Now I’m sort of new to the detailing world. About advanced as I’ve gotten is Claying my truck.

A local automotive paint supply store has a good deal going on an ATD-10511
7" Shop Polisher. It’s a Variable speed from 1000 RPM to 3000 RPM.

I had originally stopped in there looking for a DA but they don’t carry them. I would like to get a DA or High Speed to get more into detailing.

I am worried about burning the paint on my truck so I found 3-4 vehicles that could practice on '78 Ford Pickup, '97 Dodge ram, '64 F-100, it doesn’t matter if I screw up the paint because the guy said he would just get them repainted.

Now my question is are they really that hard to use??
There is not a lot of talk about them on here are they just that easy to mess up with?
Are the Pads on a High speed and a DA the same or is there a difference?

Thanks Brian

 

I have that same polisher and it works great. With that being said , it is very easy to mess up. While you might not burn the paint, the chances are very slim that you will be able to polish your truck and not leave behind buffer trails(holograms), which look horrible. Even (supposedly) professional detailers have been known to leave holograms,\. The DA is easy to use and its almost impossible to ruin your paint or to leave holograms, but you really won't take out serious defects. As for the pads, most of them are the same, but you wouldn't use a wool pad on a DA. I use the Meguiar's and LC pads.

 

I dont know about the professionals thing...I am no professional but I leave a swirl free finish.

Also, YES, the D/A CAN take out some pretty serious stuff. While it wont take out everything, it has the potential to do a LOT.

I dont think this smrcalidiv guy knows what he is talking about. Dont listen to him.

On my own response, I will say that I have never used the shop polisher that you have, but I have a DA, and it is EXTREMELY effective, very wasy to learn, and it is 100% worth it.

I dont know about pad interchangability, but I know that for a beginner, you will NOT want to jump right into a rotary. Start with a DA, then work up from there.

Also, have you read the sticky? I cant remember if when I typed it I put anything in there about DA use, but if nothing else, it is a good place to start.

I will come back to this later on, but in the mean time, I am sure JP or Brad will come to your aid.

 

My first time using a DA I very effectively removed nasty swirls from my wifes car. I've heard of a thing called: (PPP) Product, Pad, Pressure. With the correct use of all three I can first hand say that a DA can do things I didn't think I could do myself.

 

Excuse me!? What exactly makes you think that I don't know what I am talking about? Rotary polishers such as the ATD take more time to master than a DA, and therefore are notorious for leaving holograms. I never said it was impossible to NOT leave them, just that beginners will most likely leave holograms.

I also never said tha DA's can't take out swirls or light scratches, but for stuff like deep branch scratches, wetsanding marks, are removed far easier and much more quickly with a rotary.

 

smrcalidiv.....

i have been on this site a while....just be careful not to rock the boat...this is a very pro use on the da and they scare the he// out of anyone looking at a real polisher (rotary)....just like the f150sport below saw someone detail and helped with his vehilce i think 2 or 3 months back now apparently he is the say all end all....

a master (well respected person that does do great work used the da) on this site just got a flex and raves about it...he has just got one step closer to what he will end up with....a real polisher, a rotary

 

Got it...while I may be new to this site, I am not new to detailing. I must admit that I find it particularly offensive to be told that I don't know what I am talking about and that I should not be listened to. Especially since if you read my post I am saying that a DA would be the way to go, and the risk for error is greater with a rotary. Maybe it was a misunderstanding, I don't know...either way I stand by what I said earlier.

 

My apologies-- I just reread your first post after reading the responses... Yeah, I definately had a dyslexic moment... I read it backwards and it sounded WAY different:o Moral to the story: Dont bash when in a hurry to go to do something else: This causes mis-read posts and peple such as myself looking like idiots... Again, I am sorry for that.

 

No harm no foul, apology accepted.

 

Again, my bad-- I jumped the gun because I read his pst wrong, and I apologize for that.

However, I would like to point out that in spite of the fact that RollingRock and myself did do a tag-team detail in October (ie: 6 months), I was already VERY familiar with detailing. Granted, by no means am I a RockPick, Boss_429, or a RollingRock, but I do know what I am doing. Do I ask questions? Yes. Because the minute you think you know it all you are wrong.

Now here is an honest question for you, with NO sarcasm in it whatsoever:

Do you really use a Rotary for every detail (meaning a detail involving paint correction)? Seeing as I figure you dont, when do you draw the line between DA and rotary? Keep in mind that I cannot afford a flex or a rotary right now, so you wont be able to sell me the idea, but I am curious (and TBH, for what I do, a DA is perfect. I dont detail enough to justify either a flex or a rotary)

As for JP getting a Flex, yeah, it was fun. But I dont see why you would ever eliminate a DA from your toolbox. Just my opinion. (Again, keep in mind that my bias is based on not being able to afford a better tool...)

