Machine polishing suggestions

S

Striker

Active member
Been out of the game on and off and would like to know what’s out there for a polisher and pads.

I’d like to have one combo of pads and polishes and mate them to a good machine.

I’ve always rocked the orange and white LC pads on my makita rotary and old school NOK XP porter cable.

The Makita is a great machine and I’ve yielded good results with it however I’m starting to think with today’s tech, there’s gotta be something that’s more forgiving??

I find myself always going back to the PC to finish off the bulk of the work that the makita has produced.

Thoughts ??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You can’t go wrong with the Griot’s boss system, weather that is used with the large throw machine or the small throw. Over 300 combinations of creams and pads.
 
Still plenty of rotary guys out there doing great with the makita. If you`re comfortable with that machine, theres no reason to buy a new one. If you`re one of the few that can get a swirl free finish with a rotary, stick with it.
 
Your Makita will yield consistently beautiful results if you keep the pad flat on the surface, use some downward force, keep the speeds not much past 1,000, the compound or polish moist throughout the pass, and use the right technique and pads that allow all of this and more to happen..

You didn`t mention what compounds and polishes you have been using, what are they ?
Dan F
 
Striker said:
The Makita is a great machine and I’ve yielded good results with it however I’m starting to think with today’s tech, there’s gotta be something that’s more forgiving??

I find myself always going back to the PC to finish off the bulk of the work that the makita has produced..
Click to expand...

If you find a need to follow up with the PC (that rotary-then-PC progression is one I used to use) and the words "more forgiving" come to mind, then I`d retire the rotary in favor of either a forced-rotation unit like the Flex 3401 or a long-throw like the GG Boss15.

FWIW, I`ll never use either of my rotaries again, other than maybe to spin pads dry.
 
I’ve used m105 and 205. However I am looking at getting the three Menz products below as a combo. That way I know I’ll have them there and they’re designed to work together.

d159d7375f5ab82bb63c24dcedb01f6a.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Striker- So you want to go from nondiminishing (M105/M205) to diminishing? Just wondered since it seems like you`re heading in a different direction.

Just FWIW, having used M105/M205 myself, I switched to M101 for aggressive work and to HD Polish for milder. TOTALLY love those two and will never struggle with the TSO in M205 again now that I`ve tried the HD.
 
I don`t think you mentioned if you are doing this for money or just for personal cars. I`m sort of in the same boat as you. I have a rotary and a couple of DAs. The new machines look very cool, but it is really hard to justify them when I break out the rotary maybe once every few years.
 
Striker said:
I’ve used m105 and 205. However I am looking at getting the three Menz products below as a combo. That way I know I’ll have them there and they’re designed to work together.

d159d7375f5ab82bb63c24dcedb01f6a.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Striker,
Thanks for your update regarding what products you have been using.

Meguiars 105 was the bomb over 15+ years ago and it can still do amazing work if you learn how to work with it.
I found that if I kept the pad moist, kept the speeds down to allow the pad and product to work the paint longer, using M105 was much easier and yielded excellent results.

In my shop, there is nothing better for clearing up scratched tail lights or headlights than M105, and those little areas behind door handles (door cups), that always seem to have scratches, will come out beautifully with a little M105 and a moist cotton towel and one or 2 fingers..

People have been able to get great results on glass with it also..

The biggest challenge to using this compound or any product period, is going to be - pad rotation -
That`s why your Rotary is always going to be the best for that part..

I have also had excellent results with Meguiars 205, again, the bomb over 15 years ago..

Have always loved the Menzerna compound and polish line and used this line very successfully on hundreds of German cars over the years.. Here is a link to a chart that Autogeek put up that helps show where the Menzerna line fits in the workplace --
https://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-o...hIIFQyTI7F3slr42jeDt4HAMhhE9ZQRoaAl-jEALw_wcB
Dan F
 
I still think the Griot’s system is the way to go, one machine, one set of pads and one set of creams gets everything done I need to do, Day in and day out! No water spraying, no mix and match brands or pads.
 
