Need advice on purchasing my first DA

F

fordf150

New member
Looking for honest opinions for an entry level DA. This will be my first one and while I'm no professional it will see a fair amount of use for a hobby detailer.



Not looking to break the bank, but durability(dependability) and ease of use are number one. I hear alot about Porter Cable and have read some good things about Meguiars G110v2. I'm sure there are others that I have not heard about, but that is why i'm looking for some advice from the experts.



Also, are the added kits offered with some worth the extra money as apposed to just the unit purchase by itself?



Thanks in advance
 
Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital

10765_FAM




don't bother with the kits. buy the DA, pads, and products seperately so you know exactly what you want and not spend extra money on things you may not want or use...
 
There are several DA polishers out there but only one that rises to the level of the best, the Flex 3401.



The Flex has a place in the DA lineup and is a VERY high-quality machine. The Flex does offer a more consistent correction due to it's internal design. Because of the gear drive, you can always rely on the pad rotating and oscillating at a constant speed because because of this feature.



The Griot's machine is a decent DA, which gives it the correction ability of the Flex but, because it is an actual free-spinning DA without forced rotation or oscillation, it's use and correction ability relies on the person using the machine in such a way that the pad and assembly rotate as constantly as possible without allowing the pad to stop rotating.



Go with the Flex if money is not a factor. It is the better of the two machines in that it removes the user-variable from the correction factor. Machines like the Griot's and Porter Cable will work but at a much slower pace. I'm not implying that either isn't a good machine but they just can't match up against the Flex 3401.



My Machines



Buffers.jpg




Flex 3401



Flex3401.jpg
 
BobbyG said:
The Flex has a place in the DA lineup and is a VERY high-quality machine. The Flex does offer a more consistent correction due to it's internal design. Because of the gear drive, you can always rely on the pad rotating and oscillating at a constant speed because because of this feature.



The Griot's machine is a decent DA, which gives it the correction ability of the Flex but, because it is an actual free-spinning DA without forced rotation or oscillation, it's use and correction ability relies on the person using the machine in such a way that the pad and assembly rotate as constantly as possible without allowing the pad to stop rotating.



Go with the Flex if money is not a factor. It is the better of the two machines in that it removes the user-variable from the correction factor. Machines like the Griot's and Porter Cable will work but at a much slower pace. I'm not implying that either isn't a good machine but they just can't match up against the Flex 3401.
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Since the Flex is a "forced rotation" as you call it as apposed to the others "free spinning", wouldn't this require a more experienced operator to use to prevent the possibility of creating more swirls/marring than the very safe free spinning models?



I for one am totally inexperienced and don't wish to find out the hard way how to properly operate something that is "force driven".
 
I really really enjoy my Megs G110. Its a quality piece of machinery that works well.



I also recommend getting the items separately.
 
fordf150 said:
Since the Flex is a "forced rotation" as you call it as apposed to the others "free spinning", wouldn't this require a more experienced operator to use to prevent the possibility of creating more swirls/marring than the very safe free spinning models?
Click to expand...



Actually just the opposite. The operator uses the Flex just like any other DA polisher but can concentrate on the amount of downward force necessary to remove swirl marks and the like. The Flex rotates the pad under any given pressure unlike the Griot's or Porter Cable. If too much downward force on either of these two is excreted then the rotation stops all together. The idea of rotating is to simulate hand polishing and by adding the DA motion thus the possibility of swirling is near zero.



With conventional DA polishers you have to use the right pressure (enough to break down the polish but not enough to slow it down). This can vary from polish brands and can take time to figure out plus factoring in various paints, how hard is the finish.



The Flex does not need a lot of pressure, just enough to hold it against the paint, and be properly guided to do its business. It also think it may be easier if you use too much polish, a common beginners mistake, the Flex has enough power to break it down quickly. The Flex 3401 is very easy to use!
 
Bobby,



The Flex really sounds good, but twice as expensive as some of the others. As I stated I am a hobby detailer at best. What that means is that I will probably only be doing my own personal vehicles and possibly some friends or family members vehicles on occasion. Probably 80% of that will be just polishing and or waxing with some light correction when needed.



With that being said is it still worth the higher price tag?
 
I'm a detail enthusiast also but was intrigued by the design and unique features of the Flex and the very reason I bought it. There's no doubt about it, the Flex is pricey but I think you get what you pay for and it is quite a machine. The first time I used it I was that impressed with it's performance.



Now, if you're not doing allot of paint correction and time is not a factor then yes, I think the Griot's Garage is a more sensible choice. Personally, I think the Griot's machine positions itself somewhere between the Porter Cable and the Flex. If I remember correctly the Griot's machine sports a 700 watt motor compared to the 500 watt of the Porter Cable...
 
to the OP - keep in mind that you can use a smaller backing plate and use 4" pads, and also use a brush attachment for the carpets as well (with the PCXP, G110v2 too / the Griots carries a Lifetime Warranty FYI). later down the line if you want to step it up and you've gotten experience with machine polishing, you can step up to a rotary and you'll pretty much have the basis covered between both machines. also, if you don't like it after 180 days (6 months) you can return it (when purchased through Griots). doesn't get much better than that...



