I flipped over the standard Mothers PowerBall and the PowerBall Mini for polishing so it was with a great deal of anticipation that I tried Mothers new PowerBall 4Paint. Made from a brand new, super-soft, finishing foam, this larger, six inch diameter, patent-pending, foam-fingered ball is designed to quickly apply your favorite liquid wax or sealant using a cordless drill. This new foam is so soft that Mothers claims it will not introduce any swirls, even when used on black and red finishes.
I have seen this ball on other websites that recommended using a 120 volt electric drill. The good folks at Mothers told me the optimum application speed for this ball is 500 rpm. It works best with a cordless drill in the low speed setting. Most 120 volt, AC drills run to 1200 rpm. If you were to run this ball at that speed, you would splatter product over yourself, the vehicle and the entire garage. If you use a 120 volt, electric drill, be sure you can limit the maximum rpm's.
Another claim being made for this PowerBall (on other websites) is that it can polish away swirls, remove oxidation and restore surface gloss on older vehicles. Yes, the PowerBall 4Paint can be used to apply a polish but the foam has very little, if any, cutting action. You might be able to remove some holograms and very light washing swirls but I seriously doubt if this ball could remove oxidation or restore gloss to older vehicles. It is not a replacement for having a polisher like the Porter Cable 7424 which can be fitted with a variety of aggressive pads.
Actually, very well. I tested the ball on a neighbor's black, Lexus, SUV and it surprised me with the speed with which I could wax the vehicle. I used a 14 volt cordless drill set in the low speed setting and was able to wax the entire vehicle on one battery charge. True to Mothers word, I could not detect any trace of swirls or lines that I could attribute to the PowerBall or the cordless drill.
Bottom line:
Being brutally honest, the PowerBall 4Paint got mixed reviews from our staff. Our senior staff members either preferred an orbital machine like the 7424 or preferred to wax their vehicle by hand. The PowerBall 4Paint was a hit with our younger staff members who felt it waxed a vehicle faster than could be accomplished by hand and actually did a better job than hand waxing. From my experience, I would have to side with our younger staff members. It absolutely allowed me to wax a vehicle faster than I could do by hand and I do feel the extra rotation of the drill produced a better finish than could be achieved by hand. My advice, if you can afford a Porter Cable 7424 and an assortment of pads, you'll be able to accomplish significantly more in the way of removing swirls, spots and minor paint defects. On the other hand, If you have a cordless drill and want a great shine in half the time it would take by hand, this is the perfect answer.
ProperAutoCare.com is YOUR source for car care products. Visit our site for car waxes , polishes, accessories. A word about our Privacy Policy -- Your privacy is important to us.
Therefore, we do not ask for any of your personal information if you subscribe to our RSS feed.
Also, we never ask you for your e-mail address as we do not market to you from this blog via e-mail.
