Harbor Freight $49 Bauer dual action polisher How good is it? Unbox , review & demo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ค. 2020
- So today we test out the Bauer dual action polisher from Harbor Freight. Let's put it to the test on our 1984 Porsche 944. Can it remove orange peel and polish out paint to a mirror like shine?
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Overall it as great little DA for 50 to 80 bucks.
It feels very powerful and well built .
It almost is too fast for a polisher.
Just like the guy in the video I run it really low,
on two or three. (It goes up to six)
I almost feel like they took a grinder and "geared it down" to make a polisher...lol...
*Good **MyBest.Tools** power and rpm control.*
*I've owned the 849x going on 6 **yearsMyBest.Tools** and has never failed me.Smooth runningWell balancedNot too noisyDecent weightControlled RPM's that keeps it's speed no matter pressure*
Got this DA last night, instantly the best tool in my garage next to the air compressor.
Cut my hood down to 1200 then 1500, super smooth now. Was all lumpy and had rock chip repairs. Going thru ultimate compound and polish today on foam pads. Stoked 😎
This is on sale for 39.99 this weekend, so I jumped on the youtubes to see if I could find a review. Great video that really shows how it works!!
Awesome review! Videos like this give me the confidence to do my own work. The money I save pays for these tool purchases. Keep the videos coming!!
Thanks
DA’ing a car is not easy work! It’s work!! The end results are well worth it. Good job! ✊🏼
Oh it sucks in the Florida heat but yes so worth the outcome
Thanks for this video Pete you have persuaded me and gave me the confidence to go to harbor freight for this tool
Great vid! Just a tip to keep your polishing pads/bonnets in a sealed bag or box (once clean and dry). I wouldn’t toss them around a raw plywood or osb sheet like that… I have splinters just looking at it.
Harbor Freight really really is putting out some Great stuff these days!!!!! About 1/2 my tools are from there with NO disappointment!!! ❤️🙌🏼
Pete, thanks for video, picked up same at HF this weekend and polished out quick and dirty spay can job I had done to my SL...results were great
Awesome. Send me some photos on Instagram
Good step by step instruction! I will buy one of these! Thank you.
The camera effect (visual) when hit 3k ITS NOT MOVING niceeee
Amazing results brother…just what I needed..!!!
Ok I'm in. lol just wanted to see someone use it before i bought it, so now I'm getting one. Thanks
Great video! Gives me confidence to try it out!
Pete: It appears to run smoothly when in full flat contact with the working surface, much better than the Central Pneumatic DA sander-polisher that seemed like it was out of balance most of the time. Nice video!
I saw this car in red in a mall when I was a teen. I thought it was so beautiful. It still is.
I wasn't sure if i should buy it but now i want to buy it because it works great.
It's so interesting how the video frame rate can make the pad look like it's sitting still. Looks cool, but makes it hard to tell how fast it's spinning for you. Thanks for the useful video.
just picked one up 2 days ago. polished all my water spots out of my hood fairly easy. i use dewalt rotaries and shure DAs at work for boat detailing, it feels pretty good in the hand and good quality compared to the expensive tools
Wow that is nice, I’m not mad I paid about the same can’t wait to use it tomorrow.
I’m glad I come across this video because I was thinking of buying the same polisher and it works well. 👍
Hells yeah bro; tremendous good job! Cheers!
Really good assessment of the product.
Recently picked one up, and it works great. I saw some complaining about the price, but they sent me a coupon, and I got mine for $59.99. So far so good.
just got mine for $39.99, blessed!
Thanks, I was on the fence with buying this it's a tad bit more here in Oregon but if I can be as good at polishing I will be very satisfied. Thanks for the review. Great Video.
I agree with the guy 100% I’ve purchased plenty of tools from Harbor freight and this dual action polisher is the best tool I ever got from there
Well done! It's a zoo out there, trying to pick the right tool for doing my own personal car. I'd never considered a Harbour freight before.
It’s been a great tool so far. I’m a big fan of Bauer stuff now. Have a few different tools and they are much better than the standard stuff at Harbor freight
Wow what a difference, thanks for sharing!
