Customer Reviews for RYOBI ONE+ 18V 5 in. Variable Speed Dual Action Polisher (Tool Only)

Purchased 3 of these for my detail departments and run them with 4Ah batteries. My crew loves them.

These finishing pads, used for applying finishes such as wax or sealant have a nice even pore structure and apply materials quite. They wear well and are good for several applications (thinking of an average sized vehicle). I've used them with wax and gotten great results. I think they would also work well for applying sealer to kitchen countertops, something I plan to use them for in the near future.

Good. Strong motor. Tool is more noisy than expected. What’s Good? 1. The motor resists bogging down unless you put too much pressure on the buffer. 2. The design is decent and having two ways to grip it is nice. The auxiliary grip can be mounted for right or left hand use. 3. The balance is good when the optional handle is mounted and a 4ah battery is attached. However, it is a bit heavy. 4. Putting a mounting point for the hex key on the handle is a good idea. It would be good to also add a mounting point for the wrench on the tool. Advice: 1. The foam on the included buffing pads made a crunching sound when compressed like you would expect from old foam. While it may be just fine, it’s probably a good idea to have some extra pads on hand before starting a project. 2. Have ear plugs handy, the polisher is noisy and it can vibrate a panel which makes it worse. 3. The polisher is not labeled “random orbit” and instead says “dual action.” The illustration on the box suggests it is NOT a random orbit unit. From what I’ve read, random orbit reduces the chance of creating a pattern on the surface that is being buffed. Be careful to move it around a lot when in use. Concerns: 1. The amount of noise from the tool makes me concerned that the one I have may have a mechanical problem. 2. The switch is hard to use on the unit I received. The spring and sliding mechanism require too much pressure. If not for both issues, I would give the tool a higher rating. Recommendations for Improvements: 1. The manual really needs work. It is difficult to read. There are far too many warnings and not enough real content; it is as if lawyers with no tool experience wrote the manual. Also, some information is ONLY found in the illustrations. You will find the way to tell which buffing pad is which in an illustration. 2. The switch mechanism needs improvement. 3. It should be quieter.

RYOBI 18V ONE+ 5 IN. VARIABLE SPEED DUAL ACTION POLISHER - This is one of my first Ryobi products and I can say I am impressed with he presentation and quality of the products line. I plan on using this buffer on my vehicles but it is a bit too cold in the Midwest to use it right now for that purpose. I did however use it to buff a wood table top and a desk top and it did a great job. It is not too heavy or awkward and there is NO CORD to get in the way. I really like that it uses the same ONE+ batteries as their other tools and the 2Ah battery I have seems to be "just right" to balance the tool.

We have an Motor Home and when my husband waxes it it takes several days because he has to buff it out. With this handy polisher the job gets done much faster and better. This polisher has an adjustment to select the RPM that you want to use. Since it is battery powered you won't have to fool with an electric cord when you are using it. It's light enough that you can use it without getting tired out. It comes with three pads; one for cutting, correcting and a finishing pad. This polisher does not come with a battery but works with other 18v Ryobi batteries. The polisher weighs about 3 pounds without a battery. Just a note it it looks like yours did not come with a yellow pad it is hidden under the cardboard in the back of the box.

Love the tool. It's simply amazing. It has has really good balance front and back and side to side, and feels effortless when using it. (I actually placed it on the top rail of a chair and it balanced perfectly (see photo)). There are rubber bumpers on the base of the tool - front and back to prevent scratching and slipping when the tool is set down. Even at an angle, the tool won't slide. The hand-holds are made of soft-grip rubber and feel good to the grip. Testing it out on the car, I first washed, and then clay-barred the paint which hasn't seen 'real wax' since it left the factory 4 years ago. I applied a good quality paste wax and got an amazing finish, super smooth and glossy, faster than I could have imagined. The wax went on easily at a lower setting (3500 rpm), and battery run time (2AH) was ample. Finally, I can put real wax on my vehicles (as opposed to car-wash wax) without killing myself! As expected, given the balance of the tool, the ergonomics and the light weight - the performance felt sure and steady while in use. The only thing I didn't like is the feel of the power switch which is a bit stiff. I'm not a pro, but I've used enough tools to know that I like how this one feels and performs and would definitely recommend to a friend.

