Introducing the Rupes BigFoot iBrid HLR21 & HLR15 Polishers
by Reece @ DI
Rupes has made their name in high-quality and innovative tools within the detailing industry and 2023 is yet another year in which a new and exciting product was released. Introducing the BigFoot iBrid HLR21 and HLR15 Polishers! Just when you thought Rupes could not top their Mark III units, more innovation sets a new standard within the polisher market. Right now we do not have a solid ETA (target release date is early February 2024), but pre-orders are live! You can find the HLR15 here and the HLR21 here.
Check out some of the information we do know about this exciting release:
- Battery powered units with the option to use a cord
- Batteries are Li-ion 10 cell 18 volt (5 Ah capacity) units
- Released as a kit (2x batteries, 1x charger, pads & polishes)
- Cord option to be released later in 2024
- Dual Battery Charger (Charge both batteries at one time)
- Battery range is 30 minutes to 50 minutes (40 minute average)
- Battery charge time is about 50 minutes
- Battery power loss is minimal from beginning to end of battery life during use
- 5160 opm during entire battery life cycle
- Brushless motor construction
- Just as powerful as the Mark III BigFoot units
- New polyfiber material for durability and weight reduction
- The weight is around 5lbs (with battery attached)
- 17% (15) and 24% (21) reduction in weight from MarkIII units
- Thin with a more ergonomic design
- PrecisionPro backing plate has a low center of gravity and protective rubber boarder
- Anti-Spinning Ring for reduced friction and heat generation
- Reduction in overall vibration during use (1200hz)
- Substantial reduction in operating noise level (73Db)
- Blue LED indicator down the side of the tool
- Indicator glows blue during use and has two different flashing settings
- Slow flash for low battery and fast flash when too much pressure is placed on the tool
Source: YouTube
I wonder how this will compare to the Milwaukee battery units. Those work well at our shop alongside our MK3’s.
I would compare the specs of your units to the specs listed in this post. Checking some of the Milwaukee units online I can safely say lower operating noise, less vibration, lighter construction and better operating power from beginning to end of battery life. Rupes will also have a cord out later in 2024, allowing you to use these units as battery powered, or corded.
My Milwaukee 15 DA polisher has a decibel level of around 86, so the Rupes is a little less than the Milwaukee.
remember that decibel level is logarithmic.
85db is the cutoff for “can cause permanent hearing loss” it’s the average db level of an alarm clock. 73db is comparable to traffic or vacuums. In terms of household items. As other poster said it’s logarithmic like ph 10 points is actually 10x louder.
Agreed. milwaukee runs my shop. they’ve actually held up better and don’t fall apart like my rupes lhr15 mkiii. I just dislike having a ton of different battery chargers sitting on valuable shop space.
Any ETA on when these will be released?
No pricing information has been released, but once we have that we will get the item live on the site for pre-orders. Please note the first release will be kits with a charger, 2x batteries, pads and polishes and for an ETA, Rupes is targeting mid February 2024.
I heard pre orders Monday ?
These units are up on the site and can be pre-ordered now!
https://www.detailedimage.com/Rupes-M62/
Will these also be available as a kit without the pads and polishes?
Adam – At this time Rupes is only selling these units in the kits listed. They have however stated that they do plan on releasing individual units later in 2024.
Thanks for the quick reply! I was about to purchase the Milwaukee 21mm when these were launched. Might just have to wait for the Rupes HLR21!
can you put a 5″ plate on the 21mm?
We believe the backing plates will be interchangeable, but we are waiting on the release of the units before that can be verified.
Any idea of the updated time frame?
Nick – We have already received a few small shipments of these new units. These shipments have slowly chipped away at the pre-orders customers placed, but we are finally through these orders. The HLR21’s are in stock at the time of me writing this reply and the HLR15’s have a date of 4/24 as listed on the product pages for these items. Please note that the 4/24 date listed is only an estimate, but Rupes has been great at getting shipments out every few weeks. If you have any other questions please contact us and a rep can help asap (https://www.detailedimage.com/Contact/).