Has anyone tried harbor freights 7" variable speed polish/sander? I am looking for a buffer for waxing and polishing my vehicle. Any opinions greatly apprciated.

 

Harbor Freight is garbage.

If you are looking for a good rotary, go with Makita or Hitachi.


Do you have any experience with a rotary? A true rotary, not a $30 POS at Sears. If not, then you should start with a DA like the Porter Cable. Another option is the Flex. Both very user friendly. Rotaries take a lot of time and skill to master.

 

Ditto Be sure you know what your buying. The Porter Cable is a excellent choice. Very easy to use and will not harm the paint. Yes, you will pay more than the ones you are looking at but you get what you pay for. The price to fix the burned paint is less than the Porter Cable.

 

Sorry for the but in your thread, Gofast, I noticed that you started out with the Makita and then ended with a PC. Is there any reason as to why you did this? I'm a total noob when it comes to detailing. Basically, where do you draw the line between using a rotary and using a DA?

 

fixed

 

It takes a lot of skill to finish with a rotary with no holograms. Even if you know how....sometimes the clearcoat will not cooperate. Since they are all different, its hard to know. So finishing with the DA ensures there will be no holograms left.

 

I went to Harbor Freight with the coupon from the latest Hot Rod mag, but they were sold out of the buffers. Anyone have any kind of info about it? I wouldn't be expecting PC results since this thing is only like $24.99 lol, just wondering if it's "OK" to use and if the pads that go on PC's will work on this? The coupon says "7 inch variable speed polisher/sander" that's it ha.

 

I've know a half dozen or so that have broken within 2-3hrs of use. Don't waste your money on it.

 

GoFast: Thanks for the edit.

The problem with that buffer/sander is that you could do more harm than good with it. I'm not sure which one you are looking at, but pay close attention to the RPM's. The PC has a nice "loose" rotation so it will only damage the paint if you drop it on the car!

 

What is PC?

 

YOU WILL DO MORE HRM THEN GOOD IF YOUR NOT EXPEIRENCED WITH A ROTARY. (SP). The pc 7424 would be perfect for you. its cheap and can do no harm. Goto autogeek.com or net i dunno but they have alot of goodies to get you going. Be careful detailing is VERY addicting!!

 

PC=Porter Cable

 

ahh thanks

 

These guys speak the truth.

You might consider the Flex too, very good tool.

Oh, and autogeek is running its annual sale on buffers and buffing packages. The rest of their sales throughout the year exclude the buffers, so NOW is the time to get one!

 

x2 on the flex

 

Well damn! Thanks for the input man.

 

I have experience with all the $$ name brand buffers and polishers on everything from right out of the paint booth to 10 years old. I currently used the Harbor Freight one. No problems what so ever. It's not the digtal one though which I don't like. I prefer the rotary. It's got 7" hook and loop pad support, variable speed, even comes with replacement brushes. Internally they all operate on the same basic design. So what's not to like? Just remember to keep it moving. But I agree with them, if this is your first time it is advised that you start out with something that won't ruin the paint. At least not as easily as a buffer. +1 for PC