Brokemillwright

I'm fairly new to the waxing and making my truck pretty thing, I've found a sealant I really like and get good result with.

My truck is a 2014 with white paint, so pretty forgiving on the swirl mark side of things but I still have a few. I clay bar, then seal, then put on a coat of spay detailer atleast twice a year. I'm starting to get the bug tho, will I get much better results with a da setup?

I've seen alot of people reccomend the harbor freight, but griots garage is in my town and they have either a 3" orbital or the new 5.5" boss setup. I don't know which would be more forgiving for a beginner, yet I normally like to buy good stuff right off the bat, but $400 is a decent little chunk and I don't have a garage to detail in.

With that being said, should I just stick to hand applying or step up?

chickenwire

The DA will get better results quicker and with less effort. It's real benefit is polishing to get rid of swirl marks and minor scratches. It's quicker to apply and remove a sealant but I rarely do so because in my opinion it's more effort to clean the pads. I clay, polish with the D/A, then apply sealant. Some people prefer a warmer glow than the sealant gives so they put carnauba wax on top of it.

I've been using a Porter-Cable D/A polisher for 3 years now and it's never missed a beat. Then again, I'm only using it 2-3 times per year. Probably get one around $100-$130 bucks. You can get cheaper polishers and more expensive - it's up to you to decide if a cheaper one dies it was worth it or did you overspend for how much you actually use it.

dannytexas

I second the Porter Cable unit. I bought it from Autogeek.com. The detailers website with tons of videos and info and how to's.
I use mine on 4 cars a few times each per year. It works just as good as new after 3 years. I have both a 3" plate and 5.5" plate as they unscrew and interchange for specific areas.
Here is my truck after 3 years, swirl free and shiney thanks to the D/A.


PS. The dog is not dead, just resting in the sun. haha







Here is a before after with the porter cable on a 2004 mustang, left is after and right is before





Not bad for 12 year old car





the hood after the D/A

pilotpip

Griots also makes a 6".

I'll second, third and fourth autogeek. Their forum is very helpful. When the weather warms I'll be buying a DA, about 12 pads and the needed polish for my vehicles. I'm in between the griots 6" and the porter cable. From what I understand the PC is a little more forgiving, but the griots has a lot more power which helps with those swirls. It's a little more capable for a few dollars. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

What sealant are you using? I like the way griots looked but I know a lot of people here like collinite.

Brokemillwright

I've been on autogeek a few times, and I got the klasse twins and collenite 845, I didn't like all 3. The first time I used griots paint sealant and was impressed, then I got the 3 in one sealant which did a ok job at removing fine scratches bit didn't bead water as long, now they just came out with a new polywax sealant that's suppose to be the best so that's in the pic

Brokemillwright

Dannytexas that truck loos good!

ji603

Harbor freigh da polisher with a 25% off coupon, new backing plate, a couple of lake country pads, and some meguiars 105/205 and you are in business for 100 bucks.

Charisma

For an everyday Joe... This is a great solution! If you're looking to buy something a tad more quality a Porter Cable 7424 is a great go-to as well.

If you want to drop some more coin on a large throw buffer, look into the Optimum ZenTool or Griots BOSS

Merlin

I started with a PC. I now have a small collection of polishing machines.
They range from PC, Flex, Rotary etc. to Rupes Bigfoot 21mm throw.
Still my favorite backing plate size is 5" and pads from 5" to 5 1/2".
I now have a cabinets full of compounds, polishes, pads & discs.
Sadly, there's no one-size-fits-all polishing product.
All paints correct and behave differently.
This is why I always do a test spot.

You can not do by hand what you can accomplish with a machine.

If I've learned anything over the years...it's that I'm still learning.

These are the results I'm now able to obtain.




Thanks for looking...

Brokemillwright

How did you get a mirror installed in your paint lol looks great!