BATOCA S3 Cordless Car Polishers and Buffers, DA Orbital Polishing Machine

So bought this to prevent weekly washes from being an exhaustive chore (where I live is downwind from crop fields so ignoring this task punishes you skipping a weekend with a thick layer of grit and dust, which quickly brings birds and their crap too). Getting the best value out of my ceramic detailing spray requires just the right amt of product + the right kind of quick, light buffing -- this product eliminates the buffing part, easily the most tiring work of the task. Having owned wired orbital buffers before... was a bit concerned about how much force even a randomly-moving head would have on my heretofore-hand-only paint finish. Another was whether or not the mini-V8-tomato-juice-can-sized Li-ion batteries (it comes with 2 in my purchase) would be able to last thru all the panels. No longer have a home garage, so wired buffers weren't an option. Turns out my fears were unfounded. Set to '1', the Batoca was nearly as gentle on the paint as my own hands (caveat: I used the fleece pad on the foam velcro base, with the terry cloth bib over it all, just as you're supposed to if concerned about the surface). Light spray of ceramic wax, quick passes to spread, let dry a few seconds, buff to shine. My hand-only attempts at this resulted in *good* shine, but never mirror-like. After the above technique w/ the Batoca... it's lit'y shinier than it's ever been, with any product; should've bought this years ago (however Li-ion tech probably would've have allowed rotary buffers to be as small and intuitive to use as this). Afa battery life, there's a level indicator on the side of the unit -- I'd expect nothing less on a cordless power tool, though plenty lack them -- that seemed to drop to 1 bar red, 2 green right after using a few mins, but then stayed there the 30 mins it took to polish a compact car. Recharging is also quite fast (haven't charged from near-zero, but a compact car done on one battery took ~10m to full). I'd never *not* had intense knee pain working on my car, from all the bending over and squatting to buff doors and front/rear end -- so this Batoca's a force multiplier for me. Light, easy to hold in one hand & hold on vertical panels or complex surfaces. Didn't even need the well-placed knob atop the unit for car polishing, but bet a lot of people would appreciate its easy-to-hold ergonomics with weaker hands. Reliability's still in question... but with one full use, can see why Car and Driver Magazine chose the Batoca as its top cordless pic. Near $100 delivered's still pretty dear for a non-name-brand product, or so I thought... but so far don't see why it shouldn't receive top marks. Add to this the generous accessories that come with it, incl'g a tote bag... and it's a no-brainer. I'll hold off on 5 stars until a few weekends with the Batoca have gone by... but for now quite pleased with the value this product is giving. Tentative 4 stars for now ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ _ -- UPDATE 10 AUG 25: Bit of a late start to this weekend's wash & wax, so had to put a rush on the job... so curious how the Batoca would fare. Washing the bonnet is as easy as putting it thru my front-loading washing machine, then dryer. Emerged perfect, nothing sticking to it or disintegration, as exp'd with past purchases. Got to my spot and put it thru the usual paces with ceramic wax (Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating, green spray bottle). Again, brilliant shine, tho did not venture past '1' on the wheel selector -- tbh doesn't need it. In fact, got best result on the car's roof, letting the weight of the Batoca provide the pressure, literally guiding it around with two fingers. And vertical panels, same meandering path, same mirror finish, 5x the time / effort by hand hadn't produced in months. One *slight* negative found -- there aren't many, so nitpicking rather tiny nits. If you're working on vertical panels, you may inadvertently move the wheel selector setting *faster* -- which on a delicate clearcoat surface during a final polish, obviously isn't great. But only happened once during a 25-or-so-minute polish, and only moved to between '1' and '2'. The Batoca's shaped for really good access, tho. Not perfect of course -- cannot polish a spot about the size of an Oreo cookie, under my wing mirror -- but damned close. And the knob atop did find a use trying to accurately stay off of a rubber window glass wiper strip verge next to a near-horizontal painted surface, then another in front of the headlamp lens. Both places, zero damage, just a bit of hand-polishing to clean up the half-pinky-width it wasn't able to get to. Again, charging is one of the best features of the Batoca -- pushed the unit a bit harder as were limited for time, so expected charging to take a touch longer... but didn't. Identical 10 mins for the battery used. The other one, sitting a week and put on the charger, immediately showed green. So far, no showstopping surprises. Looking forward to next weekend, hopefully this week won't rain & create more work. But so far this Batoca's really looking like a keeper. Thinking a third weekend of same'll earn that fifth star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️_ -- UPDATE 08 SEP 25: Obviously have spent more than a couple of weekends more with the Batoca than promised above, got a bit busy in Aug. But have a few exps to share... When you buy this great little cordless buffer, make sure you find a ceramic spray that works best with it. But first let's concentrate on the Batoca itself (or my rating won't be validated) 😉 Identical exp to the first two weekends -- lightweight, a long-lasting battery when buffing on setting '1', and produces a shine no hand-buffing can recreate (at least with my ceramic spray). Have sent both my bonnets thru the wash now, and neither show signs of poor quality. The tote bag isn't made within a mil of falling apart, actually quite useful with internal mesh pockets