Hardin TRH3-K Triad Planetary Polisher Base with HD-5T Wet Variable Speed Polisher (BRTRH3BSET)

I'm writing this review after only using this tool for roughly 40 minutes. As such I cannot comment on it's longevity at all. If I encounter any problems I will update this review accordingly.I'm probably going to sound like I was paid to leave this but I have absolutely no affiliation with this company at all, I'm just impressed with this thing.I have been using a single head wet polisher for polishing concrete and have been having a nightmare of a time getting the finish glossy with no swirl marks. I've used Hardin's single headed unit (I wasn't a fan of that -  Hardin HWV5GRIN Variable Speed Polisher 5 Inch Concrete and Stone Wet Polishing Kit with Diamond Pads ) and Metabo's wet polisher -  Metabo PWE 11-100 1,700-5,400 RPM 9.6 AMP 4-Inch/5-Inch Variable Speed Wet Polisher . The Metabo is an awesome polisher but again, swirl marks and other inconsistencies result from a single headed unit.I spent hours grinding concrete to expose glass aggregate starting with a grinding cup up through 3000 grit. No matter what I did I continued to see results that were frustratingly imperfect. Swirl marks, dull spots and sometimes wavy concrete due to uneven pressure of the single headed unit. I would spend a solid 1.5 - 2 hours grinding from 50-3000 grit only to start over from scratch.Then I tried thing thing. I was skeptical this would work well because the tool seemed to vibrate a bit, but I was wrong. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was when I dried off the concrete piece I was working on. Absolutely flawless finish. No swirl marks, no dull areas, just a mirror polish. Yes, mirror smooth and glossy concrete. Not only did this thing produce an amazingly flat and glossy finish but I did it in roughly 1/4th (at least) of the time. I spent at most 40 minutes on the piece I was working on that would otherwise take at least 1.5-2 hours (or possibly more if I had to start over like I often would) using a single headed unit.The only thing I noticed about the finish that was not 100% perfect were the corners. I had no problem polishing the edges of my piece but the 90 degree corners seem to have been missed. The very tip of the corners, probably 1/2 inch, still have gouging from the rougher grits so it looks like I didn't polish them completely. I'm not removing a star for this because I think it was me, not this tool. I have a feeling with the right technique I will be able to get the corners consistent with the rest of the concrete.Not only does this tool produce a polish that is way better than a single headed unit but it also does it in at least half the time AND it was physically easier to do it. This tool has some weight to it so you don't even really push down. Just move it around the concrete and viola, polished. To top that off this thing cost me a little over $900 with 3 sets of diamond polishing pads (I bought the 'jx shine 4 inch' pads from Amazon -  4" JX Shine Diamond Polishing Pad - Set of 8 with Free Back Holder ) and 3 of Dewalt's grinding cups  DEWALT DW4772 4-Inch Grinding Cup Wheel Heavy Material Removal  which is about 1/3rd the cost of other planetary polishers I see on Amazon and other sites. I feel like this is too good to be true, but it's not.Some product details;-this tool has some weight to it which makes polishing easier. It feels as if it's built well.-it comes with the motor. The description led me to believe you have to buy your own polisher, you don't.-it comes with accessories to attach a vacuum for dry grinding/polishing. I haven't used this feature and don't plan to.-it comes with three 4" aluminum backer pads with Velcro on themIf you're doing any sort of concrete polishing such as concrete countertops then do yourself a huge favor and buy this or any other planetary polisher. It's a world of difference.

I rented a much more expensive planetary polisher for 2 weeks. they kept dying for a variety of reasons (grinder burnout, gears clogged), shutting down from water (it's a WET tool, so wtf?), the pads not staying centered or flying off when hitting a rough spot (worn out velcro I think), and no speed control, which also contributes to pad adherence problems, and finally leaky water connections at both ends. I finally got frustrated and returned it 3/4ths of the way through my job.As far as this Buddy Rhodes polisher - in view of the relatively low price, I didn't expect much, but I needed to get through the last 1/4th of my job. Imagine my surprise when I got it and discovered that it's better constructed than the more expensive one. From the looks of it the planetary gear mechanism is completely isolated, which will hopefully keep it from seizing up like the others. The quick swap feature of the grinder is a great idea, the water connection doesn't leak like the others did. It's quieter. The vacuum attachment works better and is a standard size for shop-vacs. the grinder can be rotated if you need to get closer to a wall.it's a better unit in my opinion, and so far it operates really well.My few criticisms are - the way the platen is configured and how the grinder attaches in it's normal position makes it impossible to get close to a wall or corner. obviously that's not a problem if you're doing unattached countertops or you have another tool to do those tough-to-reach spots. I'm going to have to reattach the grinder facing the other way in order to get into corners, but that will be awkward because it will be sticking out over the platen.the shame about the platen design is the wheels are positioned in such a way that you could get RIGHT up to a wall, not even 1/4th of an inch away like it's competitors; BUT, the positioning of the grinder keeps you from being able to do so.The complaint I read in another review about there not being a water adjustment on the unit is a non-issue for me because every wet grinder I've ever used leaks at that junction, so I'm glad not to have it. I attach a detachable sill-cock to the grinder hose and it's right there next to me if I need to adjust the flow.Lastly, another complaint was the absence of a GFI. well, the expensive industry standard units I've used don't have integral GFI either, so I think that's an unfair criticism. I would much rather use my detachable sill-cock and plug into a gfi socket than spend a bunch more money on a polisher with those features.I love it so far and for well under a thousand bucks I have a planetary polisher which is enabling me to do a super high-end concrete finishing job. it's about time!

The instructions regarding use are limited. The lack of ground fault protection requires use of a circuit that has this protection so wear rubber boots gloves etc. I am using this for the third countertop project and it has been reliable and produced a good result. It has to used on a flat surface only edges require hand polishing or a single head grinder. I was somewhat apprehensive given previous negative reviews but pleased with outcome. Not unexpectedly the unit shimmies is one of the pads becomes excessively worn or the 3 pads are not of similar condition. The brass fittings for the water hose are a bit cheap and I struggled to initially get a good compression grip on the water line. As I imported into Canada and spent $700 I hope the unit continues to work as well for my various home projects.

I bought this polisher in September of 2016 to polish concrete countertops. It works very well in comparison to a single headed grinder and leaves very few swirl marks. My only complaint is that it has always been noisy and wobbly. I figured it was just gear noise so I didn't pay much attention to it. Well yesterday it completely locked up on me! I opened the case on it and found that the ring gear was stripped and metal was scattered throughout the case. It appears to be non-repairable. I just sent an email to Amazon to see if there is any kind of a warranty. For the cost of it, I would have hoped that it would have lasted more than a year and a half especially since it does not get used that often! I have my fingers crossed!!