Group501

I am researching the purchase of a dual action polisher. I am thinking about the Porter Cable 7424 xp. I am leaning towards ordering one of the kits at Autogeek but I am not sure which one. I will be using the machine on the following vehicles: 2014 Stingray (the car was Opticoated), 2012 Honda Odyssey, 2014 Ram p/u coming next week, as well as a few work trucks. I will be looking to do a clay bar (or nano sponge) on the Ram when it gets delivered. I welcome any advice as to which kit I should order. I am also open to any other suggestions besides Autogeek. Thank you all in advance for any assistance.

rsparks64

There are many threads on this. When I researched it last year I settled on the Griot's Garage model as suitable for someone with little or no experience or for someone very experienced. There are more expensive one but are not generally for most b/c of the price, skill level, etc. The Griot's is available at Autogeek and at the Griot's website. I practiced on my Tahoe first and there is a little bit of a learning curve. I can't compare it to others but have been happy with it.

olbear1962

I went with the Porter Cable first and then purchased Flex last year, both are excellent and safe for us novices.

Street Rat

I sprung for the Flex 3401 for my first polisher. I have been extremely happy with it.

Mysticine

I also bought the Porter Cable as my first polisher, then got a Flex shortly after. I am very happy with the Flex. I only use my Porter Cable now for small corrections using 4" pads.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

I am a bit bias .... but Autogeek would earn my $$ for a couple of reasons :
1. Full Time Price Guarantee
2. Carries all the major buffers and car products to let you choose
3. A full time staff with many detailers and hobbist that want to help before, during, and after each purchase
4. Detailfest Annually !
5. A forum designed to help those with their products, use those products, www.autogeekonline.net
6. One of the longest supporters of this forum and the Car Care area of this forum

Now in speaking of buffers, and I have used about all of them, and own many of them. I started with the original PC and quickly wanted more. I wish they offered the Griots Random Orbital at the time, as more torque is noted and welcome. The Flex and Rupes are very nice but expensive and clearly an upgrade to the initial line of orbitals.

The cool part of the Griots, PC-XP, and Megs is that they use all the same backing plates, pads, and most accessories. So as you upgrade you can use a lot of the same stuff you have already purchased.

If I started my quest today, I would want to start with a Griots Random Orbital. I would add in a 5 inch flexible backing plate. I would also consider 5.5 inch Lake Country Hydro-tech pads (2x's each color per car). I would use Menzerna polishes with them.

Group501

Thanks for the advice. I see that you have a bunch of kits available for the PC unit. I will probably not use it on the c7 because of the Opticoat. I am leaning towards the PC but keep getting hung up on which kit to order. I am getting the new truck in a few days and want to clay, polish and seal it, so I will order the nano attachment (fine or medium?). I plan to use the PC on my wife's Honda (like new but she does use car washes), my new pu truck (personal use) and my work trucks (they get really dirty). I want to order the PC, Lakeland 6 pack (unsure which colors I need) and the pad sprays (I am a novice and have no clue about these) as well as polish, sealer or whatever you suggest. When my shoulder was good, every year I would clay bar my cars, polish with Klasse All in One, and was withP21s. Should I continue to use the Klasse and p21s, or should I switch products? If you can put together a suggested package for me that would fit my needs, I will probably buy it today. Also, please let me know if there are any coupon codes or discounts I could get. Thanks, John.

Black 02

I would go for the Griots out of your choices listed.

I have a PC, Flex 3401 and Rupes 21 currently. The PC is great with 4" pads, the Flex is great on extremely curvy vehicles with hard paint and the Rupes is smooth as butter and a master of big flat panels. With the right pads and polishes, you can do amazing things with any of the polishers available as long as you use them correctly.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

We have many great kits but none that have exactly what I want specifically. As I offered above, the basics are here. We could spend more time on polishes (I like Menzerna). I would continue to use the sealants and waxes you have as they are great products.

Most of our sales do not cover buffers as we keep them as low as possible. It will include discounts on the pads, backing plate, and polishes. I suggest watching the banner on our site and also the sales we post here. Once in a great while we will offer a sale on everything. Honestly I don't know when the next one is coming.

Merlinii

As stated above I have quite a variety of machines too. (Not as many as AG) [GRIN]

I have Rotaries, DA's, Flex's, Rupes etc. IMHO each one has its limitations and excels in its own particular area.
For a newbie I'd start with a DA as it is "safer". I can train someone in about 10 min. how to use a DA correctly.

The PC can do paint correction. - I like it better for finishing
The GG6" has more power - I like it better for paint correction.
The Harbor Freight entry is a weekend warrior machine - No bad for the money.

That said I get lots of supplies from AG. The first thing I'd purchase would be the Megs DA W67DA 5" backing plate.
I'd get a "6 pack" of Lake Country 5.5" flat foam pads. My starter set would be 2) Orange 2) White 1) Black 1) Blue

Why a Megs 5" backing plate you ask? It's recommended for the Megs DA microfiber correction pads & compounds.
I'm a big fan of Megs D300 and DMC5 Cutting Discs for correction & Megs DMF5 Discs with Carpro Reflect for finishing.

For me...I'm not a kit guy. I'd rather "cherry pick" only the products I need and want.

The question is what do you think your main purpose is going to be for the machine?
Paint correction (removing fine scratches and swirls) or finish polishing (gloss enhancement, clarity, shine, jeweling)?

Did I mention that I also feel that the best quality microfiber towels you can buy are one of the most important tools?

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

Merlinii offers some great observations and opportunities .... that's why the focus on a kit might not always be the best in your environment.

Give us a call or PM as needed and we will help you with your specific line of attack. Thanks for considering Autogeek !!