DeWalt 849x first time rotary review (noob)

[RLucky82]

New to machine polishing I purchased the PC7424xp In january and by Febuary I was ready for "more" after doing my homework by researching on AG forums I decided on the 849x. The DeWalt has excellent reviews and an attractive price, very few complaints about this machine doing what a rotary is supposed to do.

Unfortunately I don't have a heated garage nor was my garage available for this first attempt at rotary polishing. Also the "test" vehicle was a gold/tan color from 2001 that didn't have any visible swirl marks, the paint was a bit hazy though.



Remarkable a car this old has very few paint defects.


There was plenty of dirt though!


the test spot revealed swirl and haze remover + fine machine polish would be all that was needed.


the cell phone camera doesn't really pick up the contrast sharpness after polishing.


My first thoughts about the 849x - it is a big solid machine. Plugged in and ready to go the machine feels good in the hands. On horizontal surfaces the DeWalt is a pleasure to use, I didn't take long before I was using it with one hand on some far reaching areas The trigger has "soft start" but it takes a little getting used to. At first pull the machine over-revs then settles down to the rpms selected this only happens for a short second and after some practice you can get the rpms to raise as slow as you like, and that is really sweet. the noise output is on the low/medium side unlike the Pc which requires me to wear earplugs and settings 5 and 6. on that note I rarely use the settings above 1800 rpms for fear of "burning" paint, at the lowest settings there was noting to be afraid of for me and since I just wanted to get a feel for this and get some polishing "withdraws" cured, all was good. now on to some vertical panels, this is when things get a little tricky and after a while you start to notice the weight of the machine. Since the side panels are smaller on the Ford Focus it takes more concentration to keep the rotary from "walking" and sometimes running. The more you fight or try to force the rotary to do what you want doesn't make things better. It only takes a few minutes to learn finesse is a better technique! Its a learning curve because different shaped panels require different motions and small movements go a long way with this machine. 4 hours later I felt a little exhausted but all in all I am pleased with the 849x I still have some learning to do and I can't wait to tackle a dark paint to let the results really shine.

I probably left a few things out so if you have any questions please ask and I will try me best to respond quickly.

Thanks for reading
RLucky

[SonOfOC]

Nice review! Agree with everything you noted.

I might add that the sound coming from the 849x under load is the most tolerable out of all my rotaries including a PE-14, 9227, and Festool Shinex.

Secondly, the backing plate spindle has a significant amount of length giving it a good stand off distance on thick wool pads.

[AutowerxDetailing]

Great first impression! I am thoroughly happy with my 849x. It is a solidly built machine.

[RhetoricMixes]

Ive been looking into getting this model for a while now, thanks for the review.

[Mike Phillips]

Very nice review. Silver is a hard color to get dramatic before and after pictures and you did a good job even for a camera phone.

[RLucky82]

Thanks for the compliments, I apologize for sloppy English! I forgot we only have a 20 minute window to edit mistakes.

[Johny B]

Nice review.

[Marc08EX]

Extremely nice review!

[rmagnus]

Love the Dewalt mine runs strong as if new but must be 15 years old. The only thing I can say and see from your review is the CAR isn't a work bench for the buffer. Best way to introduce defects is use it as such,

Seriously great review. You'll get even more comfortable with it over time. Try different pads. The RB has to be the most versitile tools out there.

[BrutalNoodle]

Thank you for the review, and for the input in Autoworx's rotary thread.

I feel very confident with the decision of keeping the 7424XP and adding the 849x as its stablemate. Different tools to play with can't be a bad thing.