Are these available in the UK? I can only seem to find US retailers when I looked.

Or are there any similar items that could be purchased more easily, i.e. by popping down to B&Q etc......

Cheers,

Steve

take a look at deatailing world - Porter cable import guide

A very detailed guide to get a proper porter cable into the UK.

Wardy, I've actually just received a Porter Cable 724 from the states. I purchased mine from www.maxtool.co.uk and it arrived in just over a week by Fedex Express. I am actually an electricain by trade and so already have all the necessary 110v equipment (transformer, leads, plugs) that I imagine you would probably have to buy. As for pads and backing plates I used a combination of the top people at www.polishedbliss.co.uk and www.ebay.co.uk I think the ebay selller I used was "seriousperformance"?

If you can buy the pads elsewhere then why not make up your own kit using something like

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product.asp?p=060312620&r=2114&g=115 which is already 240v

Try these places, but as said sign up on detailingworld.co.uk and see the guide, far cheaper from the US.

Stu the max speed for the PC is 6000rpm any more and they recon you could damage the paint with heat generated.

http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/foryourcar.html

http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/1porter-cable-variable-speed-polisher-p-182.html

Cheers guys - I'm already on DetailingWorld, but hadn't seen this guide. Will check it out, along with the other suggestions here

Steve

Wardy. Here is just one reason to purchase yourself a Porter Cable 7424.

Before:

After:

Wow thats a great finish,

Pity about the shoes

Hey they're my work faster footwear!

Looks like you are trying to have a dump!! :P

Great finish though.

Been looking into one myself. If you get registered on detailing world forum, a guy on there can get you 20% off too from the above mentioned import guide.

I think we are talking about £200 all in inc. pads and compounds

Yeah, I'm on Detailing World, so know about the discount available.

Thanks though

Maybe in a couple of months - it's quite a lot of cash really, but the finish available is undeniable. You just can't get up to that standard any other way - plain and simple

Steve

There is a lot of talk about he Porter Cable is there nothing similar that could do the job?

Been looking into getting one for a while now, the results I've seen are simply stunning.

I've been looking at options for quite some time now, and nothing seems to come close. For ease of use versus results it appears pretty unbeatable

There's no denying that there are cheaper options out there, but none seem to have the control and flexibilty of the Porter. Indeed, some of the cheaper ones spin quicker so you could easily put your paint finish at risk by using one.

Steve

Check out the Sealey DAS150T it's as close as you can get.Seen one on ebay for

What about this baby - http://www.motorspeed.com/store_main.asp?int_catalog_id=5&int_category_id=39&int_subcategory_id=0&int_product_id=989

What about this baby - http://www.motorspeed.com/store_main.asp?int_catalog_id=5&int_category_id=39&int_subcategory_id=0&int_product_id=989

That looks a handy tool!:eek:

If it'a Megs. one it should be pretty good n'est pas?

The prices for polishes etc look competitive too:thumbup:

Here's a PC kit if it's not been turned up already -

http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/portercablekit.html

I've just been reading up on these Porter Cable machines and it clearly states that the 5", 6" sander and polisher are all the same body - the difference is in the counter balance weights and the polisher uses the 6" weights so it's effectively a 6" sander with a polishing pad on.

These will be the key specs to chack when trying to find an alternative -

No-load Orbits Per Min: 2,500-6,000

Spindle Thread: 5/16"-24

On another thread about PC's it would appear that this is the accepeted soloution for 240/120v conversion

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001Z3JDE/104-0346764-4317509?v=glance&n=172282

Doesn't really look that hot to me though

On another thread about PC's it would appear that this is the accepeted soloution for 240/120v conversion

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001Z3JDE/104-0346764-4317509?v=glance&n=172282

Doesn't really look that hot to me though

I agree mate' date=' over on detailing world they recommend this baby - this'll be the route I go when I get there.

[url']http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=73851&ts=65002[/url]

On buying the PC they recommend these guys:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/pc-7424.html

Haven't done the maths (or math given that it's an American site :P ) but exchange is around $1.78 I think.

This is what I just ordered and it comes to £163 in total according to Paypal after currency conversion.

I still need to buy some polish but I already have some last stage products.

Name Code Qty Each Options

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonus SFX-1 Spot Pad SON-SFX-1SP 1 5.99

Sonus SFX-2 Spot Pad SON-SFX-2SP 1 5.99

Sonus SFX-3 Spot Pad SON-SFX-3SP 1 5.99

3.5" Dual-Action Spot Pad 43-085DA 1 11.99

Backing Plate

Sonus SFX-1 Swirl and SON-SFX-1FP 3 11.99

Scratch Remover Pad

Sonus SFX-2 Paint SON-SFX-2FP 2 10.99

Polishing Pad

Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish SON-SFX-3FP 3 10.99

& Wax Pad

Sonus Ultimate Polishing SON-UPM-KIT 1 149.99

Machine

Meguiars Ultra Plush Wash MEG-X-3010 1 5.99

Mitt

Sonus Der Wunder SON-DWPT-2 1 10.99

Polishing Towel, Pkg/2

Subtotal 287.85

Coupon discount -43.18

(international)

Subtotal 244.67

Shipping 60.05

Tax 0.00

Total 304.72

you can also get a kit from motorgeek at :

www.motorgeek.co.uk

regards

Iain

Just got my PC delivered! First thing that struck me was how small it is. I was expecting a big thing but it's relatively small! Total price for below was

Good stuff, that should keep you busy for a while!

Steve