Rupes BigFoot Random Orbital Polisher Reviews

Before this I was using the Griots G9 as my only polisher. Now I have both in my arsenal and the Rupes is definitely my go to. It's a night and day difference. Don't get me wrong, I love my G9, but it dosent touch the Rupes with its 21mm throw or the overall power and performance. Love it

Game changer. Buy it. That is all

I'm a mobile auto detailer in Southern California. I started out with the LHR15ES - which was my workhorse for years. I recently bought the LHR15 Mark III - and I'm glad I did. The changes and feature differences are listed above, so I don't need to go over what's new - but I'm here to comment on the "feel" of the Mark III. I'm glad I started out with the LHR15ES - it's an amazing polisher and delivers every time - but since that's the Mai polisher I used for so long, the feel of the Mark III was very different straight away. For starters, it's more powerful. I hardly stall with the Mark III. It feels a lot tighter, there is way more control when I'm using it for paint correction. Being able to set the polisher upside down is a huge win so I can answer calls and answer questions from clients when I need to. Having a larger dial is really beneficial especially when combined with the variable speed trigger. I absolutely would buy this again and definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to detail. From the weekend warrior, to the pro, to the beginner - this is the best polisher you can get.

Quality machine well balanced more power than the previous big foot! High price but you pay for quality!

Game changer forsure. Went from some 200$ Adam's polish to this. First car had insane results. INSANE how much more quality you can get with this.

I'm constantly sending my Bigfoot in for service. $100 for a cord, $100 for this and that. Back to flex I go.
This polisher is for beginners.

I have been using the Flex 3401 for the past few years and really wasn't happy with the results I was getting on difficult paints. Using buff and shine pads, sonax compounds, still getting mixed results. Borrowed this thing from a friend to use on a black Audi A6. WOW! Same pads, same compounds... The MK3 blew me away, the cutting and finishing I was able to achieve with this machine. Sorry Flex, but you're my side piece now.

We use this product continuously every day. It was perfect. The purchase and shiping process is perfect.

I purchased this item in 2018 and used it once or twice a year, so the total was 4-6 times overall. The motor then died. The warranty is only 12 months and the minimal charge for a repair is $95.

Overall very happy with the buffer for the price, A fairly high pitch noise when you really crank it up but very effective for correction. My main buffer a Flex is in for repair with no known date for parts. When my Flex returns it will be used on only the worst corrections.

I thought I'd never spend this kind of money on a polisher. But thanks to covid I had some extra cash and decided to go "all in" with the rupes system. And by all in I mean polish, pads, and liquid.

I've tried dozens,and dozens of liquids, chemicals, polishers, extractors, methods, chasing the latest and greatest.

I'm old, and my time is valuable as are my joints. I'll let rupes do the research.

Let me tell you this is hands down the smoothest polisher I've used to date. The build quality is excellent. Vibration free when using rupes pads. This is important if your old.

No regrets at all.

This is a must have if you are really into detailing or running a business....I love it...Great investment.

So, I'm stubborn. And as usual, it doesn't work to my benefit. I've been detailing with my PC 7424XP (and the non-suffix model that I learned on) for a really long time. My goal was to upgrade when the Lake Country polisher finally proved stable. Just before Christmas 2020, I finally took the plunge on the Rupes MkIII. With two Audis and a NA Lexus on the books, I knew I needed more horsepower.

Well, this is the part where I say, "I should've done this years ago." The Rupes is everything everyone says it is. Smooth, powerful, versatile, and comfortable. So far I've matched it with Oberk Supreme Cut and their MF pads, and Optimum Hyper Polish with LC orange and white. The results? Wonderful. The time and energy spent compared to using the PC? Let's talk about my Cubs for a while.

Truly a magnificent piece of equipment. Worth every penny. Captain Obvious reporting to prevent you from being like me. Buy it and be happy!

