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Good Buffer for Beginner

WranglerMan

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Have some hairline scratches here and there on my Jeep, nothing serious just some light scratches that cant be felt with my finger nail, tried some mild compound for scratches and it did remove some but am thinking i need a buffer and came across Griots G9 and wonder if if its a good buffer for a beginner

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-polisher-kits.html

What say all you Detailers out there, i would like to keep my total investment at around $200 and have it include some extra pads and maybe a few starter polishes.
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JasonInDLH

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Have some hairline scratches here and there on my Jeep, nothing serious just some light scratches that cant be felt with my finger nail, tried some mild compound for scratches and it did remove some but am thinking i need a buffer and came across Griots G9 and wonder if if its a good buffer for a beginner

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-polisher-kits.html

What say all you Detailers out there, i would like to keep my total investment at around $200 and have it include some extra pads and maybe a few starter polishes.
Looks pretty good to me. I jumped right in with a circular polisher a few years ago thinking Iā€™d get the gist of it, but could never get the technique down. So I ended up polishing by hand since. I have been looking at a random orbital such as that Griots for quite awhile now. Please let us know how it goes.
 

calemasters

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Have some hairline scratches here and there on my Jeep, nothing serious just some light scratches that cant be felt with my finger nail, tried some mild compound for scratches and it did remove some but am thinking i need a buffer and came across Griots G9 and wonder if if its a good buffer for a beginner

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-polisher-kits.html

What say all you Detailers out there, i would like to keep my total investment at around $200 and have it include some extra pads and maybe a few starter polishes.
I use the Meguiar'sĀ® MT300 Professional DA Polisher, MT300. It has got me out of trouble several times.

Meguiar's DA Polisher
 

Keating

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There are so many choices out there. But for a beginner, you need to stick with a random orbital all the way. And use foam pads first and foremost. It's almost impossible to damage the paint with these. Chemical guys makes some excellent pads and they color code those to the polishes and waxes, making it almost fool proof. Griots, Adams, and of course Rupes for the higher end.

Been detailing on the side for 30 plus years, and my son has a business doing it. He is awesome, but even he can learn a thing or two about old style hi-speed polishers and a wool pad. What I started on to be honest. Cuts to the bone if you done watch it, but makes quick work of deep scratches or something wet sanded. But a random orbital removes oxidation, minor defects, and can be used with sealants, glazes, and waxes. A safe one size fits all for most. Go with a good brand though, because how they operate takes a toll on the cheap brands. Plus they give off heat and some are much heavier. Lastly, choose the longest throw you can, 18-22 mm with changeable heads. Smaller 5" pads are easier to control, and focus your attention on to an area.

As you can see, we are always open for business LOL. All of these have been fully detailed, paint corrected, and ceramic coated with a 10 year treatment. Happy polishing!
Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner Vette-1
Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner 1955-2


Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner Vette-4
 
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WranglerMan

WranglerMan

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There are so many choices out there. But for a beginner, you need to stick with a random orbital all the way. And use foam pads first and foremost. It's almost impossible to damage the paint with these. Chemical guys makes some excellent pads and they color code those to the polishes and waxes, making it almost fool proof. Griots, Adams, and of course Rupes for the higher end.

Been detailing on the side for 30 plus years, and my son has a business doing it. He is awesome, but even he can learn a thing or two about old style hi-speed polishers and a wool pad. What I started on to be honest. Cuts to the bone if you done watch it, but makes quick work of deep scratches or something wet sanded. But a random orbital removes oxidation, minor defects, and can be used with sealants, glazes, and waxes. A safe one size fits all for most. Go with a good brand though, because how they operate takes a toll on the cheap brands. Plus they give off heat and some are much heavier. Lastly, choose the longest throw you can, 18-22 mm with changeable heads. Smaller 5" pads are easier to control, and focus your attention on to an area.

As you can see, we are always open for business LOL. All of these have been fully detailed, paint corrected, and ceramic coated with a 10 year treatment. Happy polishing!
Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner Vette-4
Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner Vette-4


Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner Vette-4
I looked at long throw and short and even though the longer throw will make shorter time of doing the work even with a 5ā€ pad with the contours of the vehicles we have the shorter throw seems to make more sense.

The warranty came into play next and Griots comes with a lifetime warranty.

And lastly the budget comes into play.ā€¦I could spend double the cost i have budgeted for say a Rupes or Flex but my thought is it will likely only get used 4 times a year ( spring and fall for 2 vehicles ) the rest of the time i would do a weekly wash and detail spray so i donā€˜t think i would benefit from the added cost but down the road as i get more comfortable doing power polishing i could step up my game.

