Goldfish11
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
- Messages
- 846
- Car
- C220 CDI (09/11 - Facelift) & SLK200
Well as many of you know since I started the “Power car polishing / buffing / waxing” thread ( http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6997 ) nearly four years ago polishing my car has sadly become a major obsession. This thread as you will see has now been viewed over 40,000 times and many of us have invested in 110volt Porter Cable Polishers (PC7424) imported from the USA using amongst others Autopia http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?autopia+MBWu4u+index.html+ )
But for the past 12 months the race has been on to launch a 240volt dual action polisher. The 240 volt version of the “Ultimate Detailing Machine” (http://www.ultimatedetailingmachine.com/ultimate-detailing-machine-car-polisher-uk.html ) has been on the drawing board and the launch date was going to be June last year this has been continually put back and recent communications with “Autopia Car Care” anticipate this will be sometime in the Spring/Summer 2008.
So in December 2007 Meguiars won the race by launching the Meguiars G220 dual action polisher. The first proper dual action polisher designed for the UK market.
The temptation to get one of these units and review it against my 110volt Porter Cable finally became so great and I purchased one a few months ago. Now the outside temperature has improved I have finally been able to give it a test and let you know what I think.
I purchased the unit from Doug Taylor at GP Wizard (http://www.gpwizard.co.uk/shop/) . Doug is in the privileged position to sell so much Meguiars stuff that he is able to offer some of the best prices on the internet. The list price for the unit is £150 but Doug has them available for £135 including delivery. (He also does Meguiars, Zymol and Autoglym products), I received excellent service when dealing with this business and I am happy to recommend GP Wizard to you.
What is in the Box?
The PC7424 comes with a side handle and a polishing pad which is already mounted and a spanner in a card board box. You generally then need to buy a Velcro backing plate, foam polishing pads, a site transformer, 110volt plug to fit to the unit and some 110volt extension leads. (see first entry on http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6997 details) Although a good package for the PC7424 including pads can be purchased for around $200 (about £100 (Pounds Sterling)) you need to add postage and also then buy a yellow site transformer for about £50 plus the other bits costing about a further £20 so the total package can cost around £200.
With the G220, once removing the outer card board box from the G220 you find a nice plastic carrying case. This as you can see from the photos below includes a key for fitting the handle screws, 2 screws for the handle, a spanner for fitting a Velcro backed plate instructions and the G220. All together this is a nice tidy package all you need in addition to get started with the machine is a few foam polishing pads. If you source these from GP Wizard they cost about £12 each, which is not a bad price for the UK. If you want to buy a lots of pads it would be worth investigating importing them from the USA. From Autopia http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?autopia+MBWu4u+index.html+ they cost half the price. So for about £170 you can be up and running with the G220 unit.
I did a comparison of the units measuring a few important specifications:
Porter Cable 7424 (PC7424)
Voltage 110 volts Weight – 2.3Kg Power 450watts Speed Range 2500-6000 Oscillations per Minute(opm). Cable length 3 meters.
Plus
Transformer:- 240volts to 110volts Weight 15.1Kg.
Meguiars G220
Voltage 240volts Weight - 2.5kg Power 550watts Speed Range 2500-6800 Oscillations per minute. Cable length 3 meters.
It can be seen they are very similar in form and specification but the G220 does have more power and speed. One main difference you notice about the G220 is the over head handle rather than the side handle. I was not sure about this initially but once I started using the unit I was won over immediately.
In use:
The main difference you notice between the G220 and the PC7424 is the noise level and vibration. The G220 is far quieter and smoother, I found I was happy to run the unit at much higher speed settings. The over head handle also meant it was easier to use and control. This meant I could get much better results in less time than with my PC7424! It was also nice not to have to mess with a 15kg transformer a simple 240volt extension lead was all that was required. So the G220 was a pleasure to use. One thing which is fiddly is fitting the overhead handle. The screws are difficult to insert, I am sure it would be possible to have a couple of screws that could be hand tightened in some way. The side handle on the PC7424 is so easy to fit in comparison.
If you have a PC7424 unit should you buy the G220? Well I am not sure about this it is better but probably not worth the £135 upgrade cost as great results can be achieved with the PC7424. The main benefit would not having to move the 110volt transformer around. Last year I moved this in the garage, put my back out and spent over £100 at an Osteopath getting my back sorted! So looking at it this way the Meguiars G220 is worth it.
BUT watch this space. The “Ultimate Detailing Machine” may eventually be available in 240volt with increased competition prices may drop.
