Looking for an orbital polisher recommendation.

Thanks for the info. I’ve heard the same from other people about harbor freight ones. I’ll avoid them for sure

 

They carry one made by Hercules. I’m going to return the Bauer for that one…..it’s got rave reviews on the website.
It’s almost twice the price but you get what you pay for I guess. I’ll let you know how that one works out.

 

For sure. Let me know how you like the new one. Thanks brother.

 

25% off any single item this weekend.

people say to repack them with good grease before use.

 

If you read the fine print on the coupon I believe Hercules products were excluded…..As was anything expensive like generators and power tools.

 

I went with griot's to get started. With 20% off, it's hard to beat the deal on the G8 and G9 combo for doing random projects and my own vehicles.

 

Harbor freight has a hercules knock of of the venerable Flex XC3401 VRG, hard to beat getting the capabilities of a $400 tool for $120 LC Force pads from detailed image are my go to.

Edited for pad type, LC force pads, not hydro

 

The Griots g9 is a solid tool to have in your arsenal that wont break the bank. It is build well and requires little maintenance. I have use the Rupes polisher and though they are pricey, they too work well and decrease polishing time. Hope this helps.

 

I've detailed vehicles for over 25 years. I started with a Porter-Cable 7424 and it was an awesome machine for home use. Was it the most powerful? No, but it was very well made and lasted for over 10 years before it was stolen. I replaced it with a Griot's which - although I don't use it much - has been an equally great tool. I then moved up to a Flex 3401 and have never looked back. If you detail every day - as I did up until recently - I'd highly recommend the Flex. It's a very well-built and it's an animal. Way more correcting power than a P-C or Griot's.

I did try a Rupes Bigfoot when they first came out and I just didn't like the "soft start" feature. Then the backing plate literally exploded about 2 hours into the very first car I did with it. (Luckily, it didn't damage the paint.) I sent it back and walked away from them even though many professionals swear by them.

 

Harbor Freight has never been noted for high quality anything - even though they're trying to change that image now. Based on many years of personal experience with Flex 3401, I highly doubt the HF knock off will hold a candle to the real thing. But, if you only detail once or twice a year ...

 

I started with a PC7424XP on some hard jeep paint, upgraded to the XC3401VRG in 2010 and have never felt a need to get into the newest long throw DAs or a rotary, but I did get to look at the HF flex knock off and the quality is definitely there for a weekend warrior trying to DIY there own paint correction, for the price of a flex, one could have a similar tool, plus LC pads, products, MF towels, and possibly still have cash in their pocket. Obviously the polisher would not even come close to the overall quality of a german made flex, but to have a tool capable of producing the same results, even if it is only 1/4 the build quality as the flex for the price of the PC is a huge advantage.