I have just received the announcement for the new Porter Cable 7424XP random orbital polisher. The mods include an increase in power from 3.7 to 4.5 amps and increased speed from 6,000 to 6,800 OPM. Its a pity they did not make it easier to hold.
http://www.deltaportercable.com/Prod...roductID=21436

 

Funny that they should release this now.

For about 15 years Meguiar's sold the Porter Cable 7424 rebranded as the Meguiar's G100. A couple of years ago we asked PC to increase the power/torque of the machine, increase the speed a bit, add a "D" handle instead of the stick handle, and alter the case material so it was a bit more comfortable in the hands. They said no so we introduced our own machine about 18 months ago, the G110. Guess they decided we were right after all. Except they kept the stick handle.

That said, I'm sure it's an excellent tool - my original PC 7424 (NOT a Meguiar's branded tool, by the way) still does an outstanding job for me after several years of use and abuse.

For those of you have wondered about acquiring a tool like this, I highly recommend one. Whether this 7424XP, the G110 or even an orginal 7424 you might find on closeout someplace, GET ONE. They're fantastic and make life so much easier. There are a wide variety of consumer and pro level products than can be used to great effect with one of these, and both the Meguiar's and Lake Country buffing pads are widely available online.

Go on. You know your Crossfire deserves it.

 

Having used the 7424 I would say that the side handle is a real detriment to its use, the power is adequate but the handle is tiring to use. The grip on the rear body is too big as well. With a D style handle it would be much better. I am intending to make a D handle before I use it again. After all how hard can it be?

 

To be candid about it, I don't use ANY handle on any of my D/A buffers at home. I've got a couple each of the 7424 and G110 so I have handle choices. I don't bother with them at all, instead I just grab hold of the head of the machine and work it that way. I do use a stick handle on my Makita rotary though. Oddly enough, the Porter Cable rotary I had came with a "D" handle and I didn't care for it on that machine. Of course, that machine died after using it half a dozen times so..............

 

Hey Mike,
I have always just washed and rarely waxed my cars in the past.
Now that I have the Crossfires I WANT to clean/wax and maintain the finish on them. So do I need a machine? Do I use it for just removing wax or applying also? Can't believe I've been a car guy forever and don't know the basics on detailing.
Thanks
DJ

 

I am sure that Mike will provide some great information.

I have a Porter Cable and used is for the past few years. There are numerous products out there to clean, polish and wax your car. I use a comapny in FL called Classic Motoring for my supplies. They also have directions on how to do everything. The first step is to wash the car with Dawn dishwater soap to remove wax etc. Then get a clay bar kit and clean the whole car. This is not that hard to do. Order a set of pads for the Porter Cable. Again you can find out what pads are applicable for each application to give you the best finish.

I know that PatP or Mike can give you even better information. Pat uses Zaino products and I must admit his finish looks much better than mine. I am ready to give them a try next time.

Jake80

 

Go to this thread and learn fast.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tml#post102839

 

I thought just like you tighted 1, my arm does a great job why do I need a machine? then we got the 7424. Wow. I can polish my car in less than 1/2 hour and my arm doesn't hurt and it looks so good! When I first started using it I put the polish/wax on by hand and buffed with the PC......real dumb on my part. Its so easy to put the wax on (low speed) and buff off that you can do your entire car in about an hour, start to finish not counting the drying time for the wax. This all leads to another problem, you'll say to yourself "if it was that easy, and looks this good, wonder what another coat would look like". One evening a few weeks ago I actually put two coats of polish on. Like Michael from Orange said, get one, whatever model and you will be seriously happy and impressed. I'll probably be picking up one of the new models this fall and give the old one to my son, we share it now.
by the way Jake has one of the prettiest SRT's I've seen and he's just getting started with it, his car is beautiful.
Pat

 

If the ONLY thing you want to do to your paint is apply a coat of wax, then one of these machines is a waste of money. Properly applying a simple coat of wax by hand, and wiping it off, should not cause you to break a sweat. You are simply working the wax gently against the surface and leaving a very thin film behind, allowing it to dry fully and then just wiping it off. Most people make the mistake of using a lot of pressure to apply a wax and unless you're using a cleaner wax, you gain literally nothing by doing this. Things like Meguiar's NXT or Gold Class, Mother's FX, Zaino, P21S, etc are NOT cleaner waxes so they require nothing more than light to moderate pressure. Once they're dry, all you need to do is wipe them off. Repeated buffing and "polishing" with the towel serves no purpose, but could actually end up removing more than just the hazed excess.

If you want to get serious though, and start to remove defects from the paint such as fine swirls, etching from bird droppings, etc and bring up the maximum level of smoothness, reflectivity and shine, then one of these machines is invaluable. The only way you remove these defects is with energy applied to the surface because, quite literally, you are leveling the paint. Yes, technically, you're removing clear coat in order to remove a swirl mark. But you are removing such an incredibly minute amount of clear that you shouldn't worry about it. (Pat, I'll ignore your extremely overzealous approach from days past ). While it is possible to accomplish this task by hand, ain't no way in hell you'll ever catch me doing it again! Too much time, waaaay too much work, and in many cases you simply can not get an equal result, especially on todays modern, hard clear coats. The machine does the work of your arm, only it doesn't get tired, and it opens up the door to a much wider range of cleaners and polishes to accomplish the task. Product removal, once it's done its job of removing defects, is easilly accomplished by hand with a clean microfiber towel.

Once you've gotten rid of the defects the machine makes it very easy to apply a nice thin and uniform coat of wax. Again, you don't need the machine for this step alone, but since you bought one to do the heavy lifting, so to speak, you should take advantage of it to apply wax in the most uniform and thorough way possible. But once again, when that wax hazes over, it wipes away very simply by hand.

 

Great answer Mike!