Porter Cable 7424xp vs Rupes long run

[MarkD51]

The Griots 3" will take up the space of a kid's little fishing tackle box from wally world to put it in.
Don't discount the PC7424XP, it is a good machine too for the money. I have one, no problems since new.

That or the GG 6" are the two best first choices to get into polishing IMO. One can graduate further down the line, I did, but still have the two machines mentioned above, and they aren't going anywhere.

[Coatingsarecrack]

The Rupes will have a 15 to 21mm through. They make a dedicated 3” mini machine. I’m guessing the through is to long and weight difference of backing plate and pad would cause balance issues. If you want quality and versatility go with griots gg6 will work with 5 and 3’ backing plates from what I read.


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[Mike Phillips]

Hello, I've been reading many posts here and find this is a great forum.

Nice to hear this kind of feedback. Thank you for sharing.

I've been detailing my cars since I'm 20. I used to use the cheap Simoniz polishers for the past year, it did the job well since my car was new and didn't need much polishing, now my car is a year old and the scratches are too deep to be corrected with this polisher and Carpro Essence and Compound.

I've been looking at the Porter Cable 7424xp with the Chemical guys pad kit. The price seems very good, quality seems okay for the price. On the other hand, there's the more expensive Rupes polisher.

Not sure what the Chemical Guys pads look like as of today but I think in the past they were Hex logic pads? If so, skip that and stick with flat pads. Faster to clean. Easier to clean and much less risk of getting any type of abrasive particulate trapped in a sub-surface groove that could then work it's way out and get trapped between the paint and the pad and inflict scratches. Yep - I a car carrying member of the Flat Pad Society.

Porter Cable is a time-tested good tool but the Griot's Garage version has a ton more power. Worth the extra $30.00 or $40.00 bucks in my opinion.

Now here is my question, I intend to keep detailing my cars myself for many years to come since it's my hobby and a moment to myself. I would use the polisher 3 times a year. I would like to know if I get the Porter Cable, then I upgrade to the Rupes, will the Porter Cable lie in my garage collecting dust? Or is there any other use for the Porter Cable down the line even when I upgrade to a Rupes? I simply do not like wasting money so if the Porter will be useless once I get a Rupes, I'll directly get a Rupes.

Thank you guy and gals in advance!

I've taught a lot of people how to machine polish paint and detail cars in my life. A lot. For a beginner I would keep it simple and go with the Griot's random orbital polisher. They call it a Griot's 6" Random Orbital Polisher but that's actually an incorrect way to describe the tool. It comes with a 6" backing plate but that's simply not important. What is important is it is a free spinning 8mm random orbital polisher. In other words, it's a short stroke orbital polisher. In my opinion and experience, it's much easier to maintain pad rotating with a short stroke free spinning orbital polisher than it is with a long stroke free spinning orbital polisher no matter who makes the polishers.


I explain why here,

The ghosting footprint and the actual footprint - Long Stroke Free Spinning Orbital Polishers


In simpler terms, it has to do with how the outer edge of a buffing pad can have leverage over the reciprocating components and stall a spinning pad out which then means you're not doing anything, as in not removing swirls, scratches, water spots or oxidation.

With a short stroke free spinning orbital polisher, the outer edge of a pad will still have leverage over the reciprocating components, just less leverage and thus the pad is less likely to stall out. All you have to do is use all the tools on the market and buff out hundreds of differently shaped cars to figure this out. Then figure out a way to type it out so the average person can wrap their minds around it.

Thank you for all your quick responses!
So if I understand well, I should start off with a Griot because I can mount 3-6 inch pads on them. Then, in a few years I should get the Rupes?
Do you think I can detail my car with only a Rupes? I don't mind spending the extra dollars for a Rupes if it's the only polisher I'll need.

I think for the type of you work you're going to do the simple tool or short stroke tool will work more than satisfactory and you won't have to concentrate as much on watching the pad as you buff to make sure you have good pad rotation. The RUPES BigFoot 15mm is a great tool but in my opinion it's best use is as a part of the complete systems. The complete system is you buy one of each of the RUPES tools and then match the pad size to the panel you're buffing out and this will mean you're matching the tool to the size of the panel you're buffing out. As the title of my RUPES book reads, it's a SYSTEM not a tool.

