Made the plunge and got a Makita PO5000C.

[Franko07]

First off i came from an old PC 7424 , I purchased the Makita for about $300 then added 12 LC thin 5.5" pads.

The Makita has a longer power cord, and feels heavy and larger at first. Very good quality, and really didn't get that hot when polishing the front of my 11 year old ford ranger that has been neglected after it got hail damage about 5 years ago. I started with 205 on a grey pad, which when i started seemed really smooth and amazing then i realized it was on free spin mode, once i kicked on the forced mode it was bouncing around all wild and such... i upped the speed and added more polish for it to finally smooth out. Keep in mind its 100* this weekend. I then went to orange pad which is much smoother than the grey , finished off with 105 on white with ease. This polisher had definitely made it faster with better results by the time i got to the white step i was able to control it with one hand as needed.

over all this was a great purchase, i can use it with my 6.5 pads just as well as my new thin pads , the Thin pads wash out so easy its amazing and makes me wonder why i didn't get them before.

if you have questions post them up and i will try to answer them.

[WaxMaster1]

Congrats on the new toy. I recently sold my Flex 3401 because I only used it once or twice and never really liked the heat it generated. I've been kicking around getting the Makita to use in the forced rotation mode.

[Mike Phillips]

First off i came from an old PC 7424 , I purchased the Makita for about $300 then added 12 LC thin 5.5" pads.




Just to chime in...

As a rule of thumb, what I have found over the years is,

Thin pads for free spinning tools.

Thick pads for gear-driven tools.


I've used the PO5000C with both thick and thin pads and find the buffing experience much smoother and thus much more enjoyable with thicker pads.


Review: Makita PO5000C Orbital Polisher - Gear-driven and Free Spinning - Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/new-car-care-products/110311-review-makita-po5000c-orbital-polisher-gear-driven-free-spinning-mike-phillips.html)


Lake Country 5.5" HDO pads
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3447/1971_Duster_030.JPG




:)

[Franko07]

Makes sense after i used the thins vs the thick.
The thin pads worked great and were easier but i see where your coming from on that for sure, probably should have used the thick ones to cut for sure. The pad that came with it was thinner.

I'm not sure if this is a good way to clean the pads but i washed them in the sink and then rang them out well before reattaching to the buffer to spin dry before i put them back in the cabinet. The thin pads are extremely easy to clean this way.

Ill grab some more LC HDO pads if that's what you suggest .

I have thick 6.5" hex logic pads that i have not been impressed with as they get some build up. I was looking at buying more LC pads anyways.

[Mike@ShineStruck]

I didnt like the CCS pad that came with the machine vibrated

LC thinpros keeps it at it's most balanced
Flexi Xslim pads are other awesome pad

For wool, regular wool and foam wool turn the machine into a jackhammer.

What works best is the Buff and shine Uro Finisher Wool along with similar pads like OPT hyper wool and LC lambswool

[Franko07]

i'm going to have to try the wool and microfiber just to see what it does in comparison to the foam,, I've only ever used foam. It will likely continue to cut down on time spent polishing.

This adds up quick as i already have $1000 more worth of stuff in my cart on Autogeek.net. I've got 2 jobs lined up that will pay for most of the equipment and then a couple freebies for my mom and dad.

i still need to add more cquartz to the order as i'm down to 1/4 bottle on cquarts, 1/2 on dlux, and 1/2 on gliss.
id be open to using different ceramics if suggestions were made.... i want to get some of the professional grade stuff but i'm not a professional so i cant get it.

[Mike Phillips]

Ill grab some more LC HDO pads if that's what you suggest .




The LC HDO is simply what I used for that review on that car and they worked well.

There are super thin pads and then there are thin pad and then regular pads, my bigger point was that in my experience, you don't need the "super" thin pads for a gear-driven tool. Buff and Shine 5.5" foam pads would work great too.

I'll have to take inventory of ALL the pads currently on the AG store to see which pads are which...

No time today though... if you find the ThinPro pads are not yanking you around then go with them. I tend to use the ThinPro pads, the Meguiar's thin foam pads and the Griot's Garage BOSS foam pads <-- ALL VERY THIN on free spinning tools and they work great.

As soon as I try them on the Makita or the Mille or the FLEX 3401, (all gear driven tools), compared to free spinning tools, the thinner pads tend to yank the tool around, at least with the denser foam cutting pads. Soft, gushy finishing and wax pads are okay.

Again, just my experience but I see so much confusion in the car talking world about thin versus thick pads thus I chimed in on your thread.


:)

[david b]

Congrats on the new toy. I recently sold my Flex 3401 because I only used it once or twice and never really liked the heat it generated. I've been kicking around getting the Makita to use in the forced rotation mode.

Sorry to hear this. As they say, mileage may vary.

In my situation, detailing part-time(spring through fall in Wisconsin), I'd be OUT of business if not for the Flex 3401. Fire it up and get to work. I've detailed boats, horse trailers, and vehicles and that machine polisher has yet to disappoint. Mike P named it "The Beast" for a reasonl - IMO.

David
Dave's Detailing

[Franko07]

The LC HDO is simply what I used for that review on that car and they worked well.

There are super thin pads and then there are thin pad and then regular pads, my bigger point was that in my experience, you don't need the "super" thin pads for a gear-driven tool. Buff and Shine 5.5" foam pads would work great too.

I'll have to take inventory of ALL the pads currently on the AG store to see which pads are which...

No time today though... if you find the ThinPro pads are not yanking you around then go with them. I tend to use the ThinPro pads, the Meguiar's thin foam pads and the Griot's Garage BOSS foam pads <-- ALL VERY THIN on free spinning tools and they work great.

As soon as I try them on the Makita or the Mille or the FLEX 3401, (all gear driven tools), compared to free spinning tools, the thinner pads tend to yank the tool around, at least with the denser foam cutting pads. Soft, gushy finishing and wax pads are okay.

Again, just my experience but I see so much confusion in the car talking world about thin versus thick pads thus I chimed in on your thread.


:)

I just assumed it was because it was new to me. Once i upped the speed and added a bit more compound it seemed to smooth out. 100* weather didnt help keep the compound from drying out either.

[ScottH]

Frank I agree with your finding that keeping the pad of a forced machine more lubricated absolutely helps smooth the machine out. Polishes with higher working time are even better at this. Also agree with Mike@ShineShack that a foamed wool pack turns the 5000C into a jack hammer...I tried that combo on a 22 foot boat recently. And finally - Mike Phillip's is spot on - super thin pads and forced rotation aren't necessarily a match made in heaven. ThinPro's are as thin as I will go on the 5000C. Generally I am recently reaching more now towards LC CCS and B&S pads on the 5000C. Takes some experimentation ....


ScottH