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  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
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    Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle


    The topic of handles on DA Polishers comes up from time to time and in all my classes I show how to use these tools with and without the handles and leave it up to each person to decide which approach works best. Regardless of which approach you prefer, the handle can affect Pad Rotation so check out the below information and then do some experimenting with your DA Polisher and see which approach works best for you.


    The benefit to using a DA Polisher without the handle
    The benefit to using these types of polishers without handles is that most people would agree that it give you better control over the polisher, better control over the pad and it requires less energy to use the polisher thus reducing fatigue. Reducing fatigue is important because buffing out an entire car requires anywhere from an average of 4 to 12 hours.


    Keeping the pad flat to the surface
    When using a DA Polisher it's important to keep the pad flat to the surface and the reason for this is it helps to maintain pad rotation and it's when the pad is rotating that defects are removed.

    If you hold the polisher so that the pad is on edge, or if you apply more pressure to one side of the head of the polisher than the other, you can stop the pad from rotating and at this point you will no longer be removing defects.

    Bail Handle - Meguiar's and Griot's Polishers
    The benefit to the Bail Handle is it enables you to apply pressure directly over the head of the polisher and this helps you to keep the pad completely flat against the surface.


    The drawback to a Bail Handle is it extends your hand away from the head of the polisher and this can cause you to expend more energy and tire your forearm muscles controlling the polisher. It also reduces your control over the movement of the polisher.

    This is especially true if you want to use a DA Polisher with a Bail Handle with one hand and even more true if you're trying to use a polisher with a Bail Handle with one hand on a vertical panel.


    Stick Handle - Porter Cable
    The benefit to the stick handle is it enables you to easily control the movement of the polisher as well helps you to maintain the pad flat to the surface.

    The drawback to the stick handle is that if you're not paying attention you can easily apply too much pressure to the handle side of the polisher causing you to hold the pad crooked or on edge and this can and will slow down pad rotation and even stop pad rotation.

    Risk
    There are also instances that when polishing some car body styles that you can accidentally run the handle into an adjacent painted panel potentially scratching the paint.


    Personal Preference
    When it comes to DA Polishers, my preference is to remove any handle and simply place my hand on the head of the polisher to guide and control it. This is especially helpful when using the polisher with one hand, for example when applying a finishing wax or sealant. And even more important if you want to machine wax the vertical sides.



    Below are some pictures that show the various DA Polishers with and without handles.


    Here are the three popular DA Polishers with their handles removed...







    With the Bail Handle removed from the Griot's Garage DA Polisher your hand fits comfortably over the plastic housing cover the head of the polisher.






    With the Bail Handle removed from the Porter Cable DA Polisher your hand fits comfortably over the plastic housing cover the head of the polisher.






    With the Bail Handle removed off the Meguiar's DA Polisher, there's a built-in tool rest that keeps the polisher from tipping over if you place it on it's back with the Bail Handle removed or adjusted to the extreme forward position. While this does provide a benefit, the problem is if you use this tool without the Bail Handle, this tool rest gets pressed into your hand.








    If you remove the handle off any of these polishers, the plastic housing used on the Griot's and the Meguiar's units has a built-in, plastic locking tab to prevent the plastic housing from sliding off. You can pry it off, but it won't slide off.

    The plastic housing on the Porter Cable polisher doesn't have a built-in plastic locking tab so if you remove the handle the plastic handle can easily slide off. If you're buffing out a car and this happens it may startle you!







    Inside the Griot's Garage plastic housing, see the locking tab...



    This is the inside of the plastic housing off the Meguiar's polisher, sorry the picture is out of focus but you can still see the plastic locking tab that holds plastic housing on and keeps it from slipping or sliding off.





    Here's the inside of the plastic housing off the Porter Cable Polisher and you can see there is no plastic locking tab and for this reason the plastic housing can and will slide off easily. This is why if you want to use the Porter Cable Polisher without a handle you should either place a piece of duct tape on it to keep it from sliding off or take this project up a notch and actually bold the housing on.




    Of course, there's enough room inside the Bail Handle on both the Meguiar's and the Griot's polishers to place your hand on the head of the unit while leaving the Bail Handle in place.








  2. #2
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    Because the plastic housing on the Griot's Garage and Meguiar's Polishers have a built in tab that locks the plastic housing onto the head of the polisher you don't need to bolt the plastic housing onto the polisher if you decide to remove the bail handle.

    If you own a Porter Cable polisher and you want to remove the plastic housing then here's an article that shows how to simply bolt the plastic housing onto the polisher so it won't slide off while you're using it.


    PC Modification For Use Without The Handle






  3. #3
    Super Moderator Meghan's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    No handle no bail for me

  4. #4
    Super Member BobbyG's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    I have the Makita 9227, the Flex 3401, and Porter Cable 7424.

    The Makita 9227 is a rotary and is the only machine I use a handle on. The configuration I use is the bail type. I found this to be handier than the traditional stick handle.

    The Flex 3401 has a great molded palm grip that works very well

    The Porter Cable 7424 I use no handle at all.

    BobbyG - 2004 Millennium Yellow Z06 Corvette

  5. #5
    Super Member AndrewBall's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    using no handle i have found is far more comfortable and offers less fatigue. as well as having more direct control over the pad.

  6. #6
    Super Member OCDetails's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    I actually caught some flack for using the handle on my PC 7424. When I got my Flex3401 it actually came with a side handle, so i started using that. Then it broke off for no apparent reason. While waiting for a replacement (which a forum member graciously sent to me) I sort of got used to using it with no handle. Then at SEMA I started using the 3401 with the front mounted grip and really liked that. So I'm not sure what I like at this point. I have found advantages for all three options, but more than likely I'll go with the front mounted handle on the 3401 since there is less chance of the handle rattling off the car if you tip it at an angle.
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  7. #7
    Super Member Jeff120's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    I feel I have more control with by GG DA with the handle one. Esp. on vertical panels. I will use it as you posted in your photo with my hand under the handle if I start to get a cramp or want to change it up.

  8. #8
    Super Member DARK HORSE's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    Quote Originally Posted by Meghan View Post
    No handle no bail for me

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  9. #9
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewBall View Post
    using no handle i have found is far more comfortable and offers less fatigue. as well as having more direct control over the pad.
    I agree it's definitely easier when applying a wax by machine with one hand on vertical panels.



  10. #10
    Junior Member mleach82's Avatar
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    Re: Handle? Or No Handle? - Using DA Polishers Without the Handle

    I find that the handle is more useful on flat surfaces and find myself taking it off for the verticle and curved panels

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