Makita PO5000C

EdLancer

EdLancer

New member
Anyone experienced using it first hand and how it compares to the Flex 3401 ?
I like the Makita brand as the service center is close to me ...LoL

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I so wanna buy it but just bought two rupes in the last year that I can`t justify the purchase


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Civicclutch said:
I so wanna buy it but just bought two rupes in the last year that I can`t justify the purchase
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Click to expand...

Seen it for $333usd. If your machines won`t make money for you then don`t get it, pay back shouldn`t be more than 2-3 years for DIY enthusiasts !
 
its now my primary polisher! replacing my G21

Reason I always grabbed my G21 over 3401...smooth..doesn`t beat you up..no walking issues

did side by side tests between my PO5000c and my 3401 max speeds, 3 passes with cutting thin pro and 1k grit...just weight of machine and 3 passes, neither took out the sanding marks completely(this is what i was hoping) the Makita took out slightly more sanding marks..

Makita is a more balanced machine, not top heavy
its smoother due to the smaller stroke
Machine is longer than both the 3401 and my G21 and comboed with shorter stroke mitigates possible "walk"
virtually no vibration( smoother then my G21) 3401 leaves me with numb/sensational hands after job
most ergonomic machine i`ve used ..and ive used them all
rubber rests
after about 4.5 + hrs tool gets slightly warm at middle of body and at rubber tool rest...but no heat at rubber grips! head of 3401 gets hot to touch
I could probably name a few more pros

as for pads Ive used LC Thin Pros and B&S Low Pros...
thin vs thick didnt seem any different to me in how it operates or performs.

now what did have an effect was pad stiffness
thinpros were more flexible and conformed better to panels where as the low pros were more stiff, which will encourage machine walking, but being short stroke its not an issue..

Thicker pad obviously takes more heat/abuse..

LC HDOs would be ideal as they are just as thick as Low pros, but yet still flexible enough to conform to panels..
HD spider pads may be an ideal pad line up
I`m Sure Force pads will be too

The con to the PO5000c is the Free spin mode...you wont be doing any correction nor polishing in this mode..
this mode will work well for machine sanding and perhaps LSP and clay disc job.. I myself just keep it in forced mode
 
Someone want to "educate" me on what the difference is between forced rotation and free rotation AND where (or how) you would use each rotation mode with this polishing machine?
Someone else wrote that from a review on AutoGeeks that this particular machine was NOT good in the free rotation mode, a viewpoint that has been "confirmed" by another user within this very thread. That AG review also said that this is what the Flex 3401 should have been in the first place.

My reason for asking is that there are many of us hobbyist "on the fence" who are looking for a new polishing machine and this one seems to do the work of two machines by a selectable mode of rotation. However if one of the modes does not "work" well, is it worth the purchase price, OR is it just a user opinion (or error) in the polishing application?
I cannot fathom that Makita , with its reputation for quality, would knowingly manufacture and market a power tool with a known shortcoming and that it has not been thoroughly field tested by a slew of professional detailers or body repair personnel before its release to the general public. (Any beta testers out there want to tell us their opinion?)
 
It`s not good in free spin ..can`t get any pad rotation out of it unless you do weight of machine or less..so no correction possible

Forced rotation mode it`ll always spin..won`t bog down or stall on a curve
 
Lonnie said:
Someone want to "educate" me on what the difference is between forced rotation and free rotation AND where (or how) you would use each rotation mode with this polishing machine?
Someone else wrote that from a review on AutoGeeks that this particular machine was NOT good in the free rotation mode, a viewpoint that has been "confirmed" by another user within this very thread. That AG review also said that this is what the Flex 3401 should have been in the first place.

My reason for asking is that there are many of us hobbyist "on the fence" who are looking for a new polishing machine and this one seems to do the work of two machines by a selectable mode of rotation. However if one of the modes does not "work" well, is it worth the purchase price, OR is it just a user opinion (or error) in the polishing application?
I cannot fathom that Makita , with its reputation for quality, would knowingly manufacture and market a power tool with a known shortcoming and that it has not been thoroughly field tested by a slew of professional detailers or body repair personnel before its release to the general public. (Any beta testers out there want to tell us their opinion?)
Click to expand...

There were pictures of the Makita field testing crew at one of Mike Philips` Detailing classes from about 2 years ago.They were in there testing a PO5000C prototype. Mike Philips did some testing, as I am sure some other highly regarded detailers did as well.

I would think that the Makita`s relatively poor performance in free rotation mode is related to its very short throw of 5.5mm. Throw in forced rotation mode doesn`t affect the pad rotation, well, because it is forced/gear-driven. In forced rotation, it only serves to smooth out vibration.

I don`t own a PO5000C, but would think that its free rotation mode is probably no worse than a PC7424, at worst, and may be better. It will be far inferior to the performance in fixed rotation mode, just as the XC3401 is vs. the PC7424. I quite honestly believe that there won`t be many people using the PO5000C in free rotation mode.

