Making Sense of Auto Buffers
Helping you find the winning balance

Welcome to best auto buffers review where I am going to walk you through the difficult process of picking a top rated car buffer.

In today's world of the Internet, most of you will find yourself sifting through too much information and opinions, rather than not enough.

As society we are on information overload and anyone with an opinion now has a stage to voice their opinion.

And regardless of a persons experience, they can voice this opinion for free, courtesy of the Internet and the endless social media platforms!

"Darren, I’ve scoured countless online forums and each time I end up more confused and frustrated than when I started."

Unlike most other car buffer reviews, my reviews come from the real world of professional detailing. The reality is that 80% of the people offering opinions on the many car forums have no business offering their opinions...

Opinions which are generally based on very limited experience and knowledge. Only 20% of the people are actually qualified to give an opinion and offer tips that are based on real-world experience. To make matters even worse, many of these so-called experts have hidden agendas simply based on their own pocket book or self-promotion.

"As a beginner you won't know the right questions to be asking. You will get answers based on somebody else's agenda."

Darren's Auto Buffer Review made Simple!

If you are anything like myself, which I know many of you are, you would appreciate things made simple by someone you can trust; my goal is to be that someone....

1. Perhaps one of the most important things to begin this deep dive on is the fact that buffers and polishers are the same. Since there is no standardization within the detailing community, anytime a person says buffer, it is the same as calling it a polisher. (I myself interchange these words simply because I want people to begin to accept the fact that they are one in the same with the understanding that there are different types of these buffers/polishers)
2. Today's buffers are more user friendly than ever before.
3. 95% of you will only ever need a single polisher for all your polishing needs. Whether you are a driveway detailer, enthusiast, or looking to go professional. And most often, this will be a quality random orbital like the ones below.
   
4. The good news is that due to the newer car polishers/buffers, you no longer have to start with some low-budget entry level polisher if you are a true beginner.
5. I have instructed hundreds of people with this same checklist and philosophy, and have never had anyone tell me they weren't able to come to the best decision for themselves.

Myth Busting Auto Buffers

Before we get too far into selecting a top rated car buffer, let's begin by busting a few bad rumors that continue to circulate.

• Polishing by hand is the only way and the safest way to polish a car.

False!

Yes, you could argue that polishing by hand is the safest way as far as not creating swirl marks or "burning" any paint, but the simple fact is that no person will ever be able to maintain the consistency of speed, pressure, and duration produced by using a car buffer over using your hand. There is a reason that every area of craftsmanship uses powers tools. Because when you match up the right tool with the right craftsman; amazing things happen! Car buffers and polishing your car with a quality car buffer is no exception. Also, random orbital or what is typically just called dual action polishers are a safe as safe can get. I promise you will not damage or destroy your paint even if this is your first time ever!

• I heard that once you touch your car with a buffer, the paint is never the same...in a bad way.

Depends.

I know; I hate that answer also. But it really does depend. It depends on lots of things. The good news is that with today's car buffers, polishes, compounds, and buffing pads, it would be hard for even an "out of the box" beginner to actually screw things up! The car buffers and everything else that goes along with polishing your car have been engineered to perform at such an entry level position that a monkey could do it and produce far better results than you will if you think you are gonna do it by hand.

Let's Help You Pick the Right Car Buffer

Having grown up in the world of professional detailing, I was limited to high-speed car polishers. Today's auto buffers consist of both high-speed (rotary) and what is called random orbital or DA (dual action) car buffers. (I am using a DeWalt rotary polisher to polish out the gel coat on a boat in this picture)

While the heavy lifting of paint correction and car polishing has traditionally been left to the high-speed car polishers, today's DA car buffers can achieve virtually the same results as a high-speed buffer without the risk generally associated with high-speed (rotary) car buffers. Using only a random, dual action car buffer will definitely take longer than using a rotary to do the job, but any beginner will appreciate the user-friendly experience of the newest in random orbital car buffers.

