New Rupes HLR Battery Polishers

[DFB]

Introduction to the Rupes HLR 15


Unveiled at SEMA late last year, Rupes finally uncovered their take on a battery powered 5 and 6-inch polisher.


New BigFoot iBrid Polishers HLR21 HLR15 - Rupes tools





While Rupes led the industry with the iBrid Nano machines, it took them a while to bring larger sized battery machines to market. The first was released a couple of years ago, the 3-inch HLR 75, or Stiletto as it has become known.





But it's the 5 and 6-inch machines many were asking for. Flex and ShineMate have owned this space for a while now, in some ways that gave Rupes the chance to take their time with the machines, and to learn from what it's competitors have done. I also believe Rupes held back due to professional users preferring electric machines for consistency and sustained performance when being used all day. But, the Pro-Sumer market is very real, and often more profitable. And so, after many hints and silent nods, Rupes finally unveiled their response late last year, and is now on sale across the world.





It's important to note that these polishers are ground up new machines, not an electric polisher converted to battery power. The composite gearset contributes to a noticeable weight and size reduction. The dual-action eccentric set has been redesigned for lighter weight and smoother operation. The motor is now brushless with a redesigned cooling system, and the dual LED strips that run along the body provide battery condition on the fly. Rupes also redesigned the backing plate, which is ultra-thin compared to typical backing plates and is said to deliver a lower center of gravity and superior balance.


The batteries themselves are 5.0ah lithium-ion units and can deliver 40 minutes of continuous running at full power. Considering you won't ever run a polisher like that, battery life will never be a problem. At the moment, the new machines are only available in kit form, so each unit is sent with two batteries and a new dual port charger.


The new HLR machines officially went on sale last Wednesday, I managed to get in early and ordered from the key retailer of Rupes in Australia. At the time of writing, the 15mm 5-inch has already sold-out, the 21mm 6-inch is still in stock. Other retailers have them listed as pre-orders for June/July supply. Availability is expected to be limited until Rupes catches up with global demand.

For US readers, the new machines are filtering out across the usual retailers but are likewise in short supply.


But before going any further, let's address the elephant in the room...................the price! These are not a cheap purchase, exaggerated by the current kit-only format. In Rupes defense, the kit includes $275 (AUD) worth of pads and compounds. Even still, these are considerably more expensive than the now well-established Flex and ShineMate equivalents.


So why did I buy one when I already have a ShineMate EB351 5/15 5-inch polisher? Equal parts curiosity and stupidity. Personally, I would have been happy with just the machine, battery and charger without all the pads, towels and compounds that come with the kit. But here we are.....................











The kit includes an assortment of foam and wool pads, along with DA Fine and DA Coarse compounds -


DA Fine Yellow Foam x2
DA Intermediate Teal Foam x2
DA Medium Yellow Wool x2
DA Coarse Blue Wool x2


The wool pads have actually been re-designed for the new HLR machines and feature a thicker foam interface. From what I can tell, this coincides with the updated foam and microfiber pads that launched some time ago. I suspect this added foam is to compensate for the ultra-thin backing plate.





Dual port charger and 5.0ah batteries.




















The new machines are made in Italy, US-market units will soon be made in the US. The batteries are, of course, made in China. The rubberized battery casing is also nice touch, providing some protection for accidental contact with the car.

















So, how does the all-new Rupes HLR 15 compare to my old ShineMate?


The very first thing you notice is how light the new Rupes is, with or without the battery.





Overall, the two machines are about the same length, the extended nose and the way the battery is located on the Rupes has it standing taller than the ShineMate.





My initial pre-use thought is that I prefer the ShineMates battery placement as it offers a more natural place to hold the polisher from, but that does tend to make it quite tail heavy. The Rupes has better weight balance. It may also take me a bit to acclimatize to the longer nose of the Rupes.





Where the ShineMate is pretty noisy and has quite a lot of chatter when winding down, the Rupes is buttery smooth and very quiet running at any speed. The thin backing plate is especially noticeable next to the ShineMate.





Of course, the real comparison will begin once I get a chance to polish something with the new Rupes. At the moment, current thinking has the Mustang being first in line, basically the last polish in my care and the beginning of me saying goodby to the car.

More to follow...................

[DanaDetailingPros]

Italian MFR. is always pure elegance! I truly feel they set the benchmark in build quality. Do you know if they use real carbon fiber? My HLR75 feels like genuine carbon fiber.

[DFB]

Italian MFR. is always pure elegance! I truly feel they set the benchmark in build quality. Do you know if they use real carbon fiber? My HLR75 feels like genuine carbon fiber.

