After reading countless endorsements on the web for a Porter Cable 7424, I am convinced I need one...or something similar. However, I can't find one locally for the life of me.
So I am looking at what Lowe's, home Depot and Sears have to offer.
I found the following item at Sears, which seems comparable to the 7424. Does anyone have experience with this item?
After reading countless endorsements on the web for a Porter Cable 7424, I am convinced I need one...or something similar. However, I can't find one locally for the life of me.
So I am looking at what Lowe's, home Depot and Sears have to offer.
I found the following item at Sears, which seems comparable to the 7424. Does anyone have experience with this item?
The reviews under the link you gave don't look so hot.
The PC 7424 seems to have a cult following. However, more and more detailers are switching to forced rotation random orbit tools because they are much more effective than a regular r/o, but still safer than a rotary.
Do some Google searches on the PC versus tools like the Festool Rotex 150 FEQ (too expensive for me), the Flex XC 3401 VRG (very effective tool), the Makita BO6040 or the Bosch 1250DEVS. People are reporting that their buffing time is way less than what it was with the PC.
The problem with these tools is cost. None come close to your Sears tool or even the PC.
A non-forced rotation random orbit tool option for you might be the Ridgid R2611, which is available at Home Depot. I've never used it, but I know a detail 'enthusiast' who has tried more buffers than me that gives it high marks. Plus, buying from Home Depot, you have an easy return if it doesn't work out. I think it sells for $129.
Another tool being pushed is the UDM, although the guy pushing it is also the owner of Autopia (or a big player in it), so I'm not sure how objective the data is. It sells for $149 but is supposed to go to $199 soon. Also, as stated by the guy who is selling it "My Ultimate Detailing Machine lists for $149. My goal was to make an affordable polisher for the average car owner, not a professional." Hmm.
There are almost always tradeoffs between price and performance. I bought the Bosch 1250DEVS as a compliment to my rotary for ultra-finesse work because I didn't want to drop $440 for a Festool. So, I got the Toyota instead of the Lexus.
Don't take my word for it; do the searches and read other people's reviews. There are tons of people that love the PC but have never tried anything else. I doubt you will find many (if any) reviewers that say they tried a forced rotation random orbit tool but didn't like it, so they went back to a PC.
And no, the reviewers of these tools don't push SYSTEM ONE!
That craftsman machine isn't even close to a porter cable. Just look at the speed. 1400 - 1650 rpm??? That is a crawl compared to the Porter Cable 7424's 2500 - 6000 orbits per minute. That there is what I call an 'el cheapo buffer'. It is not going to do what the Porter Cable can. You probably won't have much luck finding it locally either. Lowes used to carry the 7336, so maybe ask if they can order it for you. The cheapest way is going to probably be just ordering one on ebay. There are several of them on there now.
I have the PC 7424 and an Ultimate Detailing Machine. Personally I don't see any difference in the performance between the two. David says the UDM has a bigger motor, but it really doesn't seem to make any difference in my polishing time. My advice is to go with the tried and true reputation of Porter Cable. Sure there are more expensive tools out there, but I've never come up against a project that the Porter Cable couldn't solve for me. As far as polishing time, the average car still only takes me 3 to 4 hours tops to do a full detail inside and out, so I really don't see how any tool is really going to save me that much more time.
Professionals use all sorts of products. We even use products that aren't targeted to us. I don't know why David worded what he said the way he did, but make no mistake that these are professional grade tools. I've been in the industry for a decade and have trained hundreds of detailers around the country. This is the perfect tool for any entry level detailer who doesn't want to spend a ton of money on his tools, but still needs something effective that delivers results. I could show you hundreds of examples of the power of a PC against swirls, but I don't have to. I can give you my word that you won't regret the purchase and you won't be looking for something better anytime soon. I've had my PC for 7+ years and have detailed close to a thousand cars with it. It has saved me tens of thousands of dollars in time compared to doing the job by hand. It is easily the best purchase I ever made.
There are tons of people who love the PC and have a variety of other polishers to choose from. I have used the Festool and it is a great tool. It would take way too long for it to be worth the investment though. The PC is perfectly capable of doing whatever you need done on any car that isn't on the edge of needing a repaint. Don't take blanket statement opinions that have absolutely no grounding in fact when choosing a machine. I don't know where he got the data that tons of PC users haven't ever tried anything else, but whatever. Go on DetailCity.org or Autopia.org or any other message board geared specifically to detailers and ask them how many polishers they use.
What this guy above me needs to get straight is that there isn't any such thing as "best". There is only what works best for you. A Tacoma isn't necessarily better than a Corolla. It just depends on what you are going to be using the vehicle for. If all you want is a machine that you can wax and polish your car with, then the PC is the logical choice. Obviously do your research, but based on what you are planning to do with the tool, I wouldn't waste the money on anything more expensive than a PC 7424 or 7336.
That tool is very much a sander. Not all random orbit sanders can be converted to polishers. Sometimes a sander is just a sander. If you see that collection piece on it then it is just a sander. The funny thing is that the polisher that Griot's Garage sells is a sander that is converted to a polisher. It still has the sander collector on it too. lol I know the manufacturer of that polisher and it isn't Porter Cable even though it looks like it. From what I've heard it is a nice polisher, but I don't know much about it.
A really good reason you should consider the Porter Cable is because you will find way more options for pads for that tool. The Edge 2000 pads are only made for the Porter Cable style polisher. Technically I guess you could use them on any polisher that accepts the adapter, but it works best with the PC because it is designed for that tool with the counterweight. There really is no comparison. No matter what you buy, if it is less than the Porter cable then you are getting a lesser tool. If it is more than the Porter Cable then it is likely more powerful, but do you really need more power for what you are doing? Waxing your car doesn't require the machine to spin at 5000 rpm, but swirl removal may. Most of the machines you'll find are perfectly capable of spreading wax across the surface, but the PC is really the entry level tool for swirl removal.
Naw, that's just a sander too. Plus it's just as expensive as a Porter Cable. Why not just buy a Porter Cable?
Not trying to cause trouble here...but when you say 'that's just a sander'...I'm a bit confused. Many buffers are marketed as sanders but are used as polishers. Some are marketed as polishers and sanders. Some machines appear to have an equal amount of followers that use it for polishing and sanding.
Is there something in the specifications for the tool (stroke, OPM, RPM, etc.) that tells you it's one or the other? Is there a distinct quality that makes a tool more of a sander and less of a polisher, or vice-versa?
I have yet to see a review that said a tool was a great sander, but a lousy polisher, or vice-versa.
Naw, that's just a sander too. Plus it's just as expensive as a Porter Cable. Why not just buy a Porter Cable?
Even more expensive than a Porter Cable. www.CoastalTool.com has them for $99 preshipping. You can get them for about $105 shipped on ebay. Even if you have to wait a week for it to arrive it is still worth it. You won't find the kind of deals locally that you will find online, that's for sure.
I use the Dewalt equivalent (the DW849). I think the Makita has a soft start feature and is a little lighter than the Dewalt, plus it has a different handle. Other than that, though, they are the same tool.
I got this el'cheapo one from Harbor Freight Tools. Been using it a year without any complaints, it does the job and for $10 more i got a lifetime warranty. works pretty darn good for the work i do.
I got this el'cheapo one from Harbor Freight Tools. Been using it a year without any complaints, it does the job and for $10 more i got a lifetime warranty. works pretty darn good for the work i do.
I use the Dewalt equivalent (the DW849). I think the Makita has a soft start feature and is a little lighter than the Dewalt, plus it has a different handle. Other than that, though, they are the same tool.
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