Can anyone suggest some good sites with great prices to order from for DA Buffer (Porter Cable 7424XP or 7346SP), as well as pads in the USA? I hear eshine.ca in canada is good, but any better sites in the US? I am taking a trip out there soon and was hoping to buy something online ahead of my trip.

Lowes has the 7346SP with 6.5" backing pad and polishing pad for $99 shipped within the states right now, which is probably what I am going to end up with. Amazon sometimes has similar deals on both the 7346SP and 7424XP.

 

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

http://www.properautocare.com/

I use Lake Country pads and bought my 7434 from Autopia. They both offer package deals at fair and reasonable prices.

 

I used to get all of my stuff from George at www.detailedimage.com. I stopped purchasing from there as the shipping costs were higher and I got dinged for customs charges on a number of occasions. In the end, I just didn't feel it was worth it and switched to eShine. I buy all of my supplies for my business from eShine and have been extremely happy with their service.

If you buy a 7424 from eShine, it's $149.99 and free shipping. If you purchase it from Autopia, it's $124.99 USD plus about $30 USD for shipping (to my address at least). And you might be dinged with customs charges as well.

Anyways, just my .02 cents worth.

Edit, I just reread that you will be heading to the States to pick your supplies up......my bad.

 

I've never used eShine. I'll look them up too. Might get some better deals on my polishes and sealants.

 

That place is in my hometown.. I never realized it was so popular! I've only stopped in once, but the guys there seem great.

 

I ended up with the 7346SP from Lowes in the states with the 6.5" backing pad. Now I need to buy some 6.5" pads. Which types of pads do you guys recommend? I hear many people go with a white and an orange?

 

So far, I've only use a white pad for light polish. The paint wasn't so bad and it only had a few RIDS remaining which I'm perfectly fine with because it's a DD anyway. I have a yellow and an orange just in case I need something a bit more aggressive. I also went down to 5.5 pads for more power. Covers a bit less but it seem to require less passes. I use a red pad for spreading wax.

Hit up Larry @ wisdomdetail, he's local and is available for pick ups. Otherwise, just wait for eshine to have their sales.

 

I was hoping to go 5.5" instead of 6.5" but my unit came with a 6.5" backing pad. I suppose I can change the backing pad to 5.5".

Which orbital buffer do you use? Thanks for the link.

 

You can definitely change the backing pad. I guess it's good to have both, use the 6.5" to spread wax while the smaller backplate can be used for paint correction.

I use a Griot DA.

 

I use Lake Country pads for my detailing business. Regarding which pads to purchase, that totally depends on the severity of your paint. Take a look at this chart and this will give you an idea of what pads you will need for what you are looking to do. Whatever pads you feel that you need, I would order at least two.

Also, if you don't mind spending a little extra money, I would also get a 3.5' backing plate for your PC and some 4" pads as well. The 4" pads will give you two advantages over the 6.5" pads. Not only will they break your polish down better than the 6.5" pads, they are easier to manoever is smaller places.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Are these pads washable and reusable, or are they not supposed to be washed and have a certain lifespan?

 

Yep, the pads are definitely washable and resuable, however they do have a lifespan. Cleaning the pads is pretty simple. Add about 3 gallons of hot water to a bucket along with snappy clean or any other APC. Let your pads sit in there for a half hour or so then agitate the pads and keep wringing the solution and polish out of them. Once the pads are clean, wring them out, rinse with clean water, wring them out again and let dry.

 

+1 for eShine, they've been good to me. I'll probably go for a 3.5" backing plate and 4" pads this spring since I need some new pads anyway.

 

You'll love the 4" pads Wayne. It's the sole reason why I still have my PC. I use my Flex the vast majority of the time, but having the PC with the 4" pads comes in handy for some smaller areas.

 

if my backing plate is 6.5", does this mean I need a 7" pad to make sure that the backing plate is fully covered, or should I be fine with a 6.5" pad?