Which polisher to get, NEXT

[Mike@ShineStruck]

All valid points and it just goes to show what I have been sharing in the online car detailing world since I started working in this world professionally in 2002 and that is personal preference is a HUGE factor when it comes to choosing which tools is right for you.

I'm not trying to get into a pissing match with you Mike but just like you have your opinion and want to share it with people trying to figure which tools is best for them, I'm here to offer my opinion and also balance opinions like yours.





While RPM is a KEY factor, when you go from rotary to gear-driven orbital another key factor is orbit stroke length.

Makita PO5000C = 5mm
RUPES Mille = 5mm
FLEX 3401 = 8mm

And I get it that to the average person looking at the numbers there's not much difference between 5mm and 8mm when you're running the buffer around the car for hours there is a difference.

My experience is I can do the hardest part, that is the correction work faster using 8mm gear-driven than 5mm gear-driven because 8mm is more aggressive in stroke size and paint removal.

It is not as smooth ad 5mm and the "smoothness" is what you give up for speed.


Now if a person trying to figure out which tool to purchase and they want smoothness over speed the 100% for sure go with a 5mm gear-driven tool. If a person wants speed over everything without the risk of holograms and paint-burning from a rotary, then again- in my experience, 8mm trumps 5mm all day long.

If this was not my experience then each time I buff out a car I would use a 5mm gear-driven tool, but that's not what I use and I am about speed. I always grab the 8mm gear-driven polishers. I did prototype testing for Makita and their PO500C, I have the MOST documented write-up for this tool on the Internet. And ANY gear-driven orbital will be faster than any free-spinning orbital OVERALL. For their own great reasons, Makita and RUPES chose to focus on smoothness over orbital stroke length and that's their choice. If they had brought out a larger stroke gear-driven tool then I would use them, but they didn't.


Everyone reading this into the future, you can read opinions like mine and Mike's all day long or watch video opinions all day long, but the ONLY way to figure out which tools is best for you, be it for smoothness or speed is to get behind each type of tool and spend HOURS buffing out entire cars and then you'll make the right decision.

And this is why I like teaching our detailing classes, I showcase ALL these tools and you buff out cars, not demo hoods. So you get real hands-on experience and I'm tell you from experience, that's one of the most popular things about our classes people like - the ability to use multiple tools and make up their own mind.

This last weekend I had people use both the Mille and the BEAST and some preferred the Mille and some preferred the BEAST. Some preferred other tools But they cam to their own conclusions from using all the tools, not by reading opinions on forums.

When you choose a tool, keep in mind you're also going to invest in pads for that tools, plus chemicals. Not a huge deal but your total investment is more than the tool, so do what you can to choose correctly before you start investing money.

Just to add, gear-driven tools don't care what type of pad you attach, they will turn, and churn and burn any pad. But pad size, thickness and weight are important factors when choosing any free spinning tools.







This is accurate. The Makita PO5000C cost less than the BEAST.




I'd agree with this for both the Makita and Mille. As you have discovered and vindicated what I wrote above, 5mm gear-driven orbital is smoother than 8mm gear-driven orbital, the trade off is abrading ability. 8mm is more aggressive than 5mm.




And the above characteristics you have listed I also experience and confirm. I'm not bothered physically by these things and choose raw power over smoothness. I do meet a lot of guys and some girls that don't like the FLEX 3401 due to the amount of muscle it takes to power it through a detail job. I get it. But for some of us, it's simply a non-issue.


You make good points Mike but I don't agree that 5mm is faster than 8mm for defect removal simply due to RPM. I know what I know for decades of buffing out cars. If 5mm was faster from either brand of tools then that's the tool I would grab to buff out a car fast. But from years of experience buffing out cars, I always grab 8mm if I want speed and quality.

Your correct it really isn't jist the RPM,
Essentially you needed 2 attributes to outcorrect the 8mm and 3401 specs

That was more RPM and more OPM

Everything is give and take

With that said I really wanted to do a side by side test with 3401 and mille as it has has more OPM but lowest orbit offset at 5.12? Bit not a noteable more amount if RPM 480 vs 535..it feels like mille corrects the slowest, but never had all 3 at the same time do confirm with a side by side via 1000 grit removal

[Mike Phillips]

The free spin is worthless for polishing and compounding

It's perfect for wetsanding or machine applied wax/sealants

Totally agree. I was shocked and let down Makita would put a tool on the market claiming it to offer paint polishing in the free spin mode when all it can really do is oscillate a THIN sanding disc.

I also showed this in May of 2017 when I posted my review.


Review: Makita PO5000C Orbital Polisher - Gear-driven and Free Spinning - Mike Phillips


While I don't have any pictures of me using it to wetsand the roof, that is exactly what I did and for this it worked very nice in the free spin mode.


I wouldn't recommend using the gear-driven mode to wetsand "car paint" unless it's custom and thick and that's the opposite of factory paint.