the setting dont click 1,2,3 so you can do in between 2-3 to get a speed you want
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Thats what I wanted to hear. Hitachi here I come. Not like I really need another rotary though. My 849's are great but want to try something new. Thanks for the help.
 
Yup, mine came today. It was rather covered with cardboard dust, but seems new. The instructions are terrible, they barely even mention how to put the handle on! But who cares about that, the polisher seems nice, and not too heavy, though not exactly light.



I watched my Meguiar's "How to Polish Paint" video again tonight. And I just need to get a backing plate for my 6.5" pads, as the one that comes with the polisher is about 7". I'm excited to use it!
 
Now that I think about it, the instructions didn't say much at all about the handle installation.



If you'd like something lighter, it's gonna cost ya!;)
 
I have a B&D(Dewalt 849 equivalent) and it's a pleasure to use the Hitachi in its' place. Both good machines but the Hitachi is quieter, lighter and *I* prefer the bail style handle as *I* have more control of the polisher with it.
 
All of my power tools are Hitachi and they ROCK! I use a cordless drill every day and bought the biggest one I could find, which just happened to be a Hitachi. I swear if it doesnt back off a rusted screw or bolt it will either snap it or snap your wrist! I have drilled through block walls with it instead of using a hammer drill before, and it took it like a champ. After my experience with the drill I bought a kit that had the sawzall, lantern, skill saw, and another drill in it. I didnt know they made rotaries.....I knew that had a line of pneumatic nailers and various other power tools though. Guess I am off to Lowes tomorrow!
 
I used it tonight on the Aurora's hood. I initially tried 1200 rpm (just past the 2) but it seemed crazy slow. I then put it about 1400 (half way between the 2 and 3) and even that seemed slow. I think it just seemed that way because it's very quiet. I've used DeWalts before and they seem like they are going crazy at those speeds. Louder and moving more air around.



I like the basket-handle, it was quite comfortable. All in all things went great. Hardly splattered anything, brought out some more gloss, got more comfortable with the rotary. I noticed with 6.5" polishing pads (Meguiars) and 1400 rpm, that the paint barely warmed up at all. I moved it fairly slowly, I wonder if it's a factor of the small pad, or not enough rpm, or it's not a cutting pad, or what? No biggie, though, I'm glad it didn't get hot as I really wasn't doing anything major.
 
Mine came in the mail yesterday, right on time. I need a backing plate for it before I do anything with it on paint, but I did throw a 6.5" pad on the backing plate that came with the machine and gave it a few spins to make sure all was mechanically sound. I noticed that the machine jerks kinda violently when you start it quickly (aka no throttle -> 1/2+ throttle) and when you go from a low throttle setting to full throttle. so much for a soft start... but hey, for 95 bucks, it's an awesome machine that i know ill enjoy!
 
Great price and service from Coastal Tools. I ordered mine this past Saturday and received it yesterday.



Aurora40 - I find speed selection a little puzzling, but agree it's likely because it's much louder than my Dewalt 849. Interestingly, when I release the trigger on the Hitachi, there's a distinct rattle emitted - the 849 just winds down to a stop.



Neothin - As you mentioned, soft start appears a bit jerky but otherwise, the Hitachi's a fine machine. :bigups
 
Caraman said:
Great price and service from Coastal Tools. I ordered mine this past Saturday and received it yesterday.



Aurora40 - I find speed selection a little puzzling, but agree it's likely because it's much louder than my Dewalt 849. Interestingly, when I release the trigger on the Hitachi, there's a distinct rattle emitted - the 849 just winds down to a stop.
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Aurora40 says that it's quieter and my experience is that it's quieter than the Dewalt also. Did you confuse the two or maybe you got a bad one?
 
SpoiledMan said:
Aurora40 says that it's quieter and my experience is that it's quieter than the Dewalt also. Did you confuse the two or maybe you got a bad one?
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Guess it was a bit too early for me - yes, I did confuse the two. Outside of the rattle at power-down, I'm amazed at the little noise it generates compared to the Dewalt.



The two are not much different in size, though again, the Hitachi feels much lighter. Normally, I don't use the handle on the Dewalt, though I'm already kind of partial to the Hitachi's. I'll give it a decent workout this weekend with some OP I have on order.
 

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Neothin said:
I noticed that the machine jerks kinda violently when you start it quickly (aka no throttle -> 1/2+ throttle) and when you go from a low throttle setting to full throttle. so much for a soft start...
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I noticed that too when playing around with it. But I didn't notice it doing it on the paint. Though I wasn't really watching for it. But it didn't start up jerky enough I noticed. Maybe it just takes some load for it not to jerk like that? I'll pay closer attention next time I use it.
 
I got mine today and started to play with it inside the house. It is nice that it is light and I like the handle but I dont think it will take place of my Dewalts. I also noticed that on mine, if you pull the trigger and let go and pull it again it has a slight hesitation to restarting. It also sounds kinda like they didnt put enough grease on the gears or bearings. All in all its a great value but not better or as good as the others.(as of yet)
 
See how differing opinions are. I have a Dewalt equivalent and the Hitachi. The Hitachi has taken the place of my "Dewalt." I find the quality to be just as good and it's so much quieter and lighter that it's simply a joy to use. Polar enough for ya?
 
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