Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

[PPLd]

Short Term Review: http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...-power-system/


Introduction
First of all, hats off to Corey for providing the review format. It is the best review format I have ever seen. Second, I would like to thanks Todd of Autopia-carcare to send me the Pinnacle Signature Series II carnauba paste wax as a Xmas gift! Thanks!
Back in late 2011, Meguiar's announced an innovative concept of using a drill adapting unit to SAFELY polish a car. The unit is called DA Power System [DA Pwr Sys]. It is called a system because this is not the same adapter you used to have - The rotary action of a drill is converted into a Forced Rotation dual action movement so the chance of burning through the paint is basically eliminated. The DA Pwr Sys was introduced to the market until the end of 2012 as a 2013 product.
In this short term review we shall take it out for a test drive and see how well it can handle polishing tasks.

Product description (adapted from Michael Stoops, Meguiar's):

Product Attributes:
- Superior, patented engineering
- Heavy duty & multi-function
- For corded 3/8 - 1/2" drills with 1,500 - 2,500 rpms range
- Power System tool w/yellow polishing pad
- A versatile, expandable, paint care platform
- Multi-tasker, not a single-function tool

With this tool, "DA" means both "drill applied" and "dual action", but the dual action is in the form of a forced rotation rather than the free rotating spindle action you might be used to on a polisher like our G110v2. The backing plate is not interchangeable, but the pads are. In fact, the DA Power System makes use of our current line of 4" Soft Buff pads. Drill recommendations are for a corded drill with max speed in the 1500 to 2500 rpm range. The gear reduction ratio in the tool prevents it from spinning at equally high speeds for safety reasons. We also recommend if you have a reversible drill that you use it in the "forward" direction (ie, the setting you would normally use for drilling a hole) rather than "reverse" setting. Most drills run at a slower maximum speed when set to reverse and this will compromise the ability to remove defects from the paint.
The tool is sold with a yellow polishing pad, but no liquid of any kind.
Part Number: G3500
MSRP: $59.99 (tool and one yellow pad)
------------------------------------------------------------
Solutions: DA Power Packs
At launch, 3 solution-based kits
- Paint correction (compound & cutting pad)
- Paint polishing (polish & polishing pad)
- Wax application (wax & finishing pad)
- More applications to follow
DA Power Packs are solutions to common situations and include both a liquid and pad specific to the need. Each Power Pack contains one pad and one 4 ounce bottle of product.

1. DA Power Pack - Compound
Cutting pad/Ultimate Compound
Part Number: G3501
MSRP: $11.99
2. DA Power Pack - Polishing
Polishing Pad/Ultimate Polish
Part Number: G3502
MSRP: $11.99
3. DA Power Pack - Waxing
Polishing Pad/Ultimate Wax
Part Number: G3503
MSRP: $11.99
------------------------------------------------------------
Refills: DA Power Pads
Replacement 2-pack of pads
- Cutting (paint correction)
- Polishing (paint polishing)
- Finishing (wax application)
- Interior (carpet & upholstery cleaning)
Additionally, the pads will also be available separately, without their associated liquids, in two packs. Again, these pads are our current 4" Soft Buff cutting, polishing and finishing pads.

1. DA Power Pads - Cutting Pad
Part Number: G3507
MSRP: $13.99
2. DA Power Pads - Polishing Pad
Part Number: G3508
MSRP: $13.99
3. DA Power Pads - Finishing Pad
Part Number: G3509
MSRP: $13.99
The DA Power Pad group includes a pack designed for interior cleaning with the DA Power System tool. Used with products such as our new Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, or with existing products such as APC and APC+ or any of our leather cleaners and conditioners, this pack will help you speed through carpet and upholstery cleaning. The carpet pad is a large cell foam pad while the upholstery/leather pad is a microfiber disc.

