Polisher help

I'm looking to get a very basic DA polisher for wax/sealant application and minor paint brightening. I'll probably end up with a HF one and I know it's recommended that the backing plate be upgraded to a better 5" one.
So what are some decent backing plates and what do you recommend as a good pad or two (brand/color)that will fit my need?

 

I'm fairly new to this myself. Here's a good place to ask for some good help.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-ask-a-detailer-thread.8957/

 

The Harbor Freight DA has been changed to a different model (which I think is branded Bauer) . Apparently it's absolute shit compared to the old or a Porter Cable which it is a clone of.

A great recommendation has always been the Griot's machine and now that they have just updated it, it's even better. The power and features blow away the cheaper Chineseum ones and it's got a lifetime warranty. That machine comes with a 6" plate that you don't need to downgrade to the 5" unless you want to, like you already have those pads. On the old machine or all the Porter Cable clones it's highly recommended.

As for pads it all depends on the line of pads, for instance the Griot's Boss white pad is their heavy cut foam pad and in Lake Country's line it's the fine polishing pad. Griot's Boss pads are good, otherwise for less expensive pads, check out the Lake Country thin pads (Autogeek has them branded as "thin pros").

 

How much do you think you will use the polisher? In my opinion, I would not buy a polisher to apply wax or sealant. There are too many easy to apply products out there that there isn't much need to use a polisher to apply.

 

Like Ace said....don't invest in a DA polisher to just seal or wax a vehicle, you can get really good spray on, wipe off products.
If you plan to polish your truck then I highly recommend the Griots G9 polisher. Great bang for the buck, lots of power, lifetime warranty, quite and easy to use. Its $160.
Don't waste your money on the harbor freight junk, trust me. I did it and regret it, and that is when they were making a decent polisher. I still have it and will sell it to you cheap if you want it, but it's not worth it. Get the griots G9.
As for backing plates, Lake Country is the way to go IMO. And if you get the G9 you don't necessarily need a 5". It has the power to run the 6" plate/pads it comes with. That said I am running a LC 5" on my Griots G9 and love it.
Pads I also like Lake Country HDO foam pads. Yellow for cutting, orange for light cut/heavy polish, black for light polishing, red for jeweling and applying sealants. I recommend the HDO line of pads over other lake country pads. You will want a few of each, whatever ones you get. For example to polish out my tundra, it takes about 8-10 orange pads, that was with making sure I kept them clean and lubed well as I polished. I use compressed air and a brush for cleaning on the fly, then hand clean them all after.
I also like buff and shine urofiber microfiber pads. They are good for cutting and polishing, they are thin, easy to clean, and I have had great results with them.

 

Have you had any issues with the cord staying plugged into your G9 while in use? I just used mine for the first time yesterday and it was a HUGE PIA. It appears by the design that the cord should “snap” into place, but it doesn’t. It slides in and then slides out easily when in use. I may be returning mine. I just read on the tundra forum that another guy had the same issue.

 

I don’t have that polisher but I saw the other day where a company makes an extension cord with a locking end on it. I usually tie mine in a knot there to keep them together. Not a tight knot.

 

The advice given above is solid - since they gave that to me just a bit ago:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/optimum-poli-seal-not-slick.559297/

If starting out again (with the intent of not having unused product sitting on my garage shelf) I would do Meguiar's Gold wash (walmart) with a Mequiar's microfiber wash mitt (white so I can see when it gets some dirt on it), then the Eagle One surface prep mitt (instead of claybar) and the Black Fire SiO2 spray from Autogeek. Sign up for their newsletter, wait for a 25% off coupon. A super plush 16x16 microfiber towel to apply said SiO2, and same to buff off. A couple drying specific waffle microfiber towels from rag company and call it a day. There are a bunch of threads on different methods; lots of good stuff.

That said, I did get a Griot's Garage 6" random orbital and it is awesome for polishing to remove surface scratches. Lake orange and white foam pads. But I am sold on the SiO2 type sealants for their longevity and ease of application. Way better than the Cleaner Wax I started out with -

All the thanks goes to TW, and especially ace, pudge, nmtrailrider, rickm, packcon, gorram, eh, who am I kidding, the forum, especially if someone recommends wet Labrador retrievers to remove the scent of some detailer contracted by a dealer who sprayed some smell good goo in your vehicle

 

Hmmmm weird. mine snaps in. I only used it for about an hour, just on my windshield but I had no issue. It has a little button thing on it that I have to push pretty hard to release it.

