First thoughts on new Rupes Polishers

[shane@detailedreflections]

So despite my wife probably wanting to kill me, I may have lost my mind and decided to add a Rupes 15 mk II, a Rupes mini and a Rupes nano to compliment my cyclo (right tool for the job and all that, right?). I unboxed them today and figured I'd share some initial thoughts. I'm doing a detail tomorrow for the neighbor where I'll follow up and finish my thoughts.

 

So for now, here's my gut reactions.

 

Rupes 15 mk II - First, my reason in getting a 15 in addition to my cyclo is that the Rupes has just a little more cutting power. The other reason is that I've been doing more and more work for other people and I've been doing the work with my buddy that's also a shine freak. So having two polishers working is where the time is greatly reduced in completing the job.

 

Holding on to the polisher feels quite a bit different from the cyclo. It feels very balanced and doesn't feel as heavy as my cyclo. Plugging it in and turning it on, it seems to feel pretty smooth. We will see how the results and feelings towards it change tomorrow when it goes to work.

 

Rupes Mini - This polisher is definitely going to come into play when doing bumpers and other smaller areas. I can see it being useful for getting between raised letters on the back of a vehicle. One of my vehicles has chrome letters across the back of it. There's decent space between them, but not enough for a larger polisher. The one thing I don't know how I feel about is that it's a large diamete body. I can see it being a little uncomfortable if you were doing a lot of work with it. Again, it's just a gut reaction. Tomorrow will help to put it to work and see how it really feels. Again, a lot of uses.

 

The Rupes Nano - I chose the shortneck version after reading some input from Dylan on control. Unboxing the tool is impressive. It comes in a nice case with all the appropriate cutouts for accessories. The kit comes with 1.25" polishing pads and 2" polishing pads, some polish, a nylon brush and a boars hair brush along with the batteries and chargers. The polisher can be set up as an orbital or a rotary (I'll really only use rotary for brushes). The tool has a gentle startup and feels great in your hands. I can see this being a tool that's going to push into the "next level" of detailing. The uses seem endless. Everything from easy scrubbing of interiors, correcting smaller areas such as door sills and jams, mirrors, etc. the list goes on and on. One of the uses I'm most excited about is going to be for metal polishing. I can this product making polishing exhaust tips super easy (I purchased the correct pads for a metal polish as well). The boars hair brush will be great for getting small areas of cleaning wheels or interiors that need gentle cleaning. The nylon brush for scrubbing a small interior stain. I'm also curious if you can even utilize some polish to correct blemishes on interior panels that are smooth. I may find a scrap panel somewhere and try it to see what the results are.

 

If I had to pick a single tool I'm most excited about is the nano. This tool is going to be a lot of fun to play with.

 

I'll post some more thoughts when I'm done with detailing tomorrow.

 

Enjoy.

[Ls1transam]

I have the Rupes 15 Mark 2 and I really like it. I am still learning the correction process. And it's the only polisher I've ever used. But it feels really smooth and balanced to me.

[mc2hill]

I recently picked an Rupes mini to go with my 15 MkII, and it is a nice machine. I was able to get into several tight spaces, so don't be too concerned about the size of the body.  

[BrianT]

I have the 15ES and I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy a Rupes sooner! SOOOO much better then the PC. I use the PC for the 4" pads

[b_pappy]

Nice write up Shane.

I saw the Nano and Dylan at SEMA. and decided I need one too; the polisher, not Dylan. I have the Flex and the Cyclo, and to be honest the Cyclo is my go to machine for most of my cars. Anyhow, I was impressed with the Nano and seemingly unlimited uses for it.

Also really excited about the new Adam's Swirl Killer Polisher, which I suspect will be a great machine for most users.

Edited November 19, 2016 by b_pappy

[shane@detailedreflections]

Sorry I never updated this post. I wanted to get a few details out of the way to form some solid opinions on these polishers. Now that I've gotten some time with them, I have to say that I'm impressed and pleased with them. The investment wasn't small, but the versatility of multiple polishers can't be overstated. Anyway, enough with that...on to the nitty gritty and the details.