4. DA Power Pads - Interior
1 carpet pad, 1 upholstery/leather pad
Part Number: G3504
MSRP: $13.99

For anyone who has shied away from purchasing a buffer either due to fear of using a power tool on their paint, or even just the cost of acquiring a buffer, this is a great alternative to hand applying these products in order to achieve paint correction. For those of you who already have a buffer but find use of a 4" pad to be a bit unwieldy, this system can be a great addition to your detailing arsenal. You might think that using such a tool on a typical power drill might be a bit unwieldy, too, but it is surprisingly ergonomic. The handle is free to rotate to make accessibility easy, and to be able to move it away from mirrors, antennae, etc when buffing, and it's equally accessible to left handed users and right handed users alike. The forced rotation movement of the tool means vibration is also kept very low, adding to the comfort level when used for extended periods of time.
Check out our Quik Tips Video on this system.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ev4XCdQS4Ss

[iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ev4XCdQS4Ss" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen][/iframe]

*In my opinion, if extra cutting is needed, you may use the 3" Meguiar's DA MF cutting pad and D300 MF Cutting Compound with the DA Pwr Sys.


Claim (found on Meguiar's product description):
- Start getting pro results at home, with the revolutionary DA Power System
- Dual-action, rotation provides faster and safer results.
- Produces far superior results than mere hand application
- More Shine, Less Time!

Details:
1. Packaging: One drill adapter tool with yellow Meguiar's polishing pad already attached.
2. Directions: I only have the photo with me now. I will copy the text out later.

3. Construction: Hard plastic surface with a rubbery grip. Metal gears.
4. Color: black / yellow
5. Size: Less than 9-inch. Feel very well in hand.

6. Price: USD$59.99
7. Cost: As long as the unit is well maintained, I think this will easily last a decade?
8: Manufacturer: Meguiar's
9: Made in: China

Additional Products used:
1. 2 generic water buckets
2. 2 Grit Guards
3. Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss, Meguiar's APC+.
4. 1 Lowes Pro Line Grout Sponge
5. 1 Meguiar's Water Magnet
6. 3M Blue Clay & PPLdetailing Spray V3 - Polycharged
7. Meguiar's Swirl X
8. Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
9. Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Wax and Americana HEX applicator

Environmental Conditions:
8-16*C / 46-60F (used in different places)
~50-70% RH
Last wax section: The BMW is garage kept and was Opti-Sealed 2 months ago. Total mileage is around 1000km / 620 mile. The PS3 and musical instrument have never been washed or waxed before, but they have never been driven on road either lol.

A photo is worth a thousand words. We shall see some photos first and rejoin for the pros, cons and verdict.

The DA Power System come in a clear plastic packaging.

Back of the packaging. Hope you can read the words:

The PS3 cover I was going to polish.

Let's take a closer look:

Mixing shampoo. CG CWG was used. It was only 8*C / 46.4F outside and the shampoo is not dissolving well... 25ml of APC+ concentrate was also added.

This is the suds from CG CWG and APC+.

The PS3 cover was foam pre-soaked, strip washed with the Proline Grout Sponge, and dried with Water Magnet.

I clayed the PS3 with warm PPLd V3 lube and genuine 3M mild blue clay. Now let's see how much swirls are revealed after claying under tungsten garage lighting:

Take it out to fluorescent lighting:

The backind plate has a diameter of just under 3 inch. Should work well with most 3-4 inch pads on the market.


It was getting late that night so I came back another day for polishing the PS3. We played with the BMW first. The owner backed into a wall and someone touched it up and sanded it. My mission is to buff it to shiny surface. Not up to my standard but whatever... Here is how it look before:

Ta-da! This is after 1 pass of DA Pwr Sys, cordless drill, orange pad, D300.

This is after 2 passes. DA Pwr Sys took care of the sanding haze easily.


We went back to the PS3 another day. Over view of tools to be used.

Install the DA Pwr Sys as instructed. You need to insert the whole head into your drill. When attaching the foam pad to the backing plate, make sure you have it centered.

Prep-ing the pad.

Prime the pad well with Swirl X.

Spread it on PS3.

DA Pwr Sys in action. Can you see the foam pad moving / motion blur?

