derek1387 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Hi all! From NW MO, just bought a new Camaro, and wife has a 2014 Sonic, and I have a winter "beater" 2004 GMC canyon that I would like to start detailing and taking care of on my own. Getting tired of paying someone else to do something that I could be doing.Looking at a few different options, including a used Rupes setup off of here, and a few of the Porter Cable sets on Adam's website. Just havent decided how far down the rabbit hole I want to go, especially with the winter setting in. What does everyone here recommend for getting started?Nice to see such a following for a company, and a company who is so active on multiple boards. Dan@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripesace Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome Derek. Most of us started where you're at, and then some of us fell into the rabbit hole and are still looking for the bottom Dan@Adams and TheWolf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkj4243 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome Derek, Since the majority of the vehicles you own are newer, you may be better off deciding on your budget, and then proceeding from there! You can always "upgrade" to more powerful tools later, if it becomes necessary, but I would recommend that you figure out what you can afford to spend, not only on tools, but the polishes, and other essentials and go from there. Your best bet once you decide would be to contact Adam's Customer Support, or Sales, as they will always make sure you get the "best bang for your buck." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NG13 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome Derek, beware there is no bottom to the rabit hole. Dan@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome to the forum Derek! Glad you decide to join us here! Follow Robert's advice, set a budget to begin with, then start with the essentials like proper washing equipment and products, get some HGG to keep your finishes protected, then figure out what your paint correcting needs are. Winter is a great time you get into detailing, as you can take the time to do your research (check out the Detailing Write-ups) and ask questions on this forum. As far as the rabbit hole, there would be a bottom, once you have all the products, but every so often a striped cat just appears, and he always has a new product that you must buy. Dan@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) Welcome to our fun and informative community Derek! It's great to hear you appreciate our involvement on message boards, and we also a strong presence and customer interactive in other forms of social media like Instagram and Facebook. It's even better to hear that you're interested in stepping up to a random orbital machine polisher to keep your rides looking their finest! I agree with TheWolf and others in getting the essential detailing items first, but if you're tired of paying shops to do a quick "buff job" on your cars, then doing a proper paint correction with one of our machine polishing kits is the next step to saving you some money in the long-term. Choosing a machine polisher or polishers is a big decision - we want you to be well educated before making a decision, so this post will be rather lengthy to try to help you out as best as possible. The Porter Cable 7424XP is a good entry level machine for the detailing hobbyist on a budget. It's the same machine I started out with and what got me hooked on Adam's Polishes many years ago. It is a very durable, reliable machine, but it does have more vibration to it than some of the other higher-end polishers that we offer. When I had mine, I would find myself taking more breaks in between panels on a vehicle, because for me, it would sometimes be a pretty good workout on my fingers from stabilizing the machine. Others don't have issues with this, so don't let my experience dissuade you from it. Taking breaks isn't necessarily a bad thing though, because it would let me work on other areas of the car for 10 or 15 minutes, like vacuuming a section of carpet or cleaning a leather seat. It has an on/off button and a speed setting wheel from 1-6, for going slow to apply Buttery Wax, Brilliant Glaze, or Liquid Paint sealant, to going faster for Paint Correcting Polish and Paint Finishing Polish. The on/off button will instantly bring the machine up to full speed if you have it set to speed setting 6, so you have to be prepared and have a proper grip on the machine when you power it on. The next two machine polishers I would recommend for a beginner would be the Cyclo Model 5-Pro Mark II or the Rupes LHR 15ES Bigfoot, for several reasons. With the dual head random orbital action of the Cyclo, with each pad face rotating in the opposite direction of the other pad, it provides a user experience of having near-zero vibration during use. It is an extremely comfortable polisher to use, and it is a tried and tested design that has been continually improved since the 1950's! I personally have one in my garage, along with the Flex 3401 VRG, and I use the Cyclo in some aspect on nearly every car I detail - whether it is correcting some light to moderate swirls and scratches with the 4" microfiber pads or laying down a perfectly even and thin layer of Brilliant Glaze or Liquid Paint Sealant in a fast and efficient manner. The smaller 4" pads allow you to get into tight areas such as A, B, and C pillars or front and rear bumper sections where a 6" or 7" pad cannot typically reach effectively, and then rotating the machine 90 degrees will give you a sizable 8" polishing section across larger areas like the hood, roof, and door panels. The Cyclo also has an on/off switch and a speed setting dial from 1-6, but it is easier to control starting it up at full speed due to it having a perfect balance with both pads oscillating in opposite directions. The Rupes LHR 15ES is truly a joy to use. From the first time I tried out the machine at an Adam's event at Carlisle PA, I could immediately feel the quality of the machine...it just feels right. It is very well balanced, not too heavy and not too light. Like the PC and the Cyclo, it has a speed control from 1-6, and it also has a trigger lock so you don't have to exert extra effort to always hold in the trigger while the machine is running. Where it differs from the PC and Cyclo is that it gradually throttles up to max speed, even if you have it set to the max speed setting of 6 when you pull the trigger in - this allows for better control of the machine for a first time user. Vibrations are very low, almost to the non-existant level of the Cyclo, and correcting power is strong with the 6" microfiber and orange foam pads. The 6" pads designed for the PC and Rupes Bigfoot 15 can get into tighter spots and contours a little easier than the 7" pads used on the