Silverline Polisher

As a manufacturuer or rotary polishers, Silverline are okay; quality is okay, performance is okay (from what I have read and been told by other detailers I trust). However, they can bog down under certain conditions, as the motor isn't as good as that found on higher end units like the Makita 9227. So, for a rotary they represent a good budget buy, with reasonable performance.

Perhaps more importantly, the issue of choosing a rotary over a dual action machine is more crucial. Rotary polishers produce lots of heat and do lots of work very quickly. Touching a plastic panel with the side of a pad, even for a split second, can result in serious burning of the paint (to the extent that bodyshop work is required to fix it), and running over edges and creases with too much speed or pressure can have the same effect. On metal panels, in most cases there is minimal chance of burning the paint so long as you keep the machine moving smoothly, and keep an eye on heat build up. Practice is definitely required, and it will take a long time to get comfortable with the machine, as they do tend to pull you around a bit at first due to the torque. In time, you learn to have this work in your favour, and it becomes much less of a fight.

Compared to rotary machines, dual action machines are inherently a lot safer and a lot easier to master. Most people used to power tools can learn to use a dual action unit like a PC or UDM effectively in an afternoon. These tools don't pull you around, and aren't so sensitive so being run over edges and creases. Plastics are also machinable at full tilt as heat build up is almost negligable most of the time. Also, whilst the PC struggles a bit on harder paints, the new UDM has a much more powerful motor, and is capable of a decent level of work, even on BMW and Audi paint.

In summary, if you intend to do a lot of cars and can afford to spend a lot of time building up your skill level, then a rotary makes sense. However, if you intend to remain an enthusiast, and will only be using your machine every now and again, a dual action unit like the UDM is worth going for instead.

Did you mean the silverline random orbital polisher / sander that's about 20 quid?

If so, it's amazing for the money, my g220 packed in and, just out of warranty I was looking for something else. All the guys on detailingworld.com spoke very highly of it so I bought one.

All I can say is, it's not going to burn your paint, or plastics as it's random orbital, and the finish is somethig else. I would challenge if my g220 was any better!!

I know i'm going to take some flack for that, but, it is only my opinion. Although it is the right one

thought i had better stick the part number down - 289446

Aspen said:

Did you mean the silverline random orbital polisher / sander that's about 20 quid?

If so, it's amazing for the money, my g220 packed in and, just out of warranty I was looking for something else. All the guys on detailingworld.com spoke very highly of it so I bought one.

All I can say is, it's not going to burn your paint, or plastics as it's random orbital, and the finish is somethig else. I would challenge if my g220 was any better!!

I know i'm going to take some flack for that, but, it is only my opinion. Although it is the right one

thought i had better stick the part number down - 289446

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Interesting findings, cheers for sharing. When I get chance I'll get one of these in for a play. :icon_thumright:

That's a bit scary high in my opinion; both the Kestrel DAS-6 and the Megs G220 have a maximum speed of 6000 opm, and most work is done in the range 4000-5000 opm. I wouldn't be comfortable working at that kind of speed if I am honest. Do you know what the throw of the orbit is, i.e. how much do the orbits overlap by? On the DAS-6 and G220 it's between 10-15 mm, but on a sander it's usually a lot less (4-6 mm), meaning friction is greater. My fear is that this type of machine is going to generate too much heat and friction. I would check this out more carefully before you begin!