I just bought a second one of these Astro 9901 because its the best buy for the money I have come across in a long time.
http://www.foxruntools.com/astro-pneumatic-6-electric-dual-torque-polisher---part-ao-9901.aspx
Comes with 2 pads, handle, wrench and hook and loop backing plate
This is a small light unit about the size of the HF but this is a real rotary buffer.
Electronic speed control maintains rpm under load.
Compare the size to the big Milwaukee (older USA made)
Compared to light weight air buffer.
Why buy a second one? I got the first one a few years ago for $40 and was so impressed with it I figured no harm in having a spare for that money but they were gone from the market.
Astro isn't making them anymore so I was surprised to find another batch of them on the market, so I grabbed one. This thing is great, its slow speed is safe enough even for beginners who want to learn how to use a buffer and the electronic speed control works perfectly. The quality seems good, the only real negative is its made in China.
If it would have been a US or Euro tool I wouldn't consider having a second one just in case but after lots of use it is still tight and runs perfectly.
The big Milwaukee is a great machine but its heavy, real heavy, after 1-2 hrs your arms are ready to drop off. After a while its hard to hold it up and its powerful enough to damage paint quickly, I no longer use it.
The air buffer is great, its light and powerful but you need to maintain speed by feathering the throttle, all in all its a good tool and I still use it with large pads on big areas like hoods and roof. The drawback to this is it needs a big compressor, I have one but the average DIY doesn't have one at home with the CFM to run this continuously.
I dislike DA buffers, they are close to useless for real compounding and are better suited to light polishing and waxing, this little Astro will run a 6" pad compounding at low speeds without breaking a sweat, It also does a fantastic job with swirl removing polish with a soft polishing pad, if anyone is looking for a cheap but really decent little buffer is just the ticket.
http://www.foxruntools.com/astro-pneumatic-6-electric-dual-torque-polisher---part-ao-9901.aspx
Comes with 2 pads, handle, wrench and hook and loop backing plate
This is a small light unit about the size of the HF but this is a real rotary buffer.
Electronic speed control maintains rpm under load.
Compare the size to the big Milwaukee (older USA made)
Compared to light weight air buffer.
Why buy a second one? I got the first one a few years ago for $40 and was so impressed with it I figured no harm in having a spare for that money but they were gone from the market.
Astro isn't making them anymore so I was surprised to find another batch of them on the market, so I grabbed one. This thing is great, its slow speed is safe enough even for beginners who want to learn how to use a buffer and the electronic speed control works perfectly. The quality seems good, the only real negative is its made in China.
If it would have been a US or Euro tool I wouldn't consider having a second one just in case but after lots of use it is still tight and runs perfectly.
The big Milwaukee is a great machine but its heavy, real heavy, after 1-2 hrs your arms are ready to drop off. After a while its hard to hold it up and its powerful enough to damage paint quickly, I no longer use it.
The air buffer is great, its light and powerful but you need to maintain speed by feathering the throttle, all in all its a good tool and I still use it with large pads on big areas like hoods and roof. The drawback to this is it needs a big compressor, I have one but the average DIY doesn't have one at home with the CFM to run this continuously.
I dislike DA buffers, they are close to useless for real compounding and are better suited to light polishing and waxing, this little Astro will run a 6" pad compounding at low speeds without breaking a sweat, It also does a fantastic job with swirl removing polish with a soft polishing pad, if anyone is looking for a cheap but really decent little buffer is just the ticket.