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Off Brand Rotary

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  • #1

    Off Brand Rotary

    I just recently decided to broaden my horizons when it comes to detailing and bought myself a rotart polisher. Thing is, I Got In The Zone, and got one from AutoZone, and it happens to be a Great Neck. I know they're not the BEST brand in the world ;-), but I've had pretty good luck with their hand tools and electric stuff, so after my $20 in points and a military discount I picked it up for less than $50. NOW, I've spent all day arguing with a co-worker that it wasn't a good purchase. He's more interested in purchasing a D/A, but we spend the better part of 2 hours arguing that the Great Neck wouldn't work. He says, Using meguires Ultimate line, with Lake Country pads, on a Great Neck will not have as quality of results ad the same pads and product on a Flex/Makita. This makes no sence in my mind. The rotory, from what I understand, SPINS THE PADS, no orbit no nothing, it just spins. So if my Great neck has the capibality of spinning the pads, at the same RPM's as, let's say a flex, and using the same product; how could a more expensive, brand name polisher creat better results? It just makes no sense to me?
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  • #2
    Re: Off Brand Rotary

    I have only used a makita, but as long as it spins smoothly, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

    Cons may possibly things like soft start, speed control and balance.

    If it works for you then that is a great deal.

    Have you used it yet?

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    • #3
      Re: Off Brand Rotary

      Originally posted by meguser2002 View Post
      I have only used a makita, but as long as it spins smoothly, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

      Cons may possibly things like soft start, speed control and balance.

      If it works for you then that is a great deal.

      Have you used it yet?
      Agree fully.

      Just be careful with it...go gentle and easy 'till ya get the feel.

      Bill

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      • #4
        Re: Off Brand Rotary

        It will work fine I have one and it works well. I did buy the Porter cable variable with the slow start just because it was a super price.

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        • #5
          Re: Off Brand Rotary

          It does have slow start, and seems pretty balanced. I haven't used it for cutting yet, just to buff wax and it seemed fairly sturdy.

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          • #6
            Re: Off Brand Rotary

            While tools like the Makita and Flex rotary are probably "better" tools, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll do a better job of polishing paint than the off brand you picked up.

            "Better" usually means things like lighter, quieter, smoother, higher quality bearings and other moving parts, probably longer life under heavy use. But with all that usually comes higher cost of entry as well.

            Harbor Freight sells a very inexpensive rotary too, and plenty of folks have purchased it and used it with great results. As others have said, if it spins the pad smoothly and has the range of speeds you need, then it will get the job done.

            Even among higher end rotary tool choices such as the Makita 9227, Dewalt 849 or Flex PE 14-2-150 there are people passionate about one over the other.
            Michael Stoops
            Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

            Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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            • #7
              Re: Off Brand Rotary

              After 30 years of using my metal case, single-speed Rockwell buffer, I recently acquired a Harbor Freight variable speed unit. The deal was just too good to pass up, so I decided to give it a try. Actually it works fairly well. Unlike my old workhorse, which will just burn the paint all the way to the metal if you give it a chance, the HF unit bogs down under pressure, so you have to keep a finger on the dial and move the speeds around constantly. Otherwise, it works satisfactory. I do appreciate the lighter weight, about 4lbs. less than my old unit, especially when I'm doing vertical panels. I do recommend you stay away from the large pads. Stick with the 5-6 inch pads and you can always use them later if you get a RO machine.

              Bill

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              • #8
                Re: Off Brand Rotary

                I have a $30 random orbital polisher from pep boys which is now made by black and decker and I've had it for years and it works great for me. I use it to polish out swirls on my black car and once in awhile I use it to apply wax but I usually wax by hand. It does a great job at completely removing swirls and its easy to use too. The only cons are its noisy and it vibrates a lot, but I just listen to the radio and live with the vibrating hands.

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