Harbor Freight Bauer Polisher 20mm - 3mo Follow Up - Did it make it in a professional environment?

This is a followup to this Bauer Polisher we used here: • INSANE 2 Step Paint Co... and fixed the vibration issues here: • Bauer 56367 DA Polishe...
It has been used outside in 100ºF heat (38ºC), for several cars we detailed for a local used car dealership in town, as well as in our shop on many cars and trucks. Here is how it has held up after 3 months of pretty intense use.

[@takeshikistun8944]

Thanks for the great content and research! I've been following along your series on this polisher and have been loving it.

[@detailit]

Love it. I watched your video and changed my grease to Lubriplate.. great video!

[@chadvalliere8697]

I’m a professional refinish tech and I purchased the wizards one sold shortly after. Man, let me tell ya, that thing was awful for the vibration. Really fired up what little carpal tunnel I do have.

[@RedLP5000S]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and enhancements for the Bauer. I went ahead and purchased the Lucas White Lithium Grease per your recommendation and will be adding the Rupes 5 inch backing plate as well. Seeing your success with the Bauer gives me confidence about my investment. Cheers.

[@ScottHD]

You're welcome. Be sure to tighten down the bolt for the backing plate very tight when swapping it over to the RUPES one!

[@detailit]

Yeah man, for 100USD it's a WINNER! I have had Adam's, Griots, DeWalt and for the money this is a MUST! Great Beginner machine!

[@ScottHD]

Outstanding!

[@BetweenTwoForks]

Would love to see what your thoughts are on the Hercules polisher. I've heard they are much better than the Bauers. Same, changed out the plates and grease. Thanks for the detailed and long term review. Longterm review is where it is at.

[@michaelclark6506]

Thank you though your video helped me in my decision

[@ScottHD]

You're very welcome!

[@sh00nuff10]

Please come back!

[@banshee100]

i use it for almost a year does just as great or better than higher names

[@jeremyogburn5888]

Thank you for all the great videos Scott! I have the short throw harbor freight right now, looking to get a long throw. Im stuck between 15mm and 21mm, not sure which to get. Would you recommend getting the harbor freight brand or should I spend a little more and get the maxshine?

[@jaken528]

Mine is still a little rough too...but im happy that it is still working! Lol...ive done at least 10 cars with it

[@ScottHD]

Nice. Oh for sure it paid for itself in commercial use after just one vehicle.

[@bilalsdetailingpressurewas7997]

I've bought their products & in truth they've held up decently for the countless clients I service, both boats & autos. ***It also helps that you can buy their Extended Warranty. You walk it in, pick up another, no pushback at all. The only issue now is the supply chain. Could you possibly show how you removed the grease & the replacement of the better quality grease.

[@aelx69420]

Just grabbed one for 80$ on sale cant beat that

[@henrythompson5624]

Do the DA cut well for you I was looking in too getting a m21 but I saw this one on sale this week.im not a professional just a weekend warrior if you had to pick one what way should I go.i will use the long throw only for cutting in finish down wit my g9.

[@scottmcbride2237]

I wonder if you could put better quality brushes and bearings in it. Plus thers.better grease that can be used for heat.

[@1kontrabida]

Its the bearing on the rear thats making that extra noise and from the sound of its about to give out ( bearing failure is common as they don't use high quality ones), maybe mod it to some high quality bearings. that'll be a cool vid!

[@ScottHD]

Just an update...it's pretty much dead now. I'll work on a follow-up and teardown video here soon. Been very busy!

[@1kontrabida]

@@ScottHD These days ive been holding back on buying detail related until we get ur results lol im sure alot of guys are on the same boat 😂 btw ive been researching a lot with ceramic bearings and ive replace the stock ones on my one wheel and its night and day difference and very quiet, ive installed them aswell on my pressure washer and hose gun practically all the stainless bearings i switch them to ceramic or zirconia depending on application, im thinking of doing in my rupes next😂

[@ScottHD]

@@1kontrabida ceramic bearings in my motorcycles too! I'm sure it's a dramatic improvement like it is elsewhere.

