Do I need a buffer?
I get this a lot. People ask, “do I have to use a buffer?... because I’m afraid I’m going to scratch the paint”...
In short, you can do it by hand, but your gloss and your durability goes up 30 to 50% if use a buffer on the polish stage.
First of all, it is not a “buffer”.... it is a polisher ...you do not buy anything anymore as a buffer ...you buff by hand. They used to use “buffers” to get off the huge white haze that baked on, when they used normal waxes. That’s all gone away with the new polishes and the new sealants, they just wipe off, so you don’t need a buffer. Things today are so much easier if you are willing to learn.
What you do need is a polisher, because the hand cannot move at 1500 RPM . You need a polisher to get the surface smooth, so that it reflects light. Waxes and sealants aren’t where you get your gloss from, it’s in the preparation stage which is where you use the polisher. We also apply some sealants with a “polisher” with a soft pad, and now it a “spreader”.
It’s as simple as the way Mike Phillips describes in his video below and realize that an orbital polisher cannot do any damage to your car whatsoever. Set it on speed 3 for all uses we are doing here
http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html
best polisher:
http://www.autogeek.net/new-griots-polisher.html
the pads – white for the Polish and seal, blue for the wet diamond if you are doing that step:
http://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-white-6.html
http://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-blue-6.html