Difference between two Buffers/Waxers?

S

summerwind

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20017
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I was looking at getting another Polisher Waxer.

There's one for around $30.00 common brand seen at the Home Improvement stores and another brand I saw on the internet for $350. both around 3,200 orbits / minute. But big difference in price, exactly how are they different?
 
tylertool_2095_724914387


Buffers are rotary not orbital .. you can spent the $$ (about $200) for the above, or get one from Harbor freight for less than $50 that will do the same thing.
 
Pete, it won't do the "same" thing, but it will work. Last year I reported great success with the HF model and was using it a lot because it was lighter than the Makita. For the past week, I've been cutting and polishing again. So far I've done all the topside's except the flybridge on my 48. It's a lot of work. It's been a cut twice, polish once deal. I'm back to the Makita because the extra torque ensures that I get good results. By next year I should just need to use finesse polish, at which time I'd say the HF would be a good choice again.

Still...the Makita is the better unit.

The $30 models that weigh about 5 pounds and have those two little circular handles on each end will do nothing for your boat but take up space. These are the ones you usually see and the home improvement stores. Pass those up. At a minimum get the Makita clone from HF.
 
I have the Makita and am VERY pleased ... I have heard others on this site sing praises of the HF unit ... it all depends on how often you use it and how long you want it to last. You usually get what you pay for. My point was there is a difference between a buffer and a waxer.
 
I use the Porter Cable 7424. Three years and still going strong. The question was answered with "you get what you pay for". I sometimes wish I had a rotary buffer on hand for the places that need a good cut and polish. The orbital doesn't seem to have the nuts and thrust needed to do the heavy cutting.
 
I want to share my thoughts on the HF model.

I owned one of the $30 Orange HF models. I am hard on it and make it do what I want, not what it wants. I did my old boat (including bridge) four times (2x per season), and the hull of my new boat this year. It dies on me last weekend as I got ready to do the topside.

IMHO, I really got my money worth on it. The part I did not like was that it has a dial speed control and it did not stay where I wanted it. I had a 2" arbor extension for it and that helped make it more usable.

I went to an actual HF store to pick up a new one and saw they had a second style. The orange one is now $40 and the newer red one is $60. The red one does not have the silly handle. I got the red one because it has an electronic speed control with a digital display. I spent the day yesterday with it and I am even more satisfied with this model. It has a slow start (which is annoying but there for a reason), dial from 15-40 (I used 25 on the flat and 20 when using the edge in tight spots), and it also had a brain because as you put pressure on it, it increases the power to keep the speed where you set it.

If I could only get rid of the guilty feeling of buying from a store that only sells Chinese crap, I would say I was 100% satisfied. For $10 I got a 2 year warranty and explained to them that I will be using it!

When I am rich, I will buy a Makita!

I will also recommend FLITZ, it is an incredible product for fiberglass and stainless.

BTW, a waxer is the thing that leaves infinity swirl marks everywhere. I prefer to polish/buff with Flitz, then apply wax by hand a couple times.

Jim
 
As I said, there are those who are happy with the HF model and they will do the job .. severl years ago there was a guy on another site who actually took apart the HF model and the $$$ model and said he found little difference. Personally I lkie my Makita!!
 
IMO 3200 rpm is to fast! I have a Milwaukee that is 2800 rpm and it is to fast and I never use it because of the speed.. I have used a friends Makita that is 2200 rpm and it worked a lot better. As Chefjunk posted he was using his a moderate speeds. Rpm's would be the first thing I would look at. More important than brand.

If you look at Buffing sticky above you will see that he recommends 1500-2000 rpm .
 
I used an elcheapo plastic cased WEN brand for a long time, Sears sells a similar model. I painted cars and cut down lacquer, polished boats etc. It isnt a HD commercial grade but it is lighter than those and easier on the arms overhead. Unless you are doing polishing every day I don't think you will ever wear out any of them. The right pad is more important to sucess than the buffer. Looked like this:

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I bought this polisher over 20 years ago. It was a small fortune back then. (700.00)Made for polishing stailess steel all day long. It is very light weight, and has torque. I Have no problems holding this all day. Only once, did I ruin the cord, but that can happen with any of them.
http://www.cpofein.com/products/wpo12-27e.html
 
quote:
Originally posted by Skeetobite

I use the Porter Cable 7424. Three years and still going strong. The question was answered with "you get what you pay for". I sometimes wish I had a rotary buffer on hand for the places that need a good cut and polish. The orbital doesn't seem to have the nuts and thrust needed to do the heavy cutting.

Click to expand...


I used the PC 7424 on my boat and on my cars for several years. I moved up to a Flex Polisher about a year or so ago. The PC 7424 was a good little machine that served me very well, but the Flex is a great machine. It is capable of a lot more than the PC.
 
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