The main difference is how the head of the machine operates. A rotary polish spins like a traditional wheel, whereas a Dual action polisher oscillates from side to side, we call this “throw”.

While both types of polishers are great for paint correct, rotary polishers are generally more difficult to learn how to use how can be great at producing results, especially when cutting.

Dual Action machines a very user friendly, much safer and are great for general polishing, cutting and finishing.

Absolutely you can! However, polishing or finishing with a rotary is very technique dependant. To get a good finish with a rotary, you need to be almost completely familiar with how a rotary operates and the results it produces.

We highly recommend looking into a dual action polisher if you are not 100% familiar with rotary machines when it comes to polishing or finishing.

There is some preparation and key points to consider before beginning:

Start by masking up the area you will be paint correcting. Normally we say to do section by section on an area approximately 6x the area of your pad. Mask up any sensitive areas with masking tape. Then you’ll need to decide your starting compound and pad. It’s always best to start off with the least aggressive compound & pad combination as the less clearcoat you remove is always the better, however, use your judgement based off the paint condition as well as whether the paint is a harder European or American paint, or a softer Japanese or Chinese paint, as well as experience.

Make sure your pad is perfectly balanced on the backing plate before applying compound. try to stick to low to mid speeds to begin with and then moving up to the highest speed as needed down the track. A rotary used at lower speed with a light to medium pad and compounds is quite safe, it’s only when you start using it more aggressively that the risk of damaging the paint occurs.

Always keep your pad perfectly flat with the paint, it’s only when you start tipping the pad side to side or up and down that rotaries become difficult to control. Keeping the pad perfectly flat takes time and practice.

1. Start with 4-5 drops of compound on a clean pad, as you progress you should use less compound as the pad is “primed”.
2. Dab the compound into your working area.
3. Using the slow speed spread it into the section to ensure a more consist result throughout the whole section.
4. Arm speed should be around twice as fast as the normal arm speed of a Dual Action Polisher, moving too slow can generate excessive heat. Moving too fast can reduce defect removal ability. It take a bit of practice to find that sweet spot.
5. Do 3 row horizontal & Vertical passes overlapping each pass by 50%.
6. Try and clean your pad out after every set of passes to remove the residue build up. You can use compressed air or a pad brush to clean the pad.
7. Use a microfibre cloth to gently remove compound residue, then use an alcohol based cleaner to remove polishing oils.
8. Assess your results with a light, then use your judgement of whether you need to change compound or move to the next area!