Buying the 7424xp as my first real detailing tool!

[NiSyam]

Hey guys

So im ready to buy the Porter Cable and i was wondering what kind of pads should i buy at the same time ? What are the pads that are more commonly used? Should i stick to the 6" size since im a noob ? Should i buy backing plates or they are included? if not what size should i get ?

Thank you so much!!

[Dubbin1]

3.5" and 5.5" plates will do you good. IMHO the 7424XP doesn't have enough power for the 6.5" pads.

Have you considered the Griot's Garage DA? Much more power and a lifetime warranty to go along with it.

[NiSyam]

not really!! i would look into it. So the griots is a better DA than the PC ?

[Dubbin1]

So the griots is a better DA than the PC ?

Lots more power and lifetime warranty, you decide

[NiSyam]

yeah you are right.

so what should i get beside the DA? in terms of pads and backing plates?

thank you again!

[Dubbin1]

yeah you are right.

so what should i get beside the DA? in terms of pads and backing plates?

thank you again!

How much are you looking to spend?

[cooksnj]

the pc is a good starter tool. i would get the 5" pads and the 3-m heavy duty backing plate with it. megs twins, wgdgps 3.0 and some pinn. liq. sovereign and you'll be all set.

make sure you get a couple of white, orange, grey and blue pads.

[snowking724]

go with the 5.5" pads,i bought the pc package with 6.5" pads and i can use them on the flats but any panel with curves or creases the smaller ones work much better. i recommend the hydrotech's.

[TLMitchell]

so what should i get beside the DA? in terms of pads and backing plates?

You're already getting good advice, lemme jump in here with some of the results of trial and error and spending a couple of years buying stuff that I wish I would have started with in the first place.

The GG DA is a good choice. The GG, PCXP, Meg's 110v2, Flex etc are all good machines. Only the GG has a lifetime warranty. If you sign up for their newsletter on the GG Web site they sometimes send you a welcome message with a limited time discount offer.

I started with 6.5" LC pads. Picked up a backing plate and 4" pads for spot correction and tight spots later. I ended up with pads of every color in the rainbow and found I was only using a few colors regularly. After trying the 5.5" pads I discovered they were easier for me to work with, corrected better and were still large enough to cover wide open spaces. If I were always working on a 70's Lincoln with an acre of sheet metal on the hood, trunk and roof I'd probably go with larger pads. But I found I really liked the 5.5s much better.

If you're just starting out and only working on your personal vehicles anything that can do double duty saves money. The cyan HydroTech will take out any defect you're likely to run into depoendent on aggressiveness of the polish. The tangerine HydroTech corrects milder defects well and finishes nice... very nice combo of attributes. I'd recommend starting with a couple of each in both 5.5 and 4" sizes along with appropriate backing plates. If you're going to apply an LSP with a DA you'll want to pick up at least 1 blue or red pad as well. I prefer flats over CCS.

As for polishes, Meg's 105/205 combo is tough to beat for versatility. There's a bit of a learning curve but if you're just starting out you don't have to unlearn what you've been doing with diminishing abrasives. An added plus is they're both available in 8 oz sizes.

You can chase the carrot continually and spend money on equipment and supplies but IMO, the above is a good place to start.

TL

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

When looking to buy tools the most powerful isn't always the way to go. The first thing is to look at the manufactor. Porter Cable is one of the best tool makers out there. You will be just fine with the pc kit with 5.5 pads and the Megs twins. The pc has plenty of power to turn the 6.5 inch pads but if you put 5.5 pads on any of the da's you are going to be able to correct better.