Makita BO6040 Two Mode Polisher

For those of you new to machine polishers, there are two basic categories, orbital and circular. Orbital machines are preferred by the majority of enthusiasts for maintaining their vehicle's finish. With orbital machines, the pads do not rotate. They oscillate or "jiggle" in a random pattern. This random motion means the machine can not put swirls in the finish. This motion is also ideally suited for applying waxes and sealants. Because orbital machines are not designed to "cut" or remove paint, they really can not fully remove swirls or scratches. They may make swirls and minor paint blemishes less noticeable but they will still be there.

Circular polishers, the kind used by body shops, are designed to "cut" or remove paint. They can abrade away the surface completely eliminating swirls, scratches and paint defects. Unfortunately, in inexperienced hands, circular polishers can burn through the paint right down to bare metal. Their higher speeds also make them unacceptable for applying most waxes and sealants.

Detailers and serious enthusiasts, like myself, own both types of polishers. I use my orbital polisher (a Porter Cable 7424) 95% of the time. I use it for polishing with Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish to restore surface gloss and also for applying my favorite sealant (either Menzerna FMJ or Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection). During polishing, I may encounter deeper swirls, scratches or blemishes that resist polishing out. I will first increase the speed of my orbital polisher and go over the area again. If the swirls or scratches remain, I will switch to a more abrasive polish such as Menzerna Intensive Polish and go over the area a third time. At this point, I'm pretty much at the limit of what can be accomplished with an orbital machine. To remove remaining swirls or scratches, I will use my circular polisher (a DeWalt 849) and go over the area repeatedly until the defects are fully removed. Having spot polished using my circular machine to remove a specific defect, I will then go back to my orbital polisher, finish polishing the vehicle, switch pads and apply a sealant.

Having to switch from one type of polisher to another is time consuming and doubles my clean-up time as I now have more pads to wash and clean. I've often thought it would be great if I could just flip a switch and make my orbital polisher into a circular polisher.

The tool wizards at Makita have just made this possible! The Makita BO6040 Two Mode Polisher has an orange knob on the left side of the machine which switches it from a random orbital motion to a circular motion! To change modes, simply turn the machine off, turn the orange knob and turn the machine back on. (Do not change modes while the machine is running.)
A speed control on the back of the machine adjusts from 1600 to 5800 OPM (Oscillations Per Minute). I always start with a setting of "2" regardless of which mode I'm in. For heavy compounding, I have increased the speed to "3" and been able to remove severe swirls and acid rain spots. I've never run the machine over "3" in either mode.

I've saved the best feature of this polisher for last. When switched to the circular mode, the pad is still oscillating in a random pattern. In other words, while it's in a forced, circular cutting motion, the pad is still "jiggling". This gives an added measure of safety against putting swirls in the finish when compounding in the circular mode. I like this machine! I won't say this unit is completely idiot proof but I have used it quite aggressively and never introduced any swirls in the finish.

This is the safest circular polisher I know of making it great for enthusiasts with limited machine experience.

The BO6040 features a heat resistant grip and front pad for the "fore and aft" grip preferred by professionals. (There is no side handle.) This polisher also comes with a high quality, flexible 6 inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate and a carrying case but does not come with any pads.

I have two nit-picks with this unit. First, I can't find any way to change the 6 inch, Velcro® Backing Plate. Most of the time, the 6 inch backing plate is all I use but I would like the ability to use a 3 inch spot polishing pad from time to time.

My other nit-pick is the "feel" of the machine. It feels heavy. Most of the weight is located in the front of the machine. In actuality, it only weighs 1 pound more than my 7424. The Porter Cable is a more balanced unit with the bulk of the weight in the center of the housing. After two hours of polishing, my arms were noticeably tired. Then again, I might just be getting old!

Bottom line, knowing everything that I know about machine polishers, I could easily live with just this one machine. I have far more money wrapped up into two machines, half a dozen backing plates and several dozen assorted pads. Matching the Makita BO6040 with two, 6-1/2 inch White Foam Polishing Pads and one Red Foam Finishing Pad would cover 99% of my polishing requirements.

Features & Specifications

Variable speed 1,600-5,800 OPM; 180-670RPM
Dual mode selector for "random orbit" and "random orbit with rotation"
One year factory warranty.
Rubberized palm grip for comfortable operation..
Double insulated.
6 inch Hook-and-Loop Backing Plate included.
Spindle thread 5/8 x 11
6.6 amp heavy duty motor.
Overall length 12-1/2 inches.
Overall weight 5.9 lbs.

This unit comes with a one year factory warranty through any authorized Makita Service Center ( listed on the back of the owners manual).

Makita BO6040 Two Mode Polisher

Orbital & Dual-Action Polishers, Pads & Accessories