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Introduction to the Rupes HLR 15
Unveiled at SEMA late last year, Rupes finally uncovered their take on a battery powered 5 and 6-inch polisher.
New BigFoot iBrid Polishers HLR21 HLR15 - Rupes tools
While Rupes led the industry with the iBrid Nano machines, it took them a while to bring larger sized battery machines to market. The first was released a couple of years ago, the 3-inch HLR 75, or Stiletto as it has become known.
But it's the 5 and 6-inch machines many were asking for. Flex and ShineMate have owned this space for a while now, in some ways that gave Rupes the chance to take their time with the machines, and to learn from what it's competitors have done. I also believe Rupes held back due to professional users preferring electric machines for consistency and sustained performance when being used all day. But, the Pro-Sumer market is very real, and often more profitable. And so, after many hints and silent nods, Rupes finally unveiled their response late last year, and is now on sale across the world.
It's important to note that these polishers are ground up new machines, not an electric polisher converted to battery power. The composite gearset contributes to a noticeable weight and size reduction. The dual-action eccentric set has been redesigned for lighter weight and smoother operation. The motor is now brushless with a redesigned cooling system, and the dual LED strips that run along the body provide battery condition on the fly. Rupes also redesigned the backing plate, which is ultra-thin compared to typical backing plates and is said to deliver a lower center of gravity and superior balance.
The batteries themselves are 5.0ah lithium-ion units and can deliver 40 minutes of continuous running at full power. Considering you won't ever run a polisher like that, battery life will never be a problem. At the moment, the new machines are only available in kit form, so each unit is sent with two batteries and a new dual port charger.
Waxit were one of only a couple retailers to have the new machines for sale in Australia, availability is expected to be limited until Rupes catches up with global demand. Other retailers have them listed as pre-orders for June/July supply. At the time of writing, Waxit have already sold out of the 15mm / 5-inch machine, but the 21mm / 6-inch is still in stock. For US readers, the new machines are filtering out across the usual retailers. Unless you are dealing with larger trucks and SUV's, I would stick with the smaller 15mm 5-inch.
Rupes HLR21 21mm Kit | Dual Action Cordless Polisher – Waxit Car Care
Rupes HLR15 15mm Kit | Dual Action Cordless Polisher – Waxit Car Care
But before going any further, let's address the elephant in the room...................the price! These are not a cheap purchase, exaggerated by the current kit-only format. In Rupes defense, the kit includes $275 (AUD) worth of pads and compounds. Even still, these are considerably more expensive than the now well-established Flex and ShineMate equivalents.
So why did I buy one when I already have a ShineMate EB351 5/15 5-inch polisher? Equal parts curiosity and stupidity. Personally, I would have been happy with just the machine, battery and charger without all the pads, towels and compounds that come with the kit. But here we are.....................
The kit includes an assortment of foam and wool pads, along with DA Fine and DA Coarse compounds -
DA Fine Yellow Foam x2
DA Intermediate Teal Foam x2
DA Medium Yellow Wool x2
DA Coarse Blue Wool x2
The wool pads have actually been re-designed for the new HLR machines and feature a thicker foam interface. From what I can tell, this coincides with the updated foam and microfiber pads that launched some time ago. I suspect this added foam is to compensate for the ultra-thin backing plate.
Dual port charger and 5.0ah batteries.
The new machines are made in Italy, US-market units will soon be made in the US. The batteries are, of course, made in China. The rubberized battery casing is also nice touch, providing some protection for accidental contact with the car.
So, how does the all-new Rupes HLR 15 compare to my old ShineMate?
The very first thing you notice is how light the new Rupes is, with or without the battery.
Overall, the two machines are about the same length, the extended nose and the way the battery is located on the Rupes has it standing taller than the ShineMate.
My initial pre-use thought is that I prefer the ShineMates battery placement as it offers a more natural place to hold the polisher from, but that does tend to make it quite tail heavy. The Rupes has better weight balance. It may also take me a bit to acclimatize to the longer nose of the Rupes.
Where the ShineMate is pretty noisy and has quite a lot of chatter when winding down, the Rupes is buttery smooth and very quiet running at any speed. The thin backing plate is especially noticeable next to the ShineMate.
Of course, the real comparison will begin once I get a chance to polish something with the new Rupes. At the moment, current thinking has the Mustang being first in line, basically the last polish in my care and the beginning of me saying goodby to the car.
