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JJZ4MR

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Hey Everyone, Just started account. Getting a bit more serious with starting my detail business and I'm sure the info here will help. Plus, just bought a new to me 2006 BMW Z4M Roadster and I'm freshening up the cars paint and interior. I'm about to buy a DA, Harbor Freight I like for the price and for $ 7.00 I can get a three year, no questions asked warranty, just take it back and get a new one. Considering that it is nearly identical in every way to a Dewalt which costs 3X's as much....I'm trying to make a decision 

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Hi Jeff, that's a well performing machine that a lot of people starting out with machine polishing tend to go for, as well as the Porter Cable 7424XP - nice results, but with a fair amount of vibration into your fingers and forearms. Those machines will do good paint correction with the proper pads and polishes, but they do typically take longer to get results when compared to higher quality machines like the Rupes 15, Flex 3401, and our Swirl Killer 15MM Long Throw Polisher.

 

If you are looking into starting a business with detailing and paint correction, one of the higher-tier machines will give you faster, better results, with less wear and tear on your upper body as well. The Flex is a great machine, but with its hybrid design of forced rotation and random orbits, it can be somewhat of a handful for someone new to machine polishing - the Rupes 15 and Swirl Killer are more controllable without 'walking' on a panel on you, and will provide excellent results.

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:iagree:

 

What both of those guys said is spot on.  The Swirl Killer combo from Adam's is a great option at a fair price for most users who are taking care of their own vehicles.  There's even some shops using them on a daily basis. 

 

Buy a decent product the first time or buy it twice...or three times.

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I checked out the Swirl Killer today, I actually like the idea of having the regular 6"  and the small 3" MINI. Do you guys find having the smaller tool/pads useful for the tight spots ? Look I know Harbor Freight and their Pittsburg Electric house brand is not the same quality of the previously mentioned. This tool is just a spinning/orbital tool. There's nothing all that technical about it. I've bought a few tools from HR ( reciprocating saw, circular saw ) and for the money with casual use, they do the job. Considering I'm just doing 2 cars a month and it is just my side hustle, I'm not trying to make a full time business out of it. I'm old school, I do everything by hand. If I was doing production detailing or had a goal of doing many more vehicles, I'd totally go the more professional route. I'm just finally ready to admit that I can't achieve the results by hand the a DA can do and of course save valuable time.

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Nothing against the Porter Cable or the Harbor Freight DA(both of which I've used), or the Adams Swirl Killer.....I'm gonna recommend the Griots Garage 6" DA, known in the detailing world as the GG6.  It has more than enough power (more than either the PC or the HF), and has a lifetime warranty.  A 3" backing plate is available for it now, too, making it more versatile.  I've had mine for a little over a year, and absolutely love it.  If you watch for it, it's available at local auto parts stores to boot.  

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OK, since I've got some helpful pros here...I don't quite understand the 1) INCH amount listed for the machine VS  2) what the backing pad size is listed as 3) what size pad is used with what ?  I read a post and it was saying that the edges of this pad stick out a half inch past the backing plate, so they where out faster. I've seen SO MANY different sizes of ALL OF THE ABOVE and now I'm not sure what to go with that will allow me to make the proper pad size when using different Companies pads, with different size machines. Like if I did actually just save some money, get the HF, but order Hex Logic pads ? ALSO, what is the best application for using microfiber pads VS Foam pads ?      Thanks, JJ

 

I looked at the CG6 and joined their forum ( as well as others ) but did not see the option for a 3 " backing plate, just the mini machine for another $ 150 with the 3 " machine/pads. I feel like on many cars that I've been doing ( Porsche/Jag/Mercedes ) they are so curvy/have lots of trim and blingy parts and have a lot of tight areas. Many of my repeat customers like the fact I do it all by hand as other detailers have scuffed trim and paint by putting the DA where there is no room for one.  My BMW has several areas around the window/pillars that where permanently marred by others, not knowing what they were doing.  Yes, I'm going after high end high dollar details that make it easier to have a small but loyal clientele base.  

