HELP: Advice on Buffer?

4.5" grinders are too small. Harbot freight has 7" models that sell for under $40.00 that work nicely. Paint finish supply stores have the hard backed lambswood pads that are ideal.

Yes, it will do the job. Forget about the polishing pads that come with the tool and purchase a good pad at the auto paint supply store. The good pads are hard backed and very thick.

The Chicago Electic polisher will last adequately if you are careful to NOT overheat the bearings. Give the tool time to cool off every now and then. Polishing puts a heavy load on the tool and it will heat up quickly. High heat will melt the rear bearing carrier and then the tool is toast.

hey slalom,

Do you have an air compressor? I use a pneumatic buffer. They are a LOT lighter to work with than an electric one.. But they do use a lot of air!....

Other than that,an electric will do just fine.

64,
My electric buffer is a Black & Decker,purchased over 10 yrs ago in the $100 range.

There is also an "orbital" action buffer/polisher for applying wax...Depending on what your compounding with,you have to be real careful ,especially around sharp edges... with a "regular" buffer... they can cut thru finishes REAL fast!

All tools sold at Harbor Freight should be considered light duty or economy. Some tools seem to last longer than others. For instance, I purchased a 4" Chicago Electric grinder and used it to do all the fiberglass repairs on my '93SN (extensive). The tool lasted the entire project and is still going strong.

However, I burned up the 7" grinder during the process...that is how I know (or suspect) the weak bearing support. With that said, the $30 7" grinder is indeed variable speed and rather heavy. Compounding does put a heavy load on the grinder and thus generates heat, so you have to give it cool down periods while you rest your arms. I believe grinder/buffers are not ideal for apply wax. Orbital polishes are more suited to waxing.

The buffer/grinder from Harbor Freight is indeed variable speed. I used it to compound my '93 and it worked fine (until it burned up...but I was using it to grind fiberglass as well).