SilverSteel

Over the years I've acquired several orbitals and recently a rotary, but I wanted to post these various orbitals and my thoughts on each for those of you considering them for your detailing work. Here's a collage of them all together: Porter Cable, Gem, two Griots orbitals (one mini and one 6 inch-both pneumatic), and finally the Cyclo. All are fun to use and each has its, what I think, best application given its movements when in operation.

mooty

where is the review?

SilverSteel

GRIOTS MINI: This is a cool little orbital that operates in the 60PSI range, and very quietly I might add. It is light, quick and very nimble to use. It has very fast rotation and relies on speed to generate its friction. Build quaility is solid and it fits in your hand like a small caliber pistol. It has a rubber housing on the left side of the unit and a hair trigger for easy operation. It moves easily and, if your not careful, will spray your liquid wax all of the place including your garage ceiling. Mine are nine feet and it was a b*tch cleaning it. Uses: chrome wheels, small tight spots like the bumperettes and front grill, and many other tight areas. I have found that using P21S with this unit is very effective. The bonnet fits inside the P21S container perfectly. It is a lot of fun to use and very quite, like a dentist drill (and I ought to know). It cost around $139. I've also used it to polish the plastic on my 745Li headlights that were in need of some clearing, if you know what I mean. No need to worry about scratching anything, just keep the air hose on you shoulder and hang on to the polisher and your in good shape. This is one of my favorites.

SilverSteel

GRIOTS 6 INCH PNEUMATIC ORBITAL: Nice piece and well made; balanced solid-feel, easy to use controls, intuitive in design. It uses the same pads used on the Porter Cable making it easy for me to swap the pads, saving money (if you can imagine that after 5 orbitals). This unit operates on up to 90 PSI's and I run it as around 85, it humms along well. It doesn't use speed so much as the mini does, but more of a very, very fast vibration that blurs the lines of distinction between a true orbital and a vibrator. Just a note, always lube these units after you use them with a few drops of oil or they just don't work well. As a suggestion, always prep the pad with water or, in my case, Griots quick shine detailing spray, prior to adding liquid wax to the bonnet (massage it for a sec or two). It takes the liquid wax better. Once I had the unit on the car, it moved like butter. I was impressed with its weight and manueverability. I really like these pneumatics since they're so darn easy to move around, almost effortlessly. Oh, they don't get HOT. The exhaust actually blows onto my shirt or up my arm, cooling me in this Texas heat. It is an effective unit; spreads wax quickly and quietly, it's nimble, it uses standard 6 inch bonnets (hook and loop), light as a feather. I really like it. Again, always put the cord or hose over your shoulder to prevent scuffing on the car. Don't even worry about the metal around the base of the unit as it keeps well away from your paint. And given its weight, you won't be dropping this thing. The palm trigger is really cool, too. Just be careful putting it down because you don't want to put it on its bonnet, and you sure don't want to put it on its trigger (like I did). I had to chase it around the garage floor as it danced like Michael Jackson on crack. No harm. Overall, very nice unit. I would rate this a buy for people with Pneumatic capability. Liquid wax works best, but there are some pastes that will work, you just have to be creative with the wax. It cost $179 on www.griotsgarage.com

mdrums

Thanks for the review! What about the other 3? I have a air compressor os do you suggest the air powered over the electrical?
thanks!

SilverSteel

The CYCLO: Wow! Solid as an anchor and as easy to use as a hair dryer. Built quality is top-notch, no argument here. Motor is significantly stronger that it needs to be for such a task as waxing a car. These things have been rumored to last 40-50yrs and still going, and I see why. Bonnets: little sponges made of a variety of densities as with the other orbitals, but smaller (hook and loop). The cord, rubberized handle, switch and bonnet heads are all grade A. This unit is idiot proof. It has one speed. Choose your liquid abrassive carefully. They've chosen a medium to low speed, which provides plenty of flexability to the user. If I had to own ONE orbital, this would be it. It is heavier than any of the other units, except the GEM (friggin' ton of blue fun). In operation this unit floats unbelievably well on the two bonnets scrubbing or waxing very effectively. It does get warm, but not hot. The rubberized handle is really, really nice in the instance you get some crap on your hands you can maintain a good grip on this tank of an orbital. I say this affectionately as this thing demands respect. It's bad-***. There are so many ways to use this orbital (polish on one bonnet and wax on the other used in symetrical sequencing-one bonnet following the other), I'll stick to the basics. Using on the top of the car where it supports itself is an absolute breeze. Using this thing at angle, on the door or side panels, requires just a little bit of effort to hold the weight--not too much that you wouldn't like it. The handle is well placed for a variety of angles. Effectiveness: very nice, very fun to use, extremely precise in its handling considering its alien form, and it applies the material to the surface very evenly. You can get creative with this unit. I Highly recommend this unit to anyone wanting one device. I like it better than the Porter Cable for appying wax and liquid clay (Zymol). It runs around $219 at Autogeek. [url]http://www.autogeek.net/cyclo-polisher.html

SilverSteel

A few things to consider:

1. Shops like Pneumatics because of the low risk of electrical shock since water seems to always be present.

2. Pneumatics require a noisey compressor, which requires servicing in the way of oil and adjustments to run safely.

3. Pneumatics don't get hot; they run on compressed air and run coooool. I like.

4. Electricals are quick and easy to work with without the hassle of a compressor hose on your shoulder.

5. If you have a pneumatic, you really should try the units since they are lighter and easier to use, no electrical shock wory, faster orbitals and, did I say lighter. Griots Orbital unit is VERY nice and VERY fun to use--the one I would recommend for Pneumatics. The mini is a cool piece to have as a back up for tight spots. I've even used the mini to clean up rug stains and polish rims.