Further information
Speed comparisons have been undertaken, I gathered this data from Meguiars UK Forum and Detailing World (Source: dotnetdave & I200Steve)
Speed 1
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 2
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 3
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 4
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 5
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 6
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
In summary the new G220 has a bit more kick.
But for the past 12 months the race has been on to launch a 240volt dual action polisher. The 240 volt version of the “Ultimate Detailing Machine” (http://www.ultimatedetailingmachine.com/ultimate-detailing-machine-car-polisher-uk.html ) has been on the drawing board and the launch date was going to be June last year this has been continually put back and recent communications with “Autopia Car Care” anticipate this will be sometime in the Spring/Summer 2008.
So in December 2007 Meguiars won the race by launching the Meguiars G220 dual action polisher. The first proper dual action polisher designed for the UK market.
The temptation to get one of these units and review it against my 110volt Porter Cable finally became so great and I purchased one a few months ago. Now the outside temperature has improved I have finally been able to give it a test and let you know what I think.
I purchased the unit from Doug Taylor at GP Wizard (http://www.gpwizard.co.uk/shop/) . Doug is in the privileged position to sell so much Meguiars stuff that he is able to offer some of the best prices on the internet. The list price for the unit is £150 but Doug has them available for £135 including delivery. (He also does Meguiars, Zymol and Autoglym products), I received excellent service when dealing with this business and I am happy to recommend GP Wizard to you.
What is in the Box?
The PC7424 comes with a side handle and a polishing pad which is already mounted and a spanner in a card board box. You generally then need to buy a Velcro backing plate, foam polishing pads, a site transformer, 110volt plug to fit to the unit and some 110volt extension leads. (see first entry on http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=6997 details) Although a good package for the PC7424 including pads can be purchased for around $200 (about £100 (Pounds Sterling)) you need to add postage and also then buy a yellow site transformer for about £50 plus the other bits costing about a further £20 so the total package can cost around £200.
With the G220, once removing the outer card board box from the G220 you find a nice plastic carrying case. This as you can see from the photos below includes a key for fitting the handle screws, 2 screws for the handle, a spanner for fitting a Velcro backed plate instructions and the G220. All together this is a nice tidy package all you need in addition to get started with the machine is a few foam polishing pads. If you source these from GP Wizard they cost about £12 each, which is not a bad price for the UK. If you want to buy a lots of pads it would be worth investigating importing them from the USA. From Autopia http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?autopia+MBWu4u+index.html+ they cost half the price. So for about £170 you can be up and running with the G220 unit.
I did a comparison of the units measuring a few important specifications:
Porter Cable 7424 (PC7424)
Voltage 110 volts Weight – 2.3Kg Power 450watts Speed Range 2500-6000 Oscillations per Minute(opm). Cable length 3 meters.
Plus
Transformer:- 240volts to 110volts Weight 15.1Kg.
Meguiars G220
Voltage 240volts Weight - 2.5kg Power 550watts Speed Range 2500-6800 Oscillations per minute. Cable length 3 meters.
It can be seen they are very similar in form and specification but the G220 does have more power and speed. One main difference you notice about the G220 is the over head handle rather than the side handle. I was not sure about this initially but once I started using the unit I was won over immediately.
In use:
The main difference you notice between the G220 and the PC7424 is the noise level and vibration. The G220 is far quieter and smoother, I found I was happy to run the unit at much higher speed settings. The over head handle also meant it was easier to use and control. This meant I could get much better results in less time than with my PC7424! It was also nice not to have to mess with a 15kg transformer a simple 240volt extension lead was all that was required. So the G220 was a pleasure to use. One thing which is fiddly is fitting the overhead handle. The screws are difficult to insert, I am sure it would be possible to have a couple of screws that could be hand tightened in some way. The side handle on the PC7424 is so easy to fit in comparison.
If you have a PC7424 unit should you buy the G220? Well I am not sure about this it is better but probably not worth the £135 upgrade cost as great results can be achieved with the PC7424. The main benefit would not having to move the 110volt transformer around. Last year I moved this in the garage, put my back out and spent over £100 at an Osteopath getting my back sorted! So looking at it this way the Meguiars G220 is worth it.
BUT watch this space. The “Ultimate Detailing Machine” may eventually be available in 240volt with increased competition prices may drop.
Further information
Speed comparisons have been undertaken, I gathered this data from Meguiars UK Forum and Detailing World (Source: dotnetdave & I200Steve)
Speed 1
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 2
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 3
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 4
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 5
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
Speed 6
PC7424 = 2300opm
MegG220 = 2760opm
In summary the new G220 has a bit more kick.
