SEMA 2014 was incredible, it brought so many new items to the detailing world but the Chemical Guys Torq Polisher and Meguiar’s MT300 Polisher were two of the most intriguing. Polishers have the unique ability to really change so much of your detailing routine so we always pay close attention to any new options. I was fortunate to use the Meguiar’s MT300 and watch demonstrations from Jason Rose and other experts at Meguiar’s. Chemical Guys was not demonstrating the unit on panels but I did get to hold it, crank it up to max speed and talk to Paul from Chemical Guys about it. Both companies put in a ton of time and research on each unit and have pushed their poker chips to the middle of the table with confidence that detailers will love their buffer.
Specifications
- 5.5 lbs
- 8 mm Throw
- 700 W Motor
- 1,500 – 4,200 OPMs
- Variable Speed Control
- Digital Display
- Smooth Start Up
- Reduced Vibration Control
*Comes with two 6″ backing plates. One flexible and one stiff.
- 8 mm Throw
- 3,000 – 7,000 OPMs
- Variable Speed Control
- Smooth Start Up
- Reduced Vibration Control
- Billet Counterweight
- Digital Torque Management
Observations
First and foremost please note my experience was extremely limited with them and much more testing needs to be done, but there is still a lot you can learn in a short period of time. While I didn’t measure the Torq it is little bit larger than the MT300, but it seemed slightly smaller than a buffer like the Rupes 21ES. Each has a slim profile which should make them easier to handle for long periods of time and easier to use in tight spaces. They felt solid in your hand and didn’t have any wild vibration or rattles while in use. We hope this means the quality is top notch and that these are tools you will use for years to come. I genuinely liked both units and I’d be surprised if either one is not a popular buffer.
Torq interestingly doesn’t have a trigger so I’ll be interested to see how much everyone enjoys this new style. It has an on and off switch, digital gauge and minus speed and plus speed button at the bottom near the cord. The placement seems good and with some repetition I think I could get use to this. If you accidentally turn it off and immediately turn it back on, the buffer will start at zero and wait for you to increase the speed, which is a nice safety feature. The digital gauge is something new to me, it visually let’s you know what speed setting you’ve selected better than any previous buffer I’ve used. Additionally, the speed reading is synched exactly with a change in speed of the buffer where as some older buffers the speed dial was an estimate. The minus and plus buttons for speed seemed small enough that you won’t accidentally hit them but large enough to use with ease. My only concern is that each time you turn it off, the unit resets to zero, therefore you have to hit the plus button a few times to get the speed back up if you’re polishing, but this is minor. Electronic feedback helps regulate the speed when pressure is applied. The construction seems very solid, all metal parts, no plastic that I noticed. Lastly, I really like that when laid on it’s back, with the pad facing up, it’s sturdy so changing pads and backing plates is much easier.
In the past I have not been a huge fan of bail handles like the MT300 has but they confirmed the bail handle can come off. This bail handle is much smaller compared to the ones on some older rotary buffers so it may be a different experience and I’ll reserve final judgement. At 7500 OPMs it still felt solid and easy to maneuver. The dial is just above your rear hand near the cord, so you should be able to adjust the speed with your thumb as needed. It has a soft start trigger to adjust the speed but you can lock it in as needed. I pushed on it slightly and it didn’t bog down, the Digital Torque Management will electronically adjust torque to keep a consistent speed. Meguiar’s seemed especially proud of the Billet Counter Weight w/Triple Bearing Design, which basically means they have three bearings instead of the old two to ensure it runs smoother and lasts longer. While I didn’t get to do any real paint correction I’m very confident this is a noticeable improvement over the former Meguiar’s G110v2.
Swirl Removal
This is a tough question to answer but I’ll speculate on what I’m expecting during testing. I think Chemical Guys aimed a bit higher and was willing to battle Rupes and Flex for the top spot amongst highest performing buffers. The throw is 8mm, but with a 700 Watt motor Chemical Guys seems confident we’ll see strong paint corrective power on par with the best in our industry. I’m guessing it will be somewhat close to what Rupes and Flex have achieved and the lower price could make this a really popular item. Meguiar’s seemed focused on making a unit better than their former G110v2 Buffer and Porter Cable 7424 XP. It appears they accomplished this objective and should have a very solid random orbital buffer that weekend detailers will love. I think it will have limitations on deeper RIDS and heavy paint correction in some instances but overall it has plenty of power for the majority of weekend detailers and many professionals will be happy to have it their arsenal.
Pricing
Chemical Guys buffer is listed at $199.99 so that makes it very enticing while the MT300 is priced at $219.99. These prices may adjust over time but both present reasonably good values and if the Chemical Guys unit performs as expected it could be an incredible deal.
Meguiar’s Specialty
There were a lot of pluses for the Chemical Guys Torq and I expect it to be a popular item, however after years of working with Meguiar’s I think they have one distinct advantage when they launch a new buffer like the MT300. Their system of polishing and protecting the paint is designed to be incredibly synergistic and simple. While that could seem like just some fancy marketing term I think there is a lot of truth to it. Whether it’s a pad, polish or buffer Meguiar’s works incredibly hard to ensure they all work together flawlessly. From what I’ve been told a product like the new MT300 is not developed in isolation, it has to work great with new and existing products. The money, manpower and passionate detailers Meguiar’s possesses allows them to do testing and refinement that is really unique. After so much testing they can really fine tune their product and complimentary products recommendations so you’ll be able to use Meguiar’s products start to finish with confidence. On top of that Meguiar’s does a great job color coding their products so it’s incredibly simplistic. For example their Finishing Wax is a grey color liquid and the matching pad is grey. I think many new detailers and weekend detailers will really appreciate the simplicity of pairing this buffer with other Meguiar’s products.
When Can I Get One?
Detailed Image has both buffers on order with each manufacturer and we’ll have them in stock as soon as they are available. We estimate we’ll have the Torq in stock around late November and the MT300 is closer to mid December. We’ll be posting dates on our social media pages as soon as we get the info. As most of you know the day we get them we will be shipping them out to customers as we normally do with new products, so there will be no delay!
Summary
Both units will likely have a place in the detailing industry and will be successful. More testing and polishing with these units will be the ultimate measuring stick for performance, so only time will tell. I’m excited to learn more about both units and get feedback from other detailers!
Please check out the above video to see the MT300 in action!