Category Archives: Garage & Equipment

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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The best car polishers for beginners
24
Jun
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Best Car Polishers for Beginners (2024)

Posted on by Mike Phillips

The good news about polishing car paint in 2024 is there are a LOT of options when it comes to machine polishers for beginners starting out doing paint correction. The bad news? There are SO MANY options now when it comes to polishers and buffers that it can be VERY confusing. As a teacher of […]

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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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New video from Rad Garage on maintaining Nano-Resin Pro
05
Jul
Behind the Detail, Ceramic Coatings, Featured, Garage & Equipment, How To, Videos & Media

Nano-Resin Pro Maintenance Treatment on RAD Garage’s Audi SQ5 ft. Bead Hero

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Recently we shared a dreamy cinematic YouTube video from creator RAD Garage, showing channel owner Rick’s process installing Dr. Beasley’s Nano-Resin Pro ceramic coating on his daily-driven Audi SQ5. Now, two weeks later, Rick has posted a ceramic maintenance video that’s every bit as gorgeous as his last. Featuring a maintenance wash and an application […]

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09
Jan
Behind the Detail, Featured, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips

Revisiting “Why Chamois Are A Sham”

Posted on by Victor Espeland

In 2012 we published a blog post entitled “Why Chamois Are A Sham”. In this blog we advised against using chamois, instead recommending microfiber towels. The reasons provided focused generally on chamois’ lack of knap and its difficulty to maintain. Since then, we’ve had a good number of responses in the comments taking issue with […]

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