Category Archives: Garage & Equipment

Can a DA polisher remove sanding marks?
18
Sep
Auto Detailing Training Classes, Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Rotary vs. DA Polishers: Can You Use DA Polishers To Remove Sanding Marks?

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Livestream Transcript So today’s topic is a question I’ve been asked all my life, well, all my detailing life. Can a DA polisher or a random orbital polisher be used to remove sanding marks? For example, this 1992 Chevy just got a custom paint job. It’s got a lot of orange peel. We’re going to […]

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EGO Power+ Blower with ApexAire Stubby Nozzle
17
May
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Professional Detailing

The Best EGO Blower Attachments for Drying Cars (2024)

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Professional and DIY car detailers alike LOVE using electric blowers to dry cars. With a blower, you don’t have to worry about inflicting swirl marks in the car’s paint with drying towels — you can dry the whole vehicle without touching the car once.  The Problem with the EGO Stock Nozzle One of the most […]

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Close-up of hand holding clay bar with imprint marks showing contaminants removed during car detailing with header text that reads "what are clay bars?"
11
Jun
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing

What Does a Clay Bar Do? Detailing Clay, Explained

Posted on by Mike Phillips

A clay bar removes above surface bonded contaminants off the surface of your car’s paint to restore a clean and smooth surface. However, there is some confusion over the topic of how a clay bar works, why you should use one and what it does for a vehicle’s paint.  Let’s take a deeper dive. Myth […]

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Harbor Freight Bauer DA polisher review for car detailing
09
Jul
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing

Harbor Freight DA Polisher Review & Guide | Bauer 5.7 Amp 6 in. Short-Throw Random Orbit DA Polisher/Sander

Posted on by Mike Phillips

When it comes to entry level dual action (“DA”) random orbital polishers, Harbor Freight’s Bauer Short-Throw Random Orbit DA Polisher/Sander is one of the most popular thanks to its wide availability and low price point. But is this polisher actually worth the money? What should you know about this polisher before you buy? I’ll answer […]

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Mike Phillips gives his tips on random orbital polishers
30
Jul
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Tips, Videos & Media

Random Orbital Polisher Tips from Mike Phillips

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Random orbital, free-spinning polishers are the easiest type of polisher to use and are safer for beginners than more advanced tools like rotary polishers. But don’t let their user-friendly reputation fool you — random orbital polishers are complex tools with many ins and outs to know. In this condensed reel from a recent live detailing […]

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Comparison of cordless rotary polishers from Flex, Harbor Freight, and Milwaukee for car detailing
24
Jun
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, Videos & Media

Which Cordless Rotary Polisher Is Best? Flex vs. Harbor Freight vs. Milwaukee

Posted on by Mike Phillips

There are so many cordless (battery-powered) rotary polishers on the market today versus 10, even 5 years ago. With all these new options comes analysis paralysis, and I’m here to help YOU make an informed decision before investing in a new tool. It’s all here in this clip from one of my recent LIVE monthly […]

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28
May
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Which Polisher Should You Use On A Car’s Paint?

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Choosing the right machine to polish a car’s paint is essential to getting the best results. Yet there are so many different machines on the market — random orbital, forced rotation, rotary — it can be hard to know what to use and when. Our Chief Education Officer Mike Phillips recently covered this topic in […]

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Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation DA vs. Flex XC 3401 VRG Gear Driven Polisher
02
May
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Flex XC 3401 VRG vs. Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Roation Polisher

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Harbor Freight recently came out with a forced rotation polisher that’s almost an exact copy of the Flex XC 3401 VRG. The only thing they didn’t copy? The price! The Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation Polisher retails for around $100, while the Flex gear-driven polisher runs at about $400. So how do they stack up […]

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How to clean wool buffing pads
23
Mar
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

How to Clean Wool Buffing Pads

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Wool pads are round buffing pads made from long fibers (typically lambswool) designed to remove deep scratches, heavy oxidation, severe water spots and sanding marks on automotive paints like single stage paints, basecoat/clearcoat paints and marine boat gelcoats. While they’re great for quickly removing heavy paint defects, their long fibers easily trap spent product and […]

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Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher on Rolls Royce
09
Mar
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Review: Harbor Freight Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Harbor Freight recently came out with a new machine called the Hercules Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher. Being an 8MM gear-driven orbital polisher, it has a lot in common with the Flex XC3401VRG (AKA “The Beast”) with one major difference — at $129.99, it’s almost $300 cheaper. This makes it an attractive option for DIYers […]

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