# Kestrel Dual Action v's G220?



## needhampr

Hi all,

I hope to be ordering a DA polisher around Nov / Dec time.
I had almost made my mind up to get a Megs G220, despite still having a few concerns regarding reliability etc.
However, I have recently been made aware of the Kestrel Dual Action Polisher which sounds like a well made machine. 
So, the G220 is much more expensive which isn't necessarily a problem, but importantly I want to be sure i'm buying the best machine in the first place.

Ideas / thoughts / suggestions please folks!

Thanks.


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## ahaydock

Which Kestrel mate? I thought they only did a Rotary but I maybe wrong here. If so completely different machines.

My MK2 G220 is going strong and is always in use BTW, plus MEgs UK are great so even though my MK1 packed up they had a replacement with me in 24 hours no questions asked :thumb:


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## NickP

ahaydock said:


> Which Kestrel mate? I thought they only did a Rotary but I maybe wrong here. If so completely different machines.
> 
> My MK2 G220 is going strong and is always in use BTW, plus MEgs UK are great so even though my MK1 packed up they had a replacement with me in 24 hours no questions asked :thumb:


I imagine he's referring to this one 
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/kestrel-das-6-dual-action-polisher/prod_519.html


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## ahaydock

If he is then I dont know as I have never used that one, but if it is good then it will the G220 a run for its money at that price.


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## Alan W

I had a play with one of these today and it's as good as any PC, UDM or G220 in my opinion. :thumb:

No one machine stands out to me as being better than the other so I'd choose based on price and the Kestral wins hands down in this respect!

At £89.95 it's a bargain compared with some! 

Here's another LINK to where it can be bought!

Alan W


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## The Detail Doctor

I'll let you know soon, ordered one yesterday, tried the G220 and saw the Kestrel & thought it had to be worth a look, so moved the G220 on to try the Kestral.


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## 3dr

these can be had for £82.95 inc delivery


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## caledonia

Alan W said:


> I had a play with one of these today and it's as good as any PC, UDM or G220 in my opinion. :thumb:
> 
> No one machine stands out to me as being better than the other so I'd choose based on price and the Kestral wins hands down in this respect!
> 
> At £89.95 it's a bargain compared with some!
> 
> Here's another LINK to where it can be bought!
> 
> Alan W


And here the one Alan W played with.

Looks a nice wee machine to heavy either.


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## Dipesh

it'd be interesting how it squares up in terms of reliability.

Mk2 G220's are just as trouble prone from my experience but Meg's are absolute stars when it comes to replacing them. 

The G220 warantee starts from the date my new mk2 g220 was delivered from Meg's so i'm covered until around this time next year so i dont think i've got anything to worry about just yet (fingers crossed, touches wood...)

Can't fault meg's with the service behind this.


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## needhampr

ahaydock said:


> Which Kestrel mate? I thought they only did a Rotary but I maybe wrong here. If so completely different machines.
> 
> My MK2 G220 is going strong and is always in use BTW, plus MEgs UK are great so even though my MK1 packed up they had a replacement with me in 24 hours no questions asked :thumb:


This is the one... http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Kestrel_Dual_Action_Polisher_1.html

I'm no engineer but is sounds like it's fairly well made. 
Can anyone see any negatives in terms of the performance spec of this Kestrel V's the G220?

I've no major problem with the price of the G220 but I get the feeling that I might simply be throwing money away.


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## Alan W

needhampr said:


> Can anyone see any negatives in terms of the performance spec of this Kestrel V's the G220?


Did you read my post above? 

You don't get a plastic case with the Kestral but I can't think of any other difference between it and the G220. They even include a spare set of brushes in the box.

Alan W


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## 7MAT

Compared to my G220 the Kestrel seems to be both quieter & smoother to use. Both come with a 1yr warranty, and Kestrel do have a repair / service centre in the UK. No hard plastic carry box but as mentioned above you do get spare bushes.

Matt


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## Dipesh

spare brushes is a very nice idea.


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## Auto Finesse

Kestrel aint a bad make polisher to be fair, i have been using there rotarys for a long long time and they are pretty tough and never had any major problems with them, i only recenty moved to the Milly due to the weight of the Kestrel giving me a back ache, other than that there spot on


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## cheezemonkhai

Now that is the right price.

If these are any good I think I might finally invest in one.


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## CleanYourCar

Dipesh said:


> spare brushes is a very nice idea.


Defnately, as these are the only part thats really ever been a problem with 220's.


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## The Detail Doctor

Dipesh said:


> spare brushes is a very nice idea.


mmmm, mine never had any spare brushes, or a backing plate in the box, only just realised it should


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## The Detail Doctor

ooh, one more thing, how do the speeds on the Kestral compare to the G200, not had a chance to play with it yet.


