pc&d article

[Waxman]

There's an editorial in the new pc&d saying to ditch your rotary buffer forever and only use an orbital to avoid swirls and damage.

what's your opinion?

i doubt very much that an orbital can remove scratches and wet sand marks, but have not tried them all.

 

[DavidM]

I don't think that I have heard anyone suggest we ditch the rotary completely before. We do, however, use our rotary very rarely. For retail work our orbital with the right pads and product can remove many scratches, scuffs, swirls etc. I don't think I would try to remove wetsanding marks without a rotary though.
There are times where a rotary is the better tool but not as often as it used to be. The Flex orbital was mentioned in another thread and I haven't tried it yet but my understanding is that it improves on orbitals like the PC, giving it greater ability to remove scratches but still without the risks associated with a rotary.

David

 

[pcb]

I don't think that we will ever totally replace the rotary. I use a Flex DA on most cars I do and get good results but there are times I have to have a rotary. I was at a detailing get together in Vegas earlier this year and we put the Flex to the test. Using a wool meguiers pad with megs. 105 it did take out wetsanding marks. It's a job with the flex and I think it would be faster with a rotary. But, there is always a but, if you have several employees and don't want to rip your hair out training then it does good. Also, the dynabrade with the switchable attachment on the rotary will give you the same results. You can use it as a rotary only or a forced rotation dual action. Yes the flex and other DA's are good but I don't believe they will ever replace a rotary.

Keep in mind waxman that the gentleman who wrote that called it a grinder. That just makes me wonder.

 

[rph9168]

You might be able to remove very light scratches with an orbital with the right product but it would be a real job. A DA will remove light scratches fairly easily with the right product and some medium scratches with a little more effort. A rotary is the only way to remove medium to heavy scratches easily but only in the hands of an experienced person. To say that a shop shouldn't use a rotary would mean that they would have to be selective on the jobs they do. My guess would be that the guy in the article does not have a good understanding the capabilities of the tools or has had a bad experience with a rotary. Either way he is wrong to say the rotary should eliminated.