Orbital polisher recommendation?

sgr143

sgr143

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 Jul 2016
Messages
493
Location
Oxford & WicorMarine
Visit site
Last year we had a go at polishing the topsides by hand - the result was better than it had been (unpolished for years), but it was a bit of an effort! There's rather bewildering variety of electrical polishers on amazon and elsewhere. Any hints, things to look for, things to avoid? Or are they all much of a muchness?
Ta, Steve
 
Variable speed on a rotary sander is important so you can run it slow enough to prevent any heat build up - some of the cheaper models are only single speed.
 
Last edited:
I researched this a bit last year without actually buying anything, from memory???? there are two basic types, orbital with smaller motors and the heavier rotary like the Silverline, an awful lot of them seem to be rebadged versions of the same thing at varying prices, The gist was that the rotary though heavier was a bit harder to use sucessfully but faster.
Loads of information on any of the 'car detailing' websites,' the pads and polishes you select seem to be a sort of religious cult.
 
sgr143 said:
Last year we had a go at polishing the topsides by hand - the result was better than it had been (unpolished for years), but it was a bit of an effort! There's rather bewildering variety of electrical polishers on amazon and elsewhere. Any hints, things to look for, things to avoid? Or are they all much of a muchness?
Click to expand...

I polish my 37 footer by hand. The secret is to use products which are easy to apply and easy to rub off. I do 2 coats of Meguiars 45 Polish, followed by 2 coats of Meguars 56 Wax. Both of these are thin liquids which go on smoothly and easily, and which rub off easily. Lots of fresh bits of cotton stockinette cloth are needed.
 
sgr143 said:
Last year we had a go at polishing the topsides by hand - the result was better than it had been (unpolished for years), but it was a bit of an effort! There's rather bewildering variety of electrical polishers on amazon and elsewhere. Any hints, things to look for, things to avoid? Or are they all much of a muchness?
Ta, Steve
Click to expand...
I bought a Silverline sander-polisher some years ago for this purpose ( A rotary machine though , not orbital)

I paid about £40 but they are a bit more now .. £50 to 60 )

A bit heavy but does the job . Decent quality mops are worth buying though.

If you are prepared to spend £250 to £350 for a much lighter professional quality machine look at Meguiars and 3M polishers


BTW , Aldi have a sander polisher similar to my Silverline among their specials at the moment.
Ferrex Car Polisher 1400W
 
Last edited:
VicS said:
I bought a Silverline sander-polisher some years ago for this purpose ( A rotary machine though , not orbital)

I paid about £40 but they are a bit more now .. £50 to 60 )

A bit heavy but does the job . Decent quality mops are worth buying though.

If you are prepared to spend £250 to £350 for a much lighter professional quality machine look at Meguiars and 3M polishers


BTW , Aldi have a sander polisher similar to my Silverline among their specials at the moment.
Ferrex Car Polisher 1400W
Click to expand...
I bought a Silverline as well a few years back. I think PBO did a comparison of different sander polishers and that was why I bought it as a budget buy. As Vic says they are heavy, which may be a problem if you have to work overhead for long periods but it does the job! As Vic says the Ferrex looks very similar and is variable speed.
 
RJJ said:
Any views on using a standard power drill with a polishing mop? Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes I used an old ( very old... it was my Dad's ) 2 speed Black and Decker .Just about right on its slow speed but I also had an electronic speed controller that I used sometimes.
The pistol grip plus side handle were not very well placed to use it as a polisher.
The sander-polisher is much better and easier to handle despite its weight.
 
I have recently bought a new Rupes polisher to replace the one I had for about fifteen years. It was about £180, but is variable speed and weighs 2kg, and was the winner in a recent PBO test I believe. Depending on how young, fit and strong you are, weight will be important.
 
A tip I read many years ago for using a power mop on a yacht is to rig the boom or spinnaker pole hanging over the side from a high halyard, with a heavy duty elastic rope attached to the mop from the end of the pole, and taking ~ 2/3 of its weight, you are then using much reduced effort to steer the mop.

I wish I could have set up such an arrangement when I cut my motorboat's topsides yesterday. I have arms like Thor now.
 
Thanks all for the suggestions. Are there any advantages to using an orbital polisher as opposed to a simple rotary thing?

[Edit - maybe something like this: HAWKFORCE 10-Inch Cordless Car Polisher, 18V Electric Car Buffer - Adjustable Twin Handles, Random Orbit - Buffer Kit with 6 Bonnets for Cleaning, Waxing, Polishing, Fit for Car, Truck, Boat Etc: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools ]

Vic - "£250 to £350" is quite a bit out out my range - but something a bit better than bargain-basement would be fine.
 
sgr143 said:
Thanks all for the suggestions. Are there any advantages to using an orbital polisher as opposed to a simple rotary thing?

[Edit - maybe something like this: HAWKFORCE 10-Inch Cordless Car Polisher, 18V Electric Car Buffer - Adjustable Twin Handles, Random Orbit - Buffer Kit with 6 Bonnets for Cleaning, Waxing, Polishing, Fit for Car, Truck, Boat Etc: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools ]

Vic - "£250 to £350" is quite a bit out out my range - but something a bit better than bargain-basement would be fine.
Click to expand...

I think a corless machine with a battery as small as 1.3 Ah it will run the battery flat before you've hardly started

The number of plus votes for the Silverline shows, I think, that it or something similar is a good choice.. Mine was purely an impulse buy. I saw them on sale at a reduced price in Force 4 and bought one
 
Professionals never use orbitals. Look on You Tube there are a number of videos showing how to do it. I have a Makita polisher and use Farecla Profile (not G7 designed for automotive) and it works a treat. Bloody heavy but I am 77 and can still handle it OK. Dont stand on the ground holding it overhead though. Get a platform and get on a level with the job.
 
I bought a Meguiars 8 years ago, it's relatively light and easy to use. I viewed it as an investment, there's a lot of topside to polish on a 46 foot boat.
I use Meguiars all in one polish, and I've found that it's better to apply the polish by hand, the polish it off with a fine foam pad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top