[Wendell inc.]

Well today is my birthday and i recieved 350$ from the family and i was thinking about saving somemore and buying a PTG (Defelsko Positest DFT Combo). But someone just told me i dont need one. I liked the idea of having one because ... well for the obvious reasons. But i also thought about getting a Infratech CM5300. I am not sure what i should do. What should i do? Or just save which is probably the best thing to do if i do not need a PTG.

[TheMightyTimmah]

No, not really. A PTG is nice to have, but with experience you can get a feel for paint thickness and correct accordingly. It's nice to have if you're going to chase deep scratches with sandpaper though.

I have used one in the past, but I don't personally own one. I might buy one next year as I'm looking at picking up a big contract from a body shop (and knowing the paintwork will be invaluable).

[Lars]

It would be nice to have if you can afford it, I have an old magnetic one that I use on cars which I think have been resprayed but the owner does not know that it has, makes polishing and wet sanding much easier, hopefully I'll purchase an electronic PTG this month.

[Nica]

I personaly would say that a paint gauge is quite valuable and should be on every detailers arsenal.

I mean imagine getting a vehicle with readings of 60microns or lower? Not sure if I would polish such a vehicle under those conditions...we had to pass out on the yellow Z06 due to clear coat issues but if we didn't have the PosiTector 200 we would have gone a head an polished it out and what happens if we burnt through the clear coat..then we would have been responsible for a re-pray/re-paint...to me the trade off's are significant..but that's just my opinion.

Paint Gauges are not cheap, but I'm a firm beleaver that you get what you pay for.

[ShinySideUp]

Originally Posted by Nica

I personaly would say that a paint gauge is quite valuable and should be on every detailers arsenal.

I mean imagine getting a vehicle with readings of 60microns or lower? Not sure if I would polish such a vehicle under those conditions...we had to pass out on the yellow Z06 due to clear coat issues but if we didn't have the PosiTector 200 we would have gone a head an polished it out and what happens if we burnt through the clear coat..then we would have been responsible for a re-pray/re-paint...to me the trade off's are significant..but that's just my opinion.

Paint Gauges are not cheap, but I'm a firm beleaver that you get what you pay for.

Could not have said it better

Every detailer should have one for their own good. Even if you've been detailing for years, you can't "Have a feel" for a car that has a thin clear coat.

[Usjdmtuner]

Originally Posted by Nica

I personaly would say that a paint gauge is quite valuable and should be on every detailers arsenal.

I mean imagine getting a vehicle with readings of 60microns or lower? Not sure if I would polish such a vehicle under those conditions...we had to pass out on the yellow Z06 due to clear coat issues but if we didn't have the PosiTector 200 we would have gone a head an polished it out and what happens if we burnt through the clear coat..then we would have been responsible for a re-pray/re-paint...to me the trade off's are significant..but that's just my opinion.

Paint Gauges are not cheap, but I'm a firm beleaver that you get what you pay for.

Carlos... but its hard to tell with the positest DFT combo that it only detects the whole layer(paint and clear) right? i think it makes more sense to get the posi 200 but $2700 is really steep.. its nice to have though

[Nica]

Originally Posted by Usjdmtuner

Carlos... but its hard to tell with the positest DFT combo that it only detects the whole layer(paint and clear) right? i think it makes more sense to get the posi 200 but $2700 is really steep.. its nice to have though

Well yes, they aren't cheap at all, I agree. Now about the DFT combo, if you compare it with the PosiTector 6000 (which is the right comparison) the DFT is just as good as the PosiTector 6000, it's acuarte and fast. The only difference is the fact that you can't graph, store..ect..ect..but at the end the DFT does the same as the PosiTector 6000..best part too is that it's a lot cheaper.

Now for the PosiTector 200, that's a whole differnt type of paint gauge, the technology behind it is mind blowing. I mean it really does what they do to pregnant ladies, it's a great machine...there is another one but it's really, really expensive.

[Smith2287]

Originally Posted by Nica

Well yes, they aren't cheap at all, I agree. Now about the DFT combo, if you compare it with the PosiTector 6000 (which is the right comparison) the DFT is just as good as the PosiTector 6000, it's acuarte and fast. The only difference is the fact that you can't graph, store..ect..ect..but at the end the DFT does the same as the PosiTector 6000..best part too is that it's a lot cheaper.

Now for the PosiTector 200, that's a whole differnt type of paint gauge, the technology behind it is mind blowing. I mean it really does what they do to pregnant ladies, it's a great machine...there is another one but it's really, really expensive.

The 200 is the gauge that is able to separate the layers?

[Nica]

Originally Posted by Smith2287

The 200 is the gauge that is able to separate the layers?

Yes, the Advanced model is the one that will seperate between the layers. But the PosiTector 200 is only for plastic/fiberglass..ect..ect..not meant for metal/aluminum..ect..ect.

[Smith2287]

Originally Posted by Nica

Yes, the Advanced model is the one that will seperate between teh layers. But the PosiTector 200 is only for plastic/fiberglass..ect..ect..not meant for metal/aluminum..ect..ect.

I see can the advanced 600 tell how much clear coat alone, thats the one thing I wish I could know. MY combo gauge just gives one reading and I am thinking about steping up to one that can tell me just clear so I know how much I truly have to work with.