to hold your batteries. Did I mention it comes with two? Speaking which, both batteries seem to give identical performance, so any fears the battery supplier's dodgy can be set aside. No weird overheating or charging strangeness either, with a nice red LED lit when needing charged, and a green one when full-ready. In use... no signs of bad plastic mould construction via weird flexing or creaking. No add'l vibrations after several weekends of use. The rubberised grip surfaces are comfy to hold; no signs of stickiness / tackiness on them (not good when a microfibre polish bonnet will be stored with it) All these potential flaws mentioned, have been problems on PRC-sourced personal tech bought here before. So the fact none of them exist at nearly 2 mos with the Batoca, is encouraging. Now to using it with a ceramic product. Couple of things to watch for: -- find a brand that polishes better with an orbital buffer vs. hand buffing Have recently purchased Griot's 3-in-1 spray ceramic due to Project Farm's #1 choice reccie... yet found it unimpressive compared to the Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray. Feels gritty on application with the Batoca in comparison, and not as slick when it doesn't. Supposedly provides superior beading vs. HS... but have enjoyed a month plus of weekends spraying HS on, spreading with the Batoca, then buffing to mirror-finish, almost no effort. The Griot's requires more care to achieve a shine below that standard, at least initially. Have found the Griot's likes hand-buffing better -- which is a showstopper, plus its piña-colada-cotton-candy scent is nauseating to me. -- just like the old-school, non-orbital buffers... don't linger too long in one place with the Batoca All quick ceramic sprays have a carrier formulation, that suspends and holds the TiO2, whilst responding to buffing for shine. HS' formulation has more flexible properties, so can even protect your tires (gives a natural rubber appearance much like the vehicle in the showroom which I love, vs. that shiny Armor-All fake plastic look that doesn't stick and compromises tread grip in the wet over painted lines and markings). This also means it doesn't like a lot of buffing in the same place. Given it's the only practical downside, HS' still my favourite. Plus, the Batoca may have great battery life... but if your ceramic spray requires 1/2"-per-second snail's-pace buffing? You need another product... and the other Batoca battery. -- careful how much ceramic spray you use -- the label instructions are accurate for most brands The HS label clearly says be conservative with application... but this becomes very obvious once you use a cordless buffer. When too much spray is used (not only for ceramic, either)... the bonnet loads up, and begins to skip across the surface vs. spread ceramic in a thin even layer. The Batoca on setting '1' makes it easy to see how much to use, as that skipping manifests as more vibration. For HS anyway, literally a half-pump, three times over half a car roof is enough, moving across so it spreads evenly, then hit with the Batoca about 2ft/sec, just to make a thin layer. Then halve your speed (1ft/sec) -- this is the first buffing step. Halve again (6"/sec) for final shine if desired. Not hard/fast numbers either -- HS is really forgiving. Stay around those numbers, and enjoy the results. Time to upgrade the Batoca's rating to five stars. Has earned it, a keeper ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This buffer replaced a larger Craftsman buffer from the 1980s. It buffs as well but is quieter, lighter, and uses polishing pads (6”) readily available on Amazon from countless sellers. It comes with a charger and two lithium ion batteries that charge in about the same time the buffer takes to discharge them during normal use. You need two batteries, one to work while the other is recharging. The unit runs cool, meaning the battery temperature after running it the buffer continuously until the power runs out is about 103°F., which I think is pretty cool. The plastic grip on the body of the buffer is a. It cooler than that. There wouldn’t be many occasions where I’d run the tool continuously from fully charged to battery automatic shut-off. The unit is balanced well and doesn’t vibrate. The Velcro on the disk is more grabby than is required and I struggle to change pads without damaging the backings, however this will probably relax over time. The unit comes with a well-curated selection of pads, the waffle pattern and the sheep’s wool buffers being my favorites. There are also a number of microfiber “bonnets” and whatnot that cover the pad for some purpose I’m not familiar with. I haven’t used any. Other accessories are included, a cheap storage bag, a plastic apron and pair of Nitrile gloves, some microfiber polishing cloths, etc., none of which influenced my buying decision. Two sheets of sandpaper were also included, and although you could use this as a 6” orbital sander, it has no dust collection and is really unsuited to regular use as a sander. This is a buffer, not a sander. The buffer motor makes a soft, inoffensive purring sound when running that doesn’t interfere with listening to podcasts or music while working. The speed control works as expected and there are three lights near the speed control that show remaining battery power. In common with other lithium ion batteries, these begin to slow speed down very near the time they abruptly stop when the lowest useful battery level is reached. I’ve used 5”, 51/2” and 6” pads on the Velcro base and the tool doesn’t care. It seems to accommodate any size, knowing that the base overhangs the pad on smaller than 6” pads. Overall, I just wanted a lightweight, one-handed buffer to polish my car and the gelcoat on my boat. This works fine for that. It’s not a commercial shop buffer, but rather a tool a homeowner would use. It’s a nice tool for that lightweight purpose. The build quality, balance, and fit and finish is very good, so I’m happy with it.