Ultimate Polish was used for further refining. It leave a noticeably deeper look and better finish than Swirl X on black.

Again, spread it well.

PS3 to be waxed using Pinnacle Signature Series II paste wax. As you can see, the PS3 at the backgroud is nicely polished.

Results:


My friend helping me asked if I can polish his musical instrument. I have absolutely no idea about music stuff but was told this "thing" is made of wood. I have never worked on wood paint before so I started with UP + black pad. Spread the polish on.

I polished it 2 times and it turned out nice. Waxed it with Pinnacle SSII wax and here are the results:

Another angle:


Pros:
+1 Powerful enough to remove sanding marks.
+2 Handy, light weight but solidly built and ergonomically designed
+3 Far less vibration than a full size DA
+4 Quiet operation
Cons:
-1 None I can think of.
???:
1. Is there any maintenance needed for the system? Do we need to grease it like bicycle chain or other mechanical gear? If yes, how do we do that?
2. The 3" backing plate cannot be changed so this might cause a problem for some. Not for me because you should not change it.
3. You can use it with a cordless drill, but the battery will be drained fast so you need a few battery packs in hand.

Conclusion:
Before using the DA Power System I actually asked myself "what can you expect from such a small thing?". Take it out for a test drive and I was amazed by the outcome. This DA Pwr Sys is a very nice car detailing tool.
In terms of power, DA Pwr Sys is able to remove 3000 grit sanding marks with an underspeed cordless drill easily. The level of correction is much higher when MF cutting pads and corded drill are used.
Ergonomically, DA Pwr Sys is a joy to use and very effective. This tool is handy, light weight but solidly built and ergonomically designed. The side grip makes applying downward pressure so natural. You really need to hold it in hand and use it to experience this. This is what all tools in the world should be eh?
And if you have ever used a traditional DA, you know they are noisy and vibrate like no tomorrow. Your arms will begin to fatique in 3 hours. This is not the case for DA Pwr Sys. Its gear unit virtually makes no sound. All you have is the motor sound of your drill and vibration from paint surface.
There is no direct competition on the market. The closest tool is probably the Griot Garage 3" DA polisher. Being cheaper ($95 vs $60) and so versatile (recommended but not necessary for a electricity supply), I will go for the DA Pwr Sys.
Meguiar's hit a home run with this product IMO. I will not hesitate to buy this if I were to choose again, and I will definitely recommend this to friends. The power, size and flexibility make it an attractive package! I will not be polishing without the DA Power System in my arsenal.
Score: 9/10
Highly Recommended.
Questions and comments welcomed.
----- THE END -----

[davey g-force]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Great review.

I loved the polishing of the PS3 and musical instrument!

This certainly seems to be a very competent (and so far quite popular) tool.

[BillE]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Great write up! Thanx for doing 'it'.

Bill

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Three things here, Dennis:

1. We noticed your first post was truncated so we moved the contents of your second post into the first to clean things up a bit
2. We've also moved this thread to our 2013 New Products Reviews section
3. Most importantly of all, THANK YOU!! What a fantastic write up and we love that you used the tool on a variety of surfaces with a variety of liquids, pads, etc.

We are a bit surprised that you managed to remove sanding marks with the DA Power System but the pictures tell the story here. We don't recommend that anyone start in on a wet sanding project if this is the only tool they have to buff out the sanding marks, however, as that's well beyond the design parameters of this tool. It may have worked well here, but that's no guarantee that it will always work so well at sanding mark removal. But for swirl removal, it does a really outstanding job. You're absolutely correct, too, when mentioning the additional cut you can get if using the microfiber discs and more aggressive liquids than the Ultimate Compound normally recommended with the tool - great observation.

Overall, however, the level of gloss you achieved on these various surfaces is quite impressive and should convince many of the possibilities with the DA Power System.

[PPLd]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Thank you everybody for the kind words. I am glad to see that you enjoy reading my review.