I must say having the MKIII feels a lot more easy on the hands with the comfort of rubber grips.To me the machine feels a tad bit lighter to. Progressive trigger is pretty convenient and should be the new standard on all DA by Rupes. Smooth start as always with great balance . The cord is lengthy enough to get to most areas with out an extension but I wish it could swivel at the machine end to avoid wringing .

Great machine for the larger vehicles and flat panels.

Horrible. Broke after 3 months. Now have to wait month or more for warranty repair!!!

It lasted for about 2 years before it started to kick tires. While I love Rupes, I feel that the brand as a whole has developed too much hype in the industry. The extra long power cord is outrageously cumbersome, and after wrapping it carefully after each use, the cord started to produce a short-circuit. After a few more uses, the polisher stopped working altogether. I replaced it with a competitor at virtually half the price and performs better than the Rupes LHR75E ever did. I've completely lost my faith in Rupes. I DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Love my 15MM Rupes Polisher. Paired with Rupes Wool & Yellow Polishing pad it eliminates swirls with ease. Smoothest polisher i've used.

We have several of these at our shop. Love this polisher.

I bought the Mark III to update my ES and I love it!!

Rupes is an absolute LIFE CHANGER! I came from a Harbor freight Polisher and always had hand cramps and pains, I was hesitant ordering this due to price but then I realized it is worth EVERY PENNY! this machine is by far my favorite! Not only the machine but The customer Service with DI is Emaculent! I 100% Recommend to Purchase this! You won't regret it!

This is a fantastic polisher. The best high end polisher im currently aware of. I've used the Mark 2 since I opened the doors to Status Detail in 2016. My mark 2 broke during coronavirus outbreak and bought a mark 3. The progressive trigger is very handy and i am totally in love with the longer cord. Sounds silly but I get more done when I don't need to reset to a new outlet or grab a extension cord over and over again. Anything that keeps me dialed in and focused is a plus. The tool is very smooth. It can get out of balance but that's a sign of your pad loading up... watch out for that as your probably building up to much residue or over saturating the pad with polish. Id highly recommend this polisher to any serious professional detailer. Our business almost exclusively details exotic and luxury cars and i trust this tool to safely and effectively polish millions of dollars worth of vehicles.

When rupes service opened back up they fixed my mark 2 for $95 including shipping plus gave me a free backing plate. Lubed the tool up and replaced the broken part plus new brushes and few other things. Very impressive service and has me wanting more rupes tools instead of flex. Detailed Image shipping and communication is top notch and they replaced a broken polisher i ordered for a friend a year ago. Buy with 110% confidence!

Evan
Status Detail.

Decided to purchase a rupes after debating on another machine and I must say I'm impressed. I knew that most professional shops use this brand and now I see why. I have a 9mm throw machine so I went with a 21mm rupes. If this was my only/first machine I would've went with a 15. Love it and glad I pulled the trigger. Order this machine, you won't be disappointed.

So good we have 3 of them. The Ferrari of polishers. Quality is 100% top notch. Customer service with rupes HQ in Louisville,CO is second to none and if you want something that's going to last and not breakdown in between jobs or on a job then look no further and invest in your business and your quality craftsmanship. Like Mercedes Benz says "the best or nothing"

I was soooo hesitant to purchase a Rupes Mark lll, the price for one and speculation on wether it's different than its competitors. Wow was I amazed at the smoothness and power of this machine. Fatigue is something detailers deal with and this machine improves that drastically. Go ahead and buy it, you won't regret it.

These high orbit polishers are a mind bender.

From the rotary to a Porter Cable 7424, then the Flex 3401... The whole focus was on rotation. With Rupes philosophy of using the ORBIT for the bulk of the defect removal / polishing action on the paint, the rotation becomes a secondary action, for dispersal of heat, and to ensure irregularity in the pad movement (delivers a finer finish). Completely and totally against what we've been taught all these years, and I can see how a lot of people can't get with their system. This was the mind bender for me. Once I realized it, it was as of someone hit the light switch to the "on" position.

