My initial thoughts on the Cyclo

G

General Lee

New member
I used the Cyclo today to polish out an 03 Monte Carlo. This was the first vehicle I used the Cyclo on. I played around with it on my truck when I first got it but nothing to extreme. As of now, I have to be honest and say I'm not that impressed with it. I felt it didn't remove anymore marring/scratches then what the PC could do.



Here are my likes:



-Very easy to control

-Easy on off switch, no switching speeds

- you can apply a little more pressure without it bogging down (unlike the PC)



What I don't like



- You need alot of pads, they tend to load up quickly (as expected for 4 in pads) and once they load up the cyclo will lose all polish ability. The heads seem to just jiggle and not get much done.



- can't fit into *tight spots*



- seems to do no better then the PC



Now I will say this particular vehicle was in bad shape and maybe to far gone for the ability of the Cyclo and PC. I could not get very much out of this GM clear coat. I :waxing: my a$$ off today. I used the 4inch orange, yellow, and green pads. I'm not even sure which has more bite, the yellow or orange. Both didn't seem to be much different in cut. Not even with the PC on a 3.5 inch backing plate. I used 2.5, IP, Opitimum, and #80. I basically got comparable results with the 2.5, IP and Optimum, but 2.5 seemed to correct more. I do realize this is my first outting with the cyclo and I need to learn products and pad combo's to be more successful at it. I just kinda had higher hopes. Like I said this is just my initial thoughts, I will see how things go as I make my travels with the Cyclo and hopefully learn how to use it to the fullest.
 
I used the Cyclo today to polish out an 03 Monte Carlo. This was the first vehicle I used the Cyclo on. I played around with it on my truck when I first got it but nothing to extreme. As of now, I have to be honest and say I'm not that impressed with it. I felt it didn't remove anymore marring/scratches then what the PC could do.



Here are my likes:



-Very easy to control

-Easy on off switch, no switching speeds

- you can apply a little more pressure without it bogging down (unlike the PC)



What I don't like



- You need alot of pads, they tend to load up quickly (as expected for 4 in pads) and once they load up the cyclo will lose all polish ability. The heads seem to just jiggle and not get much done.



- can't fit into *tight spots*



- seems to do no better then the PC



Now I will say this particular vehicle was in bad shape and maybe to far gone for the ability of the Cyclo and PC. I could not get very much out of this GM clear coat. I :waxing: my a$$ off today. I used the 4inch orange, yellow, and green pads. I'm not even sure which has more bite, the yellow or orange. Both didn't seem to be much different in cut. Not even with the PC on a 3.5 inch backing plate. I used 2.5, IP, Opitimum, and #80. I basically got comparable results with the 2.5, IP and Optimum, but 2.5 seemed to correct more. I do realize this is my first outting with the cyclo and I need to learn products and pad combo's to be more successful at it. I just kinda had higher hopes. Like I said this is just my initial thoughts, I will see how things go as I make my travels with the Cyclo and hopefully learn how to use it to the fullest.
 
give it a few more times out like you mentioned. It seems that everyone has less than expected reults the first time or two out with it. I love the thing and I have found it corrects more than the PC because you can get a lot more heat buildup from pressing on it without it bogging down. On seriously swirled paint dont be afraid to use powergloss with the yellow pads...that WILL remove defects pretty quickly.
 
give it a few more times out like you mentioned. It seems that everyone has less than expected reults the first time or two out with it. I love the thing and I have found it corrects more than the PC because you can get a lot more heat buildup from pressing on it without it bogging down. On seriously swirled paint dont be afraid to use powergloss with the yellow pads...that WILL remove defects pretty quickly.
 
General Lee said:
I used the Cyclo today ..As of now, I have to be honest and say I'm not that impressed with it. I felt it didn't remove anymore marring/scratches then what the PC could do.



... The heads seem to just jiggle and not get much done.



- can't fit into *tight spots*



- seems to do no better then the PC
Click to expand...



Yeah, it seems like some people take a while to really develope an appreciation for the Cyclo, and some people never do. I myself just find it *so* much more pleasant to use than the PC that the ergonomics alone make me love the thing. But for what it costs, it's only reasonable that people have some pretty high hopes for what it can do. Maybe unrealistically high hopes...



I agree about getting into tight spots. The only reason I bought a PC was that the Cyclo just couldn't reach a lot of places on the XJS.