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## vauxhall

any more info on the kestrel v g220?


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## johnpigg

My Kestrel stopped working on the 2nd use!! I would have returned it but because I bought it off the internet it was easier to try and fix it myself. 

It turns out that the lever that connects the on/off switch to the internal switch had come off the internal switch somehow. Trouble is when trying to fix it the on/off switch came off and wouldn't go back on properly, it looks like a once only fit, so I had to superglue that back on.

Seems to work OK now though, but not too impressed to say the least.


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## Rowan83

Can you expect the same kinda results with the Kestral as with the UDM Portable, etc?


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## Chris`I

MatrixGuy said:


> Can you expect the same kinda results with the Kestral as with the UDM Portable, etc?


Dont see why not. Specs seem very similar to the G220.

Its the first DA I've owned but for me its very easy to use. Doesnt seem noisy at all (for this kind of thing) and seems very sturdy. For me it seems well worth the money :thumb:


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## CleanYourCar

MatrixGuy said:


> Can you expect the same kinda results with the Kestral as with the UDM Portable, etc?


Definately, it's very similarly specced. Same power, same orbit etc.



> My Kestrel stopped working on the 2nd use!! I would have returned it but because I bought it off the internet it was easier to try and fix it myself.
> 
> It turns out that the lever that connects the on/off switch to the internal switch had come off the internal switch somehow. Trouble is when trying to fix it the on/off switch came off and wouldn't go back on properly, it looks like a once only fit, so I had to superglue that back on.
> 
> Seems to work OK now though, but not too impressed to say the least.


Thats not good, sounds like a similar problem to some of the UDM's. I think you bought from us didn't you, so if you can get in touch Monday I'll speak to Kestral about it and sort a replacement unless you are happy with how it is now.


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## johnpigg

It works so I'm happy with it, thanks though. BTW your service was excellent.


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## maersk

What is the orbit size of the Kestrel?


Is it 8mm?


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## bunglebear32

ive asked father christmas for a g220 but the kestrel which ive never heard of has come to my attention. for the same spec and the same, if not better reliability than the g220, and the fact of course that father christmas has been hit by the credit crunch, i might have to get the kestrel now.


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## 3dr

bunglebear32 said:


> father christmas has been hit by the credit crunch, i might have to get the kestrel now.


are you gonna tell him or am i?


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## maersk

You do it................................................


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## ROBS3

Any chance of a poll on this? as I'm also interested in purchasing either one of these in the not too distant future


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## dmd21

www.spraygunsdirect.co.uk £82 to your door nice


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## needhampr

I've also asked for a Kestrel dual action polisher from Father Christmas. 
Hurry up santa 

I just can't see any advantage in buying the G220 over the Kestrel. The only advantage the Megs has that I can see is the plastic storage case.


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## farcrygamer

That kestrel seams like a shot in the center of the target. It really seams promising:thumb:


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## dazzlers82

ive just been looking to get a g220 but just seen this thread an think i may save some money an get the kestrel i already have a rotary but dont feel that confident with it an it is pretty heavy


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## Dan_cup

oh glad ive seen this thread i could be swayed.

would it be cheaper to buy a kit, say the megs kit with #83 and 80 for £143 rather than seperately, or would it be wiser to spend more on 'better' products and just buy polisher?


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## organgrinder

> would it be cheaper to buy a kit, say the megs kit with #83 and 80 for £143 rather than seperately, or would it be wiser to spend more on 'better' products and just buy polisher?


All the kits I have been looking at are cheaper than the combined cost of the individual items.

Almost all the traders have different combinations of pads and polishes so I am sure you will find one that suits. Megs pads and Menz polishes are most often talked about as far as I can see but Sonus, Menz and Lake Country pads are all well thought of as are the Megs polishes. The Menz polishes appear to be favoured for harder paints and slightly shorter working times and the Megs ones are fairly foolproof although they need slightly longer working times. Sonus polishes are also good for beginners apparently.

I think I will get the Menz polishes and either Sonus or Lake Country pads together with a Kestrel.


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## Steve Baker

Hi everyone,
Considering a DA myself and am very tempted by the DAS6. The only issue I have with buying any of them is the weight. At 2.3kg will that not be aukward to handle say whild doing the bottom of a door panel? Also the handle is different on the G220 and looks like it distributes the weight more evenly through your hand than the side handle on the Kestrel?? Anybodies experiences with either would be useful to making a decision.
Thanks Steve Baker


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## CleanYourCar

2.3kg's isn't that much to be fair. Some of the rotaries are nearly 4kg's and then they start to feel heavy.