At Griot's Garage, we want you as a customer for life. Everything you purchase from us comes with a lifetime guarantee against defect. We want you to enjoy our quality products for 180 days and have fun with them! If you don't like it for any reason during this time, return it for a full refund or credit. After that, you're covered with our lifetime guarantee against defect, in which we will either repair it, replace it, or credit your purchase price if we are able to do neither. Some items have a life span during normal use and they wear out. Our warranty does not include replacement of such items after normal use. Of course our guarantee doesn't cover abuse... But you already knew that.

Customers for life. That's our guarantee.
 
Thanks for all the replies fellas. Bobby thanks for the education on the Flex, never even heard of it before this thread started. :xyxthumbs
 
I got a Meg's G220v2 (110v2 aussie version) and it is absolutely awesome to use. It comes with a 5" backing plate in the box.

I got the 6.5" LC CCS pads, but next order im going to try out the 5.25" ones.



Don't worry about a kit, just get the DA and pick your pads. I use grey just about all the time, and white every so often. I got red, gold, and light green ones, but definately use grey the most. I have never used a cutting pad.
 
Another vote for Flex 3401 or the Griot's 6" (which I'd sure use with smaller pads than that).



IMO (and I have both), which one would depend on a host of variables, with "how hard is your clear" probably being near the top of that list.



Correcting "just two cars in the family...a GM and an Audi" would make me lean towards the Flex whereas "I'll be polishing a half dozen cars, all Hondas" might make me lean towards the Griot's. And personal preference can mean a lot.



If I could only have one polisher (instead of the, uhm...I think it's nine that I have now) I'd choose the Flex 3401, but that's just me.
 
fordf150 said:
How small and why smaller than 6"? advantages/disadvantages.
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NOTING THAT I'VE YET TO TRY THE GRIOT'S FOR CORRECTION (so this is based on my experiences with other, similar polishers and also upon my limited use of the Griot's for wax application/removal)....



Big pads like that create too much friction, so much so that with a bit of applied pressure the rotation is easily overcome, leaving only the elliptical half of the "dual action" motions. When this happens the pad merely "jiggles" and little gets done. The Griot's is better than othe such machines in this regard (due to its additional power) but it's not the same as a Flex 3401/etc. with *driven* rotation.



Smaller pads result in less friction and it's pretty easy to keep the pad rotating while still applying a bit of pressure. I myself like 4" pads for correction with machines like this, but others do OK with 5.5" ones.



With 4" pads, you actually have to be a little careful because the machine gets *very* effective. Yeah, less area is covered, but that smaller area gets corrected pretty fast to overall I find it a big time savings compared to using larger pads.



Note that there are ways around this dilemma, such as using combos like M105/SurBuf which don't need much applied pressure. But overall, the smaller the pad the better IMO.
 
Accumulator said:
NOTING THAT I'VE YET TO TRY THE GRIOT'S FOR CORRECTION (so this is based on my experiences with other, similar polishers and also upon my limited use of the Griot's for wax application/removal)....



Big pads like that create too much friction, so much so that with a bit of applied pressure the rotation is easily overcome, leaving only the elliptical half of the "dual action" motions. When this happens the pad merely "jiggles" and little gets done. The Griot's is better than othe such machines in this regard (due to its additional power) but it's not the same as a Flex 3401/etc. with *driven* rotation.



Smaller pads result in less friction and it's pretty easy to keep the pad rotating while still applying a bit of pressure. I myself like 4" pads for correction with machines like this, but others do OK with 5.5" ones.



With 4" pads, you actually have to be a little careful because the machine gets *very* effective. Yeah, less area is covered, but that smaller area gets corrected pretty fast to overall I find it a big time savings compared to using larger pads.



Note that there are ways around this dilemma, such as using combos like M105/SurBuf which don't need much applied pressure. But overall, the smaller the pad the better IMO.
Click to expand...



I have to agree with this and very well said. The larger the pad on these units the less downward force can be applied otherwise you'll stop the rotation and paint correction will take allot longer to complete. Switching to a smaller pad decreases the contact surface thus increasing its aggressiveness and lessen the correction step.
 
someidiot said:
So you can switch to a smaller backing plate and run 4" pads on that Griot's 6"?
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It's supposedly the same setup as the PC/Cyclo/etc. Noting that I haven't actually tried it, I'd still be 100% confident that it'll work...I mean, it's not like one of the people who's posted about what backing plate it takes would get that wrong. I can almost remember the specs...
 
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