I see no reason to worry about productline compatibility when it comes to compounds/polishes. One is used, buffed away, done before the next one is employed. Might *sound* reasonable, but I don`t see it functionally speaking.
 
Mike lambert said:
I still think the Griot’s system is the way to go, one machine, one set of pads and one set of creams gets everything done I need to do, Day in and day out! No water spraying, no mix and match brands or pads.
Click to expand...
I`m kinda tempted to go this route for sake of simplicity if you say it can handle anything that comes your way. Have already pared things down significantly from my `buy and try` first year...boy did I waste a lot of money with that philosophy.
 
I don’t mean to imply problems with compatibility, just very easy to have one line of products so if I have a problem I’ll know where to call for help.
 
Mike lambert- Oh, I agree...not knocking it, just never found it necessary. Of course, I`m not doing other people`s vehicles either so it`s easy for me to get dialed-in.
 
Mike lambert said:
I still think the Griot’s system is the way to go, one machine, one set of pads and one set of creams gets everything done I need to do, Day in and day out! No water spraying, no mix and match brands or pads.
Click to expand...

This is what I like. The simplicity; assuming it works. With the overwhelming Nano this Nano that products available in the detailing world, it rather gets confusing.

I might be keeping my rotary as it does a great job. I should probably be focusing on what products to use as my go to combo for polishing paint.

Always liked menzerna products and wouldn’t mind sticking to them.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What kind of cars will you be working on? Is it cars with hard clearcoats or softer finicky clearcoats or in the middle. Are they most dd or garage queens. And how many cars per year do you think you get to polish. There are alot of factors to consider when dial in the products you useing. I recommend what ever you decides to get that first buy is small bottles. And if you are satisfied and want more you get larger bottles and then you have the small to tap over to.
When decide which polisher you are going to buy you can take your experience from the machines you have. If you feel your technique with your XP is good and you get the pad spinning on places they like to stall. And you want more correction and faster go with griots boss g15 or g21 or with the rupes 15mm or 21mm. Do you don`t like the pad stalling on the XP and like how your rotary always spinns go for a direct drive orbital polisher like flex 3401 or makita p5000 or maybe the new rupes mille. Turn your XP to a 3" to get to the smaller space easier.
The pads depends on what kind of polisher and compound polish you are going with. There is different types that match different products and machines. Open or closed cell and thin or regualar thickness to pair with them.
This is a djungle of choices to go with and if you want to pair different brands it`s only to read in on what peoples experience and outcome is. Then decide what you think suits you.
First decide which polisher you are going with. Then the pads that works with them and the polishes that works with most of the cars you be working on most.

This is way you ask general thing you get answers as following systems of products like griots boss system and rupes. You get combinations that you can tackle most of the cars you be working with. And they are great systems. If you have this as a big hobby and find it`s fun to test different products and like to dial in what works for you to get that last % of correcting and finish. Then go the route to test it out.

Hope that I get thrue what I mean and that is that it`s not easy to say what is best. It`s more what is going to suit you and your situation of work. And you are then go from that.
 
Striker said:
This is what I like. The simplicity; assuming it works. With the overwhelming Nano this Nano that products available in the detailing world, it rather gets confusing.

I might be keeping my rotary as it does a great job. I should probably be focusing on what products to use as my go to combo for polishing paint.

Always liked menzerna products and wouldn’t mind sticking to them.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I was writing my post during you answer this haha

So go with griots or rupes system if you likes simplicity or with a brand that works great with rotary polishers. One brand that works great with both pads and polishes with both rotary and random orbital polisher is Scholl products. There is more brands that do and menzerna is one also.
 
Kinda bringing my thread back up from the dead-

Been thinking more and more about machine polishing and having the right tools-

As I mentioned previously in this thread- I do the bulk of my work using my Makita rotary. However, I tend to go to my old Porter Cable to ensure I’ve removed all the holograms from the paint.

I’m wondering- would the Flex 3401 be the machine to provide me the best of both worlds?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top