The side handle I agree isn't as good as the D, but I don't use either and on both the G220 and kestrel I own, neither have ther handles on as I find it much easier and better to control with holding the head of the machine.


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## -Kev-

Steve Baker said:


> Hi everyone,
> Considering a DA myself and am very tempted by the DAS6. The only issue I have with buying any of them is the weight. At 2.3kg will that not be aukward to handle say whild doing the bottom of a door panel? Also the handle is different on the G220 and looks like it distributes the weight more evenly through your hand than the side handle on the Kestrel?? Anybodies experiences with either would be useful to making a decision.
> Thanks Steve Baker


it's not heavy all TBH, got mine a few weeks ago (now put away for me for xmas), i held it and felt pretty light to me, although it might start to feel heavy after a few hours use..


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## Steve Baker

Got mine yesterday early for christmas!!! :thumb:
Not as heavy as I thought. Have ordered Menz starter kit 250ml bottles to try and sounus 6'' pads. Will need a smaller 3.5'' backing plate and 4'' spot pads but unsure which to chose???? Think it might get a test drive before christmas though :driver:


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## -Kev-

Steve Baker said:


> Got mine yesterday early for christmas!!! :thumb:
> Not as heavy as I thought. Have ordered Menz starter kit 250ml bottles to try and sounus 6'' pads. Will need a smaller 3.5'' backing plate and 4'' spot pads but unsure which to chose???? Think it might get a test drive before christmas though :driver:


go for this backing plate:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...al-action-spot-pad-backing-plate/prod_66.html

and these spot pads:
http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/sonus-4-spot-pads/sonus-sfx-1-spot-pad/prod_63.html

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/sonus-4-spot-pads/sonus-sfx-2-spot-pad/prod_62.html

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/sonus-4-spot-pads/sonus-sfx-3-spot-pad/prod_61.html

:thumb:


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## RobDom

This new Kestrel DAS-6 interests me - what's it like to use, vibrations, speeds, etc.?


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## -Kev-

RobDon said:


> This new Kestrel DAS-6 interests me - what's it like to use, vibrations, speeds, etc.?


i'm getting one for xmas very similar to the g220, althought the kestrel has'nt got quite as much power as the g220 (aparently)... 
(i will be posting a review when i finally get a chance to use it):thumb:


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## Steve Baker

Well I had my first attempts with the Kestrel yesterday. What can I say. A doddle to use and as a complete beginner I soon worked out which pads and polish to use to achieve satisfactory results. :thumb:
Before








After


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## RobDom

Cool, but what's it like to use with regards to vibrations through your hands, I had to sell my Megs G220 because it made my hands go numb!


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## Dipesh

RobDon said:


> Cool, but what's it like to use with regards to vibrations through your hands, I had to sell my Megs G220 because it made my hands go numb!


Mine used to do this when i first got into machine polishing. Now there's no effect. I'd put it down to technique.


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## Steve Baker

RobDon said:


> Cool, but what's it like to use with regards to vibrations through your hands, I had to sell my Megs G220 because it made my hands go numb!


Sorry, yes there are vibrations particularly if the pads aren't centred. The large pads seem worse for it than the spot pads which gave me little or no problems with the wing I polished. There is a tendancy to want to hold it too tightly.............it doesn't require a lot of pressure to get the required 1-2 revolutions per second. I found it no problem as far as vibration once you relax and don't grip it too tightly!  hope that helps.


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## wrx man

I also found that when i first started polishing with DA my hands hurt like hell.

Now i don't really feel it so it must be technique

Good luck :thumb:


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## RobDom

Well I used a PC for years with no problems, tried the G220 and hated it, so it's not my technique. I'll try the Kestrel as I've heard good things about it.


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## -Kev-

Steve Baker said:


> Well I had my first attempts with the Kestrel yesterday. What can I say. A doddle to use and as a complete beginner I soon worked out which pads and polish to use to achieve satisfactory results. :thumb:
> Before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After


looking pretty damn good there.:thumb:


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## saxoboy07

I don't get any vibrations from the G220 and find it easy to use, depends on technique really at the end of the day, the udm was the worst for vibrations! i couldn't feel my hands after using one of them, the kestral does look good bit of kit, but i've got a rotary and G220 so there's no need for me to get one.


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## RobDom

That's what I was like after using the G220 - couldn't feel my hands! After using a PC for many years (before DW and PB even existed!) I know it's not me. After speaking to Rich at Polished Bliss he has had a number of people complain about numb hands from the G220 including himself, so I'm going to buy a Kestrel as he said it vibrates alot less than the G220.


