Will I regret Cyclo purchase?

C

Carl Anderson

New member
Well, I got the go ahead from my wife to get a Cyclo for Christmas. The Winner's Circle has free shipping, lots of pads, microfiber, etc. plus free shipping for $275. My concern is that I really do not need this. For God's sake, I am a hobby detailer! On the plus side I have found occasions where I would like to be a little more aggressive than is possible with my PC. Furthermore, if I get 1/10 the pleasure from the Cyclo that I have from my PC it will be a great investment in my mental health.



As Bill says: "THERE IS NO CURE!"
 
Hey.. what is the difference between buying detailing equipment or an xbox, woodworking tools, a HDTV or any other christmas gift that we use to entertain ourselves? Not much really! Except of course that with detailing gifts, your neighbors, friends and family will be constantly asking if you could detail their vehicles for them! Hey... it is the season of goodwill ;)
 
Don't worry about it, I buy myself a X-mas gift every year. It's the only way to be sure you get something you really want. And as RedondoV6 said, it's no diff than any other gift. If you makes you happy, go for it.
 
Carl,



I felt a little buyer's remorse intially upon getting the Cyclo but that's a very distant memory now:D It's another toy to play with and I'm sure you'll be doing a whole lot of that :D :up
 
Quote: For God's sake, I am a hobby detailer!



~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



As are a lot of us (I must confess to owning a PC, a Cyclo and a HS Rotary) but then who adds up the cost of a hobby



I think the Cyclo is an ideal in-between a 'soft' PC and a 'hard' Rotary. I doubt that you'll ever regret buying it, enjoy...



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
Carl Anderson said:
.......My concern is that I really do not need this. For God's sake, I am a hobby detailer! .........if I get 1/10 the pleasure from the Cyclo that I have from my PC it will be a great investment in my mental health........
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Carl, Carl, Carl, since when does NEED factor into the majority of our purchases ;) ?



Would you rather have underwear and socks or a Cyclo for Christmas????



Furthermore, do you want to deprive your wife of the joy she'll see on your face as you open up your new Cyclo? Believe me, sheâ€â„¢s glad you found something you really want and wonâ€â„¢t have to stand in line to return on the day after Christmas. Go for it!
 
To help you overcome your guilt, take a couple of detail jobs for pay. That's the way I look at things. I purchase a fair amount of things, but have about 8-10 regular clients that I detail for, and that more than offsets any money I've spent!



And of course, make sure to detail your wife's car first!
 
I think of the old saying about how the ownership experience remains (for better or worse) long after the cost is forgotten. Since the Cyclo will last for the rest of your life, I don't think you'll regret it. I don't remember what my older one cost, couldn't tell you within $100, but I sure am glad I bought it. I think you will be too.
 
I'm either going to buy one or put it on my Christmas list this year. No remorse either. It is a great tool and a real time saver on large vehicles with moderate to heavy defects.
 
I went back and forth on either a Cyclo or a PC. After numerous searches and some PM's I chose a Cyclo. There was the initial buyers remorse but their are no regrets now. I have done one of my cars and several family members cars and I still enjoy using the Cyclo. The results that I get are so much better then what I was able to achieve by hand in a much shorter time.

Now I just need to get some Lake County pads for it.
 
Yeah, I'd really like to see a much larger selection of pads available for the Cyclo. I sure hope they will be one the "new ,hot items" for 2005 with the online vendors.
 
Bill D said:
Yeah, I'd really like to see a much larger selection of pads available for the Cyclo. I sure hope they will be one the "new ,hot items" for 2005 with the online vendors.
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You hear that, Meguiars! ;)



I know my local Meguiars distributor has small 3" pads for a tiny rotary (rlspringer has one) but I don't know if Meguiars is the one who makes the pad.
 
Yeah, I'd really like to see a much larger selection of pads available for the Cyclo. I sure hope they will be one the "new ,hot items" for 2005 with the online vendors.
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I couldn't agree more, Im just not a fan of making my own pads.

I am hoping the LC 4" are going to work better than the cyclo pads.



And on topic:

I had buyers remorse after the first time I plugged the machine in and used it. After a few minutes of getting a feel for the machine all regrets seemed to disappear like the swirls the machine helps remove! It is a great machine you will not regret purchasing it.

I too got mine from WCD and it was a great buying experience. Very friendly and customer orientated company.I think you can make up more than 1/10 just by people wondering what the heck is that thing you are using on your car!
 