That or the GG 6" are the two best first choices to get into polishing IMO. One can graduate further down the line, I did, but still have the two machines mentioned above, and they aren't going anywhere.

I agree.

Last weekend I machine polished the original paint on a 1965 Buick Skylark Gran Sport. It took 2nd Place at the Boca Raton Concourse D'Elegance and Jay Leno awarded it his "Big Dog" award. I used the Griot's Garage 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher do machine polish the paint, glass and chrome on this car. Could have used any tool and in my opinion and experience, a free spinning 8mm was the safest route to take as I did not want to cause Tiger Stripes in the antique single stage metallic paint.


Here's the link to an article I wrote on this simple tool and the article has a TON of extra info on how to get started into machine polishing paint plus the best video ever on how and why to do a Test Spot. I coined the term Test Spot so I'm a pretty good candidate to make a video on how to do one.

[iManu]

So great to see all these answers! Thank you Mike for your complete answer.

So if I understand correctly, a Random 6 inch GG polisher is good to start with, then I can upgrade to a Rupees and use the Griots Garage with a 3 inch if ever i need?

[Rsurfer]

So great to see all these answers! Thank you Mike for your complete answer.

So if I understand correctly, a Random 6 inch GG polisher is good to start with, then I can upgrade to a Rupees and use the Griots Garage with a 3 inch if ever i need?

[Coatingsarecrack]

So great to see all these answers! Thank you Mike for your complete answer.

So if I understand correctly, a Random 6 inch GG polisher is good to start with, then I can upgrade to a Rupees and use the Griots Garage with a 3 inch if ever i need?

Yes lots of folks do it. It will work well an a and b pillars and on thin areas of bumpers. The difference and why people will go with a dedicated 3” machine is the actual machine is smaller. Will fit into tighter areas better. Also the through is different. Griots has 5mm throw, most others a 12mm. It’s good to have multiple tools, as mike said “a system”. If going with one machine the griots gg6 seems most flexible


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[Mike Phillips]

then I can upgrade to a Rupees and use the Griots Garage with a 3 inch if ever i need?

Key words...

If you ever need...

I'm a huge fan of the Griot's Garage 3" mini polisher but I use it for polishing and sanding. You can get away with the Griot's 3" HD backing plate and then Griot's 3.5" BOSS pads or Lake Country 3.5" ThinPro pads. I'm pretty sure I have articles on all of these tools and pads. Google is how I find my own articles. Type in a few key words and then add

Mike Phillips

Then hit the [Enter] key or the search button.




Here's a picture of me packing for one of our roadshow car detailing classes.... look how many Griot's polishers I ship out.







Of course, that's just the quantity of ONE tool type I ship out....

I teach them all, you can see the rest here,


TOOLS! - Can you count all the tools?


Scheduling classes all day today...

Going to be a very busy year...

[VISITOR]

Now here is my question, I intend to keep detailing my cars myself for many years to come since it's my hobby and a moment to myself. I would use the polisher 3 times a year.

if it's just your own personal vehicles and maybe a few here and there in between, the GG6 with the different backing plate/pads should be all that you need and it's more than capable. save money and buy other things...

[Whitewater25]

X2 on the GG6. Great warranty and customer service!

[Coatingsarecrack]

Key words...

If you ever need...

I'm a huge fan of the Griot's Garage 3" mini polisher but I use it for polishing and sanding. You can get away with the Griot's 3" HD backing plate and then Griot's 3.5" BOSS pads or Lake Country 3.5" ThinPro pads. I'm pretty sure I have articles on all of these tools and pads. Google is how I find my own articles. Type in a few key words and then add

Mike Phillips

Then hit the [Enter] key or the search button.




Here's a picture of me packing for one of our roadshow car detailing classes.... look how many Griot's polishers I ship out.







Of course, that's just the quantity of ONE tool type I ship out....

I teach them all, you can see the rest here,


TOOLS! - Can you count all the tools?


Scheduling classes all day today...

Going to be a very busy year...

Any roadshow classes coming to Washington state?


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