Whether you want to improve the shine of your vehicle’s paintwork or remove a faded finish and some unsightly swirl marks, a polisher can cater for all these requirements and more. So, we’ve collected nine of them together and tested them on a variety of vehicles and surfaces where there’s everything from fresh paint that needs buffing to paint defects and sunlight damage.
Having the right polisher is only half the battle in achieving a good finish. You also need to know what you are doing with it. From the professionals we spoke to, they were reluctant to recommend using a polishing bonnet (usually a lambswool type) to polish or wax, warning that if the fibres become wet and clogged, this can lead to swirl marks.
The professionals also favoured using a slower speed to buff polish or wax, but a faster speed for removing paint marks using a colour restorer or cutting compound. This was also outlined in the documentation with some of our polishers. There were, however, mixed opinions on how much pressure should be applied when using a polisher, but we concluded this was also down to experience and knowing your machine. And once again, you need to know how to use a polisher to get the most from it. Rules include, starting it up with the pad away from the surface at a slow speed, then gently lowering it down. One element of polishers that we found was inconclusive concerned the debate of rotary, dual action and random orbital. A dual action polisher rotates in a circle, whilst at the same time spinning (oscillating) in an off-centre or random circular motion. On most machines, you can see this by fitting a backing pad and spinning it (make sure the power is disconnected) to see its rotation. Then, grab hold of the pad and try to gently move it in a circle without spinning it. This is the off-centre motion.
Random orbital polishers have a simple off-centre spindle, which when rotated, moves in several circular paths. It produces a constantly changing rotation and oscillation, so it creates more variation in its motion than dual action. However, both types of polisher have their limitations, based on how far that movement can vary. This is a measurement of how much variance the polisher has when rotating. Look for information concerning the pitch circle diameter, orbit or stroke diameter, which is usually stated in millimetres (mm). In theory, it sounds like a random orbital is better, but some of the polishers we tested are neither dual action nor random orbital. They are simply a rotary polisher, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We spoke to one bodyshop who uses nothing but rotary polishers, albeit professional ones that cost upwards of £400 each.