Personally, I love their system. All of their pads and polishes are really effective. Great cut, and gorgeous, glossy finishing. The polishes all have a short cycle time, and work with the pads for very efficiency in defect removal, and fine polishing.

My weapons of choice from Rupes are the Duetto and Mini. I don't like rotary style chassis of the 21 and 15. The Duetto and Mini are nimble, solid, refined, and incredibly effective. The performance is closer to the power of a rotary than even my Flex 3401! When I did use a LHR21E a few times, I couldn't discern much if any increase of performance over the Duetto. Understand that the smaller the orbit, the higher the rpm was given to the tool to make up for the reduced stroke.

Incredible system. Ingenious.

For someone wanting to start out with the system, I'd get the Zephir Gloss (heavy cut), Quarz Gloss (medium cut), and Keramik Gloss (fine cut) polishes. Grab a few Yellow foam pads to use for final polishing with Keramik, or for one step corrections with Quarz. Get some Blue Coarse microfiber pads to use for heavy cutting with Zephir. Later you can grab some green pads if desired, but for me the yellow cut and and finish great with Quarz, and hold up a lot better.

The Rupes Duetto is an awesome smooth and balanced machine ! If I had just one polisher to start out with this would be the polisher I would get. If you wanted to you can polish almost 90% of a vehicle with this polisher. Thank you Rupes for making such great quality products and Detailed Image for the great sales.

As a Professional I have handled many many different polishers. Rupes polishers are Professional Quality that are constructed to be used daily and can hold up to the many hours of use. As a Professional any time I hear the name Rupes I think High Quality. This particular Rupes LHR 75E Mini Polisher is ideal for the many of the tight areas around vehicles. Balanced, Smooth Operation and Dependable are what can best describe this polisher.

Coming from a Torq DA, the Mark III 15 is a HUGE upgrade! Even on speed 4-5, it is extremely quiet and balanced which is great after holding it for hours. The trigger lock takes a bit to master but greatly reduces the strain of holding a trigger the whole time. I will be getting more Rupes machines as I go!

My 15mm have more power than this 21mm, and RUPES was not willing to warranty it even though it was a couple days old! I will not purchase anymore RUPES polishers as their customer service is awful.

Yes absolutely, we have 2 now.

I'm very happy with new Rupes 21 ,

Great machine. Balance is great just wish it had a little more power

An absolute beast!

Rupes 15 Mark II is everything they say it is and so much more. It's light, powerful, smooth, and extremely easy to manipulate. Will absolutely buy another one if necessary but I think the 21 Mark II will be next in my lineup.

What an awesome machine! Very smooth, light and easy to manipulate.

Rupes 21 mark ll is everything they say it is, awesome!

Some may disagree but Not so sure I would buy the Rupes 15 mark ll again. Instead I would buy the 21 mark ll and put a 5" backing plate on it.

Great product, above and beyond expectations.

Excellent tool in conjunction with the 21 Mark II

I don't know how anyone can leave a negative review for this polisher. Rupes makes the best machines in the detail world, the Ferrari of all polishers in my personal use and experience. The new and improved Rupes MK2 21 has even more power and operates smoother. Definitely worth it and money well spend. It's a game changer for sure.

I love this polisher. It fits into tight spaces, and has a ton of cutting power. 12mm throw for a 3 inch polisher is great. It's smooth, and very well put together. The best I've used on the market. I will be purchasing more Rupes polishers in the coming weeks, I now understand all the hype! Maybe a little expensive for a weekend warrior, but perfect for a professional, or someone that plans on us

Love it! Upgraded from the PC 3474XP. I am amazed at this machine.

Best correction machine around!

Absolutely love Rupes polishers. This wont be my last.

Previous reviewers said it all. Top quality, very powerful, quiet, smooth and worth every penny of the price. Couldn't be happier with this purchase. Great for every aspect of the detailing process from compounding/polishing to the application of sealers, coatings or wax. Sometimes I can't wait to put another coat on the car just so I can use this machine.

