I got the Meguiar's M20 polymer sealant (i'm about 90% sure of that, would have to check bottle when i get home---it's either that or the M21 which is just the newer version). It was on sale at amazon and again a cheap way to learn application and build confidence.
They're *basically* all the same. Some minor differences here and there, but essentially nothing a beginner like me (or you) would notice. Go with whatever floats yer scrote.
Then you need something with more torque (or you're using way too much pressure).
I actually watched a ton of YT reviews and ended up with the Harbor Freight DA to learn on, as it apparently is held in higher regard (assuming one swaps out the faulty OE backing pad) than the PC or others in the 150-ish price range.
One actually has to spend 3-4x more than the HF to get something noticeably better. Obviously it's not the be-all end-all of DA polishers, far from it. Until I'm ready to get something european, though, I'll run this till it's burned out and get another when that happens.
I actually proved that to a certain extent once. My buddy had a hood panel off of an old Olds or something. I took a Griot's 6" RO with a hexlogic white pad and Sonax profiline perfect finish. I held it in the same spot for about 3 minutes with just the weight of the machine. Nothing. Not a burn to be seen. I was stunned, and from that day forward became much braver when polishing anything. Times have changed.
