Makita 6040?

hydro556

New member
I just bought one and it is my first real buffer. I dont see many others using them and was wondering why. Makita is a top name, its a powerful buffer and has random orbit and rotary modes. Whats not to like, it only cost a little more than the UDM. Is it just too new? Just wondering.
 
hydro556 said:
I just bought one and it is my first real buffer. I dont see many others using them and was wondering why. Makita is a top name, its a powerful buffer and has random orbit and rotary modes. Whats not to like, it only cost a little more than the UDM. Is it just too new? Just wondering.



I think there are s few reason why it hasnt really caught on. Price-wise, folks may not be able to justify the cost versus getting a PC. Also, it does not have an interchangeble backing plate, so you pretty much are limited in the pad sizes. It's a bit heavier than the PC, and in forced rotation mode, it can get a lil squirrley; in fact, it was the primary reason i just upgraded to a rotary.



With all that said, i dont think you will have any issues in regard to how well it can work versus a PC, pad sizes being equal. Its motor is much more sturdy and torquier, and will do more effective work than a PC will.
 
I have the Festool Rotex 150FEQ and looked at the makita before I bought it also. It was cheaper, but I've heard it was heavier and the vibrations were comparable to the PC (which I also own). The forced rotation mode was also less than the Festool.
 
tod071 said:
I have the Festool Rotex 150FEQ and looked at the makita before I bought it also. It was cheaper, but I've heard it was heavier and the vibrations were comparable to the PC (which I also own). The forced rotation mode was also less than the Festool.

I too was contemplating between Festool and Bosch/Makita and then concluded if I am making an effort I should go all the way, not half the way, and went with Festool.
 
hydro556 said:
By half the way, what do you mean. Is it because in rotary mode it wobbles? I kind of look at that as a plus.

By half way I mean if I am already on the quest for something much better and I will spend much more money then I can as well try to get best one out there and be done with it once for all instead of making one step forward and still later wishing for more.
 
What are you giving up with the 6040? I like the fact that it serves both purposes for only a little more than the UDM. I think mine was right at $230 shipped, so far it is doing great. I didnt think anything would be able to get the terrible oxidation off my boat.
 
hydro556 said:
What are you giving up with the 6040?

A thousand OPMs. Makita goes to 5800. Festool goes to 6800. Both have verly close RPMs and amps. So Festool should be able to do chunk more than Makita. Also, whole quality of Festool makes it worth the difference for me.
 
Good luck with it. I have always had such good luck with Makita, that it was the first thing I thought of when I decided to get a "real" buffer. If I get to a project it cant handle, I will check out some of the others. No more than I do with it, this will probably last a lifetime.
 
never used the festool but i feel the makita is of very good quality and it seems to work quite well. maybe not as well as the festool, but it's definitely more powerful than a pc.
 
Festool and Makita make good durable tools so you cant go wrong with either one. In fact, I had a mind to get me a Festool a while back since i'm a bit of a tool junky. But after i came to my senses, I realized I don't need another random orbital/ dual action sander/ polisher......................................................................I need a Cyclo :buffing:
 
hydro556 said:
Good luck with it. I have always had such good luck with Makita, that it was the first thing I thought of when I decided to get a "real" buffer. If I get to a project it cant handle, I will check out some of the others. No more than I do with it, this will probably last a lifetime.

What works for you works for you. For me once I make an effort I don't stop half way and go for a second best, I go all the way for best.
 
tod071 said:
$440-$500 depending where you buy it. Now you can get a Metabo for the real rotary tool!

There is a number of very experienced professionals with rotary that still use Festool. As there is no silver bullet when it comes to tools PC/Festool/Cyclo/rotary don't exclude each other, they compliment each other.
 
ZoranC said:
There is a number of very experienced professionals with rotary that still use Festool. As there is no silver bullet when it comes to tools PC/Festool/Cyclo/rotary don't exclude each other, they compliment each other.

And your point is...



I'm telling Hydro to get the Metabo to compliment his Makita. And fyi, I too have a Festool and a Metabo. Yes, they compliment each other.



And since there's no "silver bullet", why are you putting Festool on such a high pedestal when the topic at hand is Makita 6040? The OP already has a Makita. Machines don't do good work, its who is using it and how its used that make the difference. I'm sure many here can do a better job with a pc than some can with a Festool.
 
tod071 said:
And your point is ... And since there's no "silver bullet", why are you putting Festool on such a high pedestal when the topic at hand is Makita 6040?

By same token why are you bringing up Metabo when the topic at hand is Makita 6040, so what is your point?
 
I think the point was that for the price of the Festool he could buy the 6040 AND a rotary, for example a Metabo or even the Makita 9227 (to stay in the "family").



I think that the actual performance of the Makita BO6040 is definitely enough and for even harder challenges a rotary is very handy.
 
ZoranC said:
By same token why are you bringing up Metabo when the topic at hand is Makita 6040, so what is your point?

No big deal buddy, you LOVE your buffer, I get it. There are plenty of offerings out there, so everyone can use what they like. You come off as a "fanboy". Relax.
 
My reason for going with the 6040 is twofold. First, as I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of respect for the name. I have always had good luck with anything Makita. Also, I tend to look at what commercial users purchase, because I know what kind of use commercial tools get, and I see a ton of contractors and other commercial types using Makita..

Secondly, as I dont know any professional detailers personally, I had to do my research online. After reading a ton of info and reviews, I got interested in the 6040 due to its dual purpose role. Being able to use it as a dual action buffer or a forced circular rotary allows me to learn how to properly use both processes. And the price, $230 shipped, seemed to me to be a bargain compared to the other high end brands out there. This combined with the fact that I dont intend to do this professionally convinced me that the Makita was my best bang for the buck.





My original question stemmed from the fact that I was curious why there didnt seem to be a ton of 6040 users out there. Didnt mean to cause an arguement. So far I am very happy with my purchase.
 
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