Amateurs: Random Orbital DA or Flex 3401 Hybrid???

P

PUNISHER VETTE

Sorry for the long post...hopefully some of you read it and can give me your opinions.

I've eliminated the Rotary Buffers from my list as I'm not a professional and have never used one before and just don't want to take the risk of hurting the clear coat. They may be great for pros doing multiple jobs a week or year but for an amateur hobbyist doing one car every few years they seem like overkill to me? Especially so since they're only good for polishing scratches... too fast and wrong rotation for finish buffing right? So i'd still have to buy a finish buffer or buff by hand when done

Application:
Painting my '69 vette. I will be using my Dynabride 6" to sand to 3000 or so. From there will need to polish the sanding marks then buff after.

Random Orbital DA(PC or Griots):
What I like:
-Safe for someone who's never used power tools for paint correction.
-Price. 1/2 the price of the Flex Hybrid if not more.
-More useful for me? I can use it for buffing my truck and other cars without fear of adding swirls or damaging paint. Might make me wax them more than when I used to do it by hand.

What I don't know for sure:
- I know they can handle cutting some swirls with the right pads/compounds but can they cut 3000g DA sanding scratches? I'm not really worried if it takes an extra minute or two per section as long as it can get the job done...eventually.

Flex 3401 Hyrbid.
-because it's forced rotation I know it'll have more cutting power. But it's also an orbital so I can finish buff with it hopefully. The piece of mind having to buy one machine and knowing it'll do everything I need is nice.
BUT.
-it's more $$$
-bigger
-doesn't have a universal head on it.


So. Will a cheaper R/O DA polisher be strong enough to cut/buff a paint job for an amateur like me? Or should I get the Flex Hybrid and just call it a day?

It basically comes down to price. The Flex Hybrid is pretty much better in all areas but at 3-5x the price of a PC(once you get the backing plates and different sized pads. My only concern is if it's really worth it or just spend a little more time with a PC.
 
The DA method does work, but at a price. It does not give that final depth where ppl take a step back. Its still very pretty but not jaw dropping. Rotary is not hard, stay 1000 rpm or below and take your time. Always retreat the cutting edge from any sharp edge.
 
shine;41099 said:
the orbital is used after the rotary for final detail.
Click to expand...

yeah. but with a cutting head and the right compound an orbital can do some form of cutting... Slower but at the same time safe.


I'm almost positive i'm going to go with the Hybrid Flex. Best of both worlds I guess. I'll get the cutting power I'll need and the orbit that'll make me feel safer when using it.

A rotary is definitely the right tool for cutting...but for an amateur like me it just seems risky and a one time use I'm not really excited about buying.
 
Not to take anything away from this forum, but the Auto Geek forum might help you out a little bit more. It is entirely made for detailing, buffing, and polishing. Decent amount of traffic on the site as well. It isn't too hard to see which products are being pushed by the experts, if you can read between the lines you can learn quite a bit. Someday I'd like to go to one of their seminars on exterior detailing.
 
your going to find out that you should have bought the rotary instead. go to chemical guys and do some reading on the buffers.
 
I'm with shine and bomccorkle on this. The rotary gets the job done. I do not believe the da polisher can produce the depth of clarity on its own.
 
shine;41103 said:
your going to find out that you should have bought the rotary instead. go to chemical guys and do some reading on the buffers.
Click to expand...

I know you like your 3403 rotary but wouldn't the hybrid be perfect for a beginner? orbital so I can't burn the clear very quickly yet forced rotation so I can give it some pressure and have some cutting power?

I know you said use a TON of tape to protect edges but having never polished before I'm not sure i'll be experienced enough to know everything I need to watch out for until it's too late. And since I don't have things to practice on I'll be learning on the real thing... so screwing up is about the last thing I'd like to do.

After watching the Chemical Guys review on their TORQ polisher I have some serious doubts about them being biased in anything they review.

I'm sure the FLEX 3403 is a great rotary but if I don't protect and edge like I need to what are the chances I do damage to the clear or burn though?
 
Once I cut the scratches and use the rotary with the different V compounds will I be forced to then also buy a orbital to finish buffing or can that stage be done by hand decently? Removing the marks left from the rotary that is.

the problem with getting the FLEX rotary is I already see that the PE-14 is better lol. So i'll want that!
 
a rotary all the way thru the v series is a pretty nice finish if.i do say so myself. With barrys black and uv clear and flow coat the reflection will show the colors of the trees down the road changing in fall... also with the slower methods i at least, have a tendency to get.impatient and start trying to push the tool around as opposed letting it do the work. Just run the rotary slow, most will go.down to 500-600 Rpm. Also if you sand out with trizact far enough you can skip the heaviest cutting step, thatll help with running it slow and avoiding burn thru.

Most burn issues come for me at least, when i have a haze that wont shine up as fast, or in a body line.
 
also running a smaller diameter pad will help keep your surface velocity down
 
a smaller pad can do a lot of damage. it runs much faster than a larger one. the flex will run down to 1k.
 
You can get a dewalt 849 on ebay for less than $100. Then you will have money for the Flex RO. When buffing, the key is to move the buffer slowly but not hesitating. The Wizards web site has a pretty good video on proper speed and give good tips too. It also helps to break the project into small sections.
 
we went the harbor freight route. didnt want a rotary, but when they sell a variable speed 7" electric for 39.99 it was worth the experiment. We made or bought adapters for our little DA's to drive the 6 and 7 inch pads. Just bought some 5/8-11 allens, a cobalt drill and tap for the 5/16-24 thread on the DA and ended up with better results from the rotary than the DA.

You can see reading thru these posts that each has their own way, and like spraying, nothing works for everybody. Maybe you can go to a swap meet or tent sale and spend 100 bucks on two or three machines, find the one that works for YOU and then invest money. Found too often that cant miss remedies on forums work fine for individuals. The new foams and chemicals out there just make it even more confusing.
 
shine;41124 said:
a smaller pad can do a lot of damage. it runs much faster than a larger one. the flex will run down to 1k.
Click to expand...

You're right shine, I should have said at a given rpm a smaller pad has a lower sfm. It is more comfortable to run a smaller pad faster since it has less harmonics.

My dewalt rotary will go down to 600 and I never spin faster than about 1500, your magic number of 1000 seems to get it done at about the right pace.

Also a nice thing about the little bit heavier dewalt is that it doesn't require any pressure, just you holding the trigger and keeping it steady.
 
until you move to the side ...... :)
the flex at 4.5 lbs makes it way more comfortable . my b&d weighed over 8 lbs.
 
Also true. Bedsides aren't much fun.... And I use those 6.5" chem guys pads on the DA for a final shine on the real pia spots, wiper cowls and such.
 
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