Browse by need

Start from the job you need done: Enthusiasts, DIY detailers and used-car buyers checking paint.

• Cordless polishers and battery platformsExplains how battery platforms work before you buy a cordless polisher, so the tool, batteries and charger you end up with belong together.
• Buying detailing tools safely: sellers, marks and voltageGives the checks that matter before paying for a polisher, gauge or battery online: voltage stated by the maker, verifiable marks and the real seller.
• Polishing pads and backing plates: sizes and fitHelps you match a pad to your polisher's backing plate using the tool maker's own rules, before you order pads.
• Paint thickness gauges: what each type can measureShows which gauge type reads the panels on your car and how to read an accuracy spec, so you buy a gauge that can do the job.
• Used-car paint inspection with a paint thickness gaugeExplains what a paint gauge can and cannot tell you on a used car, so you read panels by comparison instead of trusting one number.
• Car polishers: dual-action, forced-rotation and rotaryExplains polisher motion, throw and pad size in the order you decide them, so you pick a machine that suits the job and your experience.