Edit @squeaky I was curious so I just went out to the garage. I could not get the cord detached without depressing the little clip button. I pulled harder than I ever would during normal use, even if the cord were to get caught under a tire or something I don't think it would pull out. Are you sure it's fully locking in when you attach it? Is that tab bent a little? Either way its unacceptable for a brand new tool and I would send it back or whatever they do for warranty. Griot's has excellent customer service, as do most detailing companies these days. Besides Dallas paint correction aka DPC aka luxury microfiber, Scott is an absolute joke. Sorry I just had to take a jab at him when I could.

 

I'm sure you know but the new G9 had a removable cord. Mine and as of now all G9s came with a 10 foot cord but they are coming out with a 25 footer. I kinda think it needs to be 40 feet to make it worth it, with 25ft most still need an extension cord. I have a nice 50 foot heavy gauge ext cord I use and do the knot method you mention. The locking mechanism sounds cool though, but I'm sure is big bucks, extension cord process blow my mind lol.

 

Great post!!! I love the knowledge sharing on this detailing forum, even though that one anti-good product/turtle wax fanboy is getting annoying lol.
It's amazing what we learn from each other, and hearing the same general and simple ideas from various people is encouraging for those looking to start out.

I will add that instead of waffle weave drying towels (I have 4 and now use them for general purpose) invest in 1 or 2 griot's PFM drying towels. The medium size gray with blue edging can be had for under $20 and will blow your mind when it comes to drying.

Detailing has become quicker and easier for the most part, I think it was Barry Meguiar who recently said on a podcast that in the last 5-10 years, detailing supplies have advanced faster and become so much better than they did in the previous 100 years.
Between clay mits/towels, spray sealants, sio2 and microfiber technology, detailing has become less of a chore and results (both function and appearance) are greatly improved.
If not for a post very similar to the one you just posted I saw a few years ago on tundras.com, I would still be washing with a bucket and brush, air drying, claying every 2 years maybe, butbprobably not, and waxing maybe once a year thinking that was okay. All it takes is one guy to share his experience and knowledge, and another detailing enthusiast is born lol.

 

Thanks for all the great replies! I do plan on doing very minor paint correction and polishing. My guess is I would use it 2 or 3 times a year. Of course I'll probably want to do it more once I see the results!

Winter is almost here so I won't do any polishing for a while. I'll keep the research going unless I find a good deal somewhere.

Btw: What's the difference or advantage of a "long throw" polisher?

 

Thanks for the response Pudge. I just got off the phone Griots. They were great as expected and are shipping out a replacement cord. He said they’ve had a few customers stop into their retail stores with the same issue. He said for those customers, they weren’t jamming the cord in hard enough to “initiate the click” and when they did, it worked. I had tinkered with the clip trying to bend it a little to see if that would help but busted the clip in the process. So, it very well may have been fine had I forced it in a little harder prior to busting the clip. I told the CS person I busted the clip trying to pry the clip. Obviously, that was my fault and they sent out a replacement cord anyway free of charge. Top notch CS at Griot’s for sure.

 

It's as simple as it works faster than a machine with a shorter orbit. Better for when you're doing cutting work vs a short throw. But many prefer to polish with a lower orbit. For an enthusiast the best overall machine is still likely the G9. Longer throw polishers except for the Chinese ones are much more expensive. The 15mm and 21mm machines from Griot's for example are over twice as expensive as the G9. Why spend the money on Griot's, and why do I always recommend them:

 

Griot's CS is amazing, they want you as their customer and will do what it takes to retain you. I have spoken to 2 different people there they both have actual detailing knowledge and had used the products/tool i was calling about. I honestly did not expect it when I called asking about a trade in for a G9, then guy reviewed it and my GG6 in his own words because he had used both.

I have found that the detailing world generally has tremendous customer service and support. It's a flooded market and everyone wants your business so they do what they can to set themselves apart. Fortunately for us, good service seems to be abundant, often the company owners will speak with their customers as well. It's almost weird how good customer support is across the board when it comes to detailing stuff.
Except for DPC of course

 

Who wants to buy my HF DA? It's the Chicago electric brand I think, whatever the pre-Bauer brand is, ya know, the "good one" lol. With a 6" backing plate. Its like new in box. I did the grease mod, washer mod, and rotated the body to make it more user friendly.
I considered keeping it to run a 3" backing plate on since the new G9 supposedly won't accept a 3" backer. But I doubt I'd actually use it much to make it worth it.

 

In all of the videos I've seen with the G9, the cord should "snap" in, and you should need to push a release button or tab to get it out. You should contact them.

 

Ya it was definitely a cord issue. The replacement cord they sent me works perfect. A very distinct click.

 

Get a rupes lhr 21es