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St. Louis - There are two popular types of polishers. The Porter Cable 7424 is an orbital buffer. Then there's the rotary buffer. The PC is far safer. Just use the Sonus or Lake County pads, erring on the side of caution when using a heavier duty polish or swirl remover - try the softer pads before moving to the firmer "cutting" pads. I got this from the Meguiar's site:

(The orbital buffer is) specially designed to run in an eccentric circular motion. This safe, random pattern doesn't apply torque to the surface, and assures the buffer never concentrates its energy in one spot, unlike your hand or a regular rotary buffer.

If you use a rotary buffer and are not skilled in its use, you can easily apply too much pressure to the paint and burn right through it, requiring a new paint job. For the same reason, do not use buffers that are attached to power drills.

You'll be fine with a PC. It's great for your car and was really designed for sanding. So if you do any woodwork, you'll again have the perfect tool.