Too Good to Be True: A Variable-Stroke Polishing Machine?

Lonnie said:
Now with a rotary option?? Now it really IS too good to be true!

That`s what good engineers do; make the impossible possible. Or as they say in mechanical design, "Putting 10 pounds of `crap` in a 5 pound bag!"

Or WHY you cannot get your hand in a modern day vehicle engine bay and need to remove half of the accessory components just to change a spark plug. "You gotta give up something to get something." Engineering design is ALWAYS a compromise. We can design it; you just cannot manufacture (make) it or service it easily or economically!
Click to expand...

Something tells me they don`t know what the heck they`re doing - it`s been like 3 years since they said "We have a tool, we have a tool." Since then I bought a Rupes AND a Griots so I`ll pass.
I also don`t like that I saw an old Taiwanese grinder that looks EXACTLY like this thing except red!! What`d they do, put a fancy head on an old grinder and call it a day, and then wait 36 months! Yikes. Did I see somewhere that thing thing weighs 10lbs, most of it up front in the head? Umm, no thanks.
 
Things that make you go hmmmm. lol

attachment.php
attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • download.jpg
    download.jpg
    4.7 KB · Views: 66
  • AGP rp160.jpg
    AGP rp160.jpg
    441.3 KB · Views: 57
Rsurfer said:
So what does Hummmmm mean? You have a picture of a UDOS and a rotary, what`s the point?
Click to expand...

Look at the body - it`s the same freakin thing, and that red one is over 20 year old, a relic. My point is, did they just find some cheap Asian source for an old tool and put their new head on it? - no wonder it`s gonna weight 10 lbs.

I remember seeing it when it first came out, it looked good, they talked about it being comfortable with some sort of feature to make it easier to hold (that`s gone), it had a cord that actually went UP - made sense since we toss the cord over our shoulder (that`s gone) and it looked cool (that`s gone). I don`t know what happened but its like this is a completely different thing. Lots of power is good and the 4 + rotary is good but one reason I bought my Rupes is cause it feels great when I`m holding it for an hour, this doesn`t look comfortable at all.

I mean, I don`t wanna knock it, but c`mon, for $700???
 
Given the choice, it would be best for UDOS to be great as a DA in all throws which would guarantee value to owners vs. buying a $700 Rotary with awkward DA functionality. But I’d be shocked if the UDOS excelled at both

A Swiss Army knife is most often used for it’s knife, then less so for it’s screwdriver, and using its scissors is nearly non-existent. While it can be used for all and more, it’s not near the best or most comfortable for any.

Can’t say this will be the case with UDOS, but history isn’t kind to multi-function-power-tools. Time will tell and I might get one, but I won’t be an early adopter.
 
Baton_Rouge_pro said:
Look at the body - it`s the same freakin thing, and that red one is over 20 year old, a relic. My point is, did they just find some cheap Asian source for an old tool and put their new head on it? - no wonder it`s gonna weight 10 lbs.

I remember seeing it when it first came out, it looked good, they talked about it being comfortable with some sort of feature to make it easier to hold (that`s gone), it had a cord that actually went UP - made sense since we toss the cord over our shoulder (that`s gone) and it looked cool (that`s gone). I don`t know what happened but its like this is a completely different thing. Lots of power is good and the 4 + rotary is good but one reason I bought my Rupes is cause it feels great when I`m holding it for an hour, this doesn`t look comfortable at all.

I mean, I don`t wanna knock it, but c`mon, for $700???
Click to expand...
You could say the same for Griots 15/21, Rupes 15/21, 3401, Dewalts, ect as they all use about the same basic body style & length. One more choice for ppl.......
 
I`ve thought about this polisher a lot since I tried it at MTE, and I still can`t help but feel a bit pessimistic on its outlook. The vibration of the long-throw action is an immediate deal breaker, and I don`t see how they can balance different throws on the spot without a compromise that makes the tool unattractive to everyone already used to smooth and balanced long-throw polishing. Unless they engineer some sort of quick disconnect setup like the Flex PXE that lets you swap out the counterbalance assembly with the backing plate, I don`t know. I can`t accept a tradeoff of both a heavier tool and a noticeable bump in vibration feedback, especially when the market is moving towards more mobile cordless polishers that are still relatively lightweight.

Love the concept, and I know they`ve been working crazy hard on this tool over the last few years, and I would love something that can switch from rotary to long-throw with a few easy twists, but not with the current compromises. Hopefully the delay is them still working on fine tuning the balancing of the long-throw action. The polisher I used at MTE earlier this year was not ready for market in my opinion without noticeable adjustments.
 
Loach said:
...... Unless they engineer some sort of quick disconnect setup like the Flex PXE that lets you swap out the counterbalance assembly with the backing plate, I don`t know. I can`t accept a trade-off of both a heavier tool and a noticeable bump in vibration feedback, especially when the market is moving towards more mobile cordless polishers that are still relatively lightweight......
Click to expand...

There, you have solved the problem for them!! But by the time this innovation is perfected and introduced, you have also identified how the detailing consumer market for polishing machines has changed, thus "obsoleting" this innovation. I, too, have doubts about its viability and now its marketability, as you have accurately accessed and described. Still, I, too LOVE the concept; the do-everything polisher!

Hard to believe this thread was started by me almost two years ago in October of 2018 and still waiting for this machine`s arrival in some form. Then again, as I said in previous post in this thread, perfection takes time!

Hey, I thought that a variable-compression internal combustion engine was technically impossible, until the engineers at Infinity/Nissan have developed, produced, and are selling this piston internal combustion engine innovation. You can buy it today, even in the Altima. Not sure how long this internal combustion engine technology will survive and be allowed to be sold, given all vehicles are going (or more precisely, have gone!) to electric drives. Funny, what is happening in the vehicle market is transcending to the polishing machines market!
 
I heard it`s DOA - that the vibration can`t be solved and that the weight is over 10lbs. Someone on here commented on the same problem I saw last year. All of a sudden it didn`t look the same anymore, then I tried the newer looking one at MTE and it was clunky. Not good.
 
I go back to my original idea of making two separate multi-stroke machines, one with two "long strokes" of 21mm and 15mm stroke and different one with two "short strokes" of 12mm and 8mm (or 9mm). If the engineering design physics and price point parameters are too much to overcome with current technology, it might be time to reconsider what what IS feasible and marketable for the detailing professional.

I still like the concept of a user-selectable wide range mutli-stoke polishing machine, but it is just that..a concept. As we have seen, engineering reality is another.
I am also reminded that Thomas Edison tried over 1,000 materials and prototypes before discovering the carbon filament for the electric light bulb that worked and had the longevity and brightness that consumers would want and pay for. When asked why he tried so many materials and made so many prototypes, he said, "Well, now I know of 999 things that will not work!"
Lighting has gone from tungsten filament bulbs, to neon, to fluorescent, to mercury vapor, to halogen, to HID/xenon, and now Light-Emitting Diode (LED).
 
It’s a good idea. The weight (in the most recent videos) and the price has definitely lost my interest. It looks like your are polishing paint with a giant brick.

To Lake Country: you make great buffing pads.....continue to do so and let the polisher companies make polishers.



to be fair I haven’t tried the UDOS so maybe it’s a light feeling 7+ pounds.
 
Starting to sound like one of those weird sockets that supposedly fits any nut, or the car you can use as a boat. The reality is they don’t work particularly well at any task.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top