Looking to upgrade from a Porter Cable

[WRAPT C5Z06]

^^ this. I held off and held off and wish I would have bought mine sooner. It powers through anything quickly over any type/shaped surface. I LOVE mine.

Yep, best pads I've used on the 3401. Not sure why AG doesn't carry them.

[dlc95]

Yes, but if you're dealing with hard paint/swirls/RIDS, it's still slow compared to a 3401 & long throw DA.

That's true too.

I had that D300 going on a 1st gen PC, and a Buff and Shine microfiber cutting pad, and the pad drag alone was pretty intense. Probably didn't help to be out on the sun either. It was really slow going.

I ended up switching to a modded Duetto, M100, and a blue microfiber pad. The difference was night and day.

That would have been a great job for the 3401 as well.

I have to get another one, and try either thise grey force pads, or the green B&S low pro.

Heck, I bet the blue Rupes foam pad would work great on the 3401 too.

[emmjay]

Yep, best pads I've used on the 3401. Not sure why AG doesn't carry them.

I wonder this too, especially since other websites say that it is the replacement for the Hybrid pads. Its the same tech but a better pad design, that runs cooler....seems like a no brainer to me. Seeing how Mike always recommends the Hybrids I wonder why he has not gotten on these yet. Only time will tell.

I want the pads real bad, but since I shop from AG 99% of the time, I can hold off till they do carry it, or at least tell us why they don't.

[JTS]

Go rotary. FLEX L3403 VRG Lightweight Rotary Polisher FREE BONUS

$299.99

[drewberg11]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Really appreciated. Sounds like I might as well keep the PC for now and try some other pad choices first before getting another machine. I currently have the thicker hydrotechs, so I'll give some thinner pads a try and a 3" backing/pads for now. Maybe the 3" will help in some of the tighter areas where I was stalling.

I guess one more question then, any feedback on microfiber pads for the PC?

I think I'll at least go with some of the LC thin pros for polishing, maybe cutting as well, but curious if a microfiber will help speed up the cutting step a bit without too much marring. Lot of options between optimum, meguiras, and lake country (although I didn't seem the LC in 5.25" on autogeek). Saw the meguiars mentioned, is the thinner style tougher keep contact on contoured panels? Is the thicker optimum style easier?

Idk if it affects what pads I should go with but I probably plan to continue using the Optimum Hyper Polish, have plenty of it and really like using it, running low on WG swirl remover and want to try the Hyper Compound at some point.

I know it's asking a lot of pad, but mainly being a hobby for me, I'd like to stick to a well rounded setup (the soft subaru paint but manageable for a couple other cars) without ordering a ton of pads.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

[dlc95]

Microfiber pads work great on the PC. Maybe look into the Meguiar's d/a microfiber correction system. The system was designed specifically to deliver rotary like results from a d/a.

A lot of people take the Compound and microfiber cutting disc from that system, and use a different polish and wax of their choice.

Meguiar's also offers an xtra cut disc for even more cutting power.

[custmsprty]

Go with the 3.5" backing plate and 4" pads. They are much mor stable on the PC. You can still get into tight areas. When I had my PC I had both 3" and 3.5" BP's and once I used the 3.5" with 4" pads I never went back to 3".

[chet31]

In the same boat as you. Owned a PC7424 for years, wanted to spend less time polishing. Holding a polisher onto paint for hours on end not my idea of a good time. Bought a Flex 3401. Cuts my polishing time in half, at least.Kicking myself for not buying a 3401 a long time ago. BTW, I kept the PC, slapped on a smaller backing plate, and now I like it a lot better. The PC is underpowered w/ 5.5" pads, but a joy to use w/ 3" pads. Now I have two machines I'm happy with.