Seems the G9 kits like this would be a good starting point, they are both above my budget but seem to have all i would need to get started

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-microfiber-pad-kit-random-orbital-polisher.html

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-swirl-remover-kit.html
 

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I have both the Rupes and Flex that you mentioned, along with a Porter Cable random orbital. The Griotā€™s that you linked to seems to be a copy. It may be a very good and less expensive one. I donā€™t know. The key for you as a beginner is to stick with a random orbital polisher (no circular until you are very experienced), use only light to medium pressure (let the polisher, pad, and compound do the work), and get a quality light to medium polish. Avoid heavy cutting compounds. Use a medium foam pad, not a heavy cut pad or a wool pad that are too aggressive for a beginner.
 

JasonInDLH

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There are so many choices out there. But for a beginner, you need to stick with a random orbital all the way. And use foam pads first and foremost. It's almost impossible to damage the paint with these. Chemical guys makes some excellent pads and they color code those to the polishes and waxes, making it almost fool proof. Griots, Adams, and of course Rupes for the higher end.

Been detailing on the side for 30 plus years, and my son has a business doing it. He is awesome, but even he can learn a thing or two about old style hi-speed polishers and a wool pad. What I started on to be honest. Cuts to the bone if you done watch it, but makes quick work of deep scratches or something wet sanded. But a random orbital removes oxidation, minor defects, and can be used with sealants, glazes, and waxes. A safe one size fits all for most. Go with a good brand though, because how they operate takes a toll on the cheap brands. Plus they give off heat and some are much heavier. Lastly, choose the longest throw you can, 18-22 mm with changeable heads. Smaller 5" pads are easier to control, and focus your attention on to an area.

As you can see, we are always open for business LOL. All of these have been fully detailed, paint corrected, and ceramic coated with a 10 year treatment. Happy polishing!
Vette-1.jpg
1955-2.jpg


Vette-4.jpg
I love those new Vettes!
I looked at long throw and short and even though the longer throw will make shorter time of doing the work even with a 5ā€ pad with the contours of the vehicles we have the shorter throw seems to make more sense.

The warranty came into play next and Griots comes with a lifetime warranty.

And lastly the budget comes into play.ā€¦I could spend double the cost i have budgeted for say a Rupes or Flex but my thought is it will likely only get used 4 times a year ( spring and fall for 2 vehicles ) the rest of the time i would do a weekly wash and detail spray so i donā€˜t think i would benefit from the added cost but down the road as i get more comfortable doing power polishing i could step up my game.

Seems the G9 kits like this would be a good starting point, they are both above my budget but seem to have all i would need to get started

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-microfiber-pad-kit-random-orbital-polisher.html

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-swirl-remover-kit.html
Lately Iā€™ve changed the way I wash my vehicles and donā€™t find any more swirls, so I havenā€™t needed to polish for awhile (thankfully, because itā€™s exhausting doing it by hand! šŸ¤£). I even use a powerful leaf blower (strictly used on drying vehicles) to dry the vehicles. And keeping it coated with wax or ceramic certainly helps.
 

GATORB8

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I've had a HF for years and haven't had any issues.

Once you do one full paint correction, you normally have enough motivation to keep it from getting there again. Doing a full car all the way to compound is pretty taxing on a DA, but doesn't take much to slap on a full coat of wax or sealant with it.
 
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WranglerMan

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I have both the Rupes and Flex that you mentioned, along with a Porter Cable random orbital. The Griotā€™s that you linked to seems to be a copy. It may be a very good and less expensive one. I donā€™t know. The key for you as a beginner is to stick with a random orbital polisher (no circular until you are very experienced), use only light to medium pressure (let the polisher, pad, and compound do the work), and get a quality light to medium polish. Avoid heavy cutting compounds. Use a medium foam pad, not a heavy cut pad or a wool pad that are too aggressive for a beginner.
Yes Sir.. i was told by several vendors to stick to random orbital to keep me out of trouble, i have looked at several vids on use and most recommended to use the lightest compounds with the least aggressive pad just to get a feel for how its going to perform, they say its easy to go up in abrasives if the lighter one is not doing the job but hard to go back once the damage is done.

I have one of those cheapie buffer like this https://www.autozone.com/wash-mitts...er/p/wagan-10in-orbital-euro-waxer/347099_0_0 that i got a super long ago and it pretty much does nothing other than give a bit more shine than hand polishing so thats when i decided i needed to step up my game but i donā€˜t want to put $300-$400 into one and decide its something i donā€˜t want to do later on.