I’m amazed that you got such great results. I detailed cars for over 25 years my tools were always hundreds of dollars. I think I’ll grab a Bauer as a backup for my Flex. The only downside I heard was the noise, that thing is loud
It is loud and it does get a little hot on long use but I've been non stop using it and just did a car last week with amazing results.
Go see Dallas paint correction on TH-cam I believe Scott says he's got five of the Harbor Freight DA's. He keeps one loaded up for each procedure that he wants to do.
He also has a number of the more expensive machines also. What gives High marks for the Harbor Freight machine.
Yes he says it's noisy and a little tiring on the hands because of the noise and vibration.
I got mine believe it or not for $39 on sale in June of 2023
Awesome review! Thanks
I was just looking for a buffer, first video I find and the car you’re buffing is almost identical to mine!
Sweet.
I just bought this polisher as my first polisher while I’m learning. I’ve heard nothing but good reviews. I’ll let you guys know how it goes with my truck.
Pete, I just found this and you have inspired me to hit my local Harbor Freight! I have a black 88 944 and the body needs some TLC. You 84 looks amazing. Strong work and many thanks for the kick in the ass!!
Thanks for the video, was about to drop 180$ on the dewalt version just to keep my dewalt collection growing but this HF version seems like the better buy for a DIYer like me when it comes to car car.
Ayyy
Impressive result 👍
Didn’t know you got the same tool! I bought the same polisher few weeks ago and it does the job! Polished my S320 nicely! Although it gets hot
Yes it gets a little hot but for price it's great
Awesome money saved on this im going to buy
Boutta go buy one, I just started wet sanding my roof and I’m using a cheap $30 polisher and it sucks lol this is gonna make the whole process wayyyyy faster.
great video, very informative,
I'm going to be taking the clear off my stock aluminum f150 rims and polish them. I need a polisher so going to HF to get this one. I like the added safety a DA gives you.
Guess what I'm doing this weekend,great video
Look at "this guy"
Put a line on the outer edge of the yellow backing plate. It it’s not spinning, it’s not doing work. Alter hour angle or pressure to make sure the tool is always spinning.
Awesome video!
You sold me, payday I’m going to buy it. Thank you for showing this great video. The pads you got where if I may ask?
THANK U Very very Much. U r going 2 save Me so much time and labor
Great job u just let me know that I could use the exact Da for sanding proof their thanks.
You sound like Chris fix lol. Thanks for the review about to pick one up today
When I apply even slight pressure to mine against the car, the circular spinning stops completely and it just does the orbiting. Is that normal? It can't sand if it isn't spinning.
I would suggest doing some simple mods like changing out the screws and cheap grease it comes with over to quality high temp grease. Also, some were saying the newer Bauer model is more sensitive to stalling the pads orbit and you have to hold it really level and pay extra attention to the pressure you apply, would appreciate some feed back or suggestions on any experience with that.
Great review. Picking it up today for $39.99. First timer, so how big of an area to work on at a time and how long to hold the DA within that area? I don't want to burn the paint; if that's possible. Thanks.
You convinced me, my dude. Dont need to spend $300 for something I'd use 2 or 3 times a year.
Good video on how to use this tool.
Is it a good idea to use a sealant and a wax after applying compound and polish?
Or can I skip sealant and just use like a collinite 845 wax?
I still have the original HF CE polisher this replaced. Used it for years before I upgraded. It did 100s of corrections and still gets used as a 3" polisher. I've had $400+ Rupes break down 2 months in.
If you put just a cheap 5" backing plate on it and run 5" or 5.5" pads, it becomes a much better polisher. Less stall, more power. If you're not spinning, you're not doing a whole lot of correction. Ultimate Compound finishes pretty well and Ultimate Polish contains some fillers so I think that's why it worked out well for you here. Cool video though, and very cool car, thanks. 👍 People always ask me if the Bauer replacement is any good.
Thanks for the feedback. Love to hear this
Thank you. I too have been on the fence. As I comment I am sitting at Subway having my favorite hoagie and next door is Harbor Freight. Belly is full and am about to go next door and grab me a father's day buffer.
