Believe the hype

I was a little skeptical but I am a believer now - this buffer the best. The cheap < $100 buffers aren't even in the same league, i.e. they are a waste of time an money. The Porter-Cable 7424 produces brilliant results with little effort. I feel stupid for taking so long to finally pick one up. Don't be a dummy like I was - you need one too!

Great Polisher

This machine is light weight and easy to use. The orbital action does not leave swirl marks, and will not burn the paint. The best friend a show car owner could have!

A review that tells you where to go

The Porter Cable 7424 orbital polisher is all it is advertised to be. The PC 7424 started out over ten years ago as a random orbit sander, but is now used extensively as an automobile polisher.I have taken my PC 7424 on a first use shakedown cruise and it has done a fantastic job with bringing the black paint on my ten year old car back to showroom condition. I had used one of those cheap plastic two-fisted machines I bought in an auto supply store with little success. ^M
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The Porter Cable polisher is an affordable device that gives professional detailing results. It won't burn paint and accommodates a variety of cleaning, polishing and waxing pads. The PC 7424 makes detailing a car fun to do. I wish I would have had this little giant years ago when I was cleaning up my cars with a rag.^M
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I am not a professional detailer and I started using the polisher with little knowledge of how it should be operated. The Porter Cable 7424 comes with a foam applicator pad, a wrench and a very minimal instruction manual. I had to rely on my basic understanding of caring for automobile finishes and the directions on a bottle of Meguiar's car polish to get me started. Since the PC 7424's random orbit action just about eliminates damaging a painted surface it is very forgiving of trial and error use. This machine has a speed control in the form of a thumbwheel on the rear end so it is possible to go from 2,500 to 6,000 operations per minute (OPM). It seems to operate best somewhere between those two speeds.^M
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After my first experimental experience with the Porter Cable 7424 I found an excellent article on the Internet that provided me with an extensive explanation of how the polisher works, how to use it and lots of understandable advice. It would have been nice to have this information before I plugged in the 7424 for the first time. The article has polishing hints, pad cleaning instructions and many interesting photographs. ^M
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The twenty-five page article by David Bynon (How to use the Porter Cable 7424 6" Orbital Polisher) can be found among others by going to this web site: http://www.bettercarcare.com You can find the Bynon article(s) by clicking on Detailing Enthusiast from the list on the left side of the Web page. ^M
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After buying the Porter Cable 7424 based on my own research, I discovered this machine was widely recommended by makers of car polishes and professional detailers. It is always good to know that a machine like this has a positive track record. ^M