DeWALT DWP849X vs Makita 9227C Rotary Buffers

[cino321]

Mike, great post. Thanks

Your thoughts on Dewalt DWP849X vs. Flex PE14-2-150

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, great post. Thanks

Your thoughts on Dewalt DWP849X vs. Flex PE14-2-150

I've already posted my thoughts a number of times but it's a great questions so here you go,

They are two different categories of buffers, one is a full size and one is a compact size. Your comparing apples to oranges as I originally posted in post #45 in this thread,

Here's two excerpts...

More reciprocating mass creates more torque
My personal thoughts are that if you're going to be buffing out sanding marks all day long or removing oxidation from large boats all day long then a full size rotary buffer would be a better choice.

The gears are bigger in size as are the rest of the components in a full size rotary buffer and I think having more reciprocating mass creates more torque and this is something you would want if you're going to be doing heavy compounding and polishing with full size pads, (8" and larger), 6 days a week.

Apples to Oranges
Comparing the Flex PE14 to any of the full size DeWALT rotary buffers, or the Makita, or any other brand of full size rotary buffers is like comparing apples to oranges in that the Flex PE14 is a true compact rotary buffer and falls into the Compact Size category, while the DeWALT DWP849X falls into the Full Size category for rotary buffers.

That's just two excerpts from that thread, the entire thread is basically a how-to article on how to use a rotary buffer including finishing out with only a rotary buffer for a show car finish.










If your budget only allows the purchase of one rotary buffer then a full size rotary buffer is probably the best option and at this time I think DeWALT has the best bang for the buck.

If your budget allows for more tools now or down the road it's really hard to beat the compact size and lightweight of the Flex PE14 Rotary Polisher for doing surgical buffing and intricate work.

Two different categories.


Good question.

I suggest getting both and using the right tool for the job.

[Desert Detail & More]

Hahahaha the Makita is made at the plant I use to live in.. Buford Georgia....

[Flannigan]

Having used both the Dewalt is a superior tool IMO. The build quality just seems higher when holding it in your hands. Also it runs smoother and is much quieter than the Makita. I have one and it gets more use than any flex I have. It's a great machine.

[Mike Phillips]

Also it runs smoother and is much quieter than the Makita.

I agree it's a very nice for a full size rotary buffer. You can hear the gears grinding when you do a side-by-side test compared to the Flex PE14 but the Makita and the 3M do this also but that's because they are made using a Global Manufacturing Process which means these buffers are made to,

• Steel grinding, sanding and cutting
• Concrete grinding and cutting
• Polishing paint

The Global Manufacturing Process is a one-size fits all approach so that one tool design can be marketed into multiple industries.


I have a very good interview thread with Bob Eichelberg here,



Rotary Buffer Talk with Bob Eichelberg from Flex Tools


Bob Eichelberg, the President of Flex Power Tools North America, stopped by Autogeek today for a meeting and after his meeting I asked him if he had some time to talk shop about rotary buffers and he politely said "yes"

Yesterday I had all the rotary buffers out to show comparative size for this thread...



So while all the rotary buffers were still out we spent some time talking about some of the differences between Flex power tools and the others you see on the work bench.






One of the things we did was one-by-one, turn each rotary buffer on, set the RPM to the lowest setting and then listen to each one as it was running.

Bob pointed out the lack of grinding noise with the Flex PE14, so I asked him why the difference?

He said the noise comes from the gears as they mesh together while the tool is running. The gears used in Flex power tools, (all their tools), are each hand ground by machine and then heat treated to strict tolerances. These extra steps,

• Reduce noise so the tool runs quieter
• Reduce wear-n-tear for increased working life

He also pointed out that Flex Polishers are designed and engineered specifically for automotive paint polishing instead of using a Global Manufacturing Process, which means the tools are designed for multiple applications, such as,

• Steel grinding, sanding and cutting
• Concrete grinding and cutting
• Polishing paint

The Global Manufacturing Process is a one-size fits all approach so that one tool design can be marketed into multiple industries.


Bob said this is key difference that separates Flex Power Tools from others plus all Flex power tools are designed and manufactured in Germany with a 90 year reputation of German engineering quality.