6. There are some incredible electricals: the Porter Cable and the Cyclo. If you want something quick and easy, they are both great. My PC reveiew to come. Most are familiar with this unit so it will be last.

mastiffdog

Very nice job, thanks for taking the time to review them. I just bought the PC and liked it, seemed fool proof. I tried it out on the E55. I used One Grand Omega Glaze on the white sponge the PC came with, which is very very mild to start out (the paint was in good shape). Then I hand waxed it with PS21. This is my only orbital experience so far.

What source for the pads to you recommend? I am thinking about the Cyclo and that little pneumatic unit from Griots - I have air in my garage.

Also, not to steal the thread, but I just bought the CR Spotless, works pretty good, but it will be interesting to see how long the cartridges last me...another review for another day!

nyca

i've got the porter cable, and its nice.

if you want to try some "exotic" German pads:

http://www.properautocare.com/grgipopadfor.html

SilverSteel

the GEM: 11 INCH ORBITAL POLISHER: Rugged cast aluminum housing 14.5 lbs, lightweight orbital polisher. Manufactured by Gem Industries, the heavyweights of Orbital Polishers. Build: an absolute solid piece of equipment that could serve as an anchor for any yacht. It is built to last longer than the pyramids. There are no bushes to wear out, it's shock resistant (if you drop it you may need foundation work), no gears to strip and solid cast aluminum housing. This thing is built even better than the Cyclo. It relies on orbital vibration to accomplish part of its task, and weight to accomplish the rest. Yeah, 14lbs doesn't sound like much when your using it on your hood, until you get to the doors and side panels. I can move some weights in the gym and this thing is not easy to manuever like the Cyclo. While on the hood it moves easily like a fat lady on ice skates. It's weight does a fantastic job of working the paint. I love using this thing for polishing. When using it on verticle surfaces, you must use your hips. Yes, your hips. You place the unit vertically on on the door or side panel and, while holding the handle, edge up to the unit with your hip supporting the weight and helping move the unit. Lean ever so slightly against the unit and move it carefully. Do not lean hard into it, as it will muffle and bounce around on the car. This unit can only be used with liquid materials, and it is very effective. I prefer to leave my workout to the gym, not my orbital. I don't recommend this unit since it is so damn heavy and awkward to use on such a small car. If you have a truck or large sedan, it's not bad, but there is better. This device can cover the car very, very quickly as it has an 11 inch pad. It's a monster. This unit costs $189ish plus the terry cloth bonnets. You will need several bonnets as you need to change them just like you would a pad. This is old school, it works very well. But I'd use it for polishing planes and tanks, or large SUV's.

ronmart

Yes, those are awesome pads for liquid wax. I love it for the hood of my Mercedes because it has deep channels that are tricky to do with traditional pads.

I use them on a Griots electric polisher which I absolutely love and I've used the Porter Cable as well.

SilverSteel

A favorite on this forum: The Porter Cable; proven solid, well made, fairly light in weight, weighty on the verticle, but not even worth complaining about. Use: this unit works very well; allowing you to adjust the speed from slow to paint burning fast. This unit is as professional as you need it to be. It can grow with you. The handle is well placed and its weight is well balanced. It is much easier to manuever that it appears; getting into sharp angles is possible with deep pads and it's very effective. The hook and loop pads make for quick changing between polish and wax. Having a variety of orbitals here's where I see the shortcomings of the Porter Cable:

1. It's an electrical, it gets hot and it has electrical dangers, it can't keep up with a good Pneumatic on its best day and highest setting. If you set this thing on high, watch out it feels a little crazy in your hands.

2. It isn't as nice as the Cyclo. IMHO. The Cyclo may not allow you to control the speed, but it is so well balanced and focused (smaller pads more effort on smaller area), it's phenomenally easy to use and quiet and doesn't heat up much. The Porter is one loud monster at higher speeds and gets hot.

3. It is the second best electrical orbital that I am aware of. I love the device and use it often, but would prefer my pneumatic orbital then my Cyclo, then my PC.

I'll catch some grief for the pc's rating, but you need to realize I love the unit, it just gets edged out slightly by the other two units (Griots Orbital and Cyclo). If you live in the Dallas area, you're welcome to come over and try them out (on your car). I am confident you will come to the same conclusion. I use them all, the Gem rarely though.

ronmart

Great write up SilverSteel - thanks!

For anyone considering the Porter Cable, I HIGHLY recommend you consider the Griots Garage Random Orbital electric polisher instead. In fact, if you live in the Seattle area you can go to their Tacoma, WA headquarters and they'll let you use both the PC and Griots side by side (as they used to sell the PC for years). They came out with this new polisher to address some of the shortcomings of the PC.

The Griots is easier to handle (because the handle makes it easier to grip), its mounting plate makes it run even cooler (although the PC isn't horribly hot), and it doesn't vibrate as brutally as the PC so it makes a day of detailing more enjoyable. The results of using the PC and Griots are identical, so if you have a PC then there is no reason to change. However, if you are in the market for your first orbital and you don't have air then this is a great choice.

Raptor

SS: Thanks for taking time to post reviews. I use a PC but also put air outlets around my garage. The compressor is reasonably quiet, so I may look at the pneumatic unit. Is this the unit you suggested? http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10415

BTW, pretty hot out here this week, too.

SilverSteel

That's the one. And it's very hot here in Texas today.