Finish Buffer Rec's?

[alex grams]

I am looking at a hand held buffer for polishing finishes. Any recommendations? I am looking at mainly rubbing out finishes like target's USL.

[David Hawxhurst]

are you looking for a da type or rotary type buffer? pc 7424 (they have a new model now forget the name) is a da type that would work fine. you'll also probably need some foam polishing pads as well (4" or 5.5").

[Greg Portland]

Flex makes an excellent product for finish polishing. IMO you want a polisher, not a buffer. Rough leveling can be done with fine grit sandpaper & ROS. Follow that with sponges & compounds + polisher for mirror-like surfaces.

Festool's Rotex does a pretty good job of polishing & can also be used as a sander.

[Jonathan Spool]

Ditto on the Rotex

[Alan Lightstone]

Ditto on the Flex. Easier to handle than the Rotex.

[Neil Brooks]

While I've heard great things about the Flex, I just used my P-C 7424 for the first time on a woodworking project ... with my blue, Lake Country finishing pad.

Loved the result.

I didn't think that the automotive stuff would translate so well to the woodworking, but ... with a little Howard's Citrus Shield Paste Wax ... the result was fantastic !

[alex grams]

Thanks for all of the info and responses. I hadn't really researched the dual action vs pure rotary buffing, but the dual action flex certainly seems appealing.

I would think a dual action wouldn't be as aggressive as a pure rotary machine, but for my purposes, I don't think I would need the aggressiveness of the rotary buffer.