Think of throw as the reach of the orbital polisher. The larger the reach, the more surface area it corrects in one swift motion. This not only reduces your polishing time significantly but it also enables your product to be spread across a larger area resulting in less caking of your product on the pad.

Slinging occurs when product gets spun of the surface of the pad onto the car/environment as a result of the over-saturation of the pad. As a result of this larger surface area, we are able to reduce the amount of slinging that occurs.

The illustration below shows the total magnitude of the throw calculated off the centre of the polisher backing plate by adding the displacement from both opposite sides of the pivot point to give you the total throw (ie: 8mm; 15mm ; 21mm).

We have 4 main type of pads:

The red finishing pad (available in 3", 6" and 7") - This pad is perfect for applying sealants or bringing out that final 5% of pop coupled with a solid jeweller's polish.

The orange polishing pad (available in 3", 6" and 7") - This pad as its name suggests is for polishing paint and removing those pesky spider webs and light swirl marks. Coupled with the Scholl Concepts S20+ or Menzerna Super Finishing, this polish pad is less aggressive than the green cutting pad and perfect for beginners to get some practice with correcting.

The green cutting pad (available in 3", 6" and 7") - This pad is extremely popular with professional detailers due to its ability to efficiently and effectively correct paint and those deeper scratches. When used with the Scholl Concepts S3 or Menzerna FG400, significant correction is achieved in minimal time.

The microfibre pad (available in 5.5" and 6.5") - The microfibre pad is perfect for both cutting and polishing. Depending on the product paired to it, the microfibre pads can cut even quicker than the green cutting pads but the downside is the heat built up. In saying that, it is highly effective at producing swirl-free correction in a single step. Our microfibre pads are interfaced with our German finishing pad to give it more contour around panels and cushioning on the paint panel. Do ensure that you allow some time for the pads to cool off before working on the next panel or for continuous multi-passes.

*To clarify, the 5.5" and 6" are perfect for our 5" backing plates while the 6.5" and 7" pads suit the 6" backing plate. The reason for this is that all our pads taper outward, providing added protection and buffer.

The Grasshopper 2.0 User Manual

Click here for more information including troubleshooting tips.

Is there a power box on the cords of the polishers?

We do not have any power boxes on our cord as everything has been engineered to be contained within the polisher.

What pad sizes are compatible with the Grasshopper mini DA polisher?

We recommend using only 3" or 75mm diameter pads to match the 3" backing plate supplied. Switching to smaller or larger backing plates to accommodate different pad sizes will affect the balance of the counter weight and subsequently void any product warranty as well.

What is the difference between a dual action random orbital and forced rotation machine?
Dual action technology has the plate both orbiting and spinning at the same time. Random Orbital allows the plate to freely spin when too much pressure is applied. This second feature here is the safety mechanism that prevents you from burning your paint. Forced rotation machines do not stop spinning regardless of force applied. Don't make the mistake of just getting any dual action polisher as there are forced rotation dual action polishers.

Can I mount other backing plate types and sizes to your polishers?
The thread sizing across all our polishers are standard M8. Therefore you can technically mount different backing plates, however this is not encouraged as our machines have not been engineered for anything except for that which accompanies the polisher. The counterbalance in the polisher is made precisely for the backing plate(s) included and the throw of the particular machine. Any other combination will unfortunately lead to a suboptimal user experience.

Are your polisher backing plates compatible with other brands?

Yes in short provided they have the same mounting groove. Do note however our polishers have been engineered to work most effectively with the backing plates included in our package.

Can I use a different handle types on your polishers?

The handle on the Karate Kid & Sensei polishers are actually bridged across both sides of the polisher to facilitate ambidextrous use. Alternatively models like the Mr Miyagi have single handles that can be mounted on either side of the polisher whilst The Grasshopper does not have specific mounting holes for handles.

Do you sell replacement parts for the machines?
We have all spare parts for all our polishers. Feel free to contact us directly for any queries. Repairs can be done by the user but no warranty can be issued for independent repairs. All repairs done at the Apex Customs come with a 3 month warranty.
How do I know what throw/orbit and model to select?

A quick rule of thumb is what is your budget. Money aside, we would encourage every customer to get the 21mm 7” Sensei and the 9mm 3” Grasshopper. The 21mm 7” allows you to plough throw significant surface area in minimal time, but the tradeoff of this is maneuverability in smaller spots like door jambs and spoiler lips. Accompanied with the 9mm 3” however, this will enable you to get through to those tighter spots easily and extremely effectively. Budget limiting however, we would strongly recommend the 15mm Sensei. Engineered to be a real workhorse in, this polisher will enable you to tackle a vast majority of situations with minimal fuss.

Can I use other backing pads on your machines?

Yes as long as the thread and adaptor matches it will be fine. But as mentioned, the ones supplied are designed for our machines and the weight of the backing plates can also affect the overall balance of the machine. Hence other combinations of backing plates and pad density / size may cause additional vibration/noise which would result in a subpar user experience.

Does the polisher come with a carry bag?
All our polishers come in a cardboard box. Carry bags will be sold separately as kits or individually. Refer to listing images of what is typically included.

My polisher is not switching on, what do I do before sending it back for repairs?
This could be due to various reasons but below is a checklist to walk through before contacting us further for a warranty / repairs service request. Ensure that your power mains are connected properly and there are no visible damages to the power cable or connections to the machine. If there is, DO NOT switch the machine on and contact our support team directly for further instructions.

1. Check if the carbon brushes are worn. To do so simply remove the casing of the polisher where the Philips screws holds them in place. The brushes are typically held down by a set of springs or coils and can sit in different locations depending on the model you are working on. A spare set of brushes are provided in the polisher box, however if you require additional sets you can also purchase them from our store.
2. If step 1 above does not resolve the issue, kindly send us an email to describe your observations in detail prior to the machine malfunction and we will assess from there.

To find out more about our warranty claims, click here.