 

Rupes 15 - Having used this polisher back to back with my cyclo, I can say that it's definitely more powerful. That's not to say the cyclo can't get it done because it certainly does, but you can feel the "work" the Rupes is doing. The size of the pad covers a good area relatively quickly while providing great cutting power. The cyclo is a little easier to get into some spots when turned sideways. With the Rupes, the pad area is the same regardless of orientation. The downside to the Rupes is that it definitely vibrates a bit more than the cyclo. It's not bad vibration, it's just noticeably different.

 

Rupes Mini - The Mini serves it's purpose best on bumpers and a, b and c posts. The tool fits in these areas much easier than either the cyclo or the bigger Rupes. The vibration isn't bad at all. I wish instead of being on on/off switch that it were trigger operated and you could vary the speed while using it. But those are minor inconveniences for the times that I'll use this polisher.

 

Rupes Nano - I can't lie, this polisher was the one that I was most excited to try out. It was the product I felt could pull ahead to some "next level" stuff for me. The versatility of the machine is pretty incredible. I kept finding more uses for it. From seats to brushing interior panels to polishing the thinnest panels. I took it for a test drive on a scratch on a hood. It wasn't one I'd really planned to polish out on this particular detail, but it was a great opportunity to test out the Nano's cutting power. I was impressed by how quickly it made work of the scratch. Granted, it wasn't a horrible scratch by any means. But the Nano took no time to cut through the scratch and to finish down nicely. The uses for the Nano are endless. If you're considering upgrading your arsenal, I'd strongly recommend one. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

 

Enjoy!

[PostalTwo]

Great review . Thanks for posting

[Jason S.]

Wow, dude. You went all out! I'm pretty jealous.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Wow, dude. You went all out! I'm pretty jealous.

 

Thanks Jason.  I've slowly built my collection up pretty significantly.  With time, I've also built up a small number of customers who I detail for along the way.  In the spring here, I'm probably going to push it forward a little further to continue to obtain new clients.  I'd mostly been doing word of mouth and a referral here and there.  Detailing won't ever replace my career for me, but it does have the potential to bring in some extra cash on my schedule, which is always good.  In deciding to try to obtain new clients, I came to the realization that you have to be able to either offer a level of service that isn't readily available, but more importantly to be able to have the right tool for the job.  By that, it usually means having the tools a client doesn't have or won't invest in.  The other component for me, is that when I'm doing a job for someone else time is money.  The more efficient I can make the process, the more profitable it becomes for me.  

 

And let's not forget the real reason, I'm bit of a tool geek!  But the decisions I've made to invest in the equipment that I have are not entirely geek based.  Let's hope it pays off.  But I guess if it doesn't, I still have all the tools to make my own vehicles flawless.

[Jason S.]

Thanks Jason.  I've slowly built my collection up pretty significantly.  With time, I've also built up a small number of customers who I detail for along the way.  In the spring here, I'm probably going to push it forward a little further to continue to obtain new clients.  I'd mostly been doing word of mouth and a referral here and there.  Detailing won't ever replace my career for me, but it does have the potential to bring in some extra cash on my schedule, which is always good.  In deciding to try to obtain new clients, I came to the realization that you have to be able to either offer a level of service that isn't readily available, but more importantly to be able to have the right tool for the job.  By that, it usually means having the tools a client doesn't have or won't invest in.  The other component for me, is that when I'm doing a job for someone else time is money.  The more efficient I can make the process, the more profitable it becomes for me.  

 

And let's not forget the real reason, I'm bit of a tool geek!  But the decisions I've made to invest in the equipment that I have are not entirely geek based.  Let's hope it pays off.  But I guess if it doesn't, I still have all the tools to make my own vehicles flawless.

I am more or less following your same path here, just a few steps behind you. I actually enjoy this enough that if it was lucrative enough, I would stop flying today, retire, and detail cars full time. But I realize I just have to grow this slowly and see where it leads. I can't agree more with your points you made above.

[Ricky Bobby]

Having a Mini, 15 or 21, and a Nano is the absolute best overall combo - I should be adding a Mini soon, and then saving up for a Long Neck Nano - that tool is just too cool -