I bought the 7336 from Lowe's for $109 and 10% off.
I bought the Sonnus DAS pad kit with backplate.
I bought the Sonnus DAS pad kit with backplate.
Give me the scoop on Porter Cable buffer/polishers
- Thread starter Islandvic
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well i finally used my 7336 for the first time last weekend, quickly found out that the 3 supplied pads were just enough to get by. So in any event you'll be spending close to $200 to get what you will really need: at least 1 or 2 non-cutting pads for fine polishing and wax/sealant application, and at least 1 light cut pad for most of your polishes. Only the really bad scarred paints will need the heavier cut orange and yellow pads with the more abrasive polishes. And from the sound of it, the way to go is using a final fine-cut polish with a non-cut finishing pad before your final wax step. My car is black, in fairly good condition but shows everything, I got away with the finishing pad and a fine polish but could've really used a light cut pad with a mild polish. I still have a lot of fine scratches that I can see when looking at it under the garage lights, but I think it's going to look pretty good outside.
I ended up ordering 7 pads from properautocare to the tune of $90, them things add up quick at $11 a pop. I went with lake country hi gloss 6.5" pads and 7.5" advanced hi-gloss. When fall rolls around, I'll give it another shot.
where are you guys ordering your propel pads from?
I'm guessing the sonus pads are from autopia-carcare.
I ended up ordering 7 pads from properautocare to the tune of $90, them things add up quick at $11 a pop. I went with lake country hi gloss 6.5" pads and 7.5" advanced hi-gloss. When fall rolls around, I'll give it another shot.
where are you guys ordering your propel pads from?
I'm guessing the sonus pads are from autopia-carcare.
You can get Propels at Exceldetail. Patrick told me via email that he has found another supplier for the pads so he can maintain his inventory. He also indicated that the foam structure would be the same.
How long to foam pads last?
thanks!
thanks!
Vic,
I have used the same three LC pads for over two years on many, many vehicles. Recently the glue holding the backing on one of them gave up but the foam itself was still good. They are cleaned after every use and air dried. When the backing came off is the only time I've used the washing machine. Although that might be pure coincidence they'll be washed by hand from now on. I ordered duplicates in case any of the others came loose but they have not.....yet.
I have used the same three LC pads for over two years on many, many vehicles. Recently the glue holding the backing on one of them gave up but the foam itself was still good. They are cleaned after every use and air dried. When the backing came off is the only time I've used the washing machine. Although that might be pure coincidence they'll be washed by hand from now on. I ordered duplicates in case any of the others came loose but they have not.....yet.
the foam pads can last a long time as long as you clean them shortly afterwards. The problem is with the velcro material on the pad, which secures it to the hook&loop backing plate on the buffer, disbonding from the pad. Rumor has it if you machine wash the pads, or use laundry or dish soap, it significantly shortens the life of that bond. So the recommendation is use car wash soap or the expensive soap specifically for cleaning these pads. I found hot water without soap and the sprayer in the kitchen sink works just fine, especially on the harder denser pads with polish. For the softer no-cut pads where you get a lot of polish or wax into the pad it's harder to get out. For that I soak it in hot water with car wash soap, rinse good with the sprayer, then resoaked just a 1/4" of the pad far away from the velcro bond with hot water and dishwash soap to dissolve the wax then rinsed again.
thanks for the exceldetail link.
thanks for the exceldetail link.
I've never quite understood why people spend tons of money on an orbital polisher. I just buy the cheapie ones from Harbor Freight, and if I trash one a year, I'm still money ahead.
For actual buffing, I use a Milwaukee 5460 variable speed buffer. I only use my orbital for final applying/removing certain waxes and glazes that would normally be applied by hand, just to save time and effort more than anything.
I've tried various pads, and I'm still not 100% sold on foam. A fine wool finishing pad at a slower (1700 RPM) speed tends to produce the best results for me for light compounding or polishing.
A rotary buffer is not at all idiot proof, but in the hands of and experienced user, it will run circles (no pun intended) around any orbital polisher, especially on paint with lots of defects.
For the little nooks and crannies, I've got a little 4" wool pad on a little air operated buffer. Got it from the Snap-On guy, and it's the slickest thing going. Works just like the big boys, but gets in those little areas that would normally need to be done by hand.
For actual buffing, I use a Milwaukee 5460 variable speed buffer. I only use my orbital for final applying/removing certain waxes and glazes that would normally be applied by hand, just to save time and effort more than anything.
I've tried various pads, and I'm still not 100% sold on foam. A fine wool finishing pad at a slower (1700 RPM) speed tends to produce the best results for me for light compounding or polishing.
A rotary buffer is not at all idiot proof, but in the hands of and experienced user, it will run circles (no pun intended) around any orbital polisher, especially on paint with lots of defects.
For the little nooks and crannies, I've got a little 4" wool pad on a little air operated buffer. Got it from the Snap-On guy, and it's the slickest thing going. Works just like the big boys, but gets in those little areas that would normally need to be done by hand.
