Silverwolf_pup

I have heard good things about the porter cable dual action polisher, one thing i can't afford it right now $150 And I came across the dual action polisher at harbor freight $59

Should I give the harbor freight a try or don't waste my money and save up and get the porter cable?

Pounder

This is the one I have, and is also the one recommended by Neil Chadwick.(works great)
https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-...+and+polishers

Silverwolf_pup

How bad does it jar your hands and arms? Question can you wax or put sealant on with this machine. Thanks

strand rider

I would think the basic design principles are well known across the industry, with the price points designed as carefully as the tools. If you don't like the cheaper one, take it back, I believe they have a very easy return policy, if you have receipts

For myself, my top concern is results. I am not on the clock trying to make money with speed. So I use my hands and good materials. Very little chance of harming the clearcoat, and modern chemicals are very easy to use. It's not like you are confronted with a huge motor home, it a sports car with a curvy body that is easy to work with, never a swirl or burn mark with hand craftsmanship on the polish.

Pounder

it has 6 speeds, and I can use one hand (not recommended) at high speed it does vibrate, nature of the beast so to say. I use mine with Chadwick's paint correction system and I think it works great, just turned my 2500 dollar Monte Carlo into a real nice looking car.

runner140*

I agree to purchase quality....cheap is expensive and expensive is cheap.
BUT, have purchased many items from Harbor Freight, electric, battery and hand tools. ALL are still running or work.
Several electric drills
Impact wrench
racing jack
jack stands
Vibrating cutting tool

Take another look at the Harbor Freight polisher...jmho

bigcypress

i also have thought of buying one of these as wife has three cars i ''wax'' and i'm old [77] and have had a bad elbow on my ''waxing'' arm . reading about them i find all the different pad applications confusing , white pad for this , orange for other this etc. . also i use zaino and it seems pointless to use buffer when doing zaino . . . peace

Black 03 Z06

I want to buy a quality machine that will last, maybe the HF equipment will do the trick but I am not convinced.

All the pads, colours and sizes are a little confusing. At the end of the day I just want my paint to look its best. Thinking Cyclo. North American made to boot.

c4cruiser

I have an earlier version of thats buffer that I got from Griot's Garage. It works very well, has no vibration and is quiet.

I have 2 HF grinders and a cut-off tool that look like the P-C buffer and all of them are noisy and vibrate a fair amount. I don't think I would buy the HF polisher/buffer if vibration is a concern when using it for an hour or so to detail a car. I have looked at the HF foam buffing wheels and they don't look too bad compared to the Griot's pads. Probably OK for use on a DD but I'm not sure I would use them on my Corvettes. I'll stick to the Griot's 6" pads.

The Chev

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092K1F2Q...ing=UTF8&psc=1

This is the one I bought. It seems to work great and has lasted several large jobs now.

The #1 most important, can't skimp thing is keeping the pads clean. If you pick up dirt while polishing or waxing, it does not matter how nice your polisher is. Washing completely is the first step.

I am a big fan of Klasse High Gloss sealant. It actually holds up like no wax I have ever tried.

Pounder

if you used Chadwick's you would not have to worry about wax on or wax off, it's so easy a baby could do it !!

Acid666

Print the 20% off Harbor Freight coupon from online and go get it. It's fine. It's a polisher. It rotates. Spending 4 times as much on a nice once isn't worth it if you only use it a few times a year. If I detailed cars every weekend, or even once a month I'd spend the cash on a high quality one.

I've run through the Harbor Freight pads as well. Do yourself a favor and just order quality pads. Because THAT'S what really matters. The Harbor Freight cutting/polishing pads can't take the centripetal force and will develop a gap in the middle of the pad because the foam will tend to gravitate to the outside and hold that shape. When you get too high in the speeds it'll tear the pad up. So just get some nice pads and you'll be set. It's the pads and the chemicals that really do most of the work. They'll all orbit the same. I have zero regrets with getting the Harbor Freight polisher.

druz06

I got the Porter Cable years ago and is an excellent one to start with and use for a long time.

mjfrank

I have the Harbor Freight model you are referring to, along with their pads. In addition, I have a 3" Griot's DA that is great for motorcycles or tight spots, and the big dual-head Cyclo buffer. The Harbor Freight model is like almost everything else from that store, it does what it is supposed to do, but is a bit noisy and vibrates more than what a higher-dollar one would. I wouldn't have a problem using it on the Corvette, but you do need to be careful, as with any machine polisher. It doesn't have a long throw, so it's not very aggressive, and DA's are considerably safer than a rotary polisher, but you can still do damage. As someone mentioned, the Cyclo is a great polisher, but it's expensive, big, and heavy, I mostly only use it on large areas like our boat.

That all being said, I usually only use the DA's with cleaner/polish on the cars, the wax coat is typically put on and taken off by hand. (wax on-wax off ) Though for speed sake I will use them to put liquid wax on my kids cars, as they don't have the greatest paint anyways.

--Mike

Silverwolf_pup

There you go, see the baby beside the monte.

Silverwolf_pup

Okay I think I will give it a whirl

1Willy1

id go with a griots garage DA, they are a little cheaper then the porter cable and they come with a lifetime warrantee

I have one, its worth it

DRAFT1

I have buffed and detailed my cars for over 40 years. That includes lacquer, acrylic enamel, etc. I know the porter cable is good quality. That being said, the user and the pad are the most detrimental part of polishing out a vehicle. I suggest that you watch a few youtube videos before jumping in. I own a harbor freight polisher as described and it does a great job. I have used it on my Vette, Lexus and Ram pickup with outstanding results. Hope this helps.

1MRTYME

The perfect tool rental store! Try it and return it... LOL!!!

imjdoggie