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Rotary Vs DA - Cutting ability

3K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  stangalang 
#1 ·
Hi All,

Long time follower here, but here goes my first question.

Hoping for some clarification on what people mean when they say "rotaries cut better".

Do they simply mean the rotary breaks the polish and goes through the stages of a polish quicker than a DA? Or will a rotary set with a polish/pad combination cut more than a DA with same polish and pad even if both are fully worked through (which a DA will take longer)?

If a rotary does cut more than a DA with a single set, what causes this? If a DA is breaking down the abrasive to the same size as a rotary is, how would the rotary have removed more clear coat?

Or Is the issue a DA can't break down the abrasive fully before the lubricating oils dry up so a single set never goes through the whole cycle? If this is the case, is it just the fast RPM of a rotary that allows it to break down a polish?

Apologies if this a silly question, I've done a lot of searching but cannot find the comprehensive answer I was looking for.
 
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#2 ·
I believe that a rotary will build up more heat than a da thus breaking down the compound faster, but that comes at a price of possibly causing heat damage to the panel ie "burn through" I hope this helps and correct me if I'm wrong folks which I'm sure and hope you do ��
 
#3 ·
Well its sort of a double edge question.
The new breed of da's ie bigfoot 21mm throw and 15mm throw etc cut faster than a rotary that is to say they finish down easier, using diminishing compounds
But a rotary concentrates the action into one circle not a series of orbits as an 8mm throw da
 
#4 ·
High-speed car polishers represent the greatest range in performance and applications. Due to the speeds and heavy-duty capacity of rotary car polishers, they can be used to not only perform car paint polishing, but perform gel coat/fiberglass polishing, as well as remove sanding marks after color sanding. These types of jobs require high kinetic friction that can only be created with the higher speeds of a rotary polisher.

This does not mean these types of polishing cannot be done with an orbital buffer, but the results will not compare to those available with a rotary polisher. A rotary doesn't require the same amount of downward pressure as an orbital. Staying within the lower speed ranges, providing you are careful not to hold the pad in one place for too long, and paying attention when you come to the `edge' of a panel or a body contour it will not cause any damage like paint burn or clear coat strikethrough .
 
#6 ·
Think of a rotary as a manual gear box, and a da as an automatic gear box. All things being equal, a manual win win a race. But if you are in an auto amg and your competition is in a manual micra, the auto will win.

A da is easier to master imo, and with modern pads and polishes it brings them VERY close to a hard core rotary combo. Its also worth remembering that a sledgehammer isn't always the appropriate tool, and a smaller hammer will usually get you there in the end :thumb:
 
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