Eliot Ness
Active member
Nikota Cordless 4" Polisher Review:
One of the items I put on my Christmas list was this Nikota Cordless 4" Polisher:
Nikota 4 Inch Cordless Rechargeable Polisher With 2 Batteries 01304 - CSSAuction.com
This was so inexpensive that I wasn't expecting much, and I never planned for it to replace my PC or (seldom used) rotary. I did see some uses that it might come in handy for like putting RainX, VM or AIO on windows and plastic bumpers, and maybe even VM'ing our tub enclosures. OK, so I'm a lazy kind of guy whose motto is never do manually what you can use a power tool to do.
This little random orbit polisher comes with two 4.8V batteries, a 5-hour charger, 6"� finish pad, 4"� polish pad, a 4"� scrubbing brush (carpets maybe?), and a 4"� wool pad. The polisher has a cushioned Velcro loop backing plate that seems to accept the 4"� and 6/6.5"� pads I have around. I've ordered some Cyclo 4"� polish and finish pads from TOL but I won't receive them until next week.
The batteries didn't have much of a charge when I received this so I put them both in the charger for at least 5 hours. The instructions state it may take 4 charge/discharge cycles for the batteries to accept a full charge. It also states that it will run for 2 continuous hours, but I never expected that under "normal"� use.
After washing the Caravan I decided to apply another coat of Meg's #16 over what I had put on about a month ago. Rather than use one of the supplied pads I used the same pad I use with the PC (Meg's W9006 finish pad) for #16. The polisher is light (under 3 lbs) and easy to use but it lacks a trigger lock that would come in handy. Also to be expected this little polisher was pretty easy to bog down if you applied much pressure, especially as the battery charge started to wear down. Speed is fixed at 2400 OPM's, which is fine for applying #16 (or most any wax/sealer). While I didn't time how long I used this cordless polisher, I didn't have any problems applying #16 to the whole mini-van with just one battery charge. It was, however, time for a charge by the time I finished. I wouldn't want to start a whole car or mini-van w/o having the spare battery charged and ready to use if needed.
If I had a good 4" finish pad I would have saved a little time by being able to stick it in the can of #16 rather than using my standard small plastic putty knife to apply it to the 6.5"� pad that I used. The smaller pad may also perform a bit better and not bog down as easily as the 6.5"� pad would.
Conclusion: This is a nice little polisher to supplement, but never replace a PC. I would never actually attempt to use this for any defect removal, and if doing a full detail (polish/LSP) I would stay with the PC through the whole process. This would come in handy to apply RainX or VM/AIO to windows and plastic bumpers. Or in this case where I just wanted to refresh my current layer of wax. It might also come in handy if you're at a car show and want to throw on a quick LSP or maybe some of the new Optimum Spray Wax. I would order some better 4"� pads for this simply because I know nothing about the ones it came supplied with. I ordered some Cyclo 4"� polish/finish pads from TOL, and I understand that Autopia will soon be selling 4"� Sonus or LC pads.
Pros: inexpensive, small, lightweight, portable, easy to use, and capable of applying an LSP to a mini-van with one charge.
Cons: no trigger lock, easy to bog down, and a recharge takes 5 hours.
This may not be the same unit as the WEN 4"� polisher that sells for about $50, but comparing it with the picture of the WEN it looks identical (polisher, charger and batteries) except for the name stickers.
Edit: I dusted this little guy off today (11-26-06) to, once again, apply some Meg's #16 (I love this wax) to the Caravan. I charged the batteries up last night so I was ready to go after doing a QEW wash and some spot claying. This time I used a 4" pad which made it very easy to fit inside the tin of #16 to get some wax on the pad. Using the 4" pad also seemed to prolong the battery life a little. I was able to apply wax to the whole mini-van, and then after buffing it off by hand, I still had enough juice left to do a quick buff with a MF bonnet.
One of the items I put on my Christmas list was this Nikota Cordless 4" Polisher:
Nikota 4 Inch Cordless Rechargeable Polisher With 2 Batteries 01304 - CSSAuction.com
This was so inexpensive that I wasn't expecting much, and I never planned for it to replace my PC or (seldom used) rotary. I did see some uses that it might come in handy for like putting RainX, VM or AIO on windows and plastic bumpers, and maybe even VM'ing our tub enclosures. OK, so I'm a lazy kind of guy whose motto is never do manually what you can use a power tool to do.
This little random orbit polisher comes with two 4.8V batteries, a 5-hour charger, 6"� finish pad, 4"� polish pad, a 4"� scrubbing brush (carpets maybe?), and a 4"� wool pad. The polisher has a cushioned Velcro loop backing plate that seems to accept the 4"� and 6/6.5"� pads I have around. I've ordered some Cyclo 4"� polish and finish pads from TOL but I won't receive them until next week.
The batteries didn't have much of a charge when I received this so I put them both in the charger for at least 5 hours. The instructions state it may take 4 charge/discharge cycles for the batteries to accept a full charge. It also states that it will run for 2 continuous hours, but I never expected that under "normal"� use.
After washing the Caravan I decided to apply another coat of Meg's #16 over what I had put on about a month ago. Rather than use one of the supplied pads I used the same pad I use with the PC (Meg's W9006 finish pad) for #16. The polisher is light (under 3 lbs) and easy to use but it lacks a trigger lock that would come in handy. Also to be expected this little polisher was pretty easy to bog down if you applied much pressure, especially as the battery charge started to wear down. Speed is fixed at 2400 OPM's, which is fine for applying #16 (or most any wax/sealer). While I didn't time how long I used this cordless polisher, I didn't have any problems applying #16 to the whole mini-van with just one battery charge. It was, however, time for a charge by the time I finished. I wouldn't want to start a whole car or mini-van w/o having the spare battery charged and ready to use if needed.
If I had a good 4" finish pad I would have saved a little time by being able to stick it in the can of #16 rather than using my standard small plastic putty knife to apply it to the 6.5"� pad that I used. The smaller pad may also perform a bit better and not bog down as easily as the 6.5"� pad would.
Conclusion: This is a nice little polisher to supplement, but never replace a PC. I would never actually attempt to use this for any defect removal, and if doing a full detail (polish/LSP) I would stay with the PC through the whole process. This would come in handy to apply RainX or VM/AIO to windows and plastic bumpers. Or in this case where I just wanted to refresh my current layer of wax. It might also come in handy if you're at a car show and want to throw on a quick LSP or maybe some of the new Optimum Spray Wax. I would order some better 4"� pads for this simply because I know nothing about the ones it came supplied with. I ordered some Cyclo 4"� polish/finish pads from TOL, and I understand that Autopia will soon be selling 4"� Sonus or LC pads.
Pros: inexpensive, small, lightweight, portable, easy to use, and capable of applying an LSP to a mini-van with one charge.
Cons: no trigger lock, easy to bog down, and a recharge takes 5 hours.
This may not be the same unit as the WEN 4"� polisher that sells for about $50, but comparing it with the picture of the WEN it looks identical (polisher, charger and batteries) except for the name stickers.
Edit: I dusted this little guy off today (11-26-06) to, once again, apply some Meg's #16 (I love this wax) to the Caravan. I charged the batteries up last night so I was ready to go after doing a QEW wash and some spot claying. This time I used a 4" pad which made it very easy to fit inside the tin of #16 to get some wax on the pad. Using the 4" pad also seemed to prolong the battery life a little. I was able to apply wax to the whole mini-van, and then after buffing it off by hand, I still had enough juice left to do a quick buff with a MF bonnet.
