MakitaPW5001C 4" Electronic Stone Polisher

Great tool! I modified the water feed to use a barb with 3/8" 20' of tubing to a garden hose connection that worked great. I was able to patch holes in travertine tile with Temex Polyester resin, and then wet sand with this tool. A floor polishing machine is needed if trying to cover very large areas, as this would be too much time on the knees and shoulders for most of us!

There are several features that I liked on this. The variable speed dial is great. Being able to set it for specific RPMs is mandatory. It's quality is great and so far has held up to my abuse. It has a flexible rubber splash guard on the back that keeps you from getting too wet. Also the water valve is variable which is useful for the lower speed RPM work. It has GFCI built into the power cord which is a must when working with electricity and water. The only downside was having to buy the special adapter for the water hose. I had read where others had made a make-shift solution but I found that the one designed for it is worth the money. It can be bought for about $8 and it has a quick release feature which is key during cleanup. Having nothing to compare this to, as I have only owned this one wet grinder, I like it alot. I have compared it to several others and found that it was the best value out there.

Polishing large stones/boulders, and it just won't quit! My lapidary club gave a presentation on the use of these type wet polishers. They said their Barranca-Diamond polishers lasted only a few hours then went kaput .... Even the warranty replacement units did not last long!Through my many hobbies, I knew Makita was a quality manufacturer of hand tools, so I did not hesitate to buy this polisher. I have not even heard this unit emit so mauch as a wimper under long duration polishing sessions (Up to as much as 15 different grit pads at no less than 15 minutes per each grit). I highly recommend this unit for stone polishing.If you do a search on eBay, you can find 4" lapidary grit pad kits that will fit this unit. Some grit pad kits only offer a few different grit pads. However, you can find some, like mine, which offer a dozen or more different grit pads (~$45 - $50). My kit also comes with two hook backing attachments that will fit this unit (Adding the one that comes with the Makita, you will have a total of three backing attachments).When using this unit, I prefer to use the front end grip, instead of the side grip handle. I get better control and pressure with it.There is one other thing that you should purchase to help you provide water to the unit. I purchased the Gardena 36004 Garden Hose Quick Conector. If you plan to use the water feature of the unit, you need a connector like this.To use the Makita PW5001C, first connect the unit to a standard garden hose with the separately purchased Quick Connector. Then, plug the power cord into an outdoor electrical outlet (Be sure to create a "drip block" in the cord, by simply raising the cord off the ground somewhere between the Makita and the electrical outlet. Drape the cord over something like a brick, or rock, or plastic container. This prevents water from getting all the way from the unit to the outlet .... water and electricity do not play nice together). Making sure that your worksite is downhill from your electrical source is also a good idea!Next, turn the water valve so that it is perpendicular to the long length of the unit (This is the water OFF position). You can then turn on the water at the faucet (No more than about 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the spigot valve is necessary ..... you only need water to trickle out of the unit). Once you are ready to turn on the Makita unit, go over to the other end of the power cord and press the RESET button on the built-in GFCI unit (This will apply power to the unit).Proceed back to the Makita and apply your desired grit pad to the hook & loop backing attachment (The hole in the pad should line up with the hole in the backing attachment, to prevent water obstruction). Hold the Makita directly over the object to be polished. Slowly turn the water valve on the unit counter-clockwise (Toward the front of the unit) until water starts to trickle out of the ports in the center of the polishing pads. Then, push the power button on the Makita to the front of the unit. Power will be applied, and the Makita unit will slowly ramp-up speed.In one hand, hold the Makita at the back of the unit (Where the power cord is located), and with the other hand, grasp the handle that you installed (On the front of the unit or the side). Place the Makita down gently on top of your project, making sure the polishing pad is flat. Slowly move the unit in a circular motion. If after a few seconds the water spraying on you seems a bit warm (Due to more friction than cooling), adjust the water valve so that more water comes out. Do this until the water spraying on you stays cool. Continue moving in a circular motion, keeping the pad flat on the surface, until you have reached the desired level of polishing with that particular grit pad.When you are ready to shut down for the day, or just wish to change grit pads, turn the power off by first pushing on the back of the power button, then sliding it back. The power will slowly ramp down. Then, turn the water flow off by closing the water valve (perpendicular position). If you are shutting down for the day, make sure you go over to the water spigot and TURN THE WATER OFF THERE FIRST, before trying to disconnect the water at the units Quick Connect adapter, or you will likely get water where you don't want water .... like, in your eyes, your ears, or up your nose. At the very least, you don't want to accidentally douse your innocent bystander wife!If you are just changing pads, youjust need to turn off power and water at the unit, change pads, then switch back on the water first, then the power.Enjoy!

I noticed alot of complaints about the water feed adapters not coming with the unit, so I read the reviews and ordered the gardena parts package that others suggested along with the grinder order. When I got them, the adapter for gardena worked fine, however I was a little leary of these plastic parts sticking out the back, being overleveraged by the weight of the hose. HOWEVER people, not to worry, the first brass fitting with a farrel nut on the unit;s black hose side has an out going 1/8" NPT fitting. Therefore you can adapt this 1/8" pipe fitting however you want. I went to the brass fittings section in the hardware store and went from 1/8" NPT to 1/2" NPT, then 1/2" NPT to a female swivel garden hose fitting, done deal. All I added after that was an inline plastic male/female hose adapter with plastic ball valve (about 2 1/2" long) to control the water flow. It worked great. I would recommend testing the buffing pads on a peice of scrap granite or marble tile, the 50 grit is pretty aggressive and you may spend extra time buffing out scratches. You def need all the diff grits of diamond pads with this. Also recommend a hand squeegie, as when your work is wet you cant see the scratches. A squeegie quickly wipes the water away to see what your doing. Hope this helps someone.