Thinking about a polisher

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Az Scooter

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I am not a fan of air polishers. The are loud, and the hose us heavy and gets hung up on things. It is also heavy enough to damage the vehicles finish.
Depending on your budget, unless you are a pro detailed, I would look at the Porter Cable 7424 or 7436, or if you are willing to spend more, the flex polisher from Adams. I bought a flex, and gave a serious crush on it. For what it is worth, I have detailed, professionally, in the past.
 

TheJoker

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X2 ^ what he said^ unless you are a pro, I would stay away from the polishers ( Snap on is great if you have the money ) much less air polishers. If your only using this for your personal vehicles, I would look into getting a dual action (D/A) polisher. Porter Cable is the most popular brand out there. I went with one from Harbour Freight and paid less than $50 for it. YMMV.
 

Az Scooter

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I like the Flex better because it has a forced rotation. The porter cable rotates, but it is due to the oscillation. So, oscillation with forced rotation, makes it fast and easy.

For a Rotary, if you want the best, get a sioux. You have to be a mans man to handle one, though. They weigh close to 10 pounds.
 

maximus5403

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I have the Porter Cable 7424XP, and although it is good for a beginner, I am now looking to buy a Rupes BigFoot. Look on the detailing forums like Autogeek or detailing bliss and just about all the big pro detailers use/recommend the Rupes.
 

amphibian

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Personally I prefer DA because I don't want to mess up my paint and I'm not a pro. I wouldn't want to fool with an air hose, especially on something as big as the truck.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but I have both the porter cable and the harbor freight DA. I like the harbor freight better, it has more power and was half the price. If you look around you'll find that despite being HF, it actually has a decent rep in the detailing community and you can't beat the price.

HF pads are crap though, spend money on good pads.
 

AdamsPolishes

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For the at-hone user, I would stay away from any air/rotary machines as they are not very user-friendly and the risk/reward ratio is not in your favor.

As the guys mentioned, an orbital or a DA machine will serve you much better.

We are HUGE fans of the Flex as it offers a lot of correcting ability, but still remains safe even in the hands of a beginner to the world of machine polishing.

We also will warranty any machine purchased though us FOR LIFE!!
 
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