Polisher Reviews

DeWALT DWP849X 7″ / 9″ Variable Speed Polisher with Soft Start – Review

March 12, 2012

In my teens and early twenties I worked at a Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Lotus, Cadillac, Saab, Honda and Infiniti dealership. The company I worked for was one of the first Luxury Auto-Malls in Illinois. Big time Bears and Bulls players purchased vehicles from this dealer. Eric also worked for this dealership, we even got to go to Michael Jordan’s house to deliver a car. It was exciting times. Anyways…. I am telling you this because I was good at using a buffer/polisher. Luxury used cars and even new cars needed to be buffed sometimes to remove scratches and imperfections. Back then buffer/polishers were heavy and a real chore to work with. One false move and you could be sending a $100k car to the body shop for paint work. Although I have been out of the business for a few years the DeWALT DWP849X is an amazing advancement in the auto detailing field.

I have used many DeWALT polishers in the past, they are known for durability. The DWP849X stays true to this, but adds some innovative features while shedding some weight. Things like heat-treated, precision-cut steel gears and ball bearing construction scream durability. Dewalt even added removable wool ingestion shields to the air-intakes on both sides of the unit to prevent wool from a pad getting into the motor. DeWALT’s previous DW849 had 8 amps while the DWP849X has 12 amps.

One thing that really jumped out me when I was using this tool was the control. The Controlled Finishing System with Soft Start maintains the selected RPM even when applying pressure. The variable speed trigger is precise and has a lock-on feature. In the event that the lock-on feature is on when the unit is plugged into a power source, the unit will not start until the trigger lock is released. This feature will save some lawsuits! You can select anywhere from 600-3500 rpm via the easy to read and operate thumb dial. Today’s vehicles are more aerodynamic than ever and on a curve or a corner is where you can easily cause burn through. The DWP849X offers a new level of control that will help eliminate burn through and let you tackle those corners with confidence.

For part of my test I was using an old foam pad which had chunks flying off at various stages (Not a good idea). The tool remained stable even with a pad that was out of balance. I like the included Bale handle, but wish it had a tool-less adjustment for its 3 positions. For you old school detailers, DeWALT also included a standard side handle. The backing pad is easily removable via the easy to push spindle lock on the head of the unit which is protected by a rubber cover to prevent marring your work. Like most polishers the brushes are easily replaceable.

Overall I think the new DeWALT polisher is awesome! The only thing I would change is to make the bale handle adjust without a tool. It has great control and balance and is designed to last for the professional. I hardly noticed any fatigue when using the tool and was pleased at the one handed stability for those far reach areas.