Professional Seeking new Rotary Polisher

Holden_C04

Holden_C04

New member
I have decided to purchase a new rotary but I am pretty picky. I want a rotary polisher that is lightweight, reliable, and powerful and must provide a trigger (NO on/off switch). I am considering the following models:



Makita 9227c



Pros - Light, powerful, reliable



Cons - Jack of all trades, master of none (good in all categories but leader in none).



This is the logical choice but I would prefer something a bit more exotic. The Makita is a good fall-back, safe choice.



Flex L 3403 VRG



Pros - Extremely light, high RPM (3400), German :up



Cons - Weak transmission?



I am worried this unit will be unreliable or unfit for a daily workload.



Flex LK603VVB



Pros - Heavy duty, powerful, reliable



Cons - EXTREMELY heavy



I do not want a heavy polisher.



Hitachi SP18VA



Pros - Very light, powerful, good warranty



Cons - Unreliable



Want something more reliable.



Metabo PE-12 175



Pros - Very light, powerful, German :up



Cons - On/off switch :hairpull, low rpms (2200)



An on/off switch rules this polisher out.







What does everyone else think? Is the Flex lightweight polisher tough enough for the daily grind? Is there a polisher I have not yet considered (Dewalt is too heavy)?
 
Since I just got mine about a month ago, I have to vote for the 3403. I've seen alot of people say that the thing has a week transmission and to not use large pads with it, but I haven't seen anything put out by Flex saying to use smaller pads. Mine feels like it has all the power you'd ever need. I mentioned this in another post (or two), but I'll add it again... The Flex seemed to have a break in period. During about the firsty 50 or so hours, it got very hot. Not hot enough to actually shut down, but darn good and warm. It was also very noisy above 1.2k rpm. Now it doesn't get nearly as hot, and it's not as noisy, either. I think it was just the break in on the new gears. Up until now, I've been using it almost forty hours a week, so probably about 160 hours worth or so. It has never had a thermal shutdown in spite of a few ten hour days. And I was pretty happy about the light weight on those ten hour days.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Since I just got mine about a month ago, I have to vote for the 3403. I've seen alot of people say that the thing has a week transmission and to not use large pads with it, but I haven't seen anything put out by Flex saying to use smaller pads. Mine feels like it has all the power you'd ever need. I mentioned this in another post (or two), but I'll add it again... The Flex seemed to have a break in period. During about the firsty 50 or so hours, it got very hot. Not hot enough to actually shut down, but darn good and warm. It was also very noisy above 1.2k rpm. Now it doesn't get nearly as hot, and it's not as noisy, either. I think it was just the break in on the new gears. Up until now, I've been using it almost forty hours a week, so probably about 160 hours worth or so. It has never had a thermal shutdown in spite of a few ten hour days. And I was pretty happy about the light weight on those ten hour days.
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I am pleased to hear that. Thank you for the wonderful review. It's been what I have been looking for. :thx



Are there any polishers I should be considering that are not listed?
 
Domas said:
I'm not a pro, but what about Festool? It's German :D
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Difficult to find information on this machine and the price is about $600 in UK & Australia. :shocked



I will continue looking, though.
 
Why rule out the Metabo? The low starting RPM negates the need for a trigger. Furthermore you don't need more than 2200 RPM for rotary polishing any way it goes.



I have a Metabo, it's well built and has a safety start which starts off slow and then gets to speed after a few seconds.
 
Domas said:
I'm not a pro, but what about Festool? It's German :D
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This machine is particularly economical because of its high coverage capacity - ideal for those who have their work cut out. Without a stepless speed preselector and accelerator switch, you'll be hard pushed to finish your work as quickly. Optimised cooling and high load capacity.



Features:

- Ergonomic dome grip and perfect weight distribution for relaxed work

- Accelerator switch, speed preselection, controlled speed, smooth start-up

- Temperature-dependent overload protection

- Polishing differnet surfaces: paintwork, mineral materials, etc.



Applications:

- Ergonomic dome grip and perfect weight distribution for relaxed work

- Accelerator switch, speed preselection, controlled speed, smooth start-up

- Temperature- dependent overload protection

- Polshing pad changing without tools thanks to spindle stop

- PoliStick system

- Exceptional cooling in lower speed range- allows work under heavy loads



Specifications:

Power consumption - 1500w

Speed - 800 to 2400min-¹

Maximum polishing pad diameter - 180mm

Spindle thread - M14

Weight - 3.6kg
 
I have the Metabo and it starts up almost instantly. My Flex doesn't seem to have a week transmission. What about the DeWalt 849? The 849 may be a little on the heavy side, but it's built like a tank and will last a very long time.
 
Holden_C04 said:
I like. :shocked
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Yeah, looks great quality to me too, but I'm not sure there is a distributor in US... In Europe it costs approx. $420, but if there is a distributor in US, I'm sure it will be so much cheaper.
 
Holden_C04 said:
No North American distributors. :sadpace:
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Sorry, haven't noticed...

You can always order from Europe and buy a power transformer ;)

(that's what I did for my UDM).
 
JonP said:
I have the Metabo and it starts up almost instantly. My Flex doesn't seem to have a week transmission. What about the DeWalt 849? The 849 may be a little on the heavy side, but it's built like a tank and will last a very long time.
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Good to hear about the Flex. I am seeking a light polisher as my number one requirement so that rules out the Dewalt.
 
Domas said:
Sorry, haven't noticed...

You can always order from Europe and buy a power transformer ;)

(that's what I did for my UDM).
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On the German Amazon.com, the AEG PE 150 rotary polisher is 320 euros. :spit:
 
Darn it, I hate it when I'm wrong (you'd think I'd be used to it after 15 years of marriage...). Anyway, according to Welcome to FLEX North America



"Max polishing pad diameter 6-1/2" "



I swear that wasn't there when I was trying to decide what buffer to buy. Honestly, I think they're being overly conservative. The 3403 feels like it has all the power of the Makita.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Darn it, I hate it when I'm wrong (you'd think I'd be used to it after 15 years of marriage...). Anyway, according to Welcome to FLEX North America



"Max polishing pad diameter 6-1/2" "



I swear that wasn't there when I was trying to decide what buffer to buy. Honestly, I think they're being overly conservative. The 3403 feels like it has all the power of the Makita.
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Oh well. I guess that means that pads are cheaper. ;)
 
Update:



Bosch GPO12E is unavailable in Canada or USA. The cost in UK pounds is astronomical (2-3x than others).



Festool is unavailable in North America. It is a little on the heavy side and little information is available. Cost is also astronomical ($661 AUD).
 
I'm only familiar with one of the machines you posted in your product list so, my take is very limited......



I've had a Makita 9227C for a couple of years and it's been exceptional in what I was looking for. The trigger control was a must for me also and this machine is great in that aspect. It's a strong solid unit that works for hours on end and has given me zero problems up to this point.....

I have other Makita products (cordless drill, and saw) and know their history of good job performance and reliability.....



There are many options available today, good luck with your choice.......:xyxthumbs
 
Dave1 said:
I'm only familiar with one of the machines you posted in your product list so, my take is very limited......



I've had a Makita 9227C for a couple of years and it's been exceptional in what I was looking for. The trigger control was a must for me also and this machine is great in that aspect. It's a strong solid unit that works for hours on end and has given me zero problems up to this point.....

I have other Makita products (cordless drill, and saw) and know their history of good job performance and reliability.....



There are many options available today, good luck with your choice.......:xyxthumbs
Click to expand...



It's hard to go wrong with the Makita, that's for sure. Thanks. :xyxthumbs
 
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