Rotary Polishers - any good/worthwhile?

[Pommygranite]

Need to sort out some serious swirling and RDS's - is it worth getting a Rotary Polisher or just get something like a Dodo Clay and Light and just hand polish/cut?

Have people found them easy to use with good results?

[Otispunkmeyer]

From the little I have read there are Rotary polishers and those Double Action/Random Orbital jobs.

Apparently the former will give better results but you need to a little more careful so as to not damage your paint by generating too much friction and thus heat. The latter, due to their motion, don't suffer from that issue (unless you really try) and are therefore safer to use but perhaps won't give the finish that is achievable with a rotary polisher.

My thread on here about wanting to get started with this detailing lark has some good links in it. In the one that links to detailing world the guide mentions two or three rotary machines that seem popular among detailers.

Heh according to http://www.kdskeltec.co.uk/guides/paint-correction you need to be a "Don" before you can use a rotary properly.

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Monday 8th October 10:52

[belleair302]

Depending upon the paintwork of the car a random orbital polisher along with the right polish and some time will do an excellent job. Simple to use, unlikely to damage the clearcoat on the car and will solve 80% of the visible issues.

A rotary is not much harder to use but does require more care and is not a tool for those new to polishing. As with so many things in life, start at the bottom and work up, then you will learn the benefits and pifalls of both.