Having never been near carbon fiber, I'm not sure if it's real or not, unlikely would be my guess. Or..............maybe that's why they cost so much.

Not HLR 15 / 21 related, how do you like the 3-inch HLR 75?

I'm on the hunt for a new 3-inch battery machine. At the moment I have the battery powered ShineMate EB351 3-inch, and the Rupes LHR 75 Pneumatic. The ShineMate 3-inch shares the same body as the 5-inch machine, so you end up with quite a bulky unit for the pad size. I also find it lacks headroom. The Pnuematic is pure joy to use, its so smooth and light to hold, I especially love it for glass. But you need to manage the hose and its pretty noisy.

I've entertained the thought of the Flex PXE-80, or the ShineMate EB210. Both of those offer the ability to easily swap between different backing plates in either rotary or dual action. However, I have the iBrid Nano Long neck for smaller sections, I feel like the PXE-80 and EB210 would be compromised in being too big for small areas, and not enough scope when used as a 3-inch.

The Mirka 3-inch is getting a lot of love, but I think it has a little way to go before it can completely command that price, the lack of a trigger lock in particular.

That sort of leaves the Rupes HLR 75 IBRID, or maybe the newer and more compact ShineMate EB350 with the superior battery integration for the size.

I really don't "need" another 3-inch machine, I guess I'm more so pursuing a "better" 3-inch machine.

[Optimus Grime]

The 15 is exactly what I've been wanting someone to create. It's an instant buy as soon as I can buy the tool and batteries without the other stuff I don't need.

[DanaDetailingPros]

Having never been near carbon fiber, I'm not sure if it's real or not, unlikely would be my guess. Or..............maybe that's why they cost so much.

Not HLR 15 / 21 related, how do you like the 3-inch HLR 75?

I'm on the hunt for a new 3-inch battery machine. At the moment I have the battery powered ShineMate EB351 3-inch, and the Rupes LHR 75 Pneumatic. The ShineMate 3-inch shares the same body as the 5-inch machine, so you end up with quite a bulky unit for the pad size. I also find it lacks headroom. The Pnuematic is pure joy to use, its so smooth and light to hold, I especially love it for glass. But you need to manage the hose and its pretty noisy.

I've entertained the thought of the Flex PXE-80, or the ShineMate EB210. Both of those offer the ability to easily swap between different backing plates in either rotary or dual action. However, I have the iBrid Nano Long neck for smaller sections, I feel like the PXE-80 and EB210 would be compromised in being too big for small areas, and not enough scope when used as a 3-inch.

The Mirka 3-inch is getting a lot of love, but I think it has a little way to go before it can completely command that price, the lack of a trigger lock in particular.

That sort of leaves the Rupes HLR 75 IBRID, or maybe the newer and more compact ShineMate EB350 with the superior battery integration for the size.

I really don't "need" another 3-inch machine, I guess I'm more so pursuing a "better" 3-inch machine.

I love it! I wish all polishers were as easy to use. Especially with one hand. I do however wish I got the latest model with the locking/safety actuator. I was recommended the model without it by Forensic Detailing. But I have hit it on accident more than 1/2 dozen times and have caused a total redo! I also have concern with the battery disengaging. If it continues to be a problem I will be sending it into Rupes. I also have the 3" Shine Mate and haven't used it since I got the Rupes.

[DFB]

I love it! I wish all polishers were as easy to use. Especially with one hand. I do however wish I got the latest model with the locking/safety actuator. I was recommended the model without it by Forensic Detailing. But I have hit it on accident more than 1/2 dozen times and have caused a total redo! I also have concern with the battery disengaging. If it continues to be a problem I will be sending it into Rupes. I also have the 3" Shine Mate and haven't used it since I got the Rupes.

Thanks for the feedback.

Rupes sell the revised lever for the HLR 75 as a separate part so you can retrofit an earlier machine. Most retailers carry it -

Rupes HLR75 Trigger Lock | Upgraded Throttle Lever with Lock Out | eBay

[DanaDetailingPros]

Once I knew the actuator could be ordered, I went ahead and ordered the original model, since I knew I could change it if I had a problem. Now it's is a must!

[Coatingsarecrack]

Yeah playing with the HLR75 it take some getting use to. Didn’t really know there was a version 1.0 but I got the 2.0.

I’m waiting to see how I like my Flex forced rotation to see if I need this. Most who’ve tried both forced and free spinning flex have told me not to bother with the free spinning.

But I do have $400 in gift cards to CSW for when the machine only comes out.


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