Three things here, Dennis:

1. We noticed your first post was truncated so we moved the contents of your second post into the first to clean things up a bit
2. We've also moved this thread to our 2013 New Products Reviews section
3. Most importantly of all, THANK YOU!! What a fantastic write up and we love that you used the tool on a variety of surfaces with a variety of liquids, pads, etc.

We are a bit surprised that you managed to remove sanding marks with the DA Power System but the pictures tell the story here. We don't recommend that anyone start in on a wet sanding project if this is the only tool they have to buff out the sanding marks, however, as that's well beyond the design parameters of this tool. It may have worked well here, but that's no guarantee that it will always work so well at sanding mark removal. But for swirl removal, it does a really outstanding job. You're absolutely correct, too, when mentioning the additional cut you can get if using the microfiber discs and more aggressive liquids than the Ultimate Compound normally recommended with the tool - great observation.

Overall, however, the level of gloss you achieved on these various surfaces is quite impressive and should convince many of the possibilities with the DA Power System.

I was posting it using an old notebook and seems that my Internet Explorer crashed when I was posting it... By the time I switched to a desktop I have already passed the editing time frame. So I posted it again but this time the spacing and formatting are all messed up. Anyways... thanks for fixing that for me

When I was buffing the BMW I actually asked myself "hey what can this little tool can do for me on sanding marks?" because:
1. It was my very first time to attack sanding marks
2. I have never used this tool before!
3. It is not that easy to remove sanding marks even with a full size DA.
Now the results turn out nice and I believe you guys are surprise to see that too! And I must mention that the process is so easy my non-detailing friend actually asked me to let them try it. They liked it and over the weekend we told like 20+ friends about how nice this little thing is.


For the wooden surface of musical instrument (Fender Jazz Bass American Standard 2011 Maple Neck), there were actually 2 scratches on it that I forget to take photo before because again I wasn't expecting anything. The scratches catch finger nail but Ultimate Polish and Black pad took care of it in 2 passes! Is wood paint very soft?

You might be interested to know that the battery lasted about 45 minutes on the Makita 10.8V drill I used for wet sanding.

BTW, is there any maintenance need for this tool? Do we need to grease the gears etc?

[kyuubi777]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

We are a bit surprised that you managed to remove sanding marks with the DA Power System but the pictures tell the story here. We don't recommend that anyone start in on a wet sanding project if this is the only tool they have to buff out the sanding marks, however, as that's well beyond the design parameters of this tool. It may have worked well here, but that's no guarantee that it will always work so well at sanding mark removal.
Overall, however, the level of gloss you achieved on these various surfaces is quite impressive and should convince many of the possibilities with the DA Power System.

I know it's not it's intended use, but I was able use the DA power system to buff out varnish on a dining room table. Steps I went through: 3 Coats of marine grade varnish. wet sanding with 1) 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper 2) 2000 W/D 3) 2500 W/D - Wiped everything down thoroughly then proceeded to buff with DA system and Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #2 fine-cut cleaner (2 applications with a decent amount of pressure the first time and then light pressure) Finally used Mirror Glaze #9 swirl remover with the DA system and got a very nice finnish. A satin varnish was used so I didn't get a mirror, but close to it which is exactly what I was hoping for. Only thing is, now there's a whitish filmy substance in the grain that appeared a day or so after buffing... I'm assuming this is just residue from swirl remover drying and can be blown off with an air compressor or washed off with warm soapy water... IDK, I'll find out soon enough.
Overall though, I was really impressed by the three Meg's products I used in this project. I'll definitely be using Meguiar's products from now on.


Closest leaf has one pass with fine cut cleaner - rest of table = 2500 grit wet sanding


After using the swirl remover over the entire table.


Nice reflections -not mirror, but this is due to the flatteners in a satin varnish.

[davey g-force]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Cool, nice work!

[kyuubi777]

Re: Review - Meguiar's DA Power System

Thanks! Got the residue out of the grain by washing the surface with vegetable oil to dissolve the compound and then hot water and dish detergent to remove the oil.