Dual Action Polisher

Automotive and marine applications are quite different - I have 3 or 4 but like the DAS-Pro for it's simplicity and price.
 
As always Festool is a good option (arguably the best) or Flex. I wouldn’t go with any other brand if you have the coin. Depending on use a Cyclo, or even better a TopTool, dual pad polisher might be an eve better option; it’s almost impossible to mess up so you can use a more aggressive compound and/or more aggressive pads.

IMO Mikita is decent kit but porter-cable has a un-earned reputation because they are American and a lot of guys look at the American forums.
 
When it comes to polishers automotive are the best. Gel coat is thick compared to paint, it's a no-brainer. The polishers i mentioned are the industry best so i would welcome a boat detailer to say otherwise. Would you let someone loose on a DiscoVolante with anything different?

I'm a "die hard" Alfa romeo fan/owner too ;):encouragement:
 
MeaCulpa said:
As always Festool is a good option (arguably the best) or Flex. I wouldn’t go with any other brand if you have the coin. Depending on use a Cyclo, or even better a TopTool, dual pad polisher might be an eve better option; it’s almost impossible to mess up so you can use a more aggressive compound and/or more aggressive pads.

IMO Mikita is decent kit but porter-cable has a un-earned reputation because they are American and a lot of guys look at the American forums.
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There was a TV program about the worlds best detailers, the guy's name escapes me but he was a Brit and was shipped all over the world correcting paint, he only used the Makita.
 
I think I’ve seen him as well a pretty unhealthy amount of OCD, I’m not nocking Makita but generally Makita isn’t in the league of Festool when it comes to power tools and Flex specialises In polishing. A nice stack of Festool systainers (yes that’s a word) also says something about you as a person, something nice I imagine.
 
MeaCulpa said:
I think I’ve seen him as well a pretty unhealthy amount of OCD, I’m not nocking Makita but generally Makita isn’t in the league of Festool when it comes to power tools and Flex specialises In polishing. A nice stack of Festool systainers (yes that’s a word) also says something about you as a person, something nice I imagine.
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I have to say, in my 35 years in the construction industry, a tradesman with a plethora of Festool systainers have never stood out. Makita and DeWalt yes, but not Festool power tools. Are they an engineering tool of choice?
 
Maybe this can be a feature for YBW, what's the best polisher? (You can steal the results from the detailing sites) ;):encouragement:
 
At the end of the day the results come from the person behind the machine - compounds / polishes / pads are more important than the machine itself IMO. No need to spend £300 on a DA if you're a hobbyist - essential if you use it everyday as weight / balance / vibration / longevity all become factors.
 
MrB said:
I have to say, in my 35 years in the construction industry, a tradesman with a plethora of Festool systainers have never stood out. Makita and DeWalt yes, but not Festool power tools. Are they an engineering tool of choice?
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Festool perhaps isn’t as widely used as Makita or DeWalt on regular building sites. Festool is more expensive than Makita and Festool lessening the appeal, Festool is common in industrial use and some joiners use them as well. I imagine that they’re more common in Germany and on the continent than in the UK if you haven’t seen them at all. I grew up around building sites (in Sweden) and Makita was the go to brand along with Hilti, later dewalt started appearing but IMO they where inferior to Makita, Hilti and Milwaukee (reciprocating saws), the DeWalt table saws IMO is their best product.

Anyways check Festool out if you haven’t, they have some seriously clever stuff. And just for the sake of clarity there’s nothing wrong with Makita, it’s a solid brand.

DiscoVolante said:
At the end of the day the results come from the person behind the machine - compounds / polishes / pads are more important than the machine itself IMO. No need to spend £300 on a DA if you're a hobbyist - essential if you use it everyday as weight / balance / vibration / longevity all become factors.
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That’s absolutely true! IMO a dual pad machine, available from around £50, is the best choice if you’re not doing polishing for a living and if your boat is massive. The dual pad machine almost eliminates the chance of a f...up even when using reasonably abrasive stuff. They’re great for waxing, with a couple of super soft pads, as well. The down side is that the work is slower.
 
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Chaser39 said:
Recommendations for dual action polisher please.

Any experience with particular makes, what to avoid etc.

Thanks
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Das Pro is ok if you really do just mean a bit of a once over, spit and polish and don't fancy doing it by hand- but it isn't going to doing any more "restorative" work. That is fine then if your boat is either smaller or very new.
The usual lower end polisher is the Silverline..yes it is a bit heavy, but then its 25 pct the cost of more pro machines.
You need decent bonnets such as 3m ( I know, they are not cheap) ...please don't use cheapo rubbish !
You really do need to get back to a well prepared gel to achieve any permanent finish. Of course, you might be starting with that anyway, but if the gel is looking dull and tired, you will need to lightly compound back first and I doubt a das pro has the muscle for that. Well, I have one and it doesn't ! In fact, I haven't used it for years. The good news is that once you have the gel in good condition, going forward each year you are already starting from a good place and the whole task is alot easier.
A polisher will also have a larger bonnets..ie quicker to cover the area. As regards damage with a polisher, the risks are you burn the gel by using it too fast or not moving it. Just put your hand on the gel..sunshine warm is ok of course. Oven chicken roasting sort of temp -and you are clearly doing it wrong ! The other risk- which is far more likely- is that with incorrect amount of polish/paste, the polisher suddenly "grabs" onto the gel before violently spinning off- usually into something like a cleat.
Plenty on Youtube, and absolutely no reason to be worried about damaging anything with a short bit of studying.
You just need the right tool for what you hope to do.
 
Personally, I'd use the money I'd saved by not buying a polisher and pay someone else to do it. The D/A polishers are just going to give you white finger by the time you've finished something as big as a boat.
 
As mentioned above, a DA polisher gives too much vibration to want to use one on something the size of a boat. Also, GRP is hard stuff, so a DA can be slow going. A basic Silverline polisher will do the job quicker and probably better. The variable speed setting makes it suitable for both compounding and waxing and means that you can also run the polisher slowly over sharp edges to avoid burns (the reason why DA polishers are often recommended in the first place).
 
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Don't agree with any of the statements about a DA being unsuitable. Rotaries obviously can cut faster if required however I've restored numerous boats with medium oxidisation with nothing but a DAS-Pro and a 77mm Mirka DA. They are much easier to use than a rotary and very hard to make mistakes with. I've seen plenty of amateurs with rotaries finish off with a smile on their face at the apparent shine they've created only to see holograms all down the side of the hull in sunlight.

GRP is also not 'hard stuff' - it's softer than automotive lacquer used on modern cars and plenty of people use DAs for detailing those.
 
gjgm said:
Das Pro is ok if you really do just mean a bit of a once over, spit and polish and don't fancy doing it by hand- but it isn't going to doing any more "restorative" work.

I don't agree with that at all. For years I've polished my boat by hand, last year I bought a DAS-Pro and the results were far better than I ever achieved by hand.
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I have PRO polisher machine Rupes bigfoot 21 mark 2, and it does a really great shine along with a flexipad shorthaired wool. I've tried several others, but I think the best DA and so many professionals as well. Although it is a bit expensive, then the total cost of boating is negligible vs a great shiny end result easy.

Polishing is not a nice job, but with this machine it is rewarding.

http://bigfootrupes.com/products/lhr-21-markii/

NBs

P.S Rupes is the first company to invent DA machine in 1968.
 
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