To be honest, unless you're a pro and will be using it a plenty, I would go with a new PC 7424DA and a used Makita 9227C.



1. Those combined will be cheaper than a new Cyclo.

2. Having a DA and Rotary, will allow you to tackle every possible detailing issue you may ever encounter.

3. Going with 6.5" pads allows them to be used either on the pC or Rotary. Therefore, pads costs will be significantly reduced.



In the short and long term, going a PC DA and Makita Rotary is much much more cost effective.



For the every day person, no brainer. No need for a cyclo.



For a pro who isn't confident using a rotary, the Cyclo is a nice fit.



For the advanced prowho is comfortable with a Rotary, using a Cyclo wouldn't be a requirement. They may use a PC to speed to things up for light polishing and wax application.



Paco
 
Depends on your paint too. Both of mine are hard. So I got mine so I could be a lot more efficient and correct defects more thoughly and faster, but not necessarily needing to bump up to the rotary every time to do so. The Cyclo is also a great follow up tool post rotary correction.



I would say to be a bona fide pro one must be proficient with a rotary and be able to use it with good results when a situation calls for it.



That said, even a pro can find the Cyclo to be a nice "in between" almost "missing link" sort of tool.



If you get a backing plate that can accomodate 4" pads for a PC and rotary you can even use the Cyclo sized pads across all three machines.



The trinity is an outstanding tool arsenal and each one in it has some really great advantages :up
 
Bill,



I'm sure the cyclo has it's place. It's just one of those things that you don't need, but if you have it, I'm sure you could find a use for it.



However, if you have a Rotary and PC. You can do far more than you could would just a Cyclo for the about the same amount of $$$, if not less. You'll will end up having a much more powerful set of tools in your arsenal as well, capable of addressing any issue.



The PC is more nimble due to it's single head design. Shared std. 6.5" pads with a rotary. Is much much less expensive.



A Cyclo really only shines for those moderate swirls, for which, a Rotary can take care of in much less time and product. For a pro, that means more money in his back pocket.



As for the 4" pads, I wouldn't want to do an entire vehicle with those on a PC or Rotary! 6" are bordering on small if you decide to wet sand and entire vehicle to get rid of orange peel. That's when a rotary and 8" come in handy.



Is a cyclo a nice product? I have no doubts it is.

Is it being hyped here a bit on Autopian ... yes it is.

Is it a necessary tool in your toolbox. No.



For me, the benefit/cost ratio makes it an undesirable product.



Option 1

PC 7424DA : 70 / $130 = 53%

Used Rotary 9227C: 90 / $120 = 75%



Total Cost: $250 with plus 70 rating



For $250 USD, you can purchase a top of the line DA and Rotary and clean your carpets, wax to heavy compounding.



Option 2:

Cyclo: 50 / $260 = 20%



You can carpet clean, wax and moderately compound. For any heavy swirls or wet sanding mark removal, you'll need to have a rotary on hand. Plus, you'll have a hard time around mirrors etc so you'll need to follow-up with some manual, tiresome compounding.



It just doesn't make financial sense in my opinion to get a cyclo. If the price of the unit was 1/2 or less than what it is sealing for, then perhaps, I could see a place for it.



Then again, if I was given one for Xmas. I wouldn't exactly be disappointed :)





Paco
 
Originally posted by paco

I'm sure the cyclo has it's place. It's just one of those things that you don't need, but if you have it, I'm sure you could find a use for it.
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Understood but there's a lot of stuff not necessarily needed in a detailing arsenal



The PC is more nimble due to it's single head design. Shared std. 6.5" pads with a rotary. Is much much less expensive.
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True but the material and construction of the Cyclo are what make it more expensive and virtually a lifetime tool



A Cyclo really only shines for those moderate swirls, for which, a Rotary can take care of in much less time and product. For a pro, that means more money in his back pocket
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Depends an awful lot on the skill of the user, even some of those comfortable with the rotary like to follow it up with the Cyclo



As for the 4" pads, I wouldn't want to do an entire vehicle with those on a PC or Rotary! 6" are bordering on small if you decide to wet sand and entire vehicle to get rid of orange peel. That's when a rotary and 8" come in handy.
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I should have made it clear that using a single 4" pad would really be for spot repair and polishing, all three machines can accomodate them





Nothing wrong with the "hype" . If there were no PC it wouldn't be so.



No one's denying it's not exactly an insignificant purchase. We all have our reasons for or against making it. :) :wavey
 
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