[@jdmDC2ftw]

Does this just have the regular 30 day warranty from HF?

[@saltsea9499]

@3:09 sounds like the brushes grinding, probably a brushed unit

[@IVAN2233]

If I get this to polish my car and compound then wax it. Can I just keep waxing it without having to polish it and compound it again?

[@troywilliams2473]

I wonder if you can replace that bearing on the main rotating assembly. Looks like something you can get out like the pilot bearing on an engine. (The ol wet bread technique) and get a koyo bearing equivalent. I suggest trying Wacko's grease or Super lube syncolon as your next grease attempts.

[@joshbooth9772]

I just discovered the old wet bread technique a few weeks ago - Its a game changer!

[@noahkraft6453]

I was curious did the failure of the other polishers bearings as well. If thats was the only early failure its a fairly inexpensive repair if you know how to pull them.

[@ScottHD]

Correct - I have the ability and knowhow - so if that is the case, I may tackle it.

[@km9643]

Any experience with the Griots G8 or G9 DA's in a shop setting?

[@ScottHD]

We got to play with them at SEMA in 2019 but don't have any long term experience with them.

[@jameshurd4815]

Thank you..I'll look for something else

[@craigrobinson5812]

Do you know where I can get a 3 inch backing plate for this polisher?

[@ScottHD]

Let me check tomorrow to see if the Rupes 3" will fit. It "may". Stay tuned

[@verdantacres4460]

I believe you can swap out the rear bearings with a better one.

[@ScottHD]

I'll inspect it closely when we tear it down in a few months.

[@EricGonzalez-bd1qd]

How about now, 3 years later. Not sure you will see this or reply but, it's currently on sale for 50 dollars! Recommend for 50 or just spend the money on a good one? Thoughts?

[@DK-xj8et]

What speed settings would you recommend for compounding or polishing light swirls?

[@ScottHD]

Compounding a higher speed... 5-6 and finishing probably 3-4

[@valeriegould1769]

I think I'll just give the car to a great detailer and save my money. Maybe some time in the future after I save my pennies, I'll buy a Rupes for when I'm retired and want to attempt to do this stuff by myself.

[@JimLake.Junior]

Nice video. Can’t hear what you’re saying when sander is on though.

[@matthewsalomone3800]

How many times did you use it and roughly how many hours. I would use it on my cars maybe twice a year so it would probably be a great investment

[@ScottHD]

I'm going on over a year now and it's hanging in there (barely). Going to do a long term followup with it soon. It's used every week in our shop for several hours a day, so I am happy with it for the price.

[@johnbrewer171]

How long did the Bauer end up lasting in your shop? I’m truly up in the air between this and dealing with what I have. I have a Griots G9 just would like a long throw to speed things up a little during corrections. Just doing personal vehicles that’s why I’m thinking this might work for me. What do you think?

[@ScottHD]

Going to do another followup on it here soon...it's pretty much dead at this point. One of the bearings has failed (excessive play) and it's making noise now. I bought another brand new one to experiment with and will have a video on that soon as well. Stay tuned!

[@anthonytyrrell7291]

I repair tools for a living if you put too much grease in the head it will get hot and too much grease also causes more drag on the motor which makes the motor get hot. Lithium grease doesn't liquefy at a low enough temperature to lubricate properly

[@dg7438]

Good to know. What grease would be better?

[@anthonytyrrell7291]

@@dg7438 when I get back to work on Monday I'll get you a part number

[@mattduffy2023]

Hope it doesn't catch fire...geez. are porta cable da any good? I got one that been lasting for some time now

[@ScottHD]

My porter cable 7424 (original gray one) lasted well over 10 years. Killed my hands with the vibration but it definitely lasted!

