Intel & others,

I think I have seen this info either on here or somewhere on the net recently...

Is there a significant difference between orbital and rotary?

I have a nice 6" orbital buffer, that I really like, I think rpm somewhere in neighborhood of 2500...

However, knowing that father's day is rapidly approaching, I could muster up some interest in a rotary if I were to find out that I "really need one"

What are the differences, and advantages?
Any suggestions on nice models, something to tinker with, not doing any professional work.

Thanks as always
Dan

 

I've used both at work. I like the orbital more. With a rotary you can burn the pain very easily if you're not careful. It creates a lot of heat. At home i use an orbital but only to apply the wax and polish. I still remove it by hand. I like the orbital more. It's faster to i think.

 

I agree, the orbital is easier and safer to use. Rotary/high speed buffers can burn the paint and take some time to learn how to use them properly. I recently bought the Porter Cable dual action buffer with adjustable speeds. For us weekend waxers, I think it is perfect. It has the higher speeds for buffing and slower speeds for waxing.

 

Rotary and orbitals are both completely different machines.

First, the differences. The rotary just spins. A Orbital (or dual action) buffer makes a random patern.

Also, RPMs of a rotary cannot be compared the OPMs of a Dual-Action. So if someone saies he runs his rotary at 1500 RPMs doesn't mean you should run your DA buffer at 1500 OPMs.

Next, you don't need an orbital buffer to properly detail a car. The only reason I use one is because it speeds up the time it takes me to wax a car and as you know time is money!

A rotary takes a lot of time to learn how to do but once you know how to do it then it is pretty safe to use. Just have to keep your head on and not do anything stupid when using it. I would not really recommend getting one unless you are serious into detailing. A DA buffer can do a lot of stuff a rotary can except the serious jobs (So don't go wetsand your truck if you don't have a rotary Rotary can also do compounding and polishing a lot faster than a DA.

A Dual-action is great for waxing. I can fly over a car quickly with my DA and get the wax on and off fast! BTW, I have the DeWalt DW443, it is a little bit of a more solid machine than the PC. I've run it for long periods before and it wasn't even warm. More powerful motor than the PC also. DAs also take pretty much no skill to use. They are like using a power sander. If you can use a power sander, then you can use a DA buffer. (counting the DeWalt and the PC buffers everyone uses are actually sanders. We just put a velcro backing and foam pads on them :P