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10000000% I don't own a SK mini but I really want to get one, for example the small area between the doors and the roof, that small area can't be reached without the smaller pads. Another thing is when you get close to the edges on any panel it becomes difficult to gauge how much closer you have to move to the edge to do some actual correction. Another thing is my hood has a small raise and another flat panel, if you can imagine, paint correcting those areas is extremely difficult without a smaller pad.  There's a lot of small areas on the car that would appreciate a good smaller polisher.

I checked out the Swirl Killer today, I actually like the idea of having the regular 6"  and the small 3" MINI. Do you guys find having the smaller tool/pads useful for the tight spots ?

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Do you guys find having the smaller tool/pads useful for the tight spots ?

 

I have a variety of sizes of polishers and find uses for all of them.  The smallest I currently have is the Rupes Nano.  I've been considering picking up one of the Auto Triz micro polishers to really get around badges and emblems as well as use on interiors.  If you're going after the high end details, I don't think you can skip and not have the right tool for each job.  To be honest, I've done jobs that I've purchased a tool simply to do.  Never know when I'll need it again, but at least the job gets done right.

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OK, since I've got some helpful pros here...I don't quite understand the 1) INCH amount listed for the machine VS  2) what the backing pad size is listed as 3) what size pad is used with what ?  I read a post and it was saying that the edges of this pad stick out a half inch past the backing plate, so they where out faster. I've seen SO MANY different sizes of ALL OF THE ABOVE and now I'm not sure what to go with that will allow me to make the proper pad size when using different Companies pads, with different size machines. Like if I did actually just save some money, get the HF, but order Hex Logic pads ? ALSO, what is the best application for using microfiber pads VS Foam pads ?      Thanks, JJ

 

I looked at the CG6 and joined their forum ( as well as others ) but did not see the option for a 3 " backing plate, just the mini machine for another $ 150 with the 3 " machine/pads. I feel like on many cars that I've been doing ( Porsche/Jag/Mercedes ) they are so curvy/have lots of trim and blingy parts and have a lot of tight areas. Many of my repeat customers like the fact I do it all by hand as other detailers have scuffed trim and paint by putting the DA where there is no room for one.  My BMW has several areas around the window/pillars that where permanently marred by others, not knowing what they were doing.  Yes, I'm going after high end high dollar details that make it easier to have a small but loyal clientele base.  

 

One recommendation is to buy your backing plate where you buy your pads.  Adam's pads fit the machines and Backing Plate they sell.  

 

Also, the new machines (Rupes and Swirl Killer) are sold with backing plates, so just buy the size Adam's pad they sell with the kit.

 

The Porter-Cable and PC-like machines are a great place to start.  They are very versatile - you can swap out the backing plates for different size pads, and even use them with brushes for carpets.  The Swirl Killer & Rupes are only polishers, but they are much smoother to operate than a PC.

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Cool, I've NOW done some more research and think I've got the basics down. I like the videos by AMMONYC ( not sure if that's PC to say here ) but I watched a video of Larry using a Porter Cable on leather seats. I would have never thought of that. He made some disgusting Honda seats look like new in no time with a circular brush attachment. I want to have as much versatility as possible while keeping costs low.  I'm really ready to start machining some paint. GF's Honda will be my test vehicle, it's got all kinda paint flaws. 

 

Where do I find THIS subscription ? I looked at the Forums page/my profile, could not find. Had to go to the " Welcome page, just to get here, my envelope icon showed nothing ????

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Cool, I've NOW done some more research and think I've got the basics down. I like the videos by AMMONYC ( not sure if that's PC to say here ) but I watched a video of Larry using a Porter Cable on leather seats. I would have never thought of that. He made some disgusting Honda seats look like new in no time with a circular brush attachment. I want to have as much versatility as possible while keeping costs low.  I'm really ready to start machining some paint. GF's Honda will be my test vehicle, it's got all kinda paint flaws. 

