Coleman 6" Waxer Review

**Dan** · 10-09-2006, 02:36 PM

If one of the mods could copy this over to the review section, Coleman was not listed as a mfg.

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Coleman 6" Oribital Buffer Review

There are times when dragging out a bigger orbital buffer or PC isn`t required. For those of us that don`t detail cars professionally, something thats a bit smaller (and cheaper!) may fill that void. While waxing a well prepped car is fairly easy, it can be made a whole heck of a lot faster and easier with the help of a small orbital polisher, or waxer as I like to call them. I purchased the Coleman PMB7282-W Waxer/Polisher for less than $15 at Wal-Mart.

What`s included:

1 Coleman PMB7282-W 6" Waxer/Polisher

1 6" Synthetic Wool Bonnet

1 6" Wax Applicator Bonnet

When opening the box you will notice that the waxer is very light. A check on the scale indicated 2 lbs 12 oz. Included in the box are two bonnets of very marginal quality. While the synthetic wool bonnet has some nap to it, I`d be afraid to try it out on anything. The terry cloth bonnet is even worse, very little nap and just not suitable for much. However, down the aisle Wal-Mart does stock some replacement bonnets. There are two choices in the 6" range, a Terry Cloth 2-pack and a single Microfiber bonnet. The microfiber is slightly more at $3.42 . Having doubts about the quality and content of the terry cloth, I went with the microfiber. While some may scoff at a Wal-Mart microfiber, this one seems on par with the Costco MF`s.

The box says the unit is 4000 RPM. Not sure if thats anything other than the motor speed, it seems rather high for the oscialltion speed. The thing that strikes you when first using the unit is how well behaved it is. Many consumer "buffers" are very poorly balanced and result in hand fatigue. This unit is smooth as silk compared to a PC. It seems to happily glide acrross the surface of the car applying a nice even coating of wax in the typical orbital fashion. Some might even argue that there is less risk of swirling using an orbital than waxing by hand. I won`t make that call, but rest assured this unit makes life easy. I usually spend about fifteen to twenty minutes waxing the car. With this unit, five to ten is all you need.

Anyone trying to use this waxer for more serious duty like paint correction will be dissapointed. Compared to a PC, this is way down on power. A quick search on online yeilded a few 6" foam bonnets, but the quality didn`t seem reassuring. Powerwise the unit has plenty of bite for what is considered a waxer.. Even some stiff pressure only bogs the unit down to about 50% speed and it refuses to drop below that. I even ran it across my van with some Finesse-it II on the wool pad. It did cut, and probably better than I could with my hand, however the pad was quick to load up and become ineffective.

For the price, I couldn`t be more happy with the unit. It makes applying your last step protectant of choice that much easier.

Pros;

- Price

- Size

- Low Vibration (well balanced)

- Two year warranty

Cons:

- Terrible Bonnets

- No real polishing power

- Power switch could be more user friendly, at times its hard to flip

**sneek** · 10-09-2006, 02:43 PM

the reason most people use a PC over a regular orbital is because of the power. The PC has a lot more power than a regular orbital!

Orbitals are good for applying wax. and i like to use them to remove oxidation before if go over the finish with my PC, so i dont kill all my pads

**stilez** · 10-09-2006, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by yakky

There are times when dragging out a bigger orbital buffer or PC isn`t required.

Yeah? When?

**martinager** · 10-09-2006, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by G35stilez

Yeah? When?

Waxing

Its nice to have something tiny after x amount of hours.

**imported_02ZTSfocus** · 10-09-2006, 03:56 PM

I tried one before I decided if I wanted to invest in a PC and came to the same conclusions as you. It is not good at all for correction, but is very simple and manageable to wax with. Its so light you can just sling it around on the surface and you can hold it at angles\positions that would normally be uncomfortable with a PC.

I didn`t use any of the bonnets that came with it, I pitched them in the garbage and bought 2 of the MF bonnets. I spent less than $20 total for the waxer and bonnets.

Although, since I`ve bought a PC I haven`t even opened the box for my Coleman :doh

**Dan** · 10-09-2006, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by 02ZTSfocus

Although, since I`ve bought a PC I haven`t even opened the box for my Coleman :doh

I have a PC and a rotary, but brining those out for a wax job is like brining a cannon to a knife fight. :chuckle:

**imported_02ZTSfocus** · 10-09-2006, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by yakky

I have a PC and a rotary, but brining those out for a wax job is like brining a cannon to a knife fight. :chuckle:

I completely agree and I see where your coming from. For me though its just more to drag out and more to clean up so I just end up using the PC to wax. :nixweiss

**CleanGSR** · 10-10-2006, 11:56 AM

I have an old Walmart one that I use for waxing. I use it at times when I don`t need the PC. For example, I polished my car and sealed with 21, 2 weeks ago and applied the 21 with pc. I wanted to top the 21 with 26 yesterday after I washed the car and it was much easier to grab the cheapie orbital than to get the PC and pads out.