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The Porter Cable 7424 Is My Best Buffer Polisher. Can You Guess Why?
Have you tried removing water spots, swirl marks or fine scratches from a new car lately? I can promise you can't do it by hand anymore. The good old days are over. Simply put, the new clear coat finishes are super hard. They can resist minor scratching, swirl marks and water spot like never before, but they also resist hand polishing.
The solution is a tool that's been around for nearly two decades, the Porter Cable 7424. It's a buffer polisher that car enthusiasts have known about for years, and now it's spreading to garages all across America and the world. The reason it's so loved is that it makes easy work out of most minor coat problems, even if you have one of the new high-tech ceramic finishes.
The Porter Cable Polisher, including the 7424 and the newer 7424xp, are dual-action polishers. This simply means that the polishing mechanism orbits to mimic hand polishing. It's different than a high-speed buffer that operates off of a direct drive center spindle. The orbital action of the Porter Cable machine completely prevents symmetrical buffing marks, paint burns and the other types of damage associated with high-speed buffers. If you use the 7424 as intended, you will never have any issues, even if you have never used an electric polisher before.
As I mentions, the Porter Cable (or "PC") is a dual-action polisher and it works like circular hand polishing. The big difference is that works at a speed of 2,500 to 6,000 orbits every minute. That's how this machine knocks out scratches and swirl marks with ease. You'd have to have Superman waxing your car to do it better.
If you're skeptical, don't be. This isn't one of those cheesy car waxers you can pick up at the auto parts store for $29. Leave those machines on the shelf. An electric car waxer will do a pretty good job spreading wax, but that's where all similarities end. They can't match the power or the range of foam pads and polished that work with the PC.
There is something you need to know about the Porter Cable. To get great results you must use the correct combination of pad and polish. It's very important. You'll be using foam polishing pads. They come in three basic grades: cutting, polishing and finishing. A foam cutting pad is what you use to remove defects. You follow a cutting pad with a foam polishing pad. Its job is to restore full gloss. The finishing pad is super soft for applying waxes and glazes.
You must use an appropriate polish with each type of pad. Like the pads themselves, polishes have different grades of cut. A compound, for example, is a cutting polish. Compounds are rated by the level of sanding scratch they can remove. A compound designed to remove 2000 to 2500 grit sanding scratches will effectively remove swirl marks and water spots, whereas a product that can remove 1200 to 1500 grit sanding marks will remove fine scratches. If you can feel a scratch with your fingernail, you should remove it with 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper before polishing.
If you're not accustomed to the language, it might seem a bit confusing. Do yourself a favor and start with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I think it's one of the best compounds available and it's perfectly safe to use on any clear coat finish. You'll find it at most auto parts stores.
After using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound you might be fooled into thinking you're finished. That's because your paint will look great. Trust me, though, you're not finished. If you take your car out in the sunlight you'll see a slight haze in the clear coat. You can easily finish the job with a fine polish. The car polish I recommend for this job is Klasse All-In-One. This been around for a long time and it makes cars shine like crazy.
If you have a dull paint finish caused by swirl marks, scratches and water spots, the best solution is a Porter Cable 7424. It's the best buffer polisher on the market today. Don't be fooled by the cheap imitations make in China. Buy American!
The solution is a tool that's been around for nearly two decades, the Porter Cable 7424. It's a buffer polisher that car enthusiasts have known about for years, and now it's spreading to garages all across America and the world. The reason it's so loved is that it makes easy work out of most minor coat problems, even if you have one of the new high-tech ceramic finishes.
The Porter Cable Polisher, including the 7424 and the newer 7424xp, are dual-action polishers. This simply means that the polishing mechanism orbits to mimic hand polishing. It's different than a high-speed buffer that operates off of a direct drive center spindle. The orbital action of the Porter Cable machine completely prevents symmetrical buffing marks, paint burns and the other types of damage associated with high-speed buffers. If you use the 7424 as intended, you will never have any issues, even if you have never used an electric polisher before.
As I mentions, the Porter Cable (or "PC") is a dual-action polisher and it works like circular hand polishing. The big difference is that works at a speed of 2,500 to 6,000 orbits every minute. That's how this machine knocks out scratches and swirl marks with ease. You'd have to have Superman waxing your car to do it better.
If you're skeptical, don't be. This isn't one of those cheesy car waxers you can pick up at the auto parts store for $29. Leave those machines on the shelf. An electric car waxer will do a pretty good job spreading wax, but that's where all similarities end. They can't match the power or the range of foam pads and polished that work with the PC.
There is something you need to know about the Porter Cable. To get great results you must use the correct combination of pad and polish. It's very important. You'll be using foam polishing pads. They come in three basic grades: cutting, polishing and finishing. A foam cutting pad is what you use to remove defects. You follow a cutting pad with a foam polishing pad. Its job is to restore full gloss. The finishing pad is super soft for applying waxes and glazes.
You must use an appropriate polish with each type of pad. Like the pads themselves, polishes have different grades of cut. A compound, for example, is a cutting polish. Compounds are rated by the level of sanding scratch they can remove. A compound designed to remove 2000 to 2500 grit sanding scratches will effectively remove swirl marks and water spots, whereas a product that can remove 1200 to 1500 grit sanding marks will remove fine scratches. If you can feel a scratch with your fingernail, you should remove it with 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper before polishing.
If you're not accustomed to the language, it might seem a bit confusing. Do yourself a favor and start with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I think it's one of the best compounds available and it's perfectly safe to use on any clear coat finish. You'll find it at most auto parts stores.
After using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound you might be fooled into thinking you're finished. That's because your paint will look great. Trust me, though, you're not finished. If you take your car out in the sunlight you'll see a slight haze in the clear coat. You can easily finish the job with a fine polish. The car polish I recommend for this job is Klasse All-In-One. This been around for a long time and it makes cars shine like crazy.
If you have a dull paint finish caused by swirl marks, scratches and water spots, the best solution is a Porter Cable 7424. It's the best buffer polisher on the market today. Don't be fooled by the cheap imitations make in China. Buy American!
About the Author:
To learn how to use abuffer polisher, including the Porter Cable 7424 buffer polisher by visiting David Bynon's Guide To Detailing blog, a trusted source for quality auto detailing information since 1999.