Should I take the plunge to rotary?

[twopu]

I currently have a PC and have been detailing a few cars on the side (just enough to feed my addiction for detailing). I'm debating if I should take the plunge and get a rotary(Makita). Has anyone regreted it? Do you think a PC is good enough?

 

[Carl Anderson]

I just purchased the Makita 9227 about 3 weeks ago for myself as a Christmas gift. I bought it simply for the fun of it, and probably would have been fine with just the PC. So if you are not a full time detailer I think the PC is more than adequate. But for me it is all about having fun with this hobby (obesession), as I never intend to make a dime detailing. From this standpoint the purchase has already paid for itself with my mower ( I removed deep scratches from my John Deere that were resistent to efforts with my PC), my washers and dryers, and the small door dings I removed from my daughter's Mazda Tribute.

 

[zzyyzx]

A rotary will be able to correct more defects than a PC. Do your vehicles usually have those defects? That's what would determine if you need one. They are a little more efficient than a PC, but they can also do damage. I have both and don't regret it. Although I use my PC about 90% of the time.

 

[Detailr75]

I think Carl A's approach is a good example of the "heart ruling the head" approach, which is perfectly legitimate for those of us who are obsessed with detailing as a hobby.



If you want to try to stick with a "head ruling the heart" approach, you should consider what kinds of problems you'll encounter, and how often you'll have to correct them. For your own cars, likely kept in good shape with regular loving attention, I think the speed and power of a rotary is probably overkill. But if you have a lot of cars to do, or will have customers who'll pay to have a badly beat-up finish brought up to concours quality, a rotary will pay for itself quickly.



Of course, no guy ever regrets having another power tool, whether or not what you have now is "good enough"!