Anyone using a porter cable polisher?

[LETZRIDE]

With spring around the corner and my old beginners polisher that was oscillating finally crapping the bed, I am looking for a new polisher... I found this guys videos on Youtube and thought they were pretty damn informative. He mainly uses the porter cable polisher and seems to demonstrate its capabilities real well...anyone else using this product?

[sac2165]

I personally use a Groit's random orbital, if I could do it again I would get a buffer that you can change out the heads to go to the smaller pads.

I follow a detailing board, and none of the professionals use Porter Cable polishers. At the end of the video, I like how this guy proves his point by showing no blue paint on the pad. It actually takes some work to burn through the clear with Meguiars M105.

[LETZRIDE]

What drew me to this polisher is this guys video - the porter cable is a variable speed polisher so I can get it moving faster than an orbital polisher to get some nicer results, but I have been worried about burning paint on my car because let's face it, I've never used anything more than an orbital polisher before.

What buffer have you been looking at that you can change heads?

[sac2165]

Its been awhile since I've looked, and It looks like Griots offers a new backing plate to run their 3" pads with the standard 6" dual action. I'll probably order that today, but I still want to get a high end Flex, or Rupes at some point.

I wouldn't worry about burning the paint as much as getting swirls from an orbital. I think the key with paint correction is knowing what can/cannot be fixed, patience, and moving through various pads with various compounds to use the least aggressive combination to get slightly positive results that you can repeat over and over.

If you invest in a polisher, make sure you get a ton of microfiber towels. I dirty about 6 each time I do anything above and beyond a standard wash.

[LETZRIDE]

but as long as you are moving the polisher around you aren't going to get swirls no? And yes, can never have enough microfiber towels. I go through more than 6 when I am working on the car

[FirebirdGT]

He mainly uses the porter cable polisher and seems to demonstrate its capabilities real well...anyone else using this product?

Me

https://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable-7424xp.html

[LETZRIDE]

Robert do you find it easy to use? Have you gotten swirl marks on your vehicles when using it? What are some things you love and hate about it?

[FirebirdGT]

Robert do you find it easy to use? Have you gotten swirl marks on your vehicles when using it? What are some things you love and hate about it?

I like it

No - I'm still searching for the polish that will REMOVE the swirls I have in my black paint.

Pros - handling

Cons - none at this time

[LETZRIDE]

I found this guys videos pretty damn informative when it came to polishing and although I haven't tried any of what he has said yet, I intend to when I do my car this spring...he likes to talk a lot but he seems to really know his stuff - maybe it'll help you a bit? I know I have some marks I want to clean up on this car this year. All of this makes me lean more and more to the porter cable polisher too

[hockeyman]

I realize this is a month old thread, but I still use a PC on many of my detailing jobs. I have a large variety of pad sizes & densities, and I use them with either Menzerna or Adams' products. I also have a standard variable speed (non-orbital) polisher for really heavy duty jobs, but I mostly use the PC for fine scratches. It's the first gen model and still works great.

[LETZRIDE]

How do you feel it is suited for a beginner? I have only used those random orbital polishers...

[pace2006]

I've still got my PC 7424XP. Used it on all of our cars (both single stage & clear coat paints) with great success. It's a great dual action polisher for beginners and hobby detailing.

[LETZRIDE]

Do you guys have recommendations for pads you use on the porter cable? How aggressive of a polishing compound do you use as well for lighter scratches?

[pace2006]

I enjoyed the Lake Country pads that I got with the PC as a kit. They're pretty solid and lasted quite a while. I need to replace them and am considering another set or Chemical Guys' Hex-Logic series as replacements (cheaper). I bought some of the CG brand pads for my father-in-law for Christmas and he seems to have enjoyed them so far.

For me, compound comes down to the surface finish (single stage vs multi stage), location, and how deep the scratch is. Since most of my correction is with softer single stage paint, I tend to use the equivalent of Meguiar's M205 with an orange pad for most heavy scratches and work my way down from there (not as aggressive of a combo compared to most since I tend to err on the side of caution). For lighter scratches on clear coat, you could probably get away with M205 and a less aggressive pad.

I would recommend doing some reading on some of the detailing forums. Autogeek is old school compared to others these days, but still has good info. Chemical guys and a few other brands also have useful tutorials on their blogs too.

[LETZRIDE]

Revisiting this - I plan on likely picking up the porter cable this coming weekend when I make a trip down to Connecticut. Home Depot in the USA has the polisher for $119 which beats all of our Canadian prices even after the exchange rate.

Shortly after picking up this polisher I want to buy some pads - I was looking to the chemical guys pads but I am unsure of which ones I should grab for starters? My primary use is going to be to wax/polish the car. But I also have some light scratches I want to try and get rid of in the clear coat.

If at all possible I also have some orange peel I would love to get rid of from a low end paint job repair from the previous owner. Although I am not sure if it is in the paint or clear coat finish. If it is in the paint it won't be repairable without a new paint job in those areas.