Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

[Still Learnin]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I own a Makita 9227c and recently acquired a new Drill Masters rotary from harbor freight from a good friend of mine... Its always good to have a back up rotary switching backing plates back n forth isnt fun... Joe Fernadez also uses Harbor Freight rotaries (sorry Joe had to put you on blast) its all about technique. Get what your wallet will allow

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

What's the difference a person would see in results of using on of the three recommended rotarys or buying a cheap $30 rotary? Will a cheap one still clear up sand paper scratches and be able to bolt on meguiar plates and buff pads?

I own a Makita 9227c and recently acquired a new Drill Masters rotary from harbor freight from a good friend of mine... Its always good to have a back up rotary switching backing plates back n forth isnt fun... Joe Fernadez also uses Harbor Freight rotaries (sorry Joe had to put you on blast) its all about technique. Get what your wallet will allow

Looks like a hot item on eBay. Every used one for $50 has 15 bids.

[BillyJack]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Caseypayne69,
Here's a few threads that may be of interest to you:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10662

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38676&highlight=rotary+speeds

I've seen another chart with Meg's products and recommended rotary speeds, but can't find it at the moment.

BTW, If you really have the urge to try out the HF rotary, have at it!
I used to do a little weekend detailing as supplemental income many years ago.
I've been using the same Rockwell rotary since the 70's, when Rockwell owned Porter-Cable and was branding the P-C tools with the Rockwell name. It weighs in at 10 1/2 lbs. and is a single-speed 2000 rpm. The thing will probably outlive me. Since I now only do my own cars and a few for friends & family, I decided to do a cheap experiment to see if I could justify purchasing a variable-speed rotary, so I bought a Chicago Rotary as an opened-box deal for under $25. Overall, it's a real piece of ****. It's noisy, probably due to the cheap gears and bushings, and bogs down with any load. However, the speed selector wheel is easy to access, so I use it as a soft-start switch, and just bump up the speed when necessary. At only 6 1/2 lbs., it's a lot less tiring than my old Rockwell. Until I find a deal on a used DeWalt or Makita, this is my go-to buffer for everything but serious paint correction. So if your itching for a trainer rotary, go ahead and make your best deal on a Chicago POS. If you decide a rotary's not your thing, at least you won't have risked any serious expense. Just don't expect it to last forever.

Bill

[sontakke]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Thank you guys for your input.

I found this, since it was mentioned above.

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-variable-speed-polisher-sander-92623.html

The Chicago electric.

Says it's a 10 amp that does 200 to 3,300 rpm
Not sure if these are good stats.

Couple questions on his model and I won't bug the rotary forum any more.
This Chicago, will it work with meguairs backing plates etc? If it doesn't work with Meguiars I don't want it. People were braggin about the 300 rpm of the Mak model yet this does 200. Isn't this a good thing?

that is exactly what I used. I also used 20% off coupon, so it was $24. I think you can afford to have this as a spare when you upgrade. The next model up unfortunately is almost double but it does have electronic speed control.

Buy the following from Amazon ($35):-

Meguiars W64 rotary backing plate
Meguiars W7006 cutting pad and
Meguiars W8006 polishing pad

Those will cost you more than your rotary buffer! Then pick up Meguiars Ultimate Compount and SwirlX from Walmart/AutoZone/Advanced Auto for $15. So you have already spent $75 and you still have to buy carwash, clay, towels, brushes. This is getting expensive, isn't it :-)

Given that you have an older car to practice, go for it. When people ask should I buy a Mercedes or a Kia, what do you tell them? HF Rotary vs Makita issue is similar. They both will get you where you want to go.

- Vikas

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Thanks all. And I know you car ability was just that. But my luxury car brand of choice would be BMW M series or Cadilac V series. But yea Kia really ****. Favorite sports car is the Viper GTS followed by Corvette (C5), Mustangs, than lastly Camaros. Might be in getting a 05 to 11 Mustang GT in the next two years. Or wait on 2014 50th anniversary Mustang.

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I just lost a eBay bid for Makita 9227c Went for 60 plus $18 shipping.

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I'm bidding on a Makita 9227c 7. It shows the socket with nothing attached. Is this were the backing plate attaches? Also socket has a chip on one edge corner. Still worth getting?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Yes, that is the arbor that the backing plate threads onto. How bad is the chip? Got a pic?

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280568667141&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT#ht_4527wt_922

[Lasthope05]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#ht_4527wt_922

Thats nothing to worry about. That is just an Edge 2000 adapter(to be used with edge 3000/3m dual sided pads) attached to the spindle. You would actually be removing this piece so you can attach a backing plate to the buffer.

[Shootist]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I bought the H-F rotary for $30. The backing plate is o.k. The pads that come with it are basically garbage.
I used them to buff out a fiberglass shower stall with Soft Scrub and then BarKeeper's Friend. Need to put some NXT on to keep the scum off...haha!
Seriously though, here were my only real gripes with the H-F:
1. When new, it would sling a little oil under load.
2. At the super low speeds (under 1 on the dial) it starts getting very erratic under load. This is where the Makita would be great...I like using the low speeds sometimes.
3. After about 30 mins of use, mine smells like it's going to burn up, but it never does.
4. Newer ones only have a 90 day warranty. Mine came with a year. They do this so they can sell you their extended warranty.

Some things you might purchase at the same time. H-F also sells a few good quality velcro pads mfg by S.M. Arnold in St. Louis, which I acquired for less than $25 total. They have a wool pad, a yellow buffing/compounding pad, and a black finishing pad good for polishes, waxes, etc.
I had to inform my H-F store that they stocked the black pad...he went in back and found a box of them which had been sitting unopened for 1 year..haha! Let me know if you need the part numbers.

Having said all of this if you ever get your hands on a Makita 9227, you will realize why it costs 6 times as much. Amazon had it for $162 yesterday, but now it's back up to $180.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I have both, what i learned as the 30$ cheap'o wax spreader is perfect for just that, spreading thin layers of NXT. Quick painless and easy to do. Managed to get 2 cars done in a fraction of time.

For honest paint correction, in which I am more worried about my technique the Makita allows me the adjustibility of speed to get the desired correction needed. The Cheapo unit does not have that and like said, too much pressure makes it stop. I would wager though, some M105 and a wool bonnet and enough time and patience I bet it would cut the paint but again, is that what your looking for. A Time waster???

Harbor Freight is a good place for lower priced tools and probably suit you fine.

[ANeat]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Im really happy with the Makita, I started using a Harbor Freight and came across a Makita used and its certainly worth the extra money

[ferry_yanto]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

What about the GPO 14 from Bosch?

[jatee]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

i got the chepo harbor freight one. i then threw out the backing plate and pads that came with the unit and got the meguiars backing, a wool pad and foam pad. i do get really good results.