"BEST MACHINE" to purchase for hobbyist

[Proheader]

Just wanted a thread for guys like myself who get excited about doing car care to their own vehicles. I have the older MG 102 machine but have read it is older and only polishes???

For the average guy, in his home shop doing the total detail once a month, here it is, wait for it......" THE BEST MACHINE TO BUY".....hobbyist or even a guy who has multiple vehicles like me...15 of them...lol

polishing, removing scratches, buffing, waxing......is there a "one" machine to have??

I have read about the flex and some of the other machines offered in packages. Just chime in for us first timers and guys wanting to be better at applying product and using the products we buy here.....

THANKS SO MUCH AND POST AWAY!!!!!! by the way, looking to get a new machine in about two weeks.....

Proheader

[Dr Oldz]

I find that Mike P has done an excellent job in this link that can help educate and help you choose the polisher that is right for you!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/questions-about-porter-cable-7424xp-7424-7336-griot-s-meguiar-s-dual-action-polishers/38399-da-polisher-articles-help-newbies-machine-polishing.html

[bimmer325!]

ditto what Dr.Oldz said..although in my opinion..for as many cars as you have..the Flex is the most bulletproof.

[supercharged]

Makita rotary and Flex VRG 3401 for me...kinda pricey, but very well worth it...especially when you can seal the surface with something really durable like Cquartz...

[BobbyG]

BEST huh?

Best is a subjective term and can have many meanings....and since you list hobbyist we'll stick with the dual action type.

Quality dual action polishers range in price from an average of $125.00 to $350.00. They all perform or function pretty much in the same manor with the exception of the Flex 3401, which just happens to be at the top of the price range.

There are clearly more category 1 polisher sold each year due to price, performance, size, and availability. From these the Porter Cable 7424xp outsells the other combined.

While the Category 2 dual pad Cyclo has a following it's sales falls far short of the others listed. I'm not implying it's not a quality machine but it's in the numbers.

Category 3 has but one polisher listed; the Flex 3401. Within its design houses the quality and craftsmanship one would expect to see in such an expensive machine. The feature than makes it stand alone is its forced pad rotation.

The Flex 3401 has a gear driven backup plate that rotates under any pressure, you simply cannot stop it from rotating..

Category 1 - $125 to $150


Porter Cable 7424XP,
Meguiar's G110v2,
Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher


Category 2 - $275


Cyclo Polisher


Category 3 - $325 - $350


Flex 3401

[Proheader]

thanks for helping all the new guys understand.......so when they hit the search button, they now have a simple to read thread with all kinds of opinions and knowledge of others and the brands they use....

AWESOME FORUM HERE!!!!!!

Proheader

[HeavyMetal]

If I had more than a couple cars to maintain I'd buy a Flex. With a Porter Cable XP it takes me a little over 3 hours per polishing step on a sedan sized car in not too bad a shape to get a really nice finish. Obviously a good bit longer on larger cars and a bit less on small cars. You could probably cut that to 2 hours or maybe a little less with a Flex. That doesn't sound like much and isn't, IF you only have one or two cars to do. Make it 15 and a couple hours per car starts to really add up. 30 or so hours is one helluva lot of rounds of golf :dblthumb2:.

OTOH, the guys who use the Meguiar's DA Microfiber system report doing a car in about the same time as a Flex. I'll probably try that in the future, but I have quite a bit of tradiotnal pads and polishes and I'm going to the new "super sealants" like CQuartz and Opti-Coat that supposedly last years. So it will hopefully be a loooong time before I get to try it.

[Mike Phillips]

I'd say the best machine for a hobbyist or even Newbie is the Porter Cable style DA Polisher.

As long as you use 5.5" thin pads you can do just about anything with it. In a perfect world you would have a good rotary buffer and a DA Polisher.

The Flex 3401 is also a great tool.


One of the things I like out out Detailing 101 classes is that you have the opportunity to test out all of these tools and by doing this you can really get a good feel for how they work and which one you like best.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

New to Machine Polishing?

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/22263-how-choose-right-polisher-your-detailing-project.html)

New - Video: How to pick the right polisher (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-car-garage-how-videos/25695-show-car-garage-video-how-pick-right-polisher.html)


:buffing:

[Robert8194]

I'd say the best machine for a hobbyist or even Newbie is the Porter Cable style DA Polisher.

As long as you use 5.5" thin pads you can do just about anything with it. In a perfect world you would have a good rotary buffer and a DA Polisher.

The Flex 3401 is also a great tool.


One of the things I like out out Detailing 101 classes is that you have the opportunity to test out all of these tools and by doing this you can really get a good feel for how they work and which one you like best.


:)

I have to agree with what Mike says from the other side of the car, that being his student. The biggest benefit I got out of the 101 class a couple of weeks ago was the opportunity to have hands on experience with a variety of tools along with a professional to show exactly how to use it.
I have the PC xp so I did not spend much time on it. The cyclo is a good machine and easy to handle but I kept turning it off because of the location of on/off switch. The Flex 3401 is a quality machine that just feels like a great piece of machinery. I went to class planning on buying one. Guess what. After getting comfortable with other machines, I bought the Flex PE14 and love it. All of that to say, if you get a chance to go to one of Mike's classes, it will be worth a lot more than it costs (unless you count all the new tools and items it makes you want :) )