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Forgive my ignorance: If I were to buy something like this, do I no longer wax on/wax off with a microfiber towel? Or do I still need to do that on top of doing this? Is it something I can do for my biannual waxing/detailing? Similar to hand sanding a piece of furniture vs. a RO sander? I know we buffed cars after painting/wet sanding but I didn't realize it put a coat of wax/protectorant on the vehicle itself. Though it just shined up the vehicle and you still had to wax afterwards. I'm behind on the times?
I just picked up a Chicago electric (harbor freight) 69924 da polisher. Excited to get into using a da for applying wax and learning paint correction, I’ve been enjoying manual detailing since buying my truck 2 years ago. I’ll let y’all know how it goes this weekend.
Forgive my ignorance: If I were to buy something like this, do I no longer wax on/wax off with a microfiber towel? Or do I still need to do that on top of doing this? Is it something I can do for my biannual waxing/detailing? Similar to hand sanding a piece of furniture vs. a RO sander? I know we buffed cars after painting/wet sanding but I didn't realize it put a coat of wax/protectorant on the vehicle itself. Though it just shined up the vehicle and you still had to wax afterwards. I'm behind on the times?
so think of a random orbital like an angle grinder meets a random orbital palm sander. It has a counterbalanced head that makes it much more approachable than the old school polishers. Essentially it makes it a lot harder to screw up your paint really bad.
With the old polishers, you could actually generate enough friction -> heat to burn a hole strait down to metal.
Where the dual action random orbital orbital comes into play for detailing is effectively as a mechanical replacement for what you do when you “wax on”. It moves in a circular pattern, at a very high rate of speed, allowing for more passes/sq-in than you could hope to achieve with your arm. This translates to a thinner wax application (saving you product) which is more uniformly applied and is easier to wipe off (with the microfiber)
Additionally, they are useful for paint correction, which is the use of varying degrees of minor abrasive polishes to remove scratches and haze from your paint.
This is the kind of shine you can get with proper paint correction techniques with tools like these. Not a swirl in site!!! This is a 1987 Camaro with original paint. I'm sure many here remember the paint peeling issues from the late 80s and early 90s!
I know Porter Cable is an excellent machine, but for 1/5th the cost the HF DA performs the task with ease. It all depends on your budget. Here is a Harbour Freight DA polished 2017 with Collonite 845. Next time will get clayed, Meg's UC then Collonite 845.
I have been using a PC with a 6 inch hook and loop attachment, and Griot's foam pads. I used to do far much more than I do now; just too much work. I use the orange polishing pad with their One-Step Sealer. I am happy with the results. The foam approach is foolproof, by the way.
the new porter cables are not what they used to be. Plenty of threads on the web about the new ones. I bought a no name brand DA off of amazon and I am really happy with it. I use McGuires cutting microfiber discs and McGuires 105 for compounding and lc white pads for polish and Gyeon polish.
Last edited by Darknight1974; 07-10-2018 at 02:03 AM.
Forgive my ignorance: If I were to buy something like this, do I no longer wax on/wax off with a microfiber towel? Or do I still need to do that on top of doing this? Is it something I can do for my biannual waxing/detailing? Similar to hand sanding a piece of furniture vs. a RO sander? I know we buffed cars after painting/wet sanding but I didn't realize it put a coat of wax/protectorant on the vehicle itself. Though it just shined up the vehicle and you still had to wax afterwards. I'm behind on the times?
You can use a dual action like the Porter Cable to do the "wax on" part. You still need to do the "wax off" with your microfiber. There are different pads and different compounds / polishes / waxes / sealants depending on what you want to accomplish. When I bought my Porter Cable I also got a variety pack of pads to do everything from deep paint correction to polishing/sealing. The quantity and quality of paint protecting products these days is dizzying. It's not like the old days when you rubbed on some Turtle Wax and then wiped it off twice a year. Like anything, if you're prepared to jump down the rabbit hole of detailing there is an incredible amount of information on the web. That said, if you're happy with applying a product twice a year just like you've always done, that's good too.
I used a wool "leveling pad" on my dual action PC and then a half a dozen microfiber bonnets for the "wax off" buff. Worked great and saves my rotator cuffs.
07-09-2018, 09:22 PM
