Ask most car detailing professionals, and they’ll tell you that if you want a machine polisher, RUPES is the place to get it from. So, naturally when the company announced it had something new to display at SEMA, we had to go and see what the RUPES BigFoot iBrid polisher was all about.
Key Engineering
RUPES has been in the car polishing game for many years now, so what’s new with this new piece? Well, quite a bit actually.
Starting at the head of the machine, there’s a new eccentric set which has been redesigned with ergonomics in mind. RUPES claim that the new set is more compact than the previous design, as well as more easily maneuverable. Comfort is a big deal too, and this promises to transmit less vibration through to your hand, ensuring a smoother working process. The anti-spinning ring is new too, and is intended to reduce the amount of friction and heat involved.
The final major new addition to the polisher setup is the gear technology. The RUPES BigFoot iBrid polisher has new PolyFiber gears which reduce noise and vibration, the latter of which will help you to keep a steady hand when polishing your car.
Power & Battery
The 18V battery system in this polisher has a 5 Ah capacity and should last for 40 minutes of continuous operation at full power. However, when the machine does eventually conk out, there’s no element of surprise. This is thanks to the LEDs that run down the side of the machine, which will blink slowly when you’re running low. Alternatively, rapid flashing means the polisher is experiencing an overload.
Backing Pads
There are two ‘trim levels’ of this new polisher, defined by the size of backing plate that would be compatible. The HLR21 model accepts pads up to 150mm, whereas the HLR15 can only handle 125mm pads. The orbit of those pads is also different – 21mm for the HLR21, and 15mm for the HLR15.
The backing pads themselves are new for the RUPES BigFoot iBrid too. The new designs have a lower center of gravity for better stability, as well as new rubber border protection to help keep your car’s body panels safe.
