Makita PW5001C 4" Electronic Stone Polisher

I purchased this for a friend who is a professional tile setter/anything tile or stone installer. He was doing countertops for a luxury home. It was a huge 200 linear feet of counter tops in a massive kitchen with back splashes and window sills. His faithful Makita stone polisher needed a new cord and he had an improvised hook up for the water feed. I wanted to surprise him before the job was done, he was cutting everything and hadn't started polishing all the granite parts yet. The tool arrived a day after he started the polishing and he was almost in tears he was so happy to get it. He went on an on about the quality and durability of the tool. His was the third he had purchased and this was the fourth. He always has two on his job sites for two people to use to polish the raw granite. I have helped him polish before and I can tell you, this single tool gets a lot of use on just one job. It is so powerful, my learning curve was to keep it steady and not make a gauge in the surface I was polishing. He just had to know what it cost and when I told him, he said it was a bargain compared to the big box stores. We searched the Makita web page to see if they made a cordless model, but did not see one. None on Amazon either.

I had the polisher for a while now. I use it for all sorts of work from taking scratches out of stone to finishing up stone edges/bullnose. Let's be realistic the tool might not come with the little coupling but here's what you do: Get a hose ... it could be a garden hose ... cut 3 to five feet of garden hose with the female end attached, use two clamps to attach the hose to the machine and connect the female end to a standard garden hose which hopefully is attached to a water bibb. Turn on water. Control flow at the valve on the machine. Get working. I say cut a garden hose because you probably have a beat up one laying around. If not, make your own, nice metal fittings are sold at home depot. Don't buy plastic... crappy. In all this time I haven't had much issue with wear on the unit. It will last because most of the work doesn't require a huge amount of pressure ... maybe one or two case... at least from my perspective. Additionally, get some safety gear, apron and good pads ... Lastly, if you are going to spend this much cash on this machine, make sure you will take care of it. Otherwise, start with a cheapy one and see if that will be enough to get you by. Update 111014: Just finished working on a quartz countertop for a bathroom. As usual, excellent work from PW5001C unit, it is worth every penny and more for the results it delivers. I had a bit of time to play around so I upgraded the water line on the polisher. First I removed the hose attachment I had on it then, removed the male quick connect replacing it with a 1/4 in OD x 1/8 in FIP which was then connected to a 20 ft stainless steel braided icemaker line. The icemaker line was then connected to a 1/4 in OD x 3/4 in HC (hose connector). I would advice to disassemble the shut off valve and take it to the store with you, that way you can ascertain the right fitting will be purchased. Update 070715: I added another water line (look at added pic) to the polisher ... I was using drums which are better served with the additional water line. As usual the results are excellent as I just finished another kitchen sink opening. Also, as you will notice I removed the quick connector fitting that came with the original valve/water line as it was bulky and didn't work for me. Folks, lastly I'd like to remind you to keep on improving and tinkering ... the tool is great, no need to get upset about what is not or it doesn't have, we can always improve, I'd say. Keep moving forward.

This review is after polishing only one stone, and owning it for about 3 days. You can see from the images what the polish looks like. I left two of the sides "Natural", so you can se in the images what it started off looking like. (I also had to use a wet saw to cut it before polishing). The images do not do it justice. It really is as smooth as glass and shines really nicely. I bought a set of polishing pads (With center hole for water) that went from 50 grit, down to 6000 grit. It really wasn't until I got to the 3000 - 6000 grit range that it started to shine. If you go to the PRINTABLES site, I created a 3D printable desk clamp for it that you can print on a 3D printer (See images). It it is an adaptor that allows you to mount the unit to a table so you can polish rocks easier. Search PW5001C on there and you should find it.

