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i'm thinking of getting one, waxing both my cars are starting to be a pain in the arm.

 
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I dont like them...They cause swirl marks

 
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itll make waxing a lot easier but in the end youll end up with mad swirls all of that car. Stick to doing the hard way and you wont regret it

 
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I have an orbital buffer and it worked pretty good. I used it and it got rid of alot of my scratches and swirl marks, you just have to use it properly. I stoped using it though after I got zaino, but if you have alot of scratches, you can use a fine rubbing compound w/ it and it should get rid of most of them.

 
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As long as use a quality machine and good clean pads you will be fine using an orbital buffer. I think some people who are talking about swirls are talking about using rotary buffers, these can be VERY dangerous and best left to pros.

Using an orbital is basically like using "bionic hands". It "jiggles" or oscilates instead of spinning in one direction,thus it does not generate heat. The rotary buffers generate heat causing burns or severe swirls in the paint(when used incorrectly).

 
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polish/wax by hand here

 
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same here, only way to go

 
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I've always waxed my car by hand. It comes out nicer, and buffers are known for swirls as said above

 
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When you guys that polish by hand step up the porter cable 7424, you will never go back to hand!

 
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what??

 
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The porter cable 7424 is a random orbital polisher that is a standard piece of equipment for almost every professional detailer. It is the machine that meguiar's sells, check out their website. The results are incredible and much faster than by hand.

 
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oh......yeah...its a cool product...



but ill stick to doing it by hand...its not that hard to do

 
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I get a much better result using an orbital buffer and terry cloth (or foam) pads, particularly on dark colors. Silver basically always looks the same, but when I used to own black cars, using some good swirl reducer with the buffer totally brought the finish back to life from the previous owner's neglect. I've seen a lot of people cause swirl marks by hand too. Using the proper pad and toweling is key.

 
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anyone know any good buffers i can get cheap?
there was a craftsman 10" buffer with alot of bonnets for $30 but then i saw it and thought it was too big.
looking for a 6" one.

 
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I bought my porter cable from www.coastaltools.com for $119.00 I thought that was a bargain considering I will never have to buy another. If you are looking for one that you will use every now and then I think black and decker makes one that is not too bad. Also do you have a harbor freight in your area? If so they probably have one for really cheap. The only thing about these machines is that you may have trouble finding pads for it. Good luck!

 
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Yea, the ol arm gets a weebit tired after you go over the car with swirl/scratch remover a couple times, a coat or two of polish, and finally a coat or two of wax. Plus, it takes a while as well.

Imo, there is no way to polish/wax whatever w/o putting swirls or scratches into the clear coat. You can go back and forth but you simply end up with back and forth marks instead of circular ones..I don't think they are as noticeable though...

I want the meguiar's buffer but it is mega expensive...I am getting it one day..

 
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The meguiar's machine is the exact same thing as the porter cable 7424, they just put their name on it! I think they sell it for $225.00 and you can buy it from coastaltool for $119.00. With the right pad and the right polish you will have absolutely no swirls.

 
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Sweet! Thanks for letting me know that. Looks like I will be able to get one a little sooner now.

 
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justacivic, are you an Autopian? You sound like one.

Yeah, machines don't cause swirls....ppl do! For simple detailing procedures like applying a glaze, light cleanser or wax, you'll be fine by hand. But when it comes to applying a polish or if you want to remove light swirls, there really is no substitute for the Porter Cable 7336. It's almost impossible to get a perfectly marr-free finish when applying these polishes by hand (uneven pressure, not enough speed to break down the abrasives). This is especially important if you have a black, red or blue colored car.

Too many folks here are confusing the direct-drive rotary buffer and a random orbital buffer. One generates a lot of heat and is used to correct major imperfections and the other is used for washing, glazing, and light polishing.

 
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Coastal Tool is a great place to get the PC, but you can also get it at Lowe's Hardware.

 
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No, I read there sometimes but I learned most of what I know the old fashioned way; I messed up a lot of cars! I agree with what you said but, it's hard to educate people on the amazing results of machine application, it's something you have to see to believe! I will be looking to you for backup in the future.