in the hands of a professional

[FarbeyondDriven]

Is a rotary buffer in the hands of a pro, more effective then a DA? Im pretty damn new to polishing so im curious.

 

My good friends dad has been a weekend detailer for 20+ years. And all he uses is a rotary polisher. He refuses to switch to a DA. He said he moves quicker and better with the rotary.

 

What are the benefits of a rotary over a DA. Can a rotary achieve results that a DA cant?

 

P.S Im not looking to get a rotary. I will never use one, because i dont trust myself with it lol. Just curious

[Bootstrap]

Rotary is a more powerful tool, it can do more than a DA, it can do it faster. It can also burn through your paint, quickly.. It's like a rotary is a harley, and a da is a tricycle on training wheels. Both get you there, one just has a lot more risk.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[mc2hill]

What Zach said ^

 

I am guessing your friend's dad learned on the rotary, before the DA polishers became so popular, and for him there is no reason to switch. I know many professional detailers that rarely use their rotaries. The advances in polishes, foam pads, and microfiber pads can make a DA work almost as quickly as rotary without the headaches.

[Z71_Denali]

rotary is to DA as a Top Fuel Dragster is to a Volvo.

 

the rotary is quick at correcting paint, but if used improperly will burn through the clear.

the DA is slower, but safer to use and less likely to burn through the clear coat.

 

both will get you from point A to B.

[Team Adam's]

Short answer - Yes... in the hands of a trained pro a rotary can take a hammered out car to completely corrected, but the skill needed to do so without damage is something REQUIRED. You don't want to learn how to polish with a rotary.

 

Longer answer - ANY tool in the hands of someone professional is going to yield better results. The act of using a polisher is something that can be taught, but the understanding of how the polisher impacts the paint, the variables of speed, pressure, pad, and chemical is something that is earned thru experience.

 

We had a car in the shop here that someone was going at for HOURS with our products and not getting any satisfaction. There was nothing wrong with the technique or the approach... the process they were using was textbook to the videos. But in the end they were only getting about 85% perfect.

 

I stepped in and having tons of experience was able to diagnose what was giving them the trouble, adjusted the speed & product combo to net perfect in just a few minutes. Its something that I was able to do because of the experience I have... it was learned over years and hundreds (if not thousands by now) of cars.

 

Moral of the story - its more about technique than tool... and knowing what tools to use for what situations. Can a pro use a rotary on EVERY car in EVERY condition? Sure... is it necessary? NO. The rotary is a tool best suited for heavier restoration. As I usually say "You don't use a bazooka to swat flies" a rotary for light swirl removal just isn't necessary. You're removing more material than is needed to get the job done. On the inverse are you going to wet sand and buff out a new paint job with a PC? Probably not. Doesn't make sense.

 

All paint correction is a combination of the right tool, the right pads, the right polishes, and the right technique. It takes experience to know what combo is right for any given situation.

 

Our videos give you a guide for best practices on MOST cars... but theres always some small tweaks that have to be made for each situation and you'll start to learn what those are as you log hours with different tools and different cars.

Edited March 14, 2013 by Dylan@Adams