Any difference? Machine polishers?
Discussion
I am looking for a cheap machine polisher, and as a starter to learn the basics have been recommended one of the cheap Silverline ones on Ebay to get me going on the daily hack. I would love a £200 meguiars one but really cannot justify the cost 
I have seen these two on ebay, almost identical and from the same seller but one goes down to 600rpm (the other one only 900rpm) but the 900rpm one has soft start.
Which is better?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Trade-Car-Sander-...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Silver-Storm-Trad...
I have seen these two on ebay, almost identical and from the same seller but one goes down to 600rpm (the other one only 900rpm) but the 900rpm one has soft start.
Which is better?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Trade-Car-Sander-...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Silverline-Silver-Storm-Trad...
Soft start is only a slowish ramping of speed up to the setting chosen - 600 as a minimum would be better.
That said, rotaries are more prone to causing damage to the paint with, by and large, since the pad spins on a fixed point, and at higher speeds than a random orbital like the Meg's one you mentioned - which isn't £200 by any stretch of the imagination.
For around the £80 mark you can have the safety (relative) of the Kestrel DAS-6, but if you fancy going with a rotary, the extra expenditure into the similarly priced Orange Silverline is worth it, and again to the Milwaukee AP12QE, which is lighter than the Silverlines, making it less of a strain on you doing the vertical panels.
Don't also overlook a used machine on ebay - most proper brand ones are designed to last for years of daily use, with only the carbon brushes needing replaced.
That said, rotaries are more prone to causing damage to the paint with, by and large, since the pad spins on a fixed point, and at higher speeds than a random orbital like the Meg's one you mentioned - which isn't £200 by any stretch of the imagination.
For around the £80 mark you can have the safety (relative) of the Kestrel DAS-6, but if you fancy going with a rotary, the extra expenditure into the similarly priced Orange Silverline is worth it, and again to the Milwaukee AP12QE, which is lighter than the Silverlines, making it less of a strain on you doing the vertical panels.
Don't also overlook a used machine on ebay - most proper brand ones are designed to last for years of daily use, with only the carbon brushes needing replaced.
Is this the silverline orange that you mean?
Its the same price
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-POLISHER-SANDER-SOFT-STA...
Its the same price
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-POLISHER-SANDER-SOFT-STA...
Yes, that's the orange one. Higher minimum speed but soft start and electronic speed control for if you apply a bit more pressure to the machine, it maintains the speed rather than bogging down.
Of course, the flip side of that is slower rotations on thin edges of panels isn't a bad thing, so don't dismiss the blue altogether.
For me though, spending the money once, and not having to worry about if it's going to work/fail mid way through a task is the better option - a local detailer burned through both his original blue, then his orange, but hasn't had anything similar happen with his Metabo.
In that respect, I would still encourage you to not discount the Milwaukee just because it costs more initially - once confident and experienced, you might charge friends/family/neighbours a few ££ to recoup the extra outlay, even if only a very light buff to remove the majority of swirls rather than a full correction with the added risk of doing more harm than good.
Of course, the flip side of that is slower rotations on thin edges of panels isn't a bad thing, so don't dismiss the blue altogether.
For me though, spending the money once, and not having to worry about if it's going to work/fail mid way through a task is the better option - a local detailer burned through both his original blue, then his orange, but hasn't had anything similar happen with his Metabo.
In that respect, I would still encourage you to not discount the Milwaukee just because it costs more initially - once confident and experienced, you might charge friends/family/neighbours a few ££ to recoup the extra outlay, even if only a very light buff to remove the majority of swirls rather than a full correction with the added risk of doing more harm than good.
Agree with PJ on this, I use the MW machine and rate it really highly, comes with a 4 metre cable which is a huge bonus! Sounds like a simple feature but worth its weight!
Quick release from the machine too with a twist and connect plug, again sounds simple but works a treat.
The weight of the machine is a big bonus, as is the physical size, making it a lot easier to get into some of the tighter spots, corners etc.
After a day of using a Silverline you will know you have been polishing, the MW on the other hand is a pleasure to use. Not saying the Silverline is a poor machine, but if your using a polisher on a regular basis then give consideration to the weight, construction etc ( The bearings for example in the MW are the highest grade out there ).
Give the guys at Kingdom tools a call - they will pretty much match ( or beat ) a price you get on this machine ( www.kingdomtools.co.uk ) .
Ally
Quick release from the machine too with a twist and connect plug, again sounds simple but works a treat.
The weight of the machine is a big bonus, as is the physical size, making it a lot easier to get into some of the tighter spots, corners etc.
After a day of using a Silverline you will know you have been polishing, the MW on the other hand is a pleasure to use. Not saying the Silverline is a poor machine, but if your using a polisher on a regular basis then give consideration to the weight, construction etc ( The bearings for example in the MW are the highest grade out there ).
Give the guys at Kingdom tools a call - they will pretty much match ( or beat ) a price you get on this machine ( www.kingdomtools.co.uk ) .
Ally
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