Porter Cable vs. Black & Decker?

[BarracksSi]

I can go to Target and buy a Black & Decker orbital polisher for about 30 bucks.

What, exactly, would it be lacking when compared to the $130 Porter Cable polisher mentioned on here and on properautocare.com ?

[AkronSi]

I don't know what all the Black & Decker has (specs and such)....but you usually get what you pay for in tools. I've found Black & Decker tools to have a fairly short life compaired to a good quality tool.

With the Porter Cable you get excellent quality that will last you forever. It is variable speed, so you can start slow and work the speed up. It also is a true random orbit polisher. You won't burn the paint on your car with this.

And, you can change the agressiveness of the pads. I don't know if you can do that with the Black & Decker. Most in expensive polishers have a fixed foam pad.

Also, you can get it cheaper than $130. I got mine for $110 at lowes.

If you're still not sure....try to find someone that has one in your area. Or, buy the one from Target and take it back if you don't like it.

[ADAMnQuickCIVIC]

It depends on how often you plan on using it.
If you're a car detailer you'd have to be insane to buy B&D.
But if you're just using it for your personal car i dont see a problem with it.
ALL my power tools are Black & Decker.
My drill, sander, jigsaw, weedwacker, etc.
Have not had a problem with a single one yet.
But they're only a couple years old.
We'll see how they last in the long run, probably fine because i don't use them constantly.

[BarracksSi]

That's what I've been thinking --

I don't know if I can justify that kind of cash for a buffer without having to professionally use it several times a day.

If I use the B&D once every couple of months or so, then it should last 5-8 years pretty easily. If not, then the cost of getting a replacement would still be half of one Porter Cable.

Or, I could get the B&D as a sort of "Buffing 101" tool, and if I really get into it, I could splurge on a Porter Cable later. Then I could give the B&D to my parents, or to my sister & her hubby to try to salvage their Subaru Legacy's paint.

[HondaMan]

Yeah, I guess a B&D will do for your needs but Porter Cable is awesome and will more than likely last you a lifetime. Think about the long term i.e. 5 B&D over your lifetime or 1 Porter Cable. I sucked it up and bought the top of the line Porter Cable 7424 for $175 (at Home Depot with 10% off), but there is another good PC model below it for $110 like AkronSi mentioned.

[AkronSi]

If you are really interested in the Poter, go to Coastal Tool (http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/skinny.htm?E+coastest) and read this article on Autopia (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14421).

All of the Porter Cable models are basically the same, the only differences are the backing plate, counter weight and accessories. The backing plates and counter weights can be put on any model. So, I say get the cheapest.

Mine was the cheapy from Lowes and it has a 6" backing plate (although I had to add the velcro to it), the 6" counter weight and it cam with on polishing pad too. But check those links out, and see which model makes sense for you. And just think, you can use it to sand furniture with too :D

[AkronSi]

I just found this thread (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27569). It was posted by a guy who bought the Black & Decker orbital and has decided to upgrade. Take a look.