Purchasing a Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action

[Duah34]

I am new to detailing, and I am looking into purchasing a Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher. I know people suggest buying the Lake Country Hook & Loop Flexible 5 inch Backing Plate too. Any recommendation as to what pads I should get? Here are the current products I use now. Most of them are OTC, but will be looking to switch to professional chemicals once there gone.

Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's M205
Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax

[buddee]

Pad suggestion would depend on what type of finishes you would be tackling, how much cutting power you'd need etc.

In general, as far as lake country ccs pads go, i use mainly the orange pad for compounding, the white pad for polishing, and the gray pad for wax or sealants.

I have a 5inch backing plate and use the 5.5inch pads with mine, i do have some 6.5inch pads - but haven't used them yet as the 5.5's seem to do a good job for me.

[Kamakaz1961]

You are on the right track with the 5" backing plates buddee is correct IMO as I use the 5.5" Orange Pads for compounding, the White Pads for polishing. I use the Red pads for sealant and wax, however, the grey or black is fine for that too. Megs 105 and Megs 205 are good polishing products.

AGO has a chart on which polishing brands do what and how aggressive they can be. You are on the right track. Lake Country ccs pads are great! Hydro Pads too. It is just a matter of preference.

Welcome to the world of detailing!

You will get alot of opinions on a DA. The PC 7424 XP is a great DA and AGO sells them in kits (Menzerna Kit, Blackfire kit, etc). You cannot go wrong with the PC. It is foolproof and they have quite a bit of backing plates and pad sizes for them.

This would be a great starter DA for the novice. There are many other brands to choose from, however, that is where I started.

If money was no object, then go straight to the Flex 3401 VRG. AGO sells kits too for them. It will be more $$. If it is just for your hobby or personal use and just for fun...you can't go wrong with the PC 7424 XP.

[ski2]

Have you considered the Griots Garage DA?? It is allot more powerful than the PC (you will appreciate this after your first correction) and it has a lifetime warranty. Say four years down the road your polisher has a problem--call Griots customer service, send the polisher back and they usually send a new one rather than repair it.