# Best polisher for a hobbyist MT320 vs Flex PE14-2 vs Rupes MK2 LH15/21 bigfoot?



## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

Hello there, i am looking to start polishing cars for a hobby but dont know which polisher to go for... 
am new but i learn quickly so last thing i want to do is buy a basic or the most safest to use machine and realise i can now upgrade to a pro machine within a few months 

The meguiars mt320 is the cheapest out of the 3 £235 
second cheapest flex pe14-2 £310
third rupes mk2 lh15 £335

i can see the flex is rotary and the megs and rupes are dual action (da) polishers

Am i right to think i need to be a pro to use a rotary as it doesnt have a orbital throw and the da do and are less forgiving when making a mistake?

Also does anyone know if i can buy a smaller backing plate for each machine or im i stuck with the 5-6" plate that comes standard with these machines?

many thanks in advance for your time


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

Flex seem to have a solid following without any complaints - they do a forced rotation DA which will give you a good compromise


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

suds said:


> Flex seem to have a solid following without any complaints - they do a forced rotation DA which will give you a good compromise


which model flex has the forced da? also can you buy smaller backing plates for smaller pads or would i need to buy another machine for that?


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

ammo-mcr said:


> which model flex has the forced da? also can you buy smaller backing plates for smaller pads or would i need to buy another machine for that?


3401 (not sure if there is a newer model due out?) - apparently lake country backing pad will take 100ml pads, have a look at the polishedbliss site for description :thumb: also see thread by euge07 lower down in list


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

The only difference usually between a pro and a hobbyist, is the pro charges for their work.

You only need the correct technique to use any polishing machine.

If used incorrectly you can royally mess up your car using a DA so do not think one machine is aimed at an amateur over another.


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

Andy from Sandy said:


> The only difference usually between a pro and a hobbyist, is the pro charges for their work.
> 
> You only need the correct technique to use any polishing machine.
> 
> If used incorrectly you can royally mess up your car using a DA so do not think one machine is aimed at an amateur over another.


Fair point, but you'll mess it up 10X quicker and worse with a rotary...


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

suds said:


> 3401 (not sure if there is a newer model due out?) - apparently lake country backing pad will take 100ml pads, have a look at the polishedbliss site for description :thumb: also see thread by euge07 lower down in list


Will have a look into this machine and pads thanks again :thumb:


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

ammo-mcr said:


> Will have a look into this machine and pads thanks again :thumb:


Sorry Ammo- it's lake country backing plate ( to take pads) I meant, but polished bliss should have all the details :thumb:


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> but you'll mess it up 10X quicker and worse with a rotary...


Can you keep your hands moving smoothly without stopping? Can you hold the machine correctly to keep the pad flat on the panel? Can you feel how much pressure you are applying?

No problem with either machine and you will not mess up 10x quicker with a rotary.

Do some research. Seek some help or tuition. Do some practising. Get a PTG and check the paint to be corrected. Choose the correct pad and polish to start with.


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

Andy from Sandy said:


> Can you keep your hands moving smoothly without stopping? Can you hold the machine correctly to keep the pad flat on the panel? Can you feel how much pressure you are applying?
> 
> No problem with either machine and you will not mess up 10x quicker with a rotary.
> 
> Do some research. Seek some help or tuition. Do some practising. Get a PTG and check the paint to be corrected. Choose the correct pad and polish to start with.


i see your point but anyone who starts off new who haven't ever held a polisher like myself have a high chance of messing things up which i hope doesnt happen. 
I can only assume i need to do it a few times to understand how to hold it flat, know how much pressure i can get away with using...maybe i need a panel from scrap yard to start with and practice. i keep reading to use a rotary you need to be very experienced or a quick learner over the da polishers.
i have watched so many videos now on how to polish i feel confident i can do it but it will always feel differnet when i actually do it myself.

by the way can you recommend a cheap paint thickness gauge (ptg) and the type of pads and polish i should be using?
from my research meguiars 105 and 205 and the megs microfibre cutting/polish pads should be my go to products as a newbie what are your thoughts?


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## Atkinson91 (Oct 3, 2016)

hey Ammo

hope i don't bore! 
i started off using a meguiars g220v2 and quickly wanted a 'bigger and better' machine as i thought the lower powered ORBITAL buffer wasn't cutting it for my needs (punintentional) - this is me saying, if you can justify the bigger price tag, and you'll use it more than once a year, buy the flex 3401, you will not regret it

i now own the true dual action - flex 3401 with the multiple backing plates, i really would not change it for any other DA, even a rupes.... been using the flex for around 2 years, its a brilliant and very capable machine that can correct very well, however, I have been looking at getting the smaller flex PE8 rotary for 3" backing plates as iv realised the 3401 will not get everywhere i want on different cars