Very full kit of accessories provides one with every polishing option. The included storage bag isn't even big enough to hold all of the included items. The motor on this polisher is adjustable, from 1 to 6, and is really strong. I would prefer a palm polisher rather than the handle because this unit is heavy and gets a little tiresome with the handle and given the weight. The battery went strong for two hours on a full charge. It would have been nice to have a universal charger instead of another one that requires storage. This polisher is solid and comes with a higher price than most. It feels like it will last a long time and see a lot of work.

This is a buffer/polisher made for every range of experience, from beginners to very experienced. It is very easy and intuitive to use. The electric motor is fairly quiet for the power output. The battery life, so far, lasts about one hour with light pressure. If you are trying to polish something like a windshield, where you would apply more pressure, the battery will last for about forty minutes. Keeping in mind, this battery life duration is when the product is in new condition, don't know the long term battery life yet. The design is compact enough to detail around tight areas like around the side mirrors and A pillars of a vehicle, yet the buffering/polishing surface pad is large enough to make quick work of big panels, doors, hoods, and trunk lids. This is an all inclusive kit and comes with a spare battery so you can charge and use one simultaneously. The weight distribution and battery shape also makes this buffer/polisher easier to use in tight spaces and does not fatigue your wrist and forearm as much as some of their competitors.

Light weight smooth quiet comfortable works better than expected AAAAA+++++!!!!

Long story short - if you're looking for a cordless buffer, this one is good. However, I had some issues. First, it showed up with corroded, non-working batteries. They quickly made it right, so kudos on customer service. Then i tried to buff out some scratches. The speed (RPM) of this unit is on the ragged [lower] edge of what popular buffing/polishing compounds recommend. It works, but it takes a long time. Still, this was my first foray into buffing and polishing my own vehicles, and this is not a bad entry-level device. It removes minor scratches, and the two batteries it comes with is enough to do an average sized sedan. I would give it 3.5 stars if i could, and I'm rounding down due to the DOA first unit, but it will do the job.

Works great! Easy to use, a lot of goodies in the box too. Before an after photos to show how well.

Well made and surprisingly long lasting batteries. Glad I didn't buy the more expensive big name item. Does what it says.

Que de impresionado. X la utilidad. Buena calidad y excelente acabado

Bon produit pour le prix léger silencieux

Bought this to polish my boat while it was out of the water. It was ridiculously tiring using my old, mains powered one. It weighed a ton and made any job really difficult particularly if you have to hold it up high for any length of time (like polishing a boat hull). This one is so much lighter, better and easier to use, the batteries seem to last for ages too. The kit comes with loads of accessories as well as a spare battery and you can get to polishing your favourite car, boat etc straight out of the box. Regarding reliabilty I've had this for over a year now and it still works absulutely fine. At this price its a bargain.

Used a lot over the years and keeps going well...good little tool..!!!

Para encerar y pulir el carro muy buena