Random Orbital, Dual Action Buffers

Random orbitals are what many consider to be the best auto buffers for the largest group of people; from beginners to professionals. Also called DA for dual action, these car buffers are designed to replicate the motion of your hand when applying polish or wax; there are (2) rotating points. (Think of the earth spinning on its axis, while circling around the sun.)

• Random orbitals are considered the safest car buffers due to lower RPM's and non-forced rotation. This means that if too much pressure is applied, it will cease to spin (it continues to vibrate, but not spin) and therefore will minimize risk to the paint. This is why it is called a random orbital; versus a forced rotation dual action polisher.
  
• The dual-action buffer would be the one car buffer I recommend for virtually anybody looking to learn how to use a car polisher for the first time.
  
• Also ideal for any true beginner due to the non-forced, dual action motion; extremely easy to maintain control while using.

Darren's Note: Throughout this page I will switch between using the term polisher and buffer. Just know they are simply terms used interchangeably for the same "thing". Some guys call them polishers, some guys call them buffers. Manufacturers will do the same.

Darren's Top Pick for Auto Buffers

Polishing your car will require more than just a buffer. You are gonna need a few other items in order to get that show car shine you are after:

• A buffer
• Buffing pads
• Compound and/or polish
• Pad cleaning brush
• Microfiber cloths

For this reason I will be mapping out car polishing kits that represent an all-in-one approach.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before we get too far into this topic is critical to note that any polishing you do on your vehicle, should absolutely include a thorough paint decontamination step using some type of clay bar.

If you don't fully understand why this step is so important, here are the main reasons:

• Your paint will have bonded contaminants stuck to the paint —this is just a glorified name for airborne dirt particles.
• Washing, waxing, and even polishing will NOT remove these contaminants.
• If you don't remove them first, they will still be there when you are done polishing.
• Removing these bonded contaminants will also make your car polishing experience much better, but your end results will also be better.

Once again: I cannot stress this clay bar process enough!

Adam's Car Polishing Kit

Adam's Car Polishing Kit on Amazon

This kit from Adam's would be my first choice in a car polishing kit. There are cheaper varieties that can be found on Amazon, but this kit has quality built into all the components of this kit:

• Quality 9mm auto buffer
• Quality polishing pads
• Quality compound and polish
• Pad cleaning brush

Torq Car Polishing Kit

Torq 15mm Dual Action Buffer on Amazon

This car polishing kit by Torq would be my second choice. Everything in this kit is also quality built, but I'm not a huge fan of the digital controls of this particular polisher.

• The Torq 15mm throw random orbital (this is a longer throw than the Adam's - which is not something any beginner would notice nor will it make a difference by producing any better results)
• Very good overall value
• Comes with 3 types of polishing pads (which is overkill)
• Comes with 4 different "grades" of polishes (which is also overkill)

Darren's Professional Tips:

• The market is overflowing with auto buffers, and that choice-overwhelm is real.
• I know it’s hard to part with your hard-earned cash, yet it’s equally tempting to hunt endlessly for the “best” buffer.

• That’s why I’ve skipped the ultra-expensive, truly professional-grade polishers—unless you’ve got money to burn, they’re overkill for a beginner.
• Reading review after review only deepens the confusion, keeping you farther from your goal of a show-car shine.
• Remember: you probably only have one car to polish, and paint correction isn’t a weekly chore—it’s a one-off (maybe two) project.
• Sure, watching paint regain its depth and gloss is addictive, but over-polishing can thin your clear coat to an unsafe level.

Which in simple terms is me saying you just need to pull the trigger, make that decision, and dial up the shine factor on that car of yours!

Auto Buffers Review

My goal is to always provide what I consider usable information, not information for the sole purpose of entertainment. Hopefully you are much more informed and can make a decision as to what the winning combination of auto buffers means in your world.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and can be done so using the icon at the bottom of this page.

Sincerely,

Darren Priest