Polisher Test: The New RockCar 12 vs RockCar 15? What 's the best polisher?

I was both excited and nervous when RockCar launched their "RockCar 12"
recently. The RockCar 15 has been my favourite machine for a long time now, and when asked its the machine I always recommend, those that try it love it, but
not everyone can afford a premium machine like the RockCar 15 and often end up buying something substandard (there's nothing scarier than seeing a beginner with a cheap rotary in their hand!). So, I was super excited to finally have an option here, and also really nervous... Would RockCar be tempted to cut corners to get a cheaper priced machine? Fortunately, not... In my normal style I put a RockCar 12 and 15 to the test and took them both apart side by side to see what the differences were, as I wanted to know myself, and I thought you might also find it helpful and interesting. Here's what I found...

Left: RockCar 15, Right: RockCar 12 Love the "MY CAR ROCKS"

They are both good looking machines, I love the stealth black look, and the red
backing plates. I love the "MY CAR ROCKS" on the side of the RockCar 12, it made me smile each time I saw it and had me saying to myself "yes
it does."

The main difference in appearance and size is the grips and controls. The body of the machine is quite similar, thought the 15 is slightly large and wider. Both
are comfortably heavy but not too heavy. They are nice to work with but have a
good quality feel of a durable machine which always gives me comfort.



Left: RockCar 15, Right: RockCar 12. 

The Orbit 12mm vs 15mm

The names give the main difference away, the RockCar 15 has a 15mm orbit, and the RockCar 12 has a 12mm orbit. The 15 is in my mind the sweet spot, if covers more areas so required less passes and gets the job done faster, while still being able to get around the curves of a modern car. Beyond 15mm it can get tricky to get the curves. The RockCar 12 has a smaller orbit, so it will take less passes, and as it is traveling at a smaller orbit it will be traveling less distance at the same rpm as the 15, so will create less friction, i.e., be slightly less aggressive. 
What does all that mean, it means the RockCar 15 will get the job done faster,
but not by a huge amount. The orbit of the 12 is pretty close behind, and is
streets ahead of a lot of other 8mm polishers on the market. If you are
polishing for a business the 15 will be well worth the money, if you are
polishing your own car every now and then and taking your time it probably
won't matter. if you are just wanting to take out some specific scratches in
your car the 12 will be all you need.



Left: RockCar 15, Right: RockCar 12

The Motor: Both are pure copper wire,
but the 15 has more power and a physically bigger motor.

The RockCar 15 has a 900W motor, The RockCar 12 has a 850W motor. That sounds very close, but when you look at the motors side by side the Rockar15 is noticeably larger and wider. Both are pure coper wire electric motors, which is great, and surprised me. Copper wire is expensive so I really thought that they would be tempted to use a cheaper metal like many other manufacturers have done to reduce the manufacturing cost. So glad they didn't, as copper is the most efficient.

Top: RockCar 15, Bottom: RockCar 12

The gearing was very close, both have steel gears, were well lubricated, and meshed perfectly.



Cooling Both are good but the 15 is better

The RockCar 15 wins on cooling, it has a bigger cooling fan and more cooling vents, but it has always been over the top on cooling. The RockCar 12 isn't lacking cooling, it has 101 cooling vents and tunnels and has the same backing plate cooling vents and integrated fan to force air through the backing plate and the whole machine to keep things cool. The cooling on both these machines is impressive and makes me happy as like in racing its heat that causes problems and failure.

Both the RockCar's blow the competition away here and in my testing the pads
and paint surface were noticeably cooler than on machines without RockCar's pad cooling vents. The Backing plate is identical on both machines, but the RockCar 15 does have more cooling vents on the body of the machine itself, though it is a bigger machine.



Same, same but different

Using the machine, The RockCar 15 is easier to control on the fly and to hold

Both machines are great to use, but when you use one and then the other you really notice how much easier the 15 is to control on the fly. With the RockCar 15 you can squeeze the trigger to start, and lock it in with the lock switch that’s
right where it should be, so much to that you just naturally do it without
thinking. When you want to change the speed you naturally raise your thumb and
its right on the speed dial, you can see it without looking away and can adjust
the speed, it’s so easy and natural. With the RockCar 12 the speed control is
at the back of the machine, so you can't see it like you can on the RockCar 15.
You can adjust it on the fly but it really takes two hands, which is fine, but it’s
not like the RockCar 15. I guess I have been spoilt. There's no trigger on the
12 but a on off lock switch, but it has soft start so and you can adjust the
speed easily, so it’s not a problem, it's just that I prefer the control layout
on the RockCar 15. I actually like holding the front of the RockCar 12, and
both machines have a rubber dampener to isolate the vibrations of the machine
so are nice to hold and don't shake you to death like a lot of other machines,
but the rubberized grip of the RockCar 15 adds to that and makes it even nicer
to work with. But it doesn't say "MY CAR ROCKS".



What is the best Polisher:

Both these machines are great, and I am going to hang on to both of them (once I put them back together!) I'd happily polish with either of them on any job. But if
I had to pick just one to keep it would be the RockCar 15. It does cost more
but I can see what I get for the money and for me it's worth it. It has more
power, a bigger motor, more throw, more cooling, and the best easiest to use.
It is the best polisher, and will remain my favourite and my go to. But the RockCar 12 is a damn good machine and comes very close, for $200 less. So at the end of the day it probably comes down to budget. If you can afford the RockCar 15 do it, you won't be disappointed. But if that's a bit of a stretch the RockCar 12 is a great option, an impressive high quality machine, great for beginners who want something decent but not over the top, and will be a valuable machine to hang onto as a backup later if you move up to the RockCar 15, or to sell to someone else starting out.