Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

[caseypayne69]

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?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Yes a cheap one will work but if you want one you'll cherish forever and will provide years of trouble free service plus dial down to 600 RPM go for the Makita 9227C

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I just can't get over the price. $30 vs $190. Wish I knew of a model that was almost as good as the best but only $100 bucks. And like you said low rpm.

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

While also supporting meguiars backing plate and pads. Or do all rotarys support meguiars backing plate and pads?

I'm a newb on this topic. So more detail the better!

[sontakke]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

The $30 will slow down when you try to push it.

Have you used any yet? If not, try the $30. It might get the job done. Once you understand the shortcoming of the $30 one, go for the $200 as your next rotary.

I bought the $30 and got great results when used with the right backing plate and right pads. I do wish I had splurged a little and got the $50 (cheap electronic) as that "claimes" to maintain speed.

Mind you, for a newbie with rotaty, NOT maintaining the speed is actually a safety feature :-)

Check out my gallery

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/20473

More pictures at picasa

Meguiir & Rotary Buffer

- Vikas

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

IMHO in comes down to what type of detailer are you. If Professional, by all means buy quality equipment. Get the Makita. If you are a weekend warrior, get the Chicago Electric model.

Either way also go to your local junkyard and get a practice panel, if you are a novice.

[Paul S]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

If you are on a budget and funds are hard to come by , try looking for a makita or dewalt on craigslist or at your local pawn shop. A used name brand unit for well under a hundred dollars would be my choice over a new $30.00 harbor frieght unit. Just my 2 cents.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

If you are seriously on a tight budget and really want a rotary, then the Harbor Freight unit will be more than sufficient. When the time comes that you can spring for a Makita, Dewalt, etc then do so as they really are premium tools. In the end though, it's the talent of the operator that plays the biggest role. I'd rather have someone like Mike Phililps, Joe Fernandez, Kevin Brown, Nick Chapman or others of their immense talent buff a car with a $30 HF unit than some hack with a Makita or Dewalt.

And yes, the HF rotary will accept our rotary backing plates which, in turn will allow you to use our pads.

One last thing though - do you already own a quality D/A and are now looking at moving to a rotary or adding one to your arsenal? Do you have any experience with a rotary at all? It's a great tool but not something for a complete novice to just jump into.

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I own a $25 DA. I'm not broke (assistant CFO of a nonprofit clinic) just trying to justify the purchase. Money is what I do all day.
I do plan on getting a panel to work on or just the old 98 cavalier in my driveway. It would be for weekend warrior purposes too. Though owning a detailing shop sounds great.

The biggest push for me to get one is this. I have three black cars. All with scratches. And paint shop cost would be insane.

[greg0303]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

My first rotary buffer was $60 Black & Decker. Then I switched to Makita 9227 and it's like day and night. Especially smooth start on Japanese model is fantastic. I also love low 600 rpm as Mike mentioned.
When you go with recognized brand it's gonna guarantee years of reliable performance.

[caseypayne69]

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?

[greg0303]

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?

It has universal thread 5/8"-11 so it will work with Meguiar's W68 backing plate.
I'm not sure if any speeds below 500 rpm will be usable. Maybe for super slow wax application but that even sounds too slow. I guess those slow rotations are for sanding mode.

[caseypayne69]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Oh and can you wax with this? Or is that a DA orbital job?

[greg0303]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

Oh and can you wax with this? Or is that a DA orbital job?

Yes, you can spread wax with this machine if you want. However DA, orbital or hand application will be easier to execute.
No, there's no orbital action, only rotation. It's a direct-driven rotary buffer.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Recommended rotary vs cheap rotary

I just can't get over the price. $30 vs $190. Wish I knew of a model that was almost as good as the best but only $100 bucks. And like you said low rpm.

Buy a used Makita 9227c. I bought one for $93 on eBay and I know Makita's reliability will allow me to continue using it for many more years.