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Which is the best car polisher to buy ?
Rosie - 17/10/11 at 07:28 PM

Good Evening,

I was hoping for some advice and guidance please, only if it's not too much trouble.

It's my boyfriends birthday in a few weeks and he has advised me he'd like a car polisher.

I have done some looking round and I think I've picked on which would be suitable. However, I'd really value your opinion on the subject.

Draper Expert 44190 230-Volt 1500-Watt 180 mm Angle Polisher

Is this the best car polisher ? Is there a better one ?

And, which polishing heads should I buy? He wants to put a good shine on the car. He doesn't need to remove old paint, just put a shine on the existing.

Draper 46299 180 mm Polishing Sponge Soft Polisher for 44190

The final question is what is a precision conversion chart rule and safety guide, and is it worth about £20!

Cutting-Edge Draper 175mm Lambswool Polishing Bonnet For 44190 with Precision Conversion Chart Rule and Safety Guide

I'd be very grateful for any suggestions for the best car polisher to buy him

Thank you

austin man - 17/10/11 at 07:34 PM

Dont know anything about polishers, but you must be one of the best GF's in the world buying your beloved ssomething usefull

richardR1 - 17/10/11 at 07:46 PM

Not had any experience with that particular model. For a definite answer on the best machine to get, pop a post up on Detailing World. I have one of these Rotary Polisher and is widely regarded as a good piece of kit at the price. They are a very good company to deal with too and would be able to advise on a suitable starter kit of pads and polish. If your boyfriend hasn't done any machine polishing before then he would be well served having a good read and ask advice on DW as it is possible to do some damage with a rotary polisher rather than a DA if you're not careful

Peteff - 17/10/11 at 07:54 PM

There are plenty of better (more expensive) ones available Rosie, but the one you list there is good. Any of the more expensive makes like Makita, Metabo or Hitachi will only do the same job and if he is not using it in a professional environment it should last well. Ferm do one that does the same job for less money if you are not that serious about him

sdh2903 - 17/10/11 at 07:54 PM

Is your other half an experienced polisher? Only asking as the polisher you show is a rotary polisher which can be quite unforgiving and quite easy to damage paint for a novice. If a novice it might be a safer option to go for a dual action polisher, which can be a bit more forgiving.

I have a kestrel polisher that I got with some menzerna polish and I've had some cracking results. You can also get some decent all in one packages with pads, polishes and everything you need to get going, depends on how much you want to spend.

There are some example packages here:

polishers

Also there is a shed load of info here, but be warned there are people who take car cleaning to the extreme!

detailing world

hope this helps!

MikeRJ - 17/10/11 at 08:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by sdh2903
Is your other half an experienced polisher? Only asking as the polisher you show is a rotary polisher which can be quite unforgiving and quite easy to damage paint for a novice. If a novice it might be a safer option to go for a dual action polisher, which can be a bit more forgiving.


Unless you are pretty cack handed, or attempting to polish some very soft paint you have to try fairly hard to cause problems with a rotary polisher IME. As long as you keep the surface well lubed and you don't lean on the polisher then you are very unlikely to cause damage IME.

The Draper or the Silverline polisher will be absolutely fine for home use.

[Edited on 17/10/11 by MikeRJ]

rallyingden - 17/10/11 at 08:10 PM

Hi Rosie

I've been told that its best to get a good speed range and this one goes down to 600rpm.
I've added it to my Christmas list and hope my wife is as generous as you

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

RD

sdh2903 - 17/10/11 at 09:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by sdh2903
Is your other half an experienced polisher? Only asking as the polisher you show is a rotary polisher which can be quite unforgiving and quite easy to damage paint for a novice. If a novice it might be a safer option to go for a dual action polisher, which can be a bit more forgiving.


Unless you are pretty cack handed, or attempting to polish some very soft paint you have to try fairly hard to cause problems with a rotary polisher IME. As long as you keep the surface well lubed and you don't lean on the polisher then you are very unlikely to cause damage IME.

The Draper or the Silverline polisher will be absolutely fine for home use.

[Edited on 17/10/11 by MikeRJ]


Beg to differ I'm afraid, I've seen it done where lacquer has been struck through (by an experienced valeter too). Unless you know the history of the paint on the car or go to the extremes and start checking paint thickness before polishing.

Granted this could be done with a DA too if used cack handedly, but much easier done with a rotary.

907 - 18/10/11 at 05:55 AM

Hi Rosie,

I have just bought a Makita. ( £189 )
See thread, http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/37/viewthread.php?tid=161491&page=1

For me noise is an issue, so I went for a quality tool that I can use on a Sunday morning
without upsetting the neighbors.

Cheers
Paul G

Rosie - 18/10/11 at 08:24 PM

Austin man – yes I am the best GF ever, but he’s quite a nice BF too, as he’s promised to polish my car with it too

Peteff thank you for showing me just how expensive these can be, he’s not having one of THOSE I’m afraid!

Richard R1 and sdh2903 – thank you very much for that steer and the recommendation. That Clean your car website is genius! I’m quite scared by Detailing World though, I know the warning signs now though.

MikeRJ, thank you for the wise words of guidance.

907 – thank you very much for that link. I did search before I posted but missed that one, apologies for the duplication.

Sdh2903, which Kestrel polisher have you got ? The SIM 180 says it’s also called a Kestrel, is that the one ?

I am torn between the EP800 compact and the SIM180. The SIM180 package with the Meguiar’s polish sounds top but it only goes down to 800 rpm and rayylingden says it has to go down to 600 rpm. If it doesn’t go slow enough, what does that do to the paint job ?

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing-machines/sim180-rotary-polisher/cat_72.html

Thank you for your replies

Steve Hignett - 19/10/11 at 12:33 AM

I can't comment on polishers, as I am not experienced enough with them, but I'm not sure that rallyingden said that it has to go down to 600, more so that, that particular one does go down to 600. I don't think there's that much of a difference between 600 and 800 rpm's in all honesty. But like I said, I'm def. no expert!

ATB
Steve