Now you can wax and polish like a PRO! I have used a corded 6" and 10" orbital polisher in the past with good results. The problems I always had was that you couldn't adjust the speed, the pads would loosen while rotating and your dragging a dirty cord that could scratch your finish. The Ryobi polisher solves those issues and takes your car detailing to a higher level. I really appreciate the Velcro backing system that makes the changing of polishing pads quick and easy. The entire unit is well balanced with the battery installed and weighs about 4 lbs depending on what size battery you choose. I tried a 1.5Ah, 2Ah and 4Ah. I think the 2Ah was the perfect choice allowing for the most freedom while moving from the top of the vehicle to the extreme lower body panels and bumpers. I suggest doing one body panel at a time and from the top down (roof, hood, trunk, sides and bumpers) using a quality polish and wax. I had 1 bar left of battery life on a 4 door sedan. Even though it comes with 3 pads that can be cleaned, I plan on buying additional pads for future wax and polish applications. I am still new to using this type of polisher but feel confident that because of the fast set up, ease of use and incredible results I will be using the Ryobi as my go to polisher for future detailing needs. I attached some photos showing the completed finish on my 20 year old car. The finish is almost glass like and the water beading amazed me. I am happy with the way it turned out and I would look forward to doing it again as needed using the Ryobi One+ 18 volt Variable Speed Dual Action Polisher.

Waited all winter to get my hands on one. Finally got it! It’s to cold out to try it out on my car. However I decided to compound out my dining room table. It was really damaged and I was going to sand and renew it in the spring. The ryobi buffer did a great job with some heavy duty compound. It’s made easy work of brining the shine back. It had plenty of power. This is my first time using a buffer like this. I have the Ryobi 10” buffer and that’s good for polish but had no cutting power. As with a lot of new Ryobi tools this has cord like power. It’s easy to hold and control.

Owing a black vehicle, I often had swirl marks that would make me crazy. But, I check the HD site every day for 2 months to get this polisher. It is great!! It was fairly quick and easy. There were not any swirl marks when I was done! It does not come with any wax samples or anything. The push button to start was a little tricky until you get used to it. The results were great and it was easy to control and use!

I used to polish my car manually which was a huge pain and was very time consuming, I already had a Ryobi drill and therefore a battery so when I heard about this tool and its ability to use my battery I felt it was a no brainer. This polisher has made my job much easier and is able to easily handle the workload. As far as the battery goes i have had no issued completing any talk without having to charge the battery. Overall I definitely recommend this product.

I’m a Milwaukee fan boy....that being said, I do own a couple Ryobi batteries. I was in the market for a polisher that wouldn’t break my wallet. At first I was skeptical but the tool proved itself. Weight is fantastic Build quality is great Power is great Variable speed works like a charm Doesn’t drain my 4 AH Overall... if you’re reading this review then you clearly need a polisher... BUY IT

Works just fine, very good buy.

Vibration feels well controlled and I had no issues doing a full paint correction on my vehicle with this.

Another excellent tool by Ryobi! I just love my Ryobi tools. Another great experience using Home Depot and the Home Depot App. Makes it so convenient to easily buy and keep track of all purchases. Let’s not forget the free shipping! Home Depot and Ryobi when you want great service with excellent products!

Good adhesion to the sander pads. Nice polishing action. Gave a good shine.

Works great. Weight is just right.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was surprised how well the polisher worked. It got just the right weight and is easy to use.

It does a perfectly suitable job for a home DIYer. The 4ah battery keeps it running for a good while.

Clearly a lot of the 5 star reviewers have never used similar buffers from other companies otherwise I would be surprised if they still rated this Ryobi at 5 stars. It has two major faults, vibration and a poorly designed power switch. Given the price, I can understand (but not accept) why Ryobi didn't do anything about the vibration. But the power switch could easily have been corrected, did nobody at Ryobi look at competitor's products? I have a lot of tools and have used just about every kind of power switch you can imagine and the one on this Ryobi buffer is one of the worst, only beaten by the power switch on Ridgid's cordless grinder.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love this tool. I have buffed out my solid surface countertops back to like new condition and made me 8 year old truck look better than it has in years. It was all done with little effort thanks to this buffer.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Works Great and I use it 2 or 3 times a week. Highly recommend

nice polisher, works great!