I have only just began to look and the choices for random orbital are A-Z and prices range from budget to ofer the top, the new G9 specs look good and comes recommenced from several sites and reviewers, they say its the biggest bang for your buck and a great one for a beginner.

Its not super critical i race out and get one as my jeep has a good coat of wax on it and it gets washed weekly and i use a elec leaf blower to blow most of the water off before finishing up with a chamois then i use several different types of MF towels for different things and never use the ones for the window, door frames or wheel wells for the body.

I only wax a few times a year and in between i use a detail spray and really like Meguiars products and wash the MF towels separate from each other to prevent cross contamination.

There are other polishers like Flex and Rupes and they would be grand but they are outside of what my budget allows so thats why i looked to Griots G9 which replaced the GG6 and that got very good reviews from lots
 

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G9 is an excellent beginner polisher and Griots backs up their products well if you ever have an issue. Highly reccomended as your first.
 

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Have some hairline scratches here and there on my Jeep, nothing serious just some light scratches that cant be felt with my finger nail, tried some mild compound for scratches and it did remove some but am thinking i need a buffer and came across Griots G9 and wonder if if its a good buffer for a beginner

https://www.autogeek.net/griots-polisher-kits.html

What say all you Detailers out there, i would like to keep my total investment at around $200 and have it include some extra pads and maybe a few starter polishes.
I bought the griots mini polisher about 5 years ago and it broke after doing 2 vehicles. Wasnā€™t to pleased with the quality. I went back to doing it by hand and it has been fine. After all, road grim and chips from everyday use is going to happen.
 

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I love those new Vettes!


Lately Iā€™ve changed the way I wash my vehicles and donā€™t find any more swirls, so I havenā€™t needed to polish for awhile (thankfully, because itā€™s exhausting doing it by hand! šŸ¤£). I even use a powerful leaf blower (strictly used on drying vehicles) to dry the vehicles. And keeping it coated with wax or ceramic certainly helps.
I'm a firm believer in wash tech. I power wash off with water only anything heavy. I never let any winter gunk sit on the trucks. I am able to wash in my garage in the winter so I hose down the trucks when they come in if it's snowing out or the roads were salted. this really saves my sealant layer. I switch out my microfiber mitts every few months. I am constantly changing water in the buckets. I make sure I have the grates on the bottom of my buckets. I use direct microfiber for paint vs rims and metals or plastics. These gets switched out yearly. I make sure I wash all microfiber with the proper microfiber suds (wolfgang). I dry my microfiber and lowest heat possible.

I make sure my sealant coat is always up to par and after each wash I use a topper spray sealant that matches my sealant (wolfgang Sio2 presently). My wife's tahoe is 5 years old now. not a swirl or mark on that paint. all i got are a few dings on the front bumper from 5 years of highway driving, but you can't see any of them unless you are on top of the paint.

i have always wanted to try a machine but have always been scared off. when I paint correct I just take my time and make a day of it. nano mitt vs clay now. polish. prep spray. sealant. done.
 
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WranglerMan

WranglerMan

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Well Guys I want to thank all for your input and after doing a lot of searching and chatting with all like @Chocolate Thunder i ended going with the Griots G9 and a full set of 12 LC foam pads from orange to blue with half the order being white and some new MF towels and wash mitts and a few extra clay bars.

Already had other stuff like 3D One 400 polish, clay bars and all the other stuff like Megs wash and Ceramic detailer and lots of MF towels and the normal stuff but wanted to kinda start with a clean slate for my first power polish so after I hounded @Chocolate Thunder with a boatload of questions and watching lots of vids over many days and going on the hunt for the best bang for my buck we will see how things go once it all gets here.

Plan on doing a full exterior detail from washing and clay bar to a one or two step correction but my Jeep is in pretty good shape since itā€™s garage kept and none of the scratches are deep enough to feel with a finger nail ( most are towel marks) and Jeremy advised that I need to go slow and donā€™t expect 100% satisfaction on my first go and then I can go back later with different products and even mask off areas to compare different products.

Stay tuned and wish me luck, hope to post up some pics later and if I burn off the CC Iā€™m gonna disappear šŸš—

I also under advice by my Detailing Counsel to toss my Jigglemaster 3000 :LOL: as it will do more harm than good, it was pretty old anyway and most likely contributed to lots of my scratches to begin with.

Jeep Wrangler JL Good Buffer for Beginner BE2DEC83-1A86-4370-B5C9-7D0E7A36CB12


Plan on being out in the garage all day with some tunes cranked up and a few cold ones, Iā€˜m sure it will be a sunrise to sunset day and if I get tired I will surly stop and finish the next dayā€¦not going to rush the process.
 

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