More to come...............................
Unveiled at SEMA late last year, Rupes finally uncovered their take on a battery powered 5 and 6-inch polisher.
New BigFoot iBrid Polishers HLR21 HLR15 - Rupes tools
While Rupes led the industry with the iBrid Nano machines, it took them a while to bring larger sized battery machines to market. The first was released a couple of years ago, the 3-inch HLR 75, or Stiletto as it has become known.
But it's the 5 and 6-inch machines many were asking for. Flex and ShineMate have owned this space for a while now, in some ways that gave Rupes the chance to take their time with the machines, and to learn from what it's competitors have done. I also believe Rupes held back due to professional users preferring electric machines for consistency and sustained performance when being used all day. But, the Pro-Sumer market is very real, and often more profitable. And so, after many hints and silent nods, Rupes finally unveiled their response late last year, and is now on sale across the world.
It's important to note that these polishers are ground up new machines, not an electric polisher converted to battery power. The composite gearset contributes to a noticeable weight and size reduction. The dual-action eccentric set has been redesigned for lighter weight and smoother operation. The motor is now brushless with a redesigned cooling system, and the dual LED strips that run along the body provide battery condition on the fly. Rupes also redesigned the backing plate, which is ultra-thin compared to typical backing plates and is said to deliver a lower center of gravity and superior balance.
The batteries themselves are 5.0ah lithium-ion units and can deliver 40 minutes of continuous running at full power. Considering you won't ever run a polisher like that, battery life will never be a problem. At the moment, the new machines are only available in kit form, so each unit is sent with two batteries and a new dual port charger.
Waxit were one of only a couple retailers to have the new machines for sale in Australia, availability is expected to be limited until Rupes catches up with global demand. Other retailers have them listed as pre-orders for June/July supply. At the time of writing, Waxit have already sold out of the 15mm / 5-inch machine, but the 21mm / 6-inch is still in stock. For US readers, the new machines are filtering out across the usual retailers. Unless you are dealing with larger trucks and SUV's, I would stick with the smaller 15mm 5-inch.
Rupes HLR21 21mm Kit | Dual Action Cordless Polisher – Waxit Car Care
Rupes HLR15 15mm Kit | Dual Action Cordless Polisher – Waxit Car Care
But before going any further, let's address the elephant in the room...................the price! These are not a cheap purchase, exaggerated by the current kit-only format. In Rupes defense, the kit includes $275 (AUD) worth of pads and compounds. Even still, these are considerably more expensive than the now well-established Flex and ShineMate equivalents.
So why did I buy one when I already have a ShineMate EB351 5/15 5-inch polisher? Equal parts curiosity and stupidity. Personally, I would have been happy with just the machine, battery and charger without all the pads, towels and compounds that come with the kit. But here we are.....................
The kit includes an assortment of foam and wool pads, along with DA Fine and DA Coarse compounds -
DA Fine Yellow Foam x2
DA Intermediate Teal Foam x2
DA Medium Yellow Wool x2
DA Coarse Blue Wool x2
The wool pads have actually been re-designed for the new HLR machines and feature a thicker foam interface. From what I can tell, this coincides with the updated foam and microfiber pads that launched some time ago. I suspect this added foam is to compensate for the ultra-thin backing plate.
Dual port charger and 5.0ah batteries.
The new machines are made in Italy, US-market units will soon be made in the US. The batteries are, of course, made in China. The rubberized battery casing is also nice touch, providing some protection for accidental contact with the car.
So, how does the all-new Rupes HLR 15 compare to my old ShineMate?
The very first thing you notice is how light the new Rupes is, with or without the battery.
Overall, the two machines are about the same length, the extended nose and the way the battery is located on the Rupes has it standing taller than the ShineMate.
My initial pre-use thought is that I prefer the ShineMates battery placement as it offers a more natural place to hold the polisher from, but that does tend to make it quite tail heavy. The Rupes has better weight balance. It may also take me a bit to acclimatize to the longer nose of the Rupes.
Where the ShineMate is pretty noisy and has quite a lot of chatter when winding down, the Rupes is buttery smooth and very quiet running at any speed. The thin backing plate is especially noticeable next to the ShineMate.
Of course, the real comparison will begin once I get a chance to polish something with the new Rupes. At the moment, current thinking has the Mustang being first in line, basically the last polish in my care and the beginning of me saying goodby to the car.
More to come...............................
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