Flex and Rupes Bigfoot 21, while still allowing for a nice coverage area per pass of the machine on a panel. If time is not really a concern to you and you only plan on polishing a few vehicles a year, then the PC or Cyclo would be a great choice. If you are looking to be a little more efficient with your details, the Rupes 15 will give you the same excellent results in a shorter amount of time. A lot of us here like to have multiple machines for different scenarios, but any of the three mentioned above would be a great choice for someone looking to take their detailing game to the next level. We've also made this comparison chart to help our customers make the right decision for their intended use: http://adamspolishes.com/whichmachinepolishershouldibuy I hope that helps and gives you a better understanding of the capabilities of each polisher. As always, if you have any other questions please let me know and I will be happy to help! Edited October 27, 2015 by Dan@Adams TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome to the forum Derek! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Oh, and let's see some pictures of your rides when you get a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@Adams Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome Derek......glad you made it over to the forum! derek1387 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirahnah3 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Welcome to the forums, as you can see, its an addiction to which there is no known cure, sorry to inform you of that bad news. However the bright side is the great feeling of satisfaction that you get from looking at your nice shiny vehicle and wanting to do more. What I would do: Decide how much you can spend (or want to spend) Start looking around Realize you need to triple your budget because you want more Look around more and start adding things to the cart Love the fact that the cart remembers your items when you quickly close out of the window to hide it from the wife Decide that you will start small Decide that starting small wont work Plan a HUGE order of just about one of everything Decide that wont work and you only need a few things like you said in the first place Order just enough to get the free shipping click the order button, happy that you are within budget and ready to go. Come on the forums, happily discussing your recent purchase Realize you missed ONE thing Repeat process. TheWolf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 Haha, that is so true. To all of it. I'm posting from my phone so I'll upload photos shortly. I found a good deal on a Rupes Duetto LHR12 with some compounds and pads, but I kind of like the idea of the whole porter setup from Adams as its all new, fresh, and, well, experience everything I hear about Adams. I appreciate the warm welcome all. Can't wait to be an active part of the community! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 So-My vehiclesThe winter beater! The Play Toy And the wife's mc2hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) And this is my shopping list. Anything else to add right now? I am set on Microfibers, for now. Ended up getting a bunch from a few other companies before i learned about them here. Or-there is the used Ruped Duetto setup in the classifieds here with some Rupes pads and polishes for $350 Edited October 27, 2015 by Dan@Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 That looks like a great starter list right there! Sorry I had to edit your post a bit - we like to limit mentioning of competitor products on the forum here - thanks for your understanding. Love all three of your rides...I would hardly call that sweet Colorado a winter beater though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 So-My vehicles Looking good...like a pack of Skittles! The big tires on your Canyon look great! And nice plate on the Camaro! NG13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NG13 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Nice rides! I cant speak to which polisher setup would be best for you as I am in the market for one soon also but the Adam's kits have a great assortment of products to get going and are a very good deal vs. piecing it together, especially if you use the "Shine On" code at checkout. the only question I have is are you setup with washing products and equipment (i.e. buckets w/grit guards, quality wash pads, shampoo, and on and on)? judging by the photos you are washing your rides as they look pretty clean, so I assume you have at least the basics for washing. I washed my rides but after finding Adam's and watching the videos I discovered how much better of a job I could do. if your not already, I would recommend adopting the 2 bucket wash so you may need a grit guard or 2 so you can use buckets you already have (to save some $ over buying the buckets from Adam's). other than that I think that looks like a great kit to get started with. it should provide you with all the stuff to get them cleaned polished and sealed for winter! P.S. I am not trying to discourage you from buying Adam's buckets above as they are sweet buckets with the gamma seal lids and the grit guards fit perfectly but if you are trying to save some coin the grit guards are available separately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 Understand on the competitor names! thanks for all the information all. I think a brand new package is probably the way for me to go so I know exactly what I have and can ask questions here. The Bite size plate came from my Mini Cooper. The truck has MLW-YLO plates NG13 and TheWolf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirahnah3 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Great group of rides, you will certainly enjoy making them Shine, and they will look great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Well, in the past few weeks, i think I got a solid start to the Adams family. Thanks to Dan@Adams for the awesome customer service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlainOleS5 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Great thread and welcome Derek! Awesome set up...how are you liking the PC set up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek1387 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 I havent gotten to actually use it yet. Each time i get ready to go out and do my car...something comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrdun Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Well, in the past few weeks, i think I got a solid start to the Adams family. Thanks to Dan@Adams for the awesome customer service! Very nice setup. I have to get mine laid out and take some pics as I really done know what I have after my last shipments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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