Are You Still Looking for "The Best Buffing Machine for a Beginner"?

L

Lonnie

Well-known member
OK, spoiler alert: This is NOT my Captain Obvious thread. The information and suggestion belong to Mike Phillips of Dr. Beasely's
He has done an EXTENSIVE test and write-up on his website , but forum rules prevent me from copying -and-pasting its link.

His findings and recommendation? The Harbor Freight's Hurcule's HC109B Forced Rotation Orbital Buffer .
I say this because it was quite a surprise that Mr. Phillips, who has probably used more buffing machines and done more detailing that anyone, to give this recommendation.
Again, here is the spoiler alert "Cliff Notes" as to why: NO stalling or stopping of the orbital rotation because it is gear-driven! And the fact it is priced for a beginner's budget.

I highly suggest anyone looking for a buffing machine to find this topic on the internet and read his write-up. It will make you think about what orbital machines are about and their stalling characteristics that beginners may not be aware of and how to identify it if you already own one.
 
I am glad they have better machines than what was only available, decades ago...
For me, I just use my Makita Rotary and never have any issues with pad rotation... :)
Stokdgs
 
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Stokdgs:
You mastery and use of a rotary is well known not only here within this forum but by your customer's and the results of its use on their vehicles.
Quite frankly, the rotary is STILL the polisher of choice by car dealerships and auto body repair shops because of the results it delivers in a short time, IE, they are an efficient power tool for correcting and polishing. I qualify that statement with the addition of "in the hands of an experienced and skilled operator", which I know is NOT something everyone can achieve, "skilled" being the opportune word here. There are piano players and there are piano virtuosos.

I am not here to debate which is "better": the rotary or long-throw polishers. Each has its advantages. Add the fact that many professional detailers have eschewed (but sometimes still use) rotaries in favor of long-throws RO's is a testament to these machines.

The direct-drive random orbital offers a "hybrid' polishing rotational action of both polishing machine characteristics: a driven motion to eliminate stalling with a small, orbital rotation. And yes, even Mr. Phillips admits there is a "learning curve" to the DD-RO, including its counter-intuitive backwards rotation from that of the normal rotation exhibited by a rotary or dual-action random orbital.
 
I picked up a ShineMate EX620 5" 15mm DA Polisher Kit, a 6" backing plate and some new 5 and 6" pads and a few other things, will get it Monday :)

I tried to get the HF Hercules forced rotation one, but they won't ship to here or even to a freight forwarder :/ I tried eBay etc too without luck...
 
Does anyone know if they (Hurcules) makes a 5" replacement pad plate for the HB109B OR if someone has "modified" the 6" plate it comes with down to a 5" diameter plate??
Or maybe some enterprising Autopian will reverse engineer (AKA, measure and copy) a 3-D model on some CAD software and have it 3-D printed as a 5" plate? (Captain Obvious, were you not an CAD technician? Sounds like an "opportunity" for you......just sayin'! OR like we always said in engineering about an idea that sounded good, but was nearly impossible to produce; "Invent one, Edison!")
 
If I'm not mistaken, the Flex backing plates fit on the Hercules. (confirmed after I typed this by the Google AI...which I think Mike Phillips is referring to as "Skynet". BTW I think that's how I knew the backing plates were interchangeable, was from Mike's review which you referred to in the original post, Lonnie.)
 
Lonnie said:
Stokdgs:
You mastery and use of a rotary is well known not only here within this forum but by your customer's and the results of its use on their vehicles.
Quite frankly, the rotary is STILL the polisher of choice by car dealerships and auto body repair shops because of the results it delivers in a short time, IE, they are an efficient power tool for correcting and polishing. I qualify that statement with the addition of "in the hands of an experienced and skilled operator", which I know is NOT something everyone can achieve, "skilled" being the opportune word here. There are piano players and there are piano virtuosos.

I am not here to debate which is "better": the rotary or long-throw polishers. Each has its advantages. Add the fact that many professional detailers have eschewed (but sometimes still use) rotaries in favor of long-throws RO's is a testament to these machines.

The direct-drive random orbital offers a "hybrid' polishing rotational action of both polishing machine characteristics: a driven motion to eliminate stalling with a small, orbital rotation. And yes, even Mr. Phillips admits there is a "learning curve" to the DD-RO, including its counter-intuitive backwards rotation from that of the normal rotation exhibited by a rotary or dual-action random orbital.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Lonnie, for your kind words !

And yes, it will always be about pad rotation, and that is why almost everyone that produces big things that are painted, still use them..
I hope that the direct-drive random orbital machines you speak of, have been working out great for those that have them...Yeah, if it spins backwards, that would take a little time to get used to that, I bet... :)

.I saw once on an Audi automobile assembly line, at the end of the line, there were people with air powered rotaries using small, to perhaps 4" - 5" foam pads, getting that paint just perfect before it left the line...

So glad that rotaries are all variable speed machines,, and for a long time now, the products sold for compounding and polishing are more happy being used at lower speeds, than what was the norm, say 50 years ago.

And can you imagine having to paint correct a huge airplane, entire fuselage , top and bottom of the wings, the huge tail, and top and bottom of the rudders, the zillion Rivets, and Not have a Rotary??? I did an airplane once like that, it was the hardest thing I ever did!!! I burned through a zillion 5" and 6" purple foam wool pads, just to get that harder than rocks airplane paint to look clear and glossy again... Turned out so beautiful !!!!

And then, there are Boats..... :) Only a rotary can get that gelcoat back to normal... :) No, I don't want to even do one anymore, thank you... :)
I was so lucky to see rotaries being used as a kid, seeing the incredible results, and then knowing I wanted to do that too, someday... :)
Stokdgs


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