First time using my DA, not thrilled..

[shadwell]

Pffttt... if someone told you you could only have two you;d tell them to b0llocks and keep using whatever the hell you like.. and rightly so

[Paul A.]

Getting back to weaverpsu's predicament, i would suggest you get a few of each color pad and continue to work your machine and product. I can absolutely say the Lake Country Thin Pro's are a dream on a DA! I don't know what size backing plate you have but the 5.5" Thin Pro's were meant for a free spinning DA. If you have a larger BP you could always try the 6.5" but my favorites are the 5.5". If you can swing it, get 6 orange and 6 whites. Maybe 4 orange, 4 whites and 4 blacks. The blacks may come in handy for the Toyota.

I don't have any experience working with any Chemical Guy's products but would suggest you try out some Menzerna FG 400 or Meguiars cutting and finishing products. In my experience Ford paint has almost always been on the hard side and has required me to get more aggressive than other paints that are on the softer side. On the other hand, Toyota paint has always been easily workable and responds better with a more gentle approach.

There is nothing wrong with a HF DA. Just get more pads so you can swap out to a clean one when the one you're working with gets all gunked up. Maybe slow down your arm speed and add enough pressure without stopping the pad spin. Take your time and you will see improvements. This stuff takes time to refine. It took me a few try's some years ago to feel "thrilled" with my results but it came! Don't get dejected. That first 50/50 shot you posted looks pretty damn good.

[TJinFL]

HF DA minimal vibration?

Try a Rupes Deutto and then comapre it to that HF rattle trap. LOL. I know it costs quite a bit more but it's also a far superior machine imho.

I'm glad you like your HF tool, but trust me when I tell you this, their is no comaprison. I started with a PC and it's a great machine. I still have a GG6 and it too is a good machine. But for quality, smoothness and correctability none of them can touch the Duetto. I also have the Rupes Mini. I ran my PC with a 3" and 3.5" backing plates and while they did the job they were far from smooth. I did a side by side comparison with my GG6 with a 3" bp compared to my Rupes Mini earlier this year. The GG6 was like a jack hammer compared to the Rupes Mini. I couldn't run it for more than a few minutes w/o my wrist throbbing.

In the detailing world it's been my experince you get what you pay for. Most of these machines will give you comparable results, but the journey will be faster and more pleasurable with certain machines vs. others.

Custmsprty

I just was trying to say that the HF polisher far exceeded my expectations having never held or operated any type of car polisher, I was expecting a lot more vibration and noise from such an inexpensive tool. As I mentioned before I trust your opinions, but I am a novice and for now I think the HF will fill my needs. I just checked out the noise and vibration at 6 instead of 4.5 where I was initially running the polisher. Perhaps I was a little overzealous in my post about the minimal vibration. If I was operating this polisher daily I can certainly see where a smoother and quieter polisher would be much more desirable. But for my needs I think the HF will work out fine. I am surprised that the 3.5" BP and 4" pads don't seem to vibrate more than the 5.5" BP and 6" pads. I may just use 4" pads primarily.