Why do people refer to a Dual Action polisher as a PC?can't

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Can't help to notice as I read through the forums that many people don't describe the tool they're talking about accurately. Seeing that Porter Cable makes machines other than a dual action it can be confusing sometimes. Maybe a friendly reminder to better describe what tool you're using? Anyone else feel this way too?

 

[Kevin Brown]

I do. In none of my posts do I refer to a random orbital as a PC. "Fight the Power!" :woohoo:

 

[David Fermani]

I guilty of blindly saying PC when referring to Dual Action. Good thread.

 

[JohnKleven]

The Porter Cable PC is the xerox of the detail world.

 

[Poordude]

Just like when we go snowmobiling it,s often called skiddoing. That is a brand name of a snowmobile made by bombardier rec products.

 

[akimel]

Why do people call copying machines "Xerox machines"? Why do people call tissues "Kleenex"?



Context is everything. Within a detailing forum, everyone understands "PC" to refer to a dual action polisher. No doubt hearers presume that the referent is the dual action polisher made by Porter Cable, but it's easy enough for the speaker to disambiguate if further clarity is needed. No one is surprised if it turns out that the PC was made by Meguiar's or Griot's.

 

[Legacy]

No one is surprised if it turns out that the PC was made by Meguiar's or Griot's.

You got to be kidding.

 

[SFCR10]

I use a GROP! (Griot's Random Orbital Polisher).

 

[mblgjr]

You got to be kidding.

No, you took what he posted out of context.



He was saying that sometimes a poster may say he used a "PC" for the correction process, when in fact he used a Griots or Meg's polisher (which are not Porter Cable mfg. units).

 

[akimel]

I admit that I probably pushed my argument too hard. "PC" has not acquired the same kind of generic meaning that "Xerox" or "Kleenex" have. But it is accurate to say that, in the context of detailing conversation, "PC" is always understood to refer to a dual action polisher, as opposed to a Porter-Cable sander or a personal computer. And it is sometimes the case that folks use "PC" generically to refer to any ole dual action polisher, and no one is confused or surprised when this happens.

 

[Accumulator]

I like to say something like "PC-type polisher" since it differentiates between that sort of machine and something like a Flex or Cyclo. But then I'm kinda pendatic about such stuff and in the context of detailing, I'd bet that "PC" *does* connote "random orbital finish sander used as a polisher" more often than "any other product made by Porter Cable".