Porter Cable Really Worth The Money??

*I* use cutting pads a LOT. I DON'T use finishing pads too much.



Now see, here's an example of the tool being adaptable to different situations. I use light polishing pads and finishing pads more frequently than cutting pads. There are probably lots of reasons why, but the point is, the tool will work well when used in a variety of ways, by users within a wide range of expertise, in a wide range of situations.





Tom
 
Back to the original question of this post...



The PC is well worth the money. I bought mine yesterday and did my mothers Audi A4 last yesterday with it... and I must say, the fun that I had with it yesterday alone... was worth the $109.



I learned so many tricks with it by doing one car with it already, I can't wait to experiment with it on other color/condition'd cars...



BUY THE PC.
 
I suppose I'll chime in also...



BUY THE PC

Its the best 150 or so dollar investment you'll ever make.





.....Unless of course you buy a rotary.... :lol
 
I love my PC!! :)



Bought it to correct scratches in the hood of my black Blazer.... not so good at scratch removal, even going down to Meg's #4 and a cutting pad, but does it ever make a difference compared to hand application.



The week before I bought the PC, I had done the whole car with Deep Crystal cleaner, polish, and Gold Class wax. When I got the PC, I repeated the same process on the hood and front fenders.... That's been 4 weeks at 700 miles/week, 4 hand washes and 4 touchless machine washes ago, and I can still tell a big difference between the front fenders and the doors.



Helped a friend today do his new Avalanche(black) with Meg's #2, #9, #7 and Zymol cleaner wax and it took about 4 hours for the two of us, including washing and claying. Still got some wash scratches, but looks great !



I seriously doubt you could do all this by hand in 4 hours.



It's not a miracle machine and can't do everything a rotary buffer can, but it's practically impossible to screw up your paint with and does a great job applying waxes and glazes.



My trial and error as far as speed is concerned is that the thicker the product(cleaners, swirl removers) use faster speeds, waxes and glazes slower. I move the machine slowly and half-lap passes, regardless of product. A detail spray between cleaners and glaze and a final machine buff with a water mist and a MF bonnet really seemed to work well.



My humble $.02 worth,



Bill
 
I bit the bullet and ordered one last night from Coastal Tool along with 2 of each pad (white, yellow, and black) from topoftheline.com . Am I going to need anything else? I'm hyped.



Did I mention that I got a nifty disc brake keychain from TopOfTheLine.com? :D
 
I have been involved in the cleaning profession for over 20 yrs. That being said, I was never one to wash & wax my cars, I have a 98 Windstar that has never been waxed! I recently purchased a new vehicle and decided since I keep them until they are junk, I should take better care of them. I am a believer in working smarter not harder. I'm not going to get sore arms polishing & waxing by hand if there is a easier, faster option, so I purchased a PC 7424. I have tried it out on the 98 Windstar and the results are better than what I could do by hand and also easier, my arms don't ache for days! I bought a brush for it and cleaned the car mats and carpets, used Eimann Fabrik carpet & upholstery cleaner, the mats don't look new but for not being cleaned for 5 yrs, they came out excellent! Spend the $150 for the 7424, it's a cheap price to pay for all the effort you'll save keeping that car

clean and shiny.
 
I started using the PC about 3 or so years ago.

I talk about it quite a bit on my Toyota forum I own ,and they have nicknamed it the Corey Cable :p



I use it on a white '91 4Runner, and most who see my rig think that it looks brand new.

http://www.pnw4runners.com/pics/bos_4_27_2003/8.jpg

http://www.pnw4runners.com/pics/bos_4_27_2003/9.jpg



It's so easy to use, and I use the Griot's clay bar holder and clay with it, then the red pad with Griot's BOS wax.

No need to use Griot's polish, as the clay & BOS is all I need.



I took 1st place in the Boeing car show a few years back at work for the truck category, and the judges said it was due to the shine.

I even got myself in the Griot's catalog last year.



I will never go back to hand waxing again, as I can clay & wax the whole rig in under 2.5 hours.

I have quite a few tips on my



Detail site on using the unit.



Sign me a very happy PC customer.

The cheapest I have seen it is $108 at Lowes Hardware.

So yes, I think it is worth the investment if you are using a wax that works best with a random orbital.

Corey
 
:wavey



I 've been using a PC for years now and if not for a PC, we would be able to communicate in this manner. My first "PC" was a 286k, pretty slow compared to now.



Just kidding :D



I'm gonna use one this weekend for the first time, I'll let you know how it went.:nixweiss
 
Just ordered a 7424 today and some pads.. now I am waiting ..



a) for it to come in .. 3-7 days

b) for spring to show up .. 4-5 months .. so I can use it.
 
Well, Hopefully 71chevelle went and bought the Porter Cable. Very nice, by the way. I'm an old Chevy freak.



I'll add my $.02



Yes. buy it. your car will look even better.

No. Don't buy it. You'll start hearing "Can you wax my car next"? from everyone.



I bought one to do my girlfriends car. I get a LOT of compliments. "Is that car new?" (Guinevere is almost 10) "How do you get it so shiny"? "WOW"!



I was then asked to do her boss' car, a black BMW with dealer installed swirls (Grrrr).



Then her boss' husbands 4Runner (a swirl monster) The very night that they picked up the BMW. That was 2 months ago. I still hear "I can't believe how you transformed that paint on the 4Runner".



Now I find myself looking at cars with the thought "I could make that paint SHINE"!



get the PC
 
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