Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

[philttz]

Whats the general consensus on the rotary polishers available on ebay.
The ones that cost less then $60 and offer similar specs as the brand names tools. I understand that the quality is sub par, but for someone that wants the power of the rotary but doesn't want to invest $250 for several scratches, is it worth it?

[captaincog]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

My thought is no. Performance may not be the same and having good adjustments, solid bearings, and consistent speeds are critical to using such a tool to your benefit.
I have seen many poor quality tools hinder good jobs, if they work at all.
Just my 02.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

If you do not have sufficient training and experience with a rotary I HIGHLY suggest you do not attempt to use one to fix your scratches. At that cost, it might make sense to hire a pro for a one time correction, and continue to do the maintenance yourself.

Otherwise, you *might* be able to get away with using a G110 and the proper products, but it really depends on the severity of the defects at hand.

Can you get some good pictures for us to look at so we can help you best?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

A lot of the forum members that are weekend warriors and just do a few side jobs , Go to the local Harbor Freight store and get the Chicago Electric brand rotary. It retails for around $30.00 it is a good enough unit. The big thing is go to your local scrap yard and buy a hood or trunk to practice on. They are a very different animal then a d/a.

This way when you make a mistake with the rotary, you will be ruining the practice panel, not your vehicle. Good luck.

[acsuppa]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I don't know about what eBay sells since I try to avoid them. Yeah, you might find a descent deal on something like a bottle of polish but you pay more for shipping then what's it's worth . Sorry about my rant. Anyway, you could go the route that J. A. Michaels recommended. The Harbor Freight one. I actually thought about it but I couldn't bring myself to getting it. It's seems alright. Especially if you just use it here and there. I always buy the best tools that I can afford. You defiantly get what you pay for. You don't want to use a tool that gives sub par performance then have it die on you when you need it. I ignore the specs on the cheaper models so I not sure what they claim. I own a Makita that I use a lot and it's fantastic. There is no way a "cheap" one will compare to the quality of a Makita or even Dewalt or flex. You get what you pay for. So, out of the cheap ones out there, it seems like the Harbor Freight might be your best bet. Do a search on this forum and there should be at least a few post from users with good reviews. Don't forget to get some good Meguiar's pads if you go for it. I bet if you get the rotary, it won't be long until you save up for a better one. A rotary if a great tool that will give you excellent results if you have a good technique and use the correct products.

[ShinyChevy]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I always buy the best tools that I can afford. You defiantly get what you pay for.

Very good advice. Most often going cheap doesn't actually save any money because you end up buying the good tool anyway after the cheap one lets you down. My experience with Harbor Freight has been: if it has more moving parts than a hammer buy it elsewhere.

[Jchou]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I understand there are better threads for this question..however, acsuppa seems to know what he is talking about. Is is worth it to spent around 10 dollar more and get the Chicago 7" electronic polisher kit with the backing and side arm rather than the 7" polisher? Keep in mind I will most likely throw out the bonnet and "hook and loop" backing pads for the cheaper 7" polisher but if I get the kit I might try and use the pads and bonnet that comes with it.... I feel so cheap cause I'm on a tight budget.

This is for learning purposes on a scrap hood, working with M105 on light /medium scratches.

[gb387]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

Very good advice. Most often going cheap doesn't actually save any money because you end up buying the good tool anyway after the cheap one lets you down. My experience with Harbor Freight has been: if it has more moving parts than a hammer buy it elsewhere.

There you go, so true - I have seen and used the cheap tools and never again. I prefer to only buy tools once, I have found they tend to lack power, say a cheap grinder; it spins up nice and runs well but when you try to put some pressure on it and grind something it slows way down and becomes useless.

[Black Bart]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I bought a Harbor Freight rotatry 2 years ago and it works fine.
I don't do anything other than maintain the 7 vehicles that I own NO commercial work.

I paid $29.95 and it will remove paint just as fast as a 300 dollar one.

[seth1066]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

You can find name brand quality rotaries on Ebay if you're patient. My $70 Makita is still humming along.

[BlueZero]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I just read a cool say, on this forum or another. Sorry for not giving credit where it's due but I couldn't find it again.

"When you buy quality you only cry once"

[seth1066]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I just read a cool say, on this forum or another. Sorry for not giving credit where it's due but I couldn't find it again.

"When you buy quality you only cry once"

Good one!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I bought a Harbor Freight rotary 2 years ago and it works fine. I don't do anything other than maintain the 7 vehicles that I own NO commercial work. I paid $29.95 and it will remove paint just as fast as a 300 dollar one.

You can find name brand quality rotaries on Ebay if you're patient. My $70 Makita is still humming along.

These are both good options for getting a rotary buffer with the Makita being a better option if you're going to be using the tool for a living.

I just read a cool say, on this forum or another. Sorry for not giving credit where it's due but I couldn't find it again.

"When you buy quality you only cry once"

That's good...

[new2detailing]

Re: Whats the dillio on the ebay rotary buffers?

I bought a cheap Harbor Freight rotary (Chicago Electric) that works fine for the individual user. However, if I were to base a business (with a focus on rotary correction) then I would step up for a better quality rotary. The same goes for RO polishers, the cheap ones are fine for application of waxes/sealants/glazes. However, a better quality product will do more( i.e correction), last longer, and be a better longterm investment.