Since you've been using the PC with the smaller pads, your "no better than PC" comment makes sense. The PC really does have some power with the smaller pads. I guess when some of us say the Cyclo is *so* much more powerful than the PC we're thinking about the PC with 6" or larger pads. When you need a rotary, the Cyclo isn't gonna do the job. Well, at least not until we get some of the new pads/sanding disks that Anthony O. has been testing. When I did the '05 rent-a-suburban the Cyclo couldn't cut it, had to get out the rotary. But I was just using PI-III RC; maybe something with a little more cut is what we oughta use when we're trying to do major correction via Cyclo. Hmm, Hi-Temp Medium Cut comes to mind.



The one thing that gets me :confused: is the "just jiggle and not get much done". Unless you mean when the pads get loaded up. Yeah, that I can maybe see (though I haven't experienced it), but otherwise the Cyclo sure doesn't "just jiggle" for me the way the PC can.



One other thing I've noticed is that the yellow cutting pads seem to wear down/lose their cut sorta fast. Something to keep in mind if you do a lot of work with them.
 
General Lee said:
I used the Cyclo today ..As of now, I have to be honest and say I'm not that impressed with it. I felt it didn't remove anymore marring/scratches then what the PC could do.



... The heads seem to just jiggle and not get much done.



- can't fit into *tight spots*



- seems to do no better then the PC
Click to expand...



Yeah, it seems like some people take a while to really develope an appreciation for the Cyclo, and some people never do. I myself just find it *so* much more pleasant to use than the PC that the ergonomics alone make me love the thing. But for what it costs, it's only reasonable that people have some pretty high hopes for what it can do. Maybe unrealistically high hopes...



I agree about getting into tight spots. The only reason I bought a PC was that the Cyclo just couldn't reach a lot of places on the XJS.



Since you've been using the PC with the smaller pads, your "no better than PC" comment makes sense. The PC really does have some power with the smaller pads. I guess when some of us say the Cyclo is *so* much more powerful than the PC we're thinking about the PC with 6" or larger pads. When you need a rotary, the Cyclo isn't gonna do the job. Well, at least not until we get some of the new pads/sanding disks that Anthony O. has been testing. When I did the '05 rent-a-suburban the Cyclo couldn't cut it, had to get out the rotary. But I was just using PI-III RC; maybe something with a little more cut is what we oughta use when we're trying to do major correction via Cyclo. Hmm, Hi-Temp Medium Cut comes to mind.



The one thing that gets me :confused: is the "just jiggle and not get much done". Unless you mean when the pads get loaded up. Yeah, that I can maybe see (though I haven't experienced it), but otherwise the Cyclo sure doesn't "just jiggle" for me the way the PC can.



One other thing I've noticed is that the yellow cutting pads seem to wear down/lose their cut sorta fast. Something to keep in mind if you do a lot of work with them.
 
I really enjoyed the Cyclo from the first moment I put it to my finish although I'll admit I was wowed just when the store owner let me plug it in for the first time. The PC is fine and all but I enjoy the performance as well as the feel of the Cyclo more. I just reserve my PC for doing spot jobs with 4" pads where the Cyclo would cover too much area or not fit and for applying AIO with a black LC pad.
 
I really enjoyed the Cyclo from the first moment I put it to my finish although I'll admit I was wowed just when the store owner let me plug it in for the first time. The PC is fine and all but I enjoy the performance as well as the feel of the Cyclo more. I just reserve my PC for doing spot jobs with 4" pads where the Cyclo would cover too much area or not fit and for applying AIO with a black LC pad.
 
Accumulator said:
The one thing that gets me :confused: is the "just jiggle and not get much done". Unless you mean when the pads get loaded up.
Click to expand...



Yes, I meant when the pads get loaded up. I took that as my signal to change pads or clean them :)



I'm not going to give up on the Cyclo, It is a joy to use and its percision is quite nice. I was just a little bummed that for 250.00 it corrected paint no better or worse than the PC. (this time around anyways) I have it now and will use it, I'm sure everything will work out fine with it.
 
Accumulator said:
The one thing that gets me :confused: is the "just jiggle and not get much done". Unless you mean when the pads get loaded up.
Click to expand...



Yes, I meant when the pads get loaded up. I took that as my signal to change pads or clean them :)



I'm not going to give up on the Cyclo, It is a joy to use and its percision is quite nice. I was just a little bummed that for 250.00 it corrected paint no better or worse than the PC. (this time around anyways) I have it now and will use it, I'm sure everything will work out fine with it.
 
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