Which do you have/prefer?

I used a old 3M dual action machine polisher months ago with good results on a state blue Escort, which i borrowed from a friend, however im looking into purchasing my own.

Obviously rotary can and will do more damage to paint if accidents occur but i was just wondering which is best to go with?

Apparently the silverline is the all time favourite with newbies, but seeing as i was ok and didnt damage the paint on the car i did the first time im really unsure of whether to get a DA or rotary and what brand to get?

There is a couple of kits on ebay, a Meguairs DA polisher with various heads, pads, cloths and 4 or so meguairs compounds ranging from heavy swirl removing compounds up to sealants, and there is a dodo juice rotary polisher which had the same meguairs compounds etc with it.

Really unsure which to go for !

 

got a DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polishing Machine myself, as safer, unless your a pro

 

I was happy with the results i achieved from the DA i used before but apparently you never get the results you would with a rotary? What compounds/polishes do you use? apparently the megs 105 cutting and 205 finishing are the one of best for simple swirl removal/finishing?

 

from memory

meguiars no 9
menzerna super finish
menzerna power finish

 

With what you have wrote it sounds like you stuck in a tricky situation....because of your happy with the DA results... And you've done good with a rotary... So if I was you I'd jump in the deep end... Take your time and get a rotary as you did great last time... Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

I have both.it depends what you want to achieve as the dual action wont be strong enough for much more than swirls tbh.especially on german paint!!but i like using a dual action as its safe and lazy lol.i get on fine with the rotary but have to be careful.

 

I have both machines , i bought a DAS-6 as mentioned above, i prefered it when i did a little training course with a Pro , the megs machine is very 'thumpy' with the dual action , Das6 is more subtle imo. I would practice with a DA then goto the rotary but tbh with the right knowledge theres no reason not to jump straight in. Also the DA will correct what a rotary can but it will take much longer. For good advise on these machines goto polishing guide on Detailing World .

 

Only thing that bothers me with a rotary is i remember a while ago a friend doing an older car and when he went from the flat area to over an edge it took the lacquer off, im guess a paint thickness guage is a must before using a rotary? especially on edges and sharp corners? Like if your sanding something down, the sharp edges and what not will always go back to bare metal before the flat areas do if you get what im saying would hate to ruin a cars paintwork lol, i was happy with the results the DA i used gave me but it was an old 3M one or something, im trying to work out if i should jump straight in with the rotary or settle for a modern day DA and perservere with it to get the results i want. hmmmmmm

 

A paint thickness gauge is a excellent tool when using a rotary mate... Of you don't want to fuck about and you are happy with a DA then stick to a DA.

 

It just takes a bit of common sense when using the rotary,plenty of water and of course very gentle on edges/areas that look a bit dodgy.
I've never used a paint thickness gauge myself but anything that helps is a good thing.
Best machine IMO for starting or for the money is the Clarke one from machinemart,about £80.
Swap the standard 14mm threaded heads for the stick on Velcro faracela types,get a compound and polishing head(from any paint supplies,they'll know what you mean).
Their soft start,so instantly burning through is unlikely.
I burnt mine out after about 7 years of heavy abuse and that included 18 months being used everyday in my bodyshop,it was repaireable but I needed one that day so bought the expensive one that Clarke do which is ok,very well made but as a starter machine I think it would be a bit hard to use as it's only 2 speed and no softstart.

 

Ive heard this is a good da to buy for the price ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kestrel-DA...item1c1edd010f

Same as yours fil ?

 

Got to admit there a excellent piece of kit for the money..!

 

If your going to buy new you may aswell buy a full kit with pads and polishes already included,have a looks on detailingworld in group buys or some of the sponsers websites,also check the sales section DAs come up all the time

 

I use a Festool Shinex RAP 150 with soft start, the art of rotarys is buy best you can afford

As the cheap ones just can't manage the slow speed and start at a ridiculous fast speed and weigh a ton! just remember to go easy and your be fine

But if any doubt go orbital and if you apply to much pressure they just tend to stop

Tarren

 

Find a few total sheds to practice on, my mate bought a rotary one, so I let him practice on my old wreck of a mondeo , that way it won't matter if you make a couple of marks practicing. I had the shiniest £300 shed ever afterwards, amazing results considering how bad the paint was before

 

nope, got the pro version, stronger motor, and longer power lead, ohh and its blue

 

Ive just bought a DA 6 Pro kit which comes ywith pads x 6 (2 of each kind) and 4 different menzerna polishes that come with it for cutting, polishing, finishing, ive got some poorboys blackhole here which i can use as a glaze and some Zaino Z2 to seal it with , i really need to get an outside tap put in so i can buy a pressure washer always wanted to use snowfoam !

Ive got the ladys state blue focus, my panther black ST170 focus i got a few weeks ago and a forest green mk5 fiesta, think ill practice on the blue focus first as its not worth much then have a go with mine !

Cheers people!

 

Sounds good im sure you will enjoy it (well apart from the vibartions from the da )

 

Thanks, one thing could i confirm, once ive done the correction stage with the DA and menzerna, can i then apply the blackhole glaze? do i then wax it and seal it? ive got dodo juice waxes here and zaino Z2 i can use to seal? Or do i wax it last, or do i not need to wax it? confusing this all is !

 

Yes after polishing you can then glaze and then wax to finish.

Not sure how the Zaino would cope with bonding to the oils left by the glaze as im sure it needs a clean dry base.

Go with either sealant or wax, you do not need both. You can use both if you really want to but its not needed.
If you do use both always put the sealant on first and wax over the top.

Basic order is:

Wash
Clay
Polish
Glaze
Wax

Hope this helps

 

cheers mate