Buffers

[Talus]

After watching Dr. Jones, the detailing bug has bitten, and I am looking for a buffer. I know the Porter Cable 7424 is the industry standard, but I want to know if I should look at anything else. Like is a $30 Checker special worth considering if I find the PC a bit too pricey? Is random orbit the way to go, as opposed to a straight polisher?

[Kwando]

I use a cheapo one and it works fine for what I do.

[DrJones]

(this isn't directed directly at Talus, but more to everyone who's interested)

Definatly get the random orbit over the rotary. Random orbits are safe. Rotarys are not. (make sure you understand that) It's that simple. Just to give you a little more of an idea.... i've put many many many hours of use on my PC (it's probably got about as many rotations on it as the crank in my civic), i've been using it for almost 2 years... My first rotary should be in tomorrow. Even with all that PC expierence i'm still a little worried to put the rotary in my hands. I'll probably spend a good 20 hours practicing on body panels from body shops and that Dodge Demon sitting out front. It is quite easy to mess up with a rotary. Even people who use it a lot. Something as simple as polishing a spoiler that you didn't know was plastic could cause major problems.

Not to say that it's so dangerous everyone should avoid it always. With enough pratice, skill, and patients, you can get it to the point where it's safe. At that point you can do things to an old paint job that you would of never thought possible.

A PC is good, you can get awesome results, but it simply can't match the perfection that you can get from a rotary.

As for which random orbital... I'd highly recomend the PC. However the $109 you'll spend for it at Lowes (don't buy the 7424... it's usually around $150... go to lowes and buy the Porter Cable 7336. It's literally the exact same machine, except it comes with a 6 inch counter weight (which you want) and it's marketed as a sander). It is an investment though. Your looking at $110 for the buffer, then another $30 (minimum) for pads, and a little more for some products to use with it.

If your just wanting one to do your own car, and to remove the swirls that are on it now, then it's not worth it. (contact me if this is the case... you can either come over and use my buffer, products, pads, or i can do it for you). This shouldn't be a normal maintence step, so you shouldn't need to get a lot of use out of it just for your car. You should only have to do it once. After the swirls are gone you just have to be a little more carefulll in washing and drying to keep them from comming back. If they do come back they should be light enough that you can get rid of them by hand.

If you just want it so you can make it easier to remove wax, it's not worth it.

The only real use of the machine is to remove problems with the paint. Buffers aren't as good as they seem for removing wax. I do all that stuff by hand. It ends up being just about as fast, and I use much less product. The only time i use the buffer is when I am using some sort of abrasive on the paint. Really if any product is too hard to remove, than chances are you aren't using too much, aren't letting it cure long enough, or are doing something else you aren't suposed to.

If you just want to play around with one first and see how much you like it, as well as what it can be used for, just come over here and i'll let you use mine. I'll even prove how safe it is by letting you do my car.

[David]

Dr Jones, you are the god of detailing and detailing knowledge:)

[DrJones]

I wouldn't say that... I definatly have spent way more time learning about and doing it more than the average person... but I still have questions I need answered every once in a while. There are people out there that are much much more expierenced than I am. The good thing is I know a lot of them... so if I ever run into something I can't handle or don't know how to do, i just contact one of them and get the info I need.

[172 pilot]

Dr.,
I am interested in purchasing a buffer, but I will only use it a couple of times a year. Is a buffer from Sears or Lowes, etc. good enough for the occasional buff & wax? If so, what do you recommend? Also, what pads & goodies should I buy? Thanks for all of your help!

Rick in Indiana

[DrJones]

Welecome to the board.

Those cheap buffers really don't do much. You'd end up spending money on them and really not get much better results than you would by hand.

Really i only use a buffer when trying to fix something wrong with the paint. ie swirls or oxidation. If you are just applying wax or polish you should be able to do it by hand with little effort. If you use the right technique and products than it shouldn't take hardly any work to get products on or off.

[coloboardin]

DrJones - are you a detailer for a living? where do you work?

[DrJones]

DrJones - are you a detailer for a living? where do you work?

I just detail for fun. Working for a detail shop or dealership would take a lot of the fun out of it. Plus it would be very hard to find a shop that would actually let me do detailing the way I do it. It tends to take a lot of time and not necessarily be the most economical.

[forum]

DrJones - are you a detailer for a living? where do you work?
detailling for a living is a waste of time

[BluByU]

detailling for a living is a waste of time

Werd. Unless you're doing it for someone who cares about you. And you only have to do 2 to 6 cars a day and make actual money doing it.

[Kwando]

i will be getting my PC soon.