Al, there have been many orbital buffers from all kinds of manufactures. But it seems like Porter Cable stumbled onto this. This buffer we are using was not meant to be a buffer at all. But someone tried it, passed the infornation around and now before you know it, it's one of the most popular buffer/polishers around. Then a company came in and made some special pads for it and the rest is history. When I was working on my Explorer and was on the roof, using harsh compound, I actually tried to make it burn the paint. I couldn't. No burn marks at all. So it is a very safe bufffer which is unusual and hard to find. I love mine, even the $20 box I bought for it to store it in. Sure beats the hell out of the arm motion of wax on / wax off LOL. If you have ever thought of getting one, the Porter Cable is the one to get. I love the fact that it is a variable speed motor. Different speeds for different jobs. I wonder if I could use it for what it was designed for? ROFL.