Wouldn't this be the same as a Porter Cable?

[Blade Runner]

I was poking around HarborFreight.com, and found this...- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices I then remembered seeing coupons in my AutoWeek mag, and realized I could get one of these for around $20-$30. Is it the same, and would it be worth it?

 

[thomas91169]

nope, its a rotary, like the DeWalt or Mikita.

PC are random orbitals, which is why they are safer for the beginner detailer.

A rotary can do it faster, but that comes at a risk of burning through the paint due to the singular direction of cut and heat created with only one rotating motion.

most detailers will use rotaries for their color correction and major swirl/defect removal because it can do more cut twice as fast (meaning you can get better results in half the time), and grab the PC for light swirl removal to get rid of any hazing/micromarring/hologramming that a rotary may leave behind.

remember, you still need to purchase the correct backing plate, and a wide array of pads. if you dont have a product, you need to buy that as well. At that point, you might as well buy a rotary+product package off one of the detailing sites rather than source each item separately.

 

[Nvr_Spds]

If you buy anything from harbor freight, buy more than one.. They are cheap for a reason.