[@mattduffy2023]

Thanks Scott..love your videos and yesterday was a great one with the tires...you must have a crap ton of tire dressing now...lol

[@ScottHD]

@@mattduffy2023 yes haha. I've given a lot of it away at cars and coffee and others. Spray sealants too.

[@OnTheToolsWithSal]

I’d love to see you do a tear down video at maybe 6months and see how worn down it’s getting. I bought one last month and did my wife’s grand Cherokee so far so good. I did the Rupes backing plate and grease like you suggested right out of the box. I do like 5-7 corrections a year, I like this way better the my Porter cable but it is not built Ike the PC. I don’t see it lasting 8 years plus. But we will see. Thanks for the videos.

[@ScottHD]

That is in the plans. Going to run it until it dies and see how it's held up.

[@poulos341]

@@ScottHD did you keep using this polisher? How long did it hold up for?

[@conductorjohnmthtrains2239]

I fixed a key scratch on my camaro . Wet sanded the area with 1200 & 1500. It should polish a small area don’t you think

[@ScottHD]

Oh absolutely

[@conductorjohnmthtrains2239]

@@ScottHD camaro black paint turned out beautiful with cut and polish. This is a great machine

[@xxxdpgxxxx1389]

@@conductorjohnmthtrains2239 you still have it how’s it holding up ?

[@MissionaryForMexico]

High temp grease would have been the best choice.

[@stephenwhite5444]

It may help to open it up to see if something came loose and give it a shot of oil? Do you have any experience with the Maxshine Pro and/or SPTA polishers? What is a real smooth da that's 15mm? My hands have arthritis and my old HF polisher kills them after a couple hours of correcting. I'd like something that is lower vibration and doesnt stall out real bad. I heard that Maxshine Pro was fairly smooth.....I wish I could buy them all and test all but I cant, I'll be stuck with whatever I get.

[@ScottHD]

I'm a Rupes fan... We've been using them in our shop since they came to the US in 2012. Very smooth but expensive polishers. I plan on opening up this HF one and seeing what is going on

[@danautore3977]

I've debated on getting this one and doing what you did with it, or going with the Griots G9. Any opinion on which to choose? Price point isn't much different between the 2. I also considered the TorqX but I think I've ruled it out. I'm not a pro by any means. This will be my first polisher.

[@ScottHD]

They are all made in China - whatever you decide, swap the grease out for some Lucas white lithium grease and it'll run cooler and quieter.

[@chrisgaddy10]

The g9 is a far better unit. It has premium bearings and comes stock with a quality grease. It is actually a very well built unit. Also, it has a lifetime warranty. I would not open it up or do anything to it. It's ready to go from the factory.

[@Hardcaslte]

@@chrisgaddy10 Coming in hot 2 years late, but yeah I just got a G9 a month ago and it's butter smooth. For the little bit of extra money, well worth it. Not sure if they've changed anything over the last two years, but it's a great polisher. Side bonus, if you buy any other Griots polishers you can use one cord that detaches from the back of the polisher which is super nice.

[@JusTryNc]

What pad is that?

[@ScottHD]

Rupes yellow pad. Found here: amzn.to/3fm8Ar0 they updated them recently but same thing essentially.

[@noahkraft6453]

It appears the wiggle on the backing plate and the high pitched noise by the trigger is due to bearings going bad. I have to admit for the amount of use and the fairly inexpensive replacement cost of a decent bearing thats not a bad product.

[@ScottHD]

I agree. It has long since paid for itself using it in our shop. You can buy several of them for the price of one of the "big brands".

[@noahkraft6453]

@@ScottHD i was curious is the rupes the only backing plate that fits that polisher.

[@KingTheDetailer]

If you buy it just put warranty on it and your set

[@richardrobinson4089]

Take the duck bill off and look... The vents are half closed off and the one at the top has no air flow at all. I cut it open with my grinder. We'll see if it helps.

[@MKultrapdx]

Update?