I also asked him about using the PE14 in the same manner that a person would use a full-size rotary buffer, that is with a full size wool pad doing heavy cutting all day long and he said "yes".


Thought I would share our shop talk from today with all my forum friends and to be fair and balanced, anytime a representative, or even the President of any of the other companies for the tools we carry wants to stop by and talk shop the door is always open.



The BIG picture is to get the right tool for you and your needs. Don't limit yourself to just a single machine polisher either, all the Pros I've know have more than one tool and can pick and choose the right tool for the job.

[Mike Phillips]

Makita 9227C vs DeWALT DWP849X
A better comparison would be to compare the Makita 9227C with the DeWALT DWP849X as they are much more similar and my guess is that DeWALT introduced this new model to compete against the Makita rotary buffer. Both of these buffers, the Makita or the DeWALT would be great choices. I've always been a fan of Makita rotary buffers if for no other reason because I used one for years until it finally wore out having purchased it new in 1988.


The best of both worlds
In a perfect world a person would have at least two rotary buffers, a full size working dog for doing all of the grunt work and a compact, light-weight rotary buffer for when you need to do surgical precision work. This way you can use the one that best fits the job at hand.


The compact size and low weight of the Flex PE14 plus the 600 RPM range are the features I'm most attracted to. It's light weight and small size make it really easy to control when doing intricate work. Perhaps we'll see the introduction of other compact, lightweight rotary buffers into the future.

After the compounding the upper half of the 1949 Sedan Delivery, I just switched over to the Flex PE14 due to the light weight and compact size features. I could have used either for the rest of the job by my preference was for the easiest tool to work with as this streetrod has a lot of real-estate to buff.


Here's some pictures to show relative sizes...

The two Flex rotary buffers on the left are in the Compact category while the other 4 rotary buffers are in the Full Size category. Comparing the compacts with the full size rotary buffers can be done but it trends towards the comparing applies to oranges analogy as in person and in use you can tell right away when you switch from a full size to a compact or visa-versa.






The new DeWALT DWP849X is wider and more bulky like the other full size rotary buffers in these pictures.



You can that the Flex is more narrow from top to bottom...










One of these days I'll see if I can have my trusty, dusty Makita rebuilt, I buffed out a lot of cars before I wore the side of the sandcast head smooth with my hand...

[snellvilleauto]

Thanks for sharing the reviews Mike. I just received the Dewalt. It wasn't a hard decision because i had a few power tools from both companies. I Don't trust the Makita because a couple of the Makita batteries die prematurely while the Dewalts i got 5 years ago still going strong.

[RoadRageDetail]

The one thing that has always made me lean toward Makita's 9227c is the slow start function. Not sure if this new DeWalt model has it or not but I'm very tempted to try it out regardless. I love the rubber bump guards all around it. I'm always very paranoid about the clearances of spoilers and air dams vs the height of my Makita because there is no going back from one bad contact between the paint and one of the metal tool stand posts on the head.

I always thought DeWalt made a better overall machine for its rugged durability and power, but purchased a Makita due to being a little quieter, pad rotation seemed smoother (to me) and the slow start prevents me from accidentally hitting the paint at full speed with an unprimed pad or bumping the trigger too soon and damaging the car or the buffer itself.

Mike did you ever experience weak points in your Makita's power cord, especially near the handle? I've had to rewire mine twice in the past five years, and the paint shop I worked at was always having to keep spare cords on the shelf for the few we used there. If I had to name one real issue with that brand buffer, the power cord would be it.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike did you ever experience weak points in your Makita's power cord, especially near the handle?

I probably replaced the power cord a half a dozen times, each time wiring in a 25' extension cord for functionality.


My old Makita is sitting on a book shelf next to me here at the office, I'll see about getting it rebuilt as long as it retains the worn aluminum head. Had to buff out a lot of cars to wear it down to where it's at today.

[RoadRageDetail]

I would make a collage of pictures you might have of you putting it to work and use that as a background to mount it on the wall. If it can't keep the worn head, make her a trophy. Just a thought.