Enjoy and happy Father’s Day
Wow, nice. I have to try 😉
Nice job 👍
I have the same da and as in this video it does not spin with the slightest of pressure. This video stated the he had the wrong size pad on. Even with the right size it does not spin. Thought about returning it but now I see that they are all the same.
I love tool harbor. Good. Work
Would you recommend this for a boat gel coat restore, Or the other polisher?
Great video, and your ride looks way better now! I bought one of these last year and used on a car I bought that had some oxidation. After compounding and polishing with this tool, it looked so much better. A couple of questions: (1) when would you use this polisher vs. the orbital sander (I saw your review of the Bauer 5" sander), and (2) would you need to re-apply clear coat after sanding, then go to the compounding and polishing stages (after it cures)? Thanks!
Great questions. On my car there is no clear coat or at least no top clear coat. This is a single stage paint. When I first started the video i figured it was a top clear coat since it was a re paint. Fortunately i didn’t have to deal with going through clear coat. Normally you would never want to sand down clear coat unless you are re painting entire car. It’s near impossible too sand clear snd then re clear. It can be done usually if your only doing a small area and being very cautious
Now the orbital sander would be used when sanding completely down to to remove bad paint or imperfections. This polisher could be used like I did with very light sanding like 2000 or 3000 grit to smooth out clear coat. I hope this helps.
@@petescarport Yes, thanks for the quick reply! And that makes perfect sense. I'm working on another vehicle, and I hand sanded down (180/320 grit) the old paint that was pretty beaten up, then sprayed on primer, paint, and clear coat, then used ~3000 grit to lightly hand sand the orange peel. I think I'll buy that 5" Bauer sander you reviewed to heavy sand the other spots on that same car (before priming, etc.), then use this DA polisher to lightly sand the orange peel once the clear coat has cured. Thanks!
Yup that’s exactly how to do it. Good lucj
What is the smallest hwin you couldn't buy please comment back with these types of pads please let me know
Beautiful Car Brother
Thank you
I just started shopping for myself at Harbor Freight, usually shop for work.
I have been looking at this product for a little while; not too long but, this video helped me to make the decision to buy. I normally don't want try something like this myself for fear of failing but, if you never try, you never know....
It’s been too months how’s it going?
Wow made it look awesome question pls wax after polish right ?
Use a orbital Sander with smallest orbit stroke you can find usually 3/32 to cut for polish. Don't use masking tape, you'll create a edge that you'll never get rid of its called picture framing in autobody, and it ain't something you want, the more gloss you get buffing, the more imperfections stick out and that making tape line will look like a crease dent. Not saying any of this to be an ass, just trying to help with giving you some advice from someone that does autobody and paint for a living
Hey there use a lazer instead of tape you don't have to worry you will not lose your place in Line.
Ive never polished before. My truck has bad clear coat starting to flake. What do I do? Sand it with that 1500 grit first?
Bought a PC 7424XP. I had a friend who had a Harbor Freight D/A and it burned out on him. Still waiting for RUPES to come out with a battery operated D/A.
Bro, what kind of polishing pads are you using ?
Where can I buy the 1500 grit pads autozone no longer carries them.
That is actual sandpaper, correct? Do the foam applicators work as well? Is one more abrasive than the other?
So, I just checked on HF website, it shows $69 ..I will use this only once or twice a year, can I go with 2.8 AMP palm sander?
Get you a long throw and the hexlogic pads it really a whole different world
Harbor Freight Rocks..! 👌
i just bought it for $39.99 took it home and greased the head adding my grease but didnt remove their grease
sounds good except whines like sealed bearing in head is a lil dry
Put some lines on your backing plate to see if it’s moving or not. If they’re not spinning then it’s not working as good as it can. Great job otherwise though!! That paint really popped after you did the 3000 so I know the polish was going to be amazing.
It was barely spinning at all when polishing
Yeah it was the type of pad. I changed them out. Made a full video on the car with new pads
So after researching $150+ DAs I think ive decided to go with the harbour freight cheapo hardware and save some cash and with the money i save pick up some ceramic coating, polish, compound and pads and do a full restore for what i was originally spending on the hardware.