I think that Makita tried to make a dual mode machine, and couldn`t quite get it done. My own trhought would have been to come out with two polishers, a PO5000C fixed rotation polisher, and a PO5010C free rotation polisher withe a longer throw (like 12-15 mm). Maybe make the PO5000C somewhat cheaper, and the PO5010C competitive with the likes of the G15/G21/Rupes Bigfoots/Flex XFE7-15.

Just for the record, I made up the PO5010C model name for the purposes of making my point.
 
So - for the home enthusiast who does their own and a couple of friend`s cars who might be looking for a good piece of equipment, or a 7424 replacement:

Does the poor (possibly 7424 equivalent) free rotation mode mean one should look elsewhere?
Just when would each of forced and free modes be used in a typical correction, jeweling, then LSP application job?

From the marketing material I was hoping this was "the" unit for a non-pro.
 
kkritsilas said:
There were pictures of the Makita field testing crew at one of Mike Philips` Detailing classes from about 2 years ago.They were in there testing a PO5000C prototype. Mike Philips did some testing, as I am sure some other highly regarded detailers did as well.

I would think that the Makita`s relatively poor performance in free rotation mode is related to its very short throw of 5.5mm. Throw in forced rotation mode doesn`t affect the pad rotation, well, because it is forced/gear-driven. In forced rotation, it only serves to smooth out vibration.

I don`t own a PO5000C, but would think that its free rotation mode is probably no worse than a PC7424, at worst, and may be better. It will be far inferior to the performance in fixed rotation mode, just as the XC3401 is vs. the PC7424. I quite honestly believe that there won`t be many people using the PO5000C in free rotation mode.

I think that Makita tried to make a dual mode machine, and couldn`t quite get it done. My own trhought would have been to come out with two polishers, a PO5000C fixed rotation polisher, and a PO5010C free rotation polisher withe a longer throw (like 12-15 mm). Maybe make the PO5000C somewhat cheaper, and the PO5010C competitive with the likes of the G15/G21/Rupes Bigfoots/Flex XFE7-15.

Just for the record, I made up the PO5010C model name for the purposes of making my point.
Click to expand...

Good point about the "free rotation" mode being similar to a Porter-Cable 7424. I believe then that this would make it more suitable for detailing tasks like wax or glaze applications via machine rather than correction or polishing. The relatively "short throw" of 5.5mm seems just that: short (maybe too short).

Revision needed for next production run, Makita???


Does this machine have an integral backing plate (IE gear-driven) similar to the Flex 3401 Only reason I as is that someone out there might want a smaller backing plate , like a 4"` for tight areas. Then again, must professionals would use dedicated smaller polishing machine, like a Rupes 12E Duetto or 75E Mini for that task.
 
Wonder how it finishes out in FORCED...for the life of me I can never get the Flex 3401 to yield the same Final Finish as my free-rotating units (especially the Cyclo). Most people can`t see it, but I can tell exactly what/where the diff is every time.
 
Mary B said:
She`s still butt ugly, and way overpriced.
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Its about $150-$200 cheaper than the 3401 !
The Makita brand is more established in North America than Flex so service centers are plentiful and parts much more easy to get.
I thought the PC 7424 had a 8mm stroke like the 3401. The only con I have against the Makita, Flex and Rupes is their use of proprietary backplates which are limited in size and expensive.
As detailers who already have an arsenal of standard backplates none of these machines are an option !
 
EdLancer said:
Its about $150-$200 cheaper than the 3401 !
The Makita brand is more established in North America than Flex so service centers are plentiful and parts much more easy to get.
I thought the PC 7424 had a 8mm stroke like the 3401. The only con I have against the Makita, Flex and Rupes is their use of proprietary backplates which are limited in size and expensive.
As detailers who already have an arsenal of standard backplates none of these machines are an option !
Click to expand...


The Flex XC3401 and PC 7424 (non XP version) do have 8 mm throws. The comparison between the 7424 and the PO5000C was because both have pretty low thresholds at which pad stalling happens. The 7424 was due to a fairly low powered motor; the PO5000C, because it has a fairly high power motor, I can only guess due it`s very short 5.5mm throw.

As for the back plate, it sure would be nice to have the choice offered by PC 7424 type polishers, but I don`t think it is going to be possible on higher end polishers. The Flex XC3401 backing plate, for example, has gear teeth molded onto the back side, and they are required for the forced rotation to work. The Rupes plates are probably customized for their balancing system to work properly. As for people having an "arsenal" of backing plates, that is a bit of a reach. I can see people having an arsenal of pads but not backing plates. I can see people having pads in a few sizes, say 6.5"/5.5", 3.5" and 1". But I don`t think that many will have 6.5", 5.5", 4", 3.5", 3", ", and 1", and expect them to all be used on the same polisher. It is reasonable to expect to use 6.5"/5.5" pads on one polisher, and the 3.5" and smaller pads on another polisher, whether it be on a PC 7424 type polisher, or something like a Flex PE8.
 
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