best orbital buffer

[kartone]

Your experience & opinion, best orbital buffer available in Oz ?
I would use it for buffing only, no cutting.

[colcol]

In my opinion, the best buffer for polishing cars for backyarders is your hand, using appropriate cleaning and cutting compounds, i have seen some shocking damage done, [including me], by people who are just not experienced enough, if its a $100 bomb, it doesn't matter, your Alfa......, i bet that didn't answer your question, Colin.

[lombardi]

Any reputable brand buffer will do the job,it's in the speed and buffing pad u use that matter's, speed should be around 16000 to 18000,no more or it emit's to much heat and u have greater risk of burning paint,as well i use an american buffing foam pad that has holes in it,this system keeps the pad a lot cooler resulting in less chance of burning paint,but always remember hand buffing is still advisable on precarious areas like around edging and near rubbers, alway's keep moving the buffing pad, and in straight cross lines is advisable. A trick,if u have a rough surface try claying first before cutting back,u will be impressed in the smoothnes of the surface,then either hand or machine apply a nice coat of cleaner wax or carnauba or any of the other excellent products availavle nowaday's. Good luck.

[McAnnik]

 Hi Guys, interesting question this one! Was it meant that an orbital polisher is superior to a older style common  "Buff"? Experienced handling of both types is neccessary to be able to achieve 1st class results. a rotating buff pad spinning at not much better than 2000rpm will burn paint very quickly if handled by inexperienced operators, let alone some machine capable of 18000 rpm which will burn paint ,orbital or other type a lot quicker. "Colcol", I take your point! but,hand cutting and polishing is bloody HARD work and not for the impatient and the final finish achieved will not match a nice "pro" job done with good gear and top brand cutting and polishing blended compounds designed for the job. My advice here is to buy a half decent polisher from A'barn or where ever for about $50 and then practice on the old man's Commodore when he's not looking. Once you reckon it looks half decent,(and that could take a while!)then's the time to open your own wash'n' polish shop and start making a few bucks,(that will take a bit longer!).....(Don't ask me how I know!)................Ian

[colcol]

The shine i get from using a clay bar is sensational, and i am sure a inexperienced person like me would stuff it up using a powered orbital buffer, i just wouldn't like to risk ruining my Alfa paintwork to save a few hours work, its not the worst job in the world polishing your car, nice day, radio going plenty of talent going for a walk down the street, actually getting much needed exercise, as opposed to going to a spray painter to get a quote to repaint my car, ouch!, Colin.

[Doug Gould]

It needs to be variable speed.

[kartone]

Since it's only done twice a year, by hand it is !

[shiny_car]

'By hand' does not generate enough heat to 'work' polishes properly. For swirl removal you 'need' an RO (or rotary (non-RO)). As suggested, with variable-speed, lower speeds are very safe, and you will not damage the paint unless you slip and scratch it with the actual machine!

18,000 rpm is 'too high' IMO to be in the 'safe and easy' range. It will do the job fast, but at risk of burning pain in inexperienced hands. Variable speed, with max from 6,000-10,000 rpm is enough. Of course, the trade-off for 'safe' is 'slower'.

For the hobbyist/learner, I recommend the DAS6, available from Car Care Products.
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/products/all_brands/car_accessories/buffing_machines

For the enthusiast/experienced, I would go with a Festool RAP150, which will be my next major detailing purchase.

I wrote this basic guide on ausalfa, which may be of interest to some:
http://www.ausalfa.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=335&p=7488

[Martinsifredi]

I feel sorry for your paint ! 

Paint correction/polishing is basically a science that needs many hundreds of hours to learn and perfect .  lets not kid ourselves , a rotary buffer is KING when it comes to perfect paint finish. 

I am not sure where 18,000 rpm came from !  are you trying to dig a hole through the panel ? 

I run a very successful "boutique" High end Detailing business . To achieve perfect paint takes many hours of intense paint correction , which is done with many levels of cutting and polishing and waxing . 

Paul Klisaris's Concours Winning 1974 Spider is an example of my work .  I specialize in High end European, Muscle cars, custom choppers , and also the occasional daily drive where the owner is very fussy with they car .

If any Alfisti require a minor detail or a Concours Winning Show car finish , you are more than welcome to contact me .

[maurizio]

Polishing a car isn't that scary. A bit of common sense goes a long way.
A safe way to do it yourself without the need for a professional hand would be to use a Bosch GEX150T random orbital buffer. No danger of burning through your paint and brings up the the results. Not as efficient as a rotary but not as dangerous if in the wrong hands. I used this machine before moving upto my current machine a Makita 9227b rotary. Got great results but it depends on your polishes and pads. If they're no good then your results won't be there. Brands like Final Inspection, Scholl and Menzerna are good products.

[Duk]

Die grinders spin at or around 18000RPM.
No polishing pad or disc would survive at those speeds, the peripheral speed would be ridiculous