Great machine! Quality and performance is unmatched. Very powerful yet quiet and smooth. I like the neat features like the built in hex key and the stylish and comfortable carbon fiber handle. Definitely worth the money!

Just received my Rupes and love it. Its nice when you spend a lot of money on a tool and really appreciate it and happy you made the purchase.

Beautifully made machine. Small, powerful and vibration free. The best polisher I have ever used!

Bought this to replace Porter Cable 7424 for smaller detail work. Love the Rupes, very smooth and vibration free. My hands and arms are no longer numb after using this machine. Excellent paint correction abilities, definitely recommended.

Incredible machine, when Detail Image customer service guys recommended the Rupes mini LHR75 for some of my special buffing needs in very tight contour areas I was so impressed with the machines feel and power, it instantly became my favorite. I decided to upgrade from my long time go to PC 7424 random buffer to the Rupes LHR 15, you can't believe how powerful and vibration free this machine is, I feel like I can buff all day now. The results from full paint correction from a random buffer are so impressive my Makita just might stay on the shelf. I really love this quality built product.

Yes It's AWESOME!!

I'm a small detailing business and I have only had my RUPES a year and it has stopped working properly. I ordered the 15 and use it to buff corvettes. Compared to my flex which is indescribable I am very disappointed in the quality of this product. I would not recommend it.

Smooth, very powerful. It is rough on pads if are not using Rupes pads.

From a griots 6 inch polisher to this !!! No vibrations,less fatigue, locking switch is nice VERY sensitive on the corners and curves to let you not burn the paint that's nice but it takes getting use to ... Now I have only used my uber/ buff and shine pads on the rupes and so far so good. Hopefully it lasts a long time only one year warranty

Pros: extremely easy to use, cuts great and polishes even better. very smooth with less vibrations than other polisher's I have used- Flex and Porter Cable. This polisher has finished better and saves at least 30% of the time you spend on each panel.

Cons: maybe the price, but the amount of time you save everywhere else makes up for it.

I just used the 15es for the first time this past weekend. I've never polished a car before, and there's definitely an art to it. I'm very happy with the results I achieved (I only did the top of the trunk and rear side panel). It's fun, but takes time and patience to get good results. I experimented with three of the Rupes polishes (all except the blue one). I know people say it's easy, but if you're a novice like make sure you leave yourself half a day to at least somewhat figure out how to use it!

Just completed a test area on my black raven cadillac with the rupes mini. Im a novice and this polisher made the job so easy. I removed a marking in the paint with menzerna 2500 and the green rupes foam pad. It left a glossy finish. With a little experience I'll find out what polish works best with different pads to accomplish my goal. This polisher is the cadillac of all polish machines. I would always recommend using the rupes pads because their so much easier to center on the backing plate.

I love this machine! It was so easy to use on a 28' sailboat basically using just 1 hand the whole time. This way I could just keep switching hands when 1 got tired allowing me to do the whole boat without taking a break. I've also done several cars now. It's very quick and no worry of burning paint

What more can I say, besides that this machine is the best! I've used a ton of polishers- flex, porter cable, dewalt, on and on, and none compare to the Rupes. It's got a bit of a learning curve, but once you get used to it. It's incredible. The versatility of it is second to none. You can apply wax/sealant with it, swap pads, and then do some serious scratch removal. It cuts extremely fast, and finishes down phenomenally. Pair this machine with any pad, and any compound and you'll be blown away!

This machine is great for professionals and amateurs alike. It is easy to use, and produces outstanding results in less time. The machine is very smooth and easy to operate. It's ergonomic design makes it comfortable to use for hours and hours - it is very smooth, too! The huge throw requires less pressure on the pad to correct the paint, so you are less fatigued after spending an entire day polishing. This is my new workhorse machine! My porter cable is now reserved for 3"-4" work and applying sealants and waxes.