When did the GG polisher change from Professional to Amateur??

**smokinfastlegend** · 04-14-2012, 09:18 AM

When my polisher died last, i removed the brushes. This is after about 1.5 months polishing about 1-2 cars a week. (2 brushes to the right are old, left are brand new)

To see the brushes that worn already, and so unevenly I can see why they stop. I replaced the brushes and knock on wood has been running fine, but still comparing it to the "professional" version, it didnt seem as powerful or as smooth. Autogeek told me that on this last one I had to go through Griots to have it replaced, and what I found out when I talked to Griot's was that they said this unit while powerful is only designed to run 3-4 hours a day and is not intended for professional use. But then looking on their website, its listed as "safe enough for an amateur, powerful enough for a professional....."

**VISITOR** · 04-14-2012, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by BobbyG

Now, this is just a thought; If I were Griot's seeing many returns of a particular product I would build a file identifying failure types returns. From there I would prioritize and address these from an Engineering perspective. This is what we do in the manufacturing world to improve customer relations and allegiance which results into higher profits.

hopefully Porter Cable does this and has looked into the shafts breaking off the handful (could possibly be more that aren't mentioned) of PCXP's that have been noted on some of the discussion forums including this one. i sure wouldn't want one breaking off while i was buffing out a car...

**Capa1970** · 04-14-2012, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Just guessing I'd say that maybe 50% of the ones they sell only get used once a year.

I do not detail professionally. I would assume that most people like me would use their DA several times a year. I have two vehicles and polish, seal, and wax each twice a year. I will also occasionally help a friend out 2-3 times a year. All in all I use the polisher maybe 6-10 times a year. That why it made sense to buy the one with the longer warranty because of the infrequency of usage. If I did this professionally and used it several times a week and then the PC 3 year warranty would be more than sufficient.

**timaishu** · 04-14-2012, 12:38 PM

OP - You mentioned that the settings for wax and polish were different now. What are they?

**smokinfastlegend** · 04-14-2012, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by timaishu

OP - You mentioned that the settings for wax and polish were different now. What are they?

Old:
3-4 Wax
5-6 Polish

New:
2-3 Wax
4-5 Polish

Comparing the two, you would think maybe they bumped up the power needing less speed on the new unit, but comparing them side by side, 4.5 on the 6" seemed less powerful than the pro model. Just to make clear, when i do polish with either machine its mostly between 4 and 5.

**Capa1970** · 04-14-2012, 01:48 PM

I wonder if this change is merely aesthetic or it actually does change the OPM?
Their speed 6 has killed every pad I have ever owned and I now typically stay at 5 for correction, though rarely I will bump it up to 5.5.

**john b** · 04-14-2012, 03:32 PM

the griots makes the flex 3401 a better alternative

**Setec Astronomy** · 04-14-2012, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Capa1970

I do not detail professionally. I would assume that most people like me would use their DA several times a year. I have two vehicles and polish, seal, and wax each twice a year. I will also occasionally help a friend out 2-3 times a year. All in all I use the polisher maybe 6-10 times a year.

I think a lot of them are gifts, etc. Also, you can see just from watching people come and go at the forums that people get interested in this and then get disinterested, for whatever reason. Maybe it's just not their thing, maybe it is but their life-priorities change (work, school, family etc.). Maybe it was just a passing fad reaction to the big-dollar purchase of a new vehicle, or the new vehicle gets smacked and it's not new anymore. Maybe they just wanted to clean up an old beater.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that use their's as you do, and plenty that use them professionally, it's just IMO most of them wind up on a shelf never getting used, like so many blenders and food processors and the like.

**Capa1970** · 04-14-2012, 04:41 PM

No question, it is really difficult work detailing cars. What got me involved was that I paid someone to detail the exterior of my two vehicles (wash, clay, cleaner wax, etc). It was $100 a pop and I was planning on having it one twice a years which would run $400 plus tip. I convinced my wife that a DA was a good investment and that pretty soon we'd be saving money. Well, in almost a year I have spent about $700 and I don't professionally detail.
Also, I didn't realize how difficult it was when I finally detailed my vehicles. The first time I did a two step correction on my Lexus and I was ready to sell the equipment and just pay someone to do the work. My arm was ready to fall off and my back was sore. I still can't believe that so many do it for a living. I now have a new-found respect for you all.

**Setec Astronomy** · 04-14-2012, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Capa1970

I didn't realize how difficult it was when I finally detailed my vehicles. The first time I did a two step correction on my Lexus and I was ready to sell the equipment and just pay someone to do the work. My arm was ready to fall off and my back was sore. I still can't believe that so many do it for a living. I now have a new-found respect for you all.

That's all I was saying...how many buy their GG from the catalog because it looks/sounds so easy and then find that even though the machine works well and they get good results, that that's not really how they want to spend their time? And the polisher winds up on the floor of a closet, bottom drawer of a tool box, back of the garage, etc., never to see the light of day again. I bet it's a lot.