For anyone doubting what can be done with a PC, I submit the following:
I took my '99 Mazda Miata to the dealer for replacement of the catalytic converter (Federal emissions warranty!!!) and they did me a "favor" and washed the car. They must have used Comet and an old shop broom because when the sun came out a couple days later I was horrified by what I saw. Rather than take the car back and bludgeon someone with the lug wrench I pulled out the trusty PC and went to work. I taped off half the trunk lid so I could offer up a before/after image, which is shown below. Oh, and this is just a hobby for me....I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my cars
The vertical line is polish residue collected at the edge of the tape. I used Meguiar's M80 Speed Glaze x2 with a Meguiar's W8006 foam polishing pad, then wiped with alcohol after just to make sure I wasn't just hiding the swirls. They are gone.
I took my '99 Mazda Miata to the dealer for replacement of the catalytic converter (Federal emissions warranty!!!) and they did me a "favor" and washed the car. They must have used Comet and an old shop broom because when the sun came out a couple days later I was horrified by what I saw. Rather than take the car back and bludgeon someone with the lug wrench I pulled out the trusty PC and went to work. I taped off half the trunk lid so I could offer up a before/after image, which is shown below. Oh, and this is just a hobby for me....I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my cars
The vertical line is polish residue collected at the edge of the tape. I used Meguiar's M80 Speed Glaze x2 with a Meguiar's W8006 foam polishing pad, then wiped with alcohol after just to make sure I wasn't just hiding the swirls. They are gone.
I still fail to see the advantage of the PC compared to any of the cheapie orbitals. Granted, the quality of the unit is I'm sure night and day better, but they both are accomplishing the same thing. An orbital may produce comparable results as a high speed rotary, but it's going to take considerably longer to do the same thing. What I can do with my Milwaukee in 10 minutes might take 2 hours to do with an orbital, but the end product will be nearly identical.
My PC is a lot more comfortable to use and easier to control than the cheapies I used to have.
I agree on the speed of a rotary in the hands of a pro or experianced amateur, but in the hands of a novice, it's also the fasted way to wear a hole in your paint on edges and curves.
The advantages of the PC over a cheapo buffer are substantial. A few are:
1. Adjustable speed
2. Higher torque motor (less chance of the motor bogging down or stalling completely)
3. Huge selection of pads and backing plates
4. Smaller size means the PC is more maneuverable and less tiring to use.
5. Positionable handles, or the PC can be used without handles (my preference)
6. Porter Cable warranty and support with regional and local service centers (PC can be repaired and there is good parts support from the mfr)
7. Lots of users means a built in support group to help you get the most out of the machine.
I used the big orbital buffers for many years before discovering the PC. Most of that time I used a rotary as well. My old buffer made me thousands of dollars but I'd never go back now that I have a PC. From my 20+ year perspective, there is a major difference in performance and results between the two machines.
1. Adjustable speed
2. Higher torque motor (less chance of the motor bogging down or stalling completely)
3. Huge selection of pads and backing plates
4. Smaller size means the PC is more maneuverable and less tiring to use.
5. Positionable handles, or the PC can be used without handles (my preference)
6. Porter Cable warranty and support with regional and local service centers (PC can be repaired and there is good parts support from the mfr)
7. Lots of users means a built in support group to help you get the most out of the machine.
I used the big orbital buffers for many years before discovering the PC. Most of that time I used a rotary as well. My old buffer made me thousands of dollars but I'd never go back now that I have a PC. From my 20+ year perspective, there is a major difference in performance and results between the two machines.
I used to have a big(ger) dollar orbital back when I was in the business. It was a Cyclo twin-head orbital, that also doubled as an interior scrubber. It worked pretty good, but eventually got tired and at the time parts were impossible to find. Don't know if the company was belly-up or what, but I couldn't get thru to them. Now I see they're available again.
http://www.autogeek.net/cyclo-polishers.html
Still, I use my orbital very little. Most the buffing and polishing is done with the Milwaukee, and the orbital is only there for a time-saver for applying and/or removing the final wax or sealant, and for that, any old cheapie works just fine. I don't rely on it to do much actual work, as the paint ought to be perfect before any wax or sealant is applied to it, so even if it were applied and/or removed by hand, the result would be identical. My orbital only gets used maybe a total of one hour per car, maybe even less.
http://www.autogeek.net/cyclo-polishers.html
Still, I use my orbital very little. Most the buffing and polishing is done with the Milwaukee, and the orbital is only there for a time-saver for applying and/or removing the final wax or sealant, and for that, any old cheapie works just fine. I don't rely on it to do much actual work, as the paint ought to be perfect before any wax or sealant is applied to it, so even if it were applied and/or removed by hand, the result would be identical. My orbital only gets used maybe a total of one hour per car, maybe even less.
How and why do rotary buffers work faster than orbitals?
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