 

Where do I find THIS subscription ? I looked at the Forums page/my profile, could not find. Had to go to the " Welcome page, just to get here, my envelope icon showed nothing ????

Which polisher are you getting?

 

As for the subscription, it you mean following this topic...top right corner of the page, click on "Follow this topic," and set your notification preferences.

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Yeah, I was just searching around some, wrote on a NEW CONTENT post, then saw the FOLLOW Got it now, just different than what I'm used to on the BMW forums I have been using.

 

Having a tough time deciding. I did yet not sell my 1972 Datsun 240Z with a 3.1 Stroker, with 61K miles. Wanting $ 25K, only been offered $ 17K. Need to get it sold, then my purchasing power will be increased. Sort of stuck at the moment, bills just increased, my personal training business has taking some losses of clients recently....so I'm in a holding pattern. Still feel like I could just get the HF with the 3 year warranty and get other size backing plates/pads and be good for a while, step up as my detailing business grows. Wanting the best and needing the best always comes with a compromise. An orbital spinning polisher just doesn't seem that high tech to justify spending 3-4 more. Again, this is just a side business that I "officially " have not started, just word of mouth/social media and my personal training clients cars are enough to keep me busy in my free time. I love cars, love creating something beautiful that has been mistreated or neglected and basically want my personal vehicles ( I own 4 cars ) to look their best

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OK, I just finished reading all the reviews on HF...NO

 

So Swirl Killer VS GG6 ? I definitely want ease of use/ease of changing backing plates. I know GG6 has a LIFETIME WARRANTY and that is VERY important. 

 

I will want to be able to use 6 inch and 3 inch pads ( do they even make smaller than 3" ) and I've seen a PC used for cleaning leather with a round brush attachment, which looked awesome, so I'd want that flexibility as well. Most bang for the buck....your experienced opinion would be most appreciated. 

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I'm partial to the GG6, since that's what I own.  The Swirl Killer is a 15mm throw, so you'd cover more ground (the GG6 is an 8mm throw) with each pass.  The down side is that you'd need to purchase a separate machine to utilize a smaller pad, for those tight areas.  The brush that Larry used on the PC can also be used on the GG6, and probably the Swirl killer, too.  

 

For the record, there are pads smaller than 3", but they're for some very specific (and expensive) machines.     

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I also do a little detailing on the side and at first had the same mindset of just using a cheaper polisher, pc 7424xp. I did about 6 cars with my pc and I still don't think I can feel my hands. I upgraded to the swirl killer and the swirl killer mini 1 month ago and it was the best decision I've made in a while. I was able to finish the correction alot faster and I feel like the quality of the correction turned out a lot better than with my pc. There is very little vibration to the sk as well. I'm also very happy with the mini. I was able to get into a lot more areas easier and I wasn't cleaning extra polish that would get stuck in the cracks when I would try and use the bigger pads. If you have an Instagram and your still debating on what polisher you want Ed Espinosa, edwaxit, (insta name) has a lot of great reviews on polisher on his page. That guy has more polisher than anyone ever should! Hopefully that helps a little! Good luck.

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Yeah, I'm convinced that I need to finally break down and get a quality polisher. Just trying to figure out the maze of info on tool size/pad size and have a lot of versatility in ONE polisher. Cost is a factor. Money is a bit tight. Detailing is just a side hustle ( 1-2 cars a month ) but I need to expand my clientele AND get faster AND get better results. Going to start buying 1 gallon professional grade products, I can see that I could easily drop  $ 1,000 on upgrades/new items.    

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Just checked it out. Thanks, don't think I like the dual head on the Cyclo. The PC for $ 100 plus pads is tempting, but I'm now I want new, with warranty. The more I read/research/video watch. The more I want the GG6.

Edited by JJZ4MR
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