using the flex is a slightly different animal compared orbital buffers as it has a tendency to walk away from you if your not holding the pad flat, like a rotary will. This is turn teaches you very quickly to hold the pad flat to the panel, the machine gives you feedback and you adjust accordingly with either lightening up on pressure or adjusting the angle of the pad

you can get the backing plates from clean your car or polished bliss 
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/flex-xc-3401-vrg-backing-plates-cat10.html

for pads, I've had a bad experience with microfibre so i tend to stay away now (however that could come down to user error) hopefully someone will chip in with information on more reliable pads..... I really prefer using the 5.5 chemical guys quantum hex logic foam pads along with the 5" backing plate - *if you have a look on one of the discount code threads, chemical guys are giving a 10-15% off i think to DW members* http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/category_s/52.htm

for compound, if i need to cut heavy i'll either use meguiars 105 or scholl s3/s20 one step
for polish, if i need to cut light ill use either meguiars m205 or scholl s40

as the other lads have said, technique is key, knowing what your looking at in the paint aswell is key, deep swirl marks, random isolated scratches, DA buffer haze, rotary holograms all need to be corrected differently and no paint is the same, so knowing what your looking at and technique helps a tonne, their are multiple threads on here which have helped me progress my knowledge in paint correction, real world practise is how you truly get better 

Paint depth gauge - you can find on elite car care - http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/paint-depth-gauges.php?osCsid=psm22b83ub73la9rpmub565267

hope this helps mate :thumb:


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

Atkinson91 said:


> hey Ammo
> 
> hope i don't bore!
> i started off using a meguiars g220v2 and quickly wanted a 'bigger and better' machine as i thought the lower powered ORBITAL buffer wasn't cutting it for my needs (punintentional) - this is me saying, if you can justify the bigger price tag, and you'll use it more than once a year, buy the flex 3401, you will not regret it
> ...


bloody hell what a brilliant reply and advise!!!!!! you sir have been extremly helpful and SOLD!!! i will be ordering the 3401 with pe8 and 105 &205 i have read a lot about the s3/s20 that there very forgiving and they don't dry up quick....i will pick some of these up as well :lol:
the depth gauge however seems too pricey i ws going to go for the cheap sealey ones from halfords 
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/hand-tools/sealey-ta091-paint-thickness-gauge

to many people saying there useless but all i want to know if its safe to polish and theres enough clearcoat do you think it will be sufficient and do you use a PDG ?


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

There's a PTG in the personal sales section ammo- not sure what new price is but worth a look


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

That PTG from Halfords is useless for what you want it only measures down to 100um, basically its not accurate enough for what we need.

I got this 1, nice and accurate without the high price tag http://www.ebay.com/itm/CEM-DT-156-...930755?hash=item3f63b7d183:g:28QAAOSwR5dXR~hE


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

suds said:


> There's a PTG in the personal sales section ammo- not sure what new price is but worth a look


thanks suds will try hunt for it now:thumb:


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

Bod42 said:


> That PTG from Halfords is useless for what you want it only measures down to 100um, basically its not accurate enough for what we need.
> 
> I got this 1, nice and accurate without the high price tag http://www.ebay.com/itm/CEM-DT-156-...930755?hash=item3f63b7d183:g:28QAAOSwR5dXR~hE


this dt-156 looks like this could be the one or what suds recommended

do you know of any good deals on this? never spent so much on a gauge before but for saftey and peace of mind i can see its a must but would be nice if i can get a good deal

also just to clarify the halfords sealey one cant measure enough to see if the car has clearcoat? or is there a standard amount we meassure from eg from bare metal and the layer of paint is for example 50mm so anything above that is clearcoat and machines like the dt-156 can do that? sorry im new to all of this


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

Its sort of the general thinking around here that anything over 100um is safe and below that is considered thin paint.

1000um = 1mm so your paint is 0.1-0.15mm thick. So if the halfords gauge over gives reading of 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2mm on paint which is 0.0, 100 and 200um then its not accurate enough.

Here's a review of the gauge I suggested http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=366306 and for the money it seems to be the best on the market.

The most popular gauge on DW is this one but as you can see its twicde the price. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=169842

its good enough for a Pro detailer on here as well so good enough for me http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=302945


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## ammo-mcr (Jan 23, 2014)

Bod42 said:


> Its sort of the general thinking around here that anything over 100um is safe and below that is considered thin paint.
> 
> 1000um = 1mm so your paint is 0.1-0.15mm thick. So if the halfords gauge over gives reading of 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2mm on paint which is 0.0, 100 and 200um then its not accurate enough.
> 
> ...


another fantastic reply!!!! SOLD!!!!!! this thread has been very helpful to me and surely will be helpful to somone else who may stumble across it 
thanks again everyone :thumb:


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## wecan438 (Nov 2, 2016)

Just do it


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