not cheap but also not costing me the earth. I have a DAS-6 Dual Action Polisher which has been great BUt is rather limp wristed and slow. I wish to be able to use this for polishing but also buffing with a cutting compound after spraying bodywork I seem more and more often doing Any suggestions. you seem to have the £250 3M all singing or the Silverline one's from £55. What do you recommend. I'm thinking a budget of between £50-150.
Matt, I have 3 different machines 2 rotary and a kestrel das-6 DA. My first rotary was the silverline which works well but doesn't feature speed regulation under pressure (meaning the head slows down the more pressure used) or a trigger lock which can get annoying when working in tight areas! The second rotary was a kestrel sim180, this is a great unit with trigger lock and is basically a makita copy and not too expensive at about 80 odd quid. I have used a number of polishers including the makita and the 3m units and tbh besides slight better ergonomics the sim180 achieves the same results but for less money! The newer polishers on the block are the forced action DA units produced by the likes of rupes but are way outside your budget, these work the same as ur das-6 but rather than the head stopping if you apply too much pressure or catch an edge the head is as the name suggests is forced to keep rotating at the desired speed giving the polishing ability of a rotary machine but the safety of a DA as less heat is still generated than a standard rotary system. On a side note have you used the megs DA microfiber polishing system on the das-6? It achieves really good results but faster than rotary designed polishes on a da unit. The compound polish is great but the finishing glaze is an ok lsp giving nice results but don't last long which is why I only use the compound polish.
What I find with my DAS 6 is the same as you said with the Silverline, with pressure is slows and not man enough and why i'm looking for something else. not ised the Da microfiber polishing system.
I have my trusty Makita G9227CB, powerful and top quality, just be careful if not used to a rotary. Bullet proof piece of kit, used for years daily when I was a sprayer/detailer
having a look and the kestrel sim180 looks good for the money and has many good reviews online about it think that's the way to go for the money
It is a good choice of machine and works very well, it's really an exact copy of the makita from weight, looks and ergo's but at a fraction of the cost. Just remember the rotary is quite a different animal to the DA and care should be taken especially if your using it on plastic panels such as a bike or bumpers as they heat up fast and the paint can ripple easily.
I've used a friends rotary in the past after spraying up my kit car. And know you need to go careful especially with the fiberglass bodywork
Bought a G220v2 roll on late March for a proper detailing sesh and a coating of Zymol Concours on the Skod.
ok chaps the kestrel sim180 is going to be bought but I was hoping to go and buy one locally but unable to find a dealer. other than eBay any recommendations where to buy this from? seem's they go for around £80 But some places want almost a ton Would like to buy from a place that comes recommended and clean your car does not sell them
is this the item? Machine Polishers & Accessories | Car Care & Detailing Products there is also another one on there but its about 50-60 quid dearer
Right I got to play tin the new polisher this weekend and noticed I have only 6" pads for the 7" backing plate Just wanted to double check a few things. The thread on the sim180 is M14. So as long as I get a M14 6" backing pad it will fit Also any suggestion on polishing pads and makes worth looking at
I've always used sonus pads. Not done a massive amount with other pads but I found the superior to 3m pads I had originally
Yes Matt, your correct the sim180 (almost all rotary units I've seen in fact) use an m14 screw attachment for the backing plates. I tend to run either a 5.25" 3m type foam rubber sponge backing plate with 6" pads or 75mm foam rubber sponge backing plate with 3" pads when working on small work areas like the bike.
Oh also tend to stick to 3m or hex logic pads which I find work well no matter the vehicle paint type. Flexi pads pads are cheap and the red finishing pads work pretty well but the orange polishing pad tends to be a tad hard unless using it on harder German vehicle paints.
