Well my friends birthday is coming up and I was thinking about getting him an electric buffer for his car because his older one got stolen a few months ago so I figured this would cheer him up seeing thats he's been wanting to polish and wax his car. He has a 1997 Buick Riviera and it's BLACK of all colors. He's badly in need of a polish. If you can give me some sugg. along with price, location, and what to look for in a buffer I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

I found this on ebay today and I was wondering what you guys think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1846903333

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1990 Mercury Sable 3.0
Front Strut Tower Brace
Subframe Connectors

 

A buffer would be a great gift for a car nut! I should know, I got one too back in May.

Anyhow, I really like my Porter Cable 7336, random orbit. It's the same buffer as the 7224, and you can find them at Lowe's for $100 usually. The model you are looking at would probably be fine for applying wax and so forth, but it may not be the best for restoration jobs. I like the power that the PCs have though. Makes swirl removal jobs much easier. I've even applied a few coats of Zaino with the PC and it turns out incredible!

Depends on how much you wanna spend for quality, but that particular model on ebay will work fine for occasional use.



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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Show Car Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!

 

Oh sorry. I'm looking to pay maybe or hopefully $40-50? I can't really afford anything over that.

BTW whats the difference between orbital and ellipitical<-is that even a real word? motions? and what RPM's and OPM's should I look for?

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1990 Mercury Sable 3.0
Front Strut Tower Brace
Subframe Connectors

[This message has been edited by Jibberish18 (edited July 30, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Jibberish18 (edited July 30, 2002).]

 

I have a 10 inch WEN brand name, costs about 40 bucks (got it at AutoZone) and it has a ton of power.

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96 Black Impala SS
Authorized Zaino Showcar Polish Distributor
www.zainobros.com
Remember #3

 

Random orbital is just that. It's a random swirl free motion that usually resembles a really fast figure-8 type motion. RO is usually thought to be the best type for beginners to pros because their ability to create a flawless finish quickly without causing actual swirl or buffer marks. The elliptical type basically rotates in an oval pattern, which also helps minimize swirl marks but less so than the RO buffers. On the professional end you have "rotary" buffers which spin in a circles at very high speeds, kinda like if you put a pad on your corded drill and used it. In the wrong hands these can cause serious paint damage very quickly because of their nature to dig into the paint. A rotary is strictly for someone with plenty of experience or who wants to test it out on a beater etc to become familiar with one... I'd say the RO is technically safer than the elliptical especially for first timers.

The RPM's generally don't mean too much when judging buffers, but motor size does. More power means greater torque and greater polishing ability and efficiency. My PC 7336 has a max OPM of around 6000, I think. But, a good rotary usually maxes out at around 3500 to 4000 RPM. But, the rotary is much more powerful than my PC will ever be, even with it's lower RPM.

Also, a really nice feature to watch for is a variable speed instead of a on/off machine. My PC, for example, varies in speed from 1 to 6. This just means you can go from slow speed wax application to higher speed swirl removal. Single speed machines are generally a tradeoff between the two.

You should be able to find a fairly nice buffer in the $50 and under category. Take a look at stores like AutoZone, PepBoys, or even WalMart and compare the specs on different machines and see which fits your friend's needs the best. Heck, the model KevinSS has would probably be perfect!

Hope this helps!

Mike



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*Mike's 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, Kenwood eXcelon KRC-953H/U, Kenwood / Pioneer speakers
Show Car Shine by ZAINO! - Special Thanks to Sal Z!

 

BTW, here is a link I like that explains a good bit about the better kinds of buffers and how to use them. Click the arrow at the bottom of the page to continue with the article...

http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/?pa...ishing_machine

 

Hey MikeLS. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to post me a link and give me a good explaining on buffers and their charactertistics. I've learned a good amount for future reference. Too bad my car has more rust than paint

I didn't get my friend the buffer though. I got him a pair of Boston Acoustics FX92 6x9's and a pair of 5 1/4" Components also from Boston Acoustics. $140 total .
And it's a good thing I didn't get him a buffer. Turns out someone else decided he needed a buffer and bought him one. All goes well.

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1990 Mercury Sable 3.0
Front Strut Tower Brace
Subframe Connectors

 

Hey, you're more than welcome! Glad I could try to help.

Can't go wrong with some great car audio gear, and I'm sure he really appreciated it too! Glad things worked out for the best!

Mike


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*My 1992 Camaro RS 25th Anniv.*
Dark Red Metallic (ext.) / Flame Red (int.)
Flowmaster Crossflow, K&N, 20% 3M Panther Black Tint
JL Audio 3 10", PPI PC2100, other Kenwood & Pioneer goodies...
Show Car Shine by ZainoBros! - Thanks Sal!