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## bmwwolf

i posted this in the polish,wax,section, by mistake in a way,

iam interested in a kestrel kit, but which one is best suited for my car, it is a 5 series bmw in silver, not to bad on swirling but bad enough, few stone chips that have been touched in, but paint in good condition, it will be clayed first as i have a kit,

but wifey going to buy me a polisher machine kit for exmas,
but not ever done polishing i dont know what kit is best for that type of car, sonus, merz, megs, to go with the kestrel, 

tia advice & help appiecated


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## Stevel

I had A brief go of A 220 before buying A rotary. The Vibrations worried me to be honest. Certainly wouldn't like to be using it for prolonged periods for fear of HAVS or CTS later down the line. 

I guess they declare A vibration level for the machine somewhere.


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## vauxhall

bmwwolf said:


> i posted this in the polish,wax,section, by mistake in a way,
> 
> iam interested in a kestrel kit, but which one is best suited for my car, it is a 5 series bmw in silver, not to bad on swirling but bad enough, few stone chips that have been touched in, but paint in good condition, it will be clayed first as i have a kit,
> 
> but wifey going to buy me a polisher machine kit for exmas,
> but not ever done polishing i dont know what kit is best for that type of car, sonus, merz, megs, to go with the kestrel,
> 
> tia advice & help appiecated


I would tend to go with the Kestrel/Menz kit as Beemers usually have hard paint. There are exceptions to the rule but in general BMW paint is pretty hard.


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## RobDom

I received the Kestrel from Polished Bliss this morning, and just from an initial switch on test up through the speeds I can tell it has much less vibration than the G220, very nice bit of kit at a great price, I'm looking forward to using this one!

I'll be using Kestrel/Menz on my Leon.


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## bmwwolf

thanks vauxhall, that's what i will get, yes bm's do have hard paint that's why unsure on what polish, pads, etc, :thumb:


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## cossiefrank

*kestrel v g220*

I'm after a polisher I'm a :newbie: so which is easier to use ?and what polish best to use on a mallard green escort cosworth? i the paint is pearlescent clear coat it has slight swirls an marks which after 14 yrs of owning suppose its not to bad.


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## CleanYourCar

Both the G220 and Kestrel are the same in terms of ease of use and your paint shouldn't be too hard to correct. I'd still be tempted to get a Meguiars kit, in terms of cut it isn't quite up there with the menz, but the pads are nice and easy to use and the polish should produce some nice gloss.


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## spikedmike

i4detailing do the Kestrel with Meguiar's Kit for £143.90 delivered, I'm assuming the kit will be ideal for a novice reading a lot of the posts. Will it be fine purchasing that kit to use on a Black Saphire Corsa & a Sprint Blue Stilo Abarth.


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## Allblackdup

Interesting thread. I was all set to buy a G220 until i noticed there was another alternative and seeing other people's opinions on both is really helpful :thumb:


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## -Kev-

spikedmike said:


> i4detailing do the Kestrel with Meguiar's Kit for £143.90 delivered, I'm assuming the kit will be ideal for a novice reading a lot of the posts. Will it be fine purchasing that kit to use on a Black Saphire Corsa & a Sprint Blue Stilo Abarth.


http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polis...al-action-polisher-meguiars-kit/prod_521.html


megs will be great on the cars you have listed above
(a DA polisher is alot better for beginners as it's easier to control than rotary).:thumb:


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## CleanYourCar

spikedmike said:


> i4detailing do the Kestrel with Meguiar's Kit for £143.90 delivered, I'm assuming the kit will be ideal for a novice reading a lot of the posts. Will it be fine purchasing that kit to use on a Black Saphire Corsa & a Sprint Blue Stilo Abarth.


We could match that, and yeah that would be ideal for both cars which haven't got too hard paint. My old fiat coupe used to correct very well with Meguiars.


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## spikedmike

CleanYourCar said:


> We could match that, and yeah that would be ideal for both cars which haven't got too hard paint. My old fiat coupe used to correct very well with Meguiars.


Would that offer still be available in the new year as that's when i'm looking at purchasing


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## 7MAT

spikedmike said:


> i4detailing do the Kestrel with Meguiar's Kit for £143.90 delivered, I'm assuming the kit will be ideal for a novice reading a lot of the posts. Will it be fine purchasing that kit to use on a Black Saphire Corsa & a Sprint Blue Stilo Abarth.


With the new VAT price cut and DW discount it now comes to £133.55 delivered. :thumb:

Plenty in stock and can still deliver in time for Xmas.

Regards

Matt


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