[@kimdavis5631]

How is the auto zone polisher?

[@ScottHD]

Which one? If it's the two handled 10" one, I'd avoid that one. It'll take you absolutely forever to polish anything.

[@kimdavis5631]

@@ScottHD Sorry , this one: www.amazon.com/DECKER-WP900-6-Inch-Random-Polisher/dp/B000077CPT

[@larrydavisj]

Doesn't Auto zone sell Griot's G6 and maybe G9?

[@ScottHD]

@@kimdavis5631 sorry just now seeing this. The black and decker one I would avoid. The HF Bauer one dropped in price since I originally bought it too. They are $89 and $99 depending on where you live.

[@kimdavis5631]

@@ScottHD Thank you Scott!

[@xturboexpress]

Hey Scott, I feel like I'm outgrowing my Torq 10FX. Is there anything between here and the $400+ price point you'd recommend for the prosumer / hobbyist?

[@ScottHD]

You may want to look at the Adams line or polishers. I think they are called the swirl killers

[@noahkraft6453]

@@ScottHD Adams makes a decent polisher. Ill be honest if you save the money in the long run the Flex will be a family hand me down. The quality of a flex is amazing in my opinion.

[@michaelclark6506]

Looks like you made the review right before it broke😂

[@ScottHD]

Haha... The POPOMAN (cordless) one broke. I've still got two of these Bauer ones going in the shop. One is VERY close to dying... bearings making noise.

[@danielalvarez9720]

The grease you used was not the ideal grease. IMO you should've used a high temp bearing grease. That might have some influence on the heat it's generating. Also, all the bearings can definitely be replaced with higher quality bearings. Just match the numbers on it and the seal color will usually identify the bearing use or grade.

[@every_thing_wood1251]

Any recommendations for a solid high temp bearing grease?

[@mrhow2712]

@@every_thing_wood1251 of course not he just wanted to flap his lips

[@jeremiahgaskins9127]

I mentioned that in one of his original teardown videos, too. The white lithium isn't meant for high load/higher speed conditions. I think Lucas Red n Tacky would be the better choice.

[@1234ahhh1]

Just break it down, swap out that cheap grease in the bearings then put a rupes five inch plate on it then you’re good to go

[@henryfreeman6113]

Well will u say which polishers didn’t last a month?? I don’t want to waste my money lol Great video!

[@ScottHD]

Noooo. Haha. They were 1) very cheap and 2) very Chinese.

[@henryfreeman6113]

@@ScottHD max shine??

[@ScottHD]

@@henryfreeman6113 maaaaybe

[@noahkraft6453]

@@ScottHD im not a major fan of Chinese quality. But for the weekend warriors out there and i don’t have one is a griots simply due to the warranty it has. Im a weekend warrior and i have 5 polishers in my kit now and this Bauer is one of them. The i have to be honest the quality of a Flex and a Rupes is amazing but my Adams mini 3” is dar better quality than this Bauer.

[@Corvette.Ronnie]

Buy Harbor Freight's warranty on it and you're good.

[@pedrofigueroa3497]

THERES NO NOISE YOU FOOL THATS HOW IT IS ......🤯🤣😂🌬😂 I I've had one for nine months can I use it everyday to do cars and there's no noise that click when you click it to get it started that's a regular thing and up front nothing is wrong

[@ScottHD]

I think it is bearing noise! It's getting worse on mine so far!

[@mrlaw711]

If you have a $100 to spend, pop another $50 and get a more serious machine that will work effectively.

[@xxxdpgxxxx1389]

What do you recommend?

[@scottlemoine5199]

You must have kept that tool wrapped in a condom during its 3 months of daily commercial use, unless you detailed it before this video.

[@ScottHD]

I take care of my tools! I have a 9 year old Rupes that still looks fantastic! The Bauer is starting to show that it's pretty tired now. I'm going to do a teardown at the 1 year mark