We used this to make our concrete counter tops in our kitchen. One set of diamond pads was enough to finish our project. The thing to remember though is you get out of it what you put into it. Wet polishing is tedious business, so it can take a long time with each pad to get a highly polished surface, but it can be done with this product. I only have two complaints with this product. First is that it's loud. Each polishing session we did was at least an hour long, and this thing is deafening. I recomend earplugs. My second complaint is the plastic shield that deflects water from coming back at you. This shield does little more than slow down the rate at which you're soaked. Also, if you have any odd angles, as we did, you have to remove it. All in all, this is a good product and I would recomend it as a cost effective option for DIY projects. Hardin Variable Speed Polisher 5 Inch Concrete and Stone Wet Polishing Kit with Diamond Pads
Overall this is a nice tool for someone looking to trying their hand at concrete polishing. In general I would classify this as a good "value minded" tool heading towards the upper end of value. I purchased it to polish a 50+ year old floor slab in the laundry and mechanical room within our house so we could stain the slab. The review is based on general tool knowledge and some actual use (have completed about 15% of the floor) but please keep in mind this is the first time I have used this specific type of tool so I can't compare it against like tools. I can compare it to grinders and buffers I own.
The tool isn't a super-high quality tool but neither is it a piece of Chinese's junk. The tool itself feels solid and performs well. My biggest beef with the tool is the all plastic/nylon "D" handle which probably won't last the project. The nub on one side of the "D" handle that hits the top of the polisher to stop the handle in either the forward or more upright working positions deflects a fair amount. I suspect it's only a matter of time before the nub gives under the pressure (in particular in the forward position where you have more leverage) of pushing the tool into the work piece. It's a knuckler-buster in waiting.
The other piece I both love and hate is the plastic water shield. The shield really minimizes the water slung backwards at you (the positive side) but because it is a stiff plastic (most likely to resist wear), it takes a fair amount of downward pressure to engage the polishing wheel on the concrete. Also, getting the shield on/off is a bit of a pain. I would use a 7" diamond cup wheel (Dewalt) to really cut through the concrete fast (obviously this was far messier as I had to remove the water shield).
The constant flow of water from the spindle is awesome and really makes a difference in both pad longevity, lubrication, keeping the area `fresh' and minimizing the overall mess. Realize that adding water will make a mess but unlike dust (which will eventually find itself everywhere and obscures your vision) the slung water can be contained relatively easily with 18" of plastic at the bottom of the walls around the room.
The included polishing pads are nice. Again no frame of reference but they do a good job and seem to hold up well. Because the included velcro backing pad is flexible it resulted in greater wear at the edges of the pad. While this was great at the sloped areas of the floor, I will be getting a hard backing pad to better work the main flat areas.
The tool does get hot after use. It is a shame they couldn't have used the water flow somehow to dissipate the heat. I suspect the heat will shorten the life of the tool as heat is almost always the enemy.
In the area of "ticky-tacky", the water supply hose is pretty much permanently coiled so you will find yourself fighting this on occasion. Also, the GFIC needs to be engaged after each loss of power (when you unplug it) which is a great safety feature, just a little disconcerting the first time it happened.
The last item of comment is the tool lacks any electronic feedback to maintain consistent speed under load but realistically, at this price point, you shouldn't expect that.
Overall I like the tool and will take it on my first foray in to concrete polishing.
I bought this wet polisher for a contrete countertop. I recently polished a small piece and I'm really happy with the results. The water connection connects easily to a water hose and the water valve works great. The power cord is long and flexible so is out of your way. It's not heavy so is easy to use. At one point I was using it with just one hand. The pads look good and don't feel cheap.
Grinder works great....first time Ive ever polished a rock and it came out super smooth and shiny. A little time consuming to go through all of the steps but the velcro backing pads are pretty sweet. You will probably need to get a few more 50 or 100 grits as they get eaten up faster than the others.
I just received my Hardin VSP wet polisher. It comes in a sealed box from Hardin Industrial Products, so I have to assume it's as the manufacturer intended. There's the main motor unit, polishing pads, some parts, and an Operator's Manual. There's no assembly manual, but hey, how hard could it be, right?
Well, first there's the D-handle. It doesn't fit. We're talking about a molded plastic part, so there's no adjustment involved. It just doesn't fit. Perhaps they accidentally included the handle from the 4" polisher in the 5" box. Oh well, perhaps I'll just use the side handle instead. Wrong! The threaded part of the handle isn't long enough to go into the body. And no, it's not broken or adjustable. It just doesn't fit. Then there are the spare bushings. Great, except the unit doesn't look like the picture and there are no bushing caps. As for the two allen bolts, I haven't a clue.
I looked for the company's website, but they don't have one.
Hey, it may work great, but with parts that don't fit and lack of an assembly manual I give it one star. - Polisher - Concrete - Angle Grinders - Grinder'
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