I have to say ceramic coating made the biggest difference once I was able to level my paint. Have you seen the video I made after this of the full paint correction and then ceramic coating of this car?
Why at the 8 min mark and when you up it to speed 3 does it slow way down? Too much pressure right? Or is it still polishing correctly?
I may be incorrect here, but I’m gonna assume it’s because the oscillations of the dual action mechanism….match the frame rate of the camera he was using to record……almost like videos where you’ll see a helicopter liftoff and the rotors appear to not be spinning
Is a direct drive or does have a clutch? Thanks
When he moved to the polisher, the pad wasn’t even spinning 😆
where did you get the 6 inch sanding discs from?
I got them at AutoZone but almost any auto parts store carries them
Guys these recently just went back on sale $39.99 grab em if u need em
How many polishing pads did you had to use to do the entire car? I’m getting ready to do mine it has been painted 6 mos. ago.
I used 6 2000 grit & 3000grit but only one of each polish and compound pads. Use high quality with those. I got griots garage pads from autozone for the rest of car
Isn’t the Black foam pad used for applying the Wax (i.e., Orange pad is for “Cutting”, Blue is for “Polishing”, and Black is for apply the “Wax”) - the Blue pad is thicker, than the Black pad, for removing the remaining scratch marks during the Polishing Stage?
Either way, you did a great job; looks great! - 👍🏼
Thanks. I just had these pads sitting around but I did rest of the car with proper griot garage pads. I did a video of the full car and then ceramic coated it as well. Still looks absolutely amazing.
Great products
Can you do a video of you ceramic coating your porsche? Would look great
Already did. Let me send you link
IDK why most wet sand by hand ? This makes sense as i was wondering when someone would take the chance ! Pros and cons Guys ?
What pad did you use for what?
What finishing pad did you use? Looks like a solid black finishing pad on the video but at the end it shows the red and black griots finishing pad
Go with griots. Much better pads.
that porsche looks so good it's had me looking for one similar for weeks now. Too bad they are so damn expensive.
Thank you and yes I wanted to get one while they were still within price range. I know in 10years it will be a lot different
@@petescarport as long as you maintain it and keep it running
It's probably a good investment.
@@petescarport oddly enough, just 10 months from your comment it's a whole different story! Yeah they'll never be cheap again until government starts imposing taxes to force us all to EV.
Awesome you got one while the getting was good
Thanks!
Thanks for reviewing this polisher. I have 2 questions what wet solutions were you spraying on car before sanding? And you used 1500 and 3000 grit? Made me nervous but wow how awesome it looks. Also can you put a link up for the polishing pads you said were better than the ones sold at Harbor Freight please? I haven't bought any pads yet. Thanks
So the spray is just a small amount of dish soap and water. The polishing pads are made by griots garage. You can get them at advance auto.
@@petescarport Thanks!!
My car was hit in the parking lot while I was shopping and came out to see scratches on my bumper. I was able to wipe most off with microfiber towel. Do I need the Bauer in your video or do I need the buffer/polisher to remove the remainder of scratches /paint?
Depends how deep the scratch is? If its in the base coat you won't get it out without a respray. If its deep in the clear coat just use 2000 grit wet sand and then use a compound to cut it and then polishing compound to polish. You can do it by hand you don't need a machine to do it. If you dont wanna do it by hand buy a drill foam pad attachments. Just google drill brushes and look for ones with foam pads not just brushes. Good luck.
was this single stage paint? because if not then removing the orange peel would cut the clear coat and therefor accelerating the oxidation of the paint quicker wouldn't it? did you protect it afterwards?
The orange peel was probably in the clearcoat
I just got one and used it outside for about 2 minutes. Then it shut off and won’t turn back on. Sometimes I’ll click the switch and it’ll come alive for a second and shut off. I read about a reset switch but can find it
Ok great video. How is it holding up today ? Did you stick with The 6” backing plate go down to a 5” plate. 49 again this time it’s Memorial Day
So it’s been amazing. I use it more than most my tools and it’s holding up great. Even use to sand. I purchase griots pads since this video and they have been perfect. Stuck with the standard backing.