Anyone have experience with the $50 buffer from Harbor Freight? I only detail my own cars so I figure I don't need a $200 buffer I might as well try this one out.

Link

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...92623

 

The craftsman/black and decker ones work pretty well for abotu the same price. I have a Porter Cable 7424 that i bought for 120 shipped that works REALLY well

 

i own the one from harbor frieght, it's an okay polisher.... for about the first 4 hours of use.

mine wont hold any load at all, so i'm looking to get a different brand.

i mean it's great if you use it to detail your own cars, but i'm doing sidejobs left and right.

autogeek.net has some polishers at fair prices, thats where i'm getting my next rotary polisher

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nskforlife &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i own the one from harbor frieght, it's an okay polisher.... for about the first 4 hours of use.

mine wont hold any load at all, so i'm looking to get a different brand.

i mean it's great if you use it to detail your own cars, but i'm doing sidejobs left and right.

autogeek.net has some polishers at fair prices, thats where i'm getting my next rotary polisher</TD></TR></TABLE>
Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Random Orbital, FTMFW!!!!! Bought mine from autopia for 130shipped

 

Crap, I really don't want the damn thing to die after a few buffing jobs. Maybe I'll spend the extra money on a Black & Decker or Porter

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GReddy_Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Random Orbital, FTMFW!!!!! Bought mine from autopia for 130shipped</TD></TR></TABLE>

random orbitals dont have enough penetrating power for me to make them worthwhile. it'd be nice to have one to apply final polish and sealers and such, but i use my buffer to actually remove scratches and swirls and not just apply coatings...

 

harbor freight is JUNK!

 

umm with the right polish/pad, a DA can do the job. If you seriously need a rotary buffer to remove scratches, then the paint is probably to sh*tty to even bother at that point.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GReddy_Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">umm with the right polish/pad, a DA can do the job. If you seriously need a rotary buffer to remove scratches, then the paint is probably to sh*tty to even bother at that point.</TD></TR></TABLE>

a rotary used correctly can cut extreme detailing to 1/3 of the time it takes with a orbital. this comes especially true when working on fully cured coats of paint.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GReddy_Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">umm with the right polish/pad, a DA can do the job. If you seriously need a rotary buffer to remove scratches, then the paint is probably to sh*tty to even bother at that point.</TD></TR></TABLE>


you have no idea in what you are talking about.

 

a DA is just foolproof...and also i feel it's WAY easier to be precise in tight areas. but for cutting power and time efficiency, a real rotary can't be beat.

i use a DA because that is what i started with, and it handles 98% of the jobs i need it to handle without ANY risk. However, if there is something that is just too far gone to get any good results in a reasonable amount of time with a DA, i will resort to a friend's rotary and wool. a good example of this was my wife's Si. It had such an incredible amount of damage from water spot etching, that using a DA, even with an aggressive pad and heavy cut compound, would have taken forever...and ever. So, off to the friend's shop for wool and Ardex cut white, lol. i should have taken care of it from day one, but i was not sure how long she'd keep it as the previous Si was lemoned within a span of a few months. i hate new hondas.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Rok &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


you have no idea in what you are talking about.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ding Ding Ding, Da's suck cause I just went out and bought a Black and Decker and it kicks ***. Cut through those 2000grit scratches like they were nothing. Now it's time to start practicing with this thing and go make some money on the side.

 

i have the harbor freight buffer.

it works great. it all depends on the pad tho. get a good set of various pads and your set.

i also own a 9.99 6inch orbital buffer that i use to apply wax and that works wonders.

it doesnt take expensive equipment, just the right equipment.

 

DA is where its at

 

sorry but Rotary &gt; DA. No Question about it.