 

[QUOTE=troberts6874;3158310

a master (well respected person that does do great work used the da) on this site just got a flex and raves about it...he has just got one step closer to what he will end up with....a real polisher, a rotary[/QUOTE]

whatchutalinboutwillis? By chance is this directed at moi?

If so I am totally flattered....if not, I still love my FLEX!!!!

 

Since we've migrated from "how difficult is it?" to "let's all show our weiners and dance in the moonlight..."

Oh, wait a minute... that was the email from RR earlier. BTW, I replied to that RR.


Seriously though.. now that everyone has kissed and made up, it's as simple as this...

The DA **IS** capable of serious problem removal but, it does have limitations. One of the biggest problems that you'll encounter utilizing the DA is that it'll be timely to remove 'serious' problems in paint. This is because it is intentionally powered to be 'user friendly' to the point that you'd have to be an absolute boneheaded moss pond frog to screw up your paint.

It's super simple. Put product on a pad. Put pad on the paint. Select speed (they've even idiot-proofed by adding oodles of charts and stuff for certain pads and certain products). Turn on DA. Work product on paint in small areas. Remove product. Repeat as needed until desired level of 'cleaning' has occured.

The Flex is a step up on the 'oompah' chart. It still is, generally, idiot-proof but, it's a more powerful tool. While I don't believe that a Flex is for the masses (I'm sorry, I just haven't bought in to it as being the hottest and best as some have), it will offer more removal 'oompah' versus that of the DA. In turn though, you do increase the potential cause problems by using the device incorrectly etc... again though, it's pretty idiot proof and would likely be high on my list of devices to consider if the DA didn't exist. My point - it does exist and it's tried and true. That's not meant to be a knock on the Flex (I will likely have one at some point in time) as it's a good machine and seems to be doing some good out there but, I don't see it as a replacement for the DA... at least not yet.

The next step up is going to a full rotary device. These are the ones that Makita and Dewalt (among others) make. They are much more powerful but, yet again, with today's modern paint systems, aren't a real far throw from idiot-proof too. But, what we must divulge is that this machine doesn't give a flip about your paint and can do more harm than good if you're not familar with it (for example, the first time I picked up a rotary, it got a tad sideways and I banged the handle on the paint of the 'tester vehicle' (a rental) that I was trying it out upon. To this day, I think about that event every time I pick up my Makita to tackle a tough job. The rotary, long and short, isn't as forgiving but will yield results in a fairly efficient manner.


So, let's recap...

The DA:

Pros -

1. Easy to use.
2. Idiot proof
3. Very functional and capable

Cons -

1. Can be slow.
2. Requires lots of patience
3. Not capable of super efficient problem removal (deeper scratches and serious swirling).

-------------------


The Flex:

Pros -

1. User friendly
2. A bit more 'oompah' over that of the DA
3. Capable of a bit more problem removal.

Cons -

1. Still not the gold standard.
2. A bit more risk as it's a more powerful tool.
3. A tad more expensive.


-------------------------

Rotary:

Pros -

1. Fully capable of doing just about everything to a painted surface.
2. Quick and efficient (in the right hands)
3. Very powerful and versatile (you can knock out light swirls to super heavy wet sand markss with the right products/pads/technique).

Cons -

1. Much more powerful thus, more chances and opportunities to cause damage that only be repaired by respray or other serious corrective actions
2. More expensive.
3. Heavy and bulky.


All of that said, I use both the DA and a rotary (and have for quite some time on just about every color out there). I still reach for my DA when a vehicle is only lightly swirled or only needs minor correction to the paint. My rotary comes out of it's Makita bag when I get a client vehicle that may need serious corrective action or if it's a vehicle that I want to get out of my drive in a jiffy with not as much attention to ultimate detail.

My point - all of the aforementioned machines probably have a place on someone's shelf. The driveway warrior -- either the DA or the FLEX. The person who may take it three steps farther -- a Rotary (with the right pads and products).

I'm not sure if that helps or hinders but, that's my opinion.

-RP-

 

THANK YOU, RP!!!

That was VERY helpful. Although I knew a bit on there, I definately learned a key detail: That you CAN tackle light stuff with a rotary (I always thought if you used a rotary you had to follow it up with a DA...)

Heck, when I finally work on the sticky more, I think I am going to copy-paste that right on in there...

 

Nupe... that's why Meg's makes the W-9000 (8" finishing) and the WDFF7 (diamond finishing 7")... Both are basically 'rotary only' pads.

That lousy black Sentra that I worked on the week before last was finished using the WDFF7 in several areas (with M86). Some of it looked pretty darn good but, as the saying goes, you can only polish a turd so long - in the end, it's still a turd.

-RP-

 

SWEET! Haven't done that since last summer. Come on camping season!