How much experience with a PC justifies getting a rotary?

M

Mitchubishievo

New member
Hey everyone,

I'm new to machine detailing and have already done two cars with polishing...both were not great results. The owners were still astounded with the details, but I was pissed with all the swirls left after going over with SSR 2.5; I figure I should've misted the pad more often, but at the same time, I keep thinking maybe I had and still have expectations too high for a PC. Now, I'm no Scottwax or GSRstilez, but I want my work to be close to par with theirs since I have quite an amount of customers eager for me to remove swirls and scratches. With this in mind, should I go to a rotary? I have only done a few cars with a PC, but I am beyond comfortable with it. I have spent a humongous amount already on products and whatnot this year, but I keep having thoughts of going for a real polishing tool. Should I? I figure I *could* get a Chicago model, but the Makita 9227 calls to me...and having seen the results with it only makes it the more wanted candidate. What kind of dough would I be looking to toss at one of these, including a bp and the necessary pads? Thanks in advance.
 
with backing plate around $200 if you shop around. I personally think maybe you should try to get a little more experience before jumping to a rotary if you are scared about using it.

Go to a body shop and get a junk hood. practice, practice, practice on it. gain some confidence with the rotary if you decide to get one. Please just dont grab the rotary and a customers car and go to town on it, you are asking for trouble then. A good intermediate polisher would be the cyclo, but it has a pretty hefty proce tag on it around $300 with some pads and velcro holders.



I sent you a PM too...
 
I'd goto a cyclo first, thats what I did and it served me well. That way, once you get a rotary, if you can't seem to get the holograms out, you can use the cyclo to do so. Also, if you're working professionally, spring for the 9227. It's a LOT quieter and smoother than the cheapies, its a great machine to work with. Its built to last too, mine's seen borderline abuse for the last coupla weeks, and not so much as a scratch.
 
I agree with the other posts -- you might want to get a bit more experience before making that leap. I've been using a PC for almost 5 years now, and I'm still nervous about a rotary just because of the few horror stories I've heard.



I'm JUST now making the leap to rotary as I've been seeing some continually worsening cases lately where swirls and scratches are concerned. However I think with the buffer technique I've perfected in my PC usage I should be alright and pick it right up, but at the same time there will ALWAYS be that fear in the back of my mind.



I suppose that's a good thing though, since it will force me to slow down and pay closer attention to what I'm doing.
 
IMHO, if you stick with foam pads, burning the paint is not a huge issue. What is, however, is burning the trim. I've never cut through clear, or anything close (even with a wool pad and Powergloss), but ive taken the coating right off of plastic chrome (thanks a lot CHRYSLER) in a heartbeat. You might want to keep a heat gun handy :) (think of it as an excuse to debadge).
 
I never used a PC and started with some foam pads and a rotary-you don't really have to worry about damaging paint if you use enough polish and keep the rotary moving
 
Welp, i started detailing with 9227 and got holograms all over. So i decided to purchase PC and never looked back. Nowadays, i polish with rotary first and finish it with pc occasionally if the holograms aren't there. But rotary always does a better job.
 
I forgot to mention one of my coworkers used to work at a detail shop and has a 9227 for me to borrow here and there...:D. I have a REALLY bad car coming this weekend and I dunno if I can do too much with the PC, so maybe he'll let me use his rotary for a little. Thanks for all the helpful tips everyone.
 
First I'd take a look at your PC process.



Use a DRY pad with the Poorboys SSR line, and work the product in until it almost disappears. I start with a white polishing pad, and step up to a green light cut or orange pad if I don't notice an improvement. Many times you can use SSR2.5 as a stand alone. If you have minor marring left over, use SSR1 and a white polish or finish pad for clean up. If you are having problems, give Steve a call at Poorboys. He's more than happy to help, and knows his products best.



The menzerna line (and others) will work better with mist and/or a spun dry pad that is slightly damp.



Please don't take offence to my post, b/c I'm not trying to jab at you. I think if you improve your process you'll be very happy with the PC. I would recommend learning on the PC before stepping up to a rotary.



If I had to pick 'the best' line of polishes based on 'ease of use', and 'results', it would be in this order.



1) Menzerna

2) Poorboys

3) Optimum



After you get some seat time, and a feel for pad/product combo's, I think that Optimum polish is the most versatile and cost effective of the group listed above.
 
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