If you ever wondered what polishers professional detailers use, you’re at the right place. After testing a bunch of polishers and buffers and talking to a handful of professional car detailers, here’s my ultimate list of the best professional car polishing machines you can buy.
I recently wrote a guide on the best car polishers under $300, so if you’re on a budget, check that list. This time, we won’t look at the budget but at performance instead.
Best Professional Car Polishers and Buffers
I decided to narrow down the list and choose only four car polishers, each being a different type of polishing machine.
1. Rupes BigFoot LHR21 MK3: Best Dual Action Polisher
When it comes to quality, Rupes is the king in the auto detailing world. All their products are fantastic, and by choosing any Rupes polishing machine, you won’t make a mistake. Anyway, let’s see what this Rupes BigFoot LHR21 MK3 Professional Car Polisher can offer you.
Rupes LHR21 MK3 is the newest random orbital machine polisher that has a 21mm orbit and a 150mm (6 inches) backing pad. It’s perfect for working on larger areas, which is very important to polish and compound cars quicker.
The design is very sturdy, yet it’s extremely ergonomic, which helps professional car detailers when they have to work the whole day. Also, rubberized parts make it even nicer to hold in hands but also to get more precise feedback from the backing plate.
Its power is only 500W, which saves electricity but doesn’t make the device weak. It’s pretty powerful. When it comes to RPM, it can go anywhere between 3000 and 45000 RPM. Also, it has a soft start, so you don’t screw something up when you press the machine onto the surface.
With a 9 meters (30 feet) electrical cord, you’ll easily walk and work around vehicles without the need for additional extension cords.
The best thing about this polisher is that it can be used by both professionals and beginners, since it’s a random orbital polisher, and it’s hard to burn or damage the clear coat with it.
PROS
- The best random orbital polisher
- Ergonomic design
- Durability
- Long electrical cord
CONS
- Pricy
2. Flex PE 14-2-150 Rotary Polisher: Best Rotary Polisher
The biggest competitor to Rupes is the Flex company from Germany. They’re competing all the time, and actually, it’s hard to tell which company produces better products. I gave some advantage to Rupes, but I can’t leave the Flex behind.
This Flex PE14-2-150 is a rotary polisher that’s one of the best polishers for professional car detailers. With a 150mm (6 inches) backing plate, it’s great for polishing and compounding larger areas. It’s lightweight, ergonomic and full of safety technologies that help detailers do the best possible job.
It’s built and shaped to be comfortable for working all day long. The weight of this rotary polisher is just around 5.6 pounds, which is amazing. And not only that, but it’s also an incredibly quiet device when compared to other polishers on the market, which also increases the convenience.
It’s a 1400W device that has an RPM range from 600-2100. For a rotary polisher, that’s more than enough. Furthermore, the power cord is 4m (13 feet) long, which should have been longer in my opinion. With an acceleration switch, you’ll be able to start slowly and then gradually increase the RPMs.
To make it durable and long-lasting, the Flex company built overload protection, consistent speed control, restart protection, temperature monitoring, and especially important – fantastic airflow with large vents.
PROS
- High-quality rotary polisher
- One of the best on the market
- Powerful device – 1400W
CONS
- Too short electric cord (13 feet only)
- Backing plate not included in most shops
3. Rupes iBrid Long Neck Polisher: The Best Small Polisher
Another professional-grade car polisher comes from Rupes again, and it’s the fantastic Rupes iBrid Long Neck Car Polisher (check the price now on Amazon). It’s the perfect choice for polishing smaller and hard-to-reach areas. With a long neck, you’ll be able to reach them easily.
One of the best things about this tool is that you can use a battery to run it, but you can also use a cord for power, which is fantastic since you’ll be able to work long hours without refilling batteries. Mostly, you’ll use batteries when polishing some hard-to-reach interior parts only. The battery gives you around 30 minutes of work, which is more than enough to finish some smaller tasks.
This device weighs only 520g, which is probably one of the lightest tools on the market. That’ll give you a fantastic pain-free experience, and you’ll be as precise as possible because of it.
When it comes to RPMs, it can go anywhere between 2000 to 5000 RPM. Also, it’s both rotary and dual-action polisher, it just depends on which extensions you decide to use. That’s amazing!
In my opinion, buying a kit is the best option, since you’ll get all the important additional parts to make this device so powerful and so convenient. Of course, you can buy just a tool for a cheaper price, but then you won’t get that ultimate small polisher experience.
PROS
- The best device for reaching small, tight places
- You can use it corded, or battery-powered
- Kit includes many important extensions
- It weighs 520g only
- You can use it as a rotary, or as a dual-action polisher
CONS
- Plastic case
- Pricy
4. Flex XFE 15 150 18.0-EC Cordless Random Orbital Polisher: The Best Cordless Polisher
When it comes to battery-powered professional car polishers, in my opinion, the Flex XFE 150 150 18.0 is the best tool you can get on the market. Even though it’s very pricy, it’s totally worth the money. Also, I recommend you buy a kit since you’ll get everything needed for long, continuous work throughout the day.
It’s an ergonomically designed car polisher that won’t make you exhausted quickly (like some other cordless polishers). Soft-grip handle makes it convenient, and easy to hold securely. Also, it’s not weighty as some other similar tools, without batteries, it weighs only 2.1kg.
Its orbit movement is 15mm, and the maximum backing plate diameter is 150mm (6 inches). The load speed is between 2300-3800 RPM, while the no-load orbit rate is from 4600 to 7600 RPM.
In the kit, you’ll get two 5.0Ah batteries and a quick charger, and with them, you’ll be able to work for a pretty long time. While you spend one battery, the other one is already almost fully charged. That’s fantastic for professional car detailers. Also, most people use this polisher as a finishing polisher, and it’s usually done quicker than correction tasks.
PROS
- Perfect battery-powered car polisher
- Random orbital polisher
- Long battery life
- Great for finishing jobs
CONS
- The price is high compared to other products, but it’s worth the money
Are Professional Grade Car Polishers Worth The Money?
No doubt, these professional-grade car polishers are fantastic, but you may ask yourself – are they worth the money? If you check the prices, you’ll see that they’re much more expensive than some other brands such as Chemical Guys, Adam’s, SPTA, etc.
Well, in my opinion, if you’re a professional car detailer, the tools above are completely worth the money. Working with professional tools is always much easier than working with some more budget-friendly tools.
And not only that, the durability is probably the no.1 reason why you would want to buy a highly-priced professional car polisher. They’re able to work for hours without overheating, and overall, they’ll last longer.
Don’t get me wrong, you can get a perfectly polished or compounded vehicle with cheaper car polishers, of course. It all comes down to your knowledge and experience. But if you’re doing a lot of paint correction jobs, getting a professional car polisher will improve your work, and make it easier for you to get the most out of any car paint.
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