Polishing large stones/boulders, and it just won't quit! My lapidary club gave a presentation on the use of these type wet polishers. They said their Barranca-Diamond polishers lasted only a few hours then went kaput .... Even the warranty replacement units did not last long! Through my many hobbies, I knew Makita was a quality manufacturer of hand tools, so I did not hesitate to buy this polisher. I have not even heard this unit emit so mauch as a wimper under long duration polishing sessions (Up to as much as 15 different grit pads at no less than 15 minutes per each grit). I highly recommend this unit for stone polishing. If you do a search on eBay, you can find 4" lapidary grit pad kits that will fit this unit. Some grit pad kits only offer a few different grit pads. However, you can find some, like mine, which offer a dozen or more different grit pads (~$45 - $50). My kit also comes with two hook backing attachments that will fit this unit (Adding the one that comes with the Makita, you will have a total of three backing attachments). When using this unit, I prefer to use the front end grip, instead of the side grip handle. I get better control and pressure with it. There is one other thing that you should purchase to help you provide water to the unit. I purchased the Gardena 36004 Garden Hose Quick Conector. If you plan to use the water feature of the unit, you need a connector like this. To use the Makita PW5001C, first connect the unit to a standard garden hose with the separately purchased Quick Connector. Then, plug the power cord into an outdoor electrical outlet (Be sure to create a "drip block" in the cord, by simply raising the cord off the ground somewhere between the Makita and the electrical outlet. Drape the cord over something like a brick, or rock, or plastic container. This prevents water from getting all the way from the unit to the outlet .... water and electricity do not play nice together). Making sure that your worksite is downhill from your electrical source is also a good idea! Next, turn the water valve so that it is perpendicular to the long length of the unit (This is the water OFF position). You can then turn on the water at the faucet (No more than about 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the spigot valve is necessary ..... you only need water to trickle out of the unit). Once you are ready to turn on the Makita unit, go over to the other end of the power cord and press the RESET button on the built-in GFCI unit (This will apply power to the unit). Proceed back to the Makita and apply your desired grit pad to the hook & loop backing attachment (The hole in the pad should line up with the hole in the backing attachment, to prevent water obstruction). Hold the Makita directly over the object to be polished. Slowly turn the water valve on the unit counter-clockwise (Toward the front of the unit) until water starts to trickle out of the ports in the center of the polishing pads. Then, push the power button on the Makita to the front of the unit. Power will be applied, and the Makita unit will slowly ramp-up speed. In one hand, hold the Makita at the back of the unit (Where the power cord is located), and with the other hand, grasp the handle that you installed (On the front of the unit or the side). Place the Makita down gently on top of your project, making sure the polishing pad is flat. Slowly move the unit in a circular motion. If after a few seconds the water spraying on you seems a bit warm (Due to more friction than cooling), adjust the water valve so that more water comes out. Do this until the water spraying on you stays cool. Continue moving in a circular motion, keeping the pad flat on the surface, until you have reached the desired level of polishing with that particular grit pad. When you are ready to shut down for the day, or just wish to change grit pads, turn the power off by first pushing on the back of the power button, then sliding it back. The power will slowly ramp down. Then, turn the water flow off by closing the water valve (perpendicular position). If you are shutting down for the day, make sure you go over to the water spigot and TURN THE WATER OFF THERE FIRST, before trying to disconnect the water at the units Quick Connect adapter, or you will likely get water where you don't want water .... like, in your eyes, your ears, or up your nose. At the very least, you don't want to accidentally douse your innocent bystander wife! If you are just changing pads, youjust need to turn off power and water at the unit, change pads, then switch back on the water first, then the power. Enjoy!

It’s easy to set up and use. It’s easy to operate and handles well during use on a variety of rough and uneven rock surfaces. I am learning how to use this tool but so far I love it! I have managed to polish up several rough pieces like a 37lb copper chunk, a 22lb Texas Serpentinite, an African Tiger Eye just to name a few. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a fun hobby of polishing ROCKS! It does require arm strength and of course always follow the safety procedures when using this tool.

Estimates to have my pool coping and water line descaling from a pool maintenance company were very high. I took the chance as a DIY guy and purchased the Makita PW5001C in hopes I could use it to resurface the natural stone (Sandstone) while descaling. See before/after pics in my review. Pressure washing won't cut it, and I wasn't prepared to setup my own media-blast kit to connect to a Pressure Washer (which in hindsight I believe is the best option). I purchased a multi-grit diamond pad kit as I was unsure which grit level would be effective. What I discovered was that for this job, even the 50 Grit pad wasn't abrasive enough. Clearly, this tool as a polisher (granite, etc.) is best with those diamond pads. Thus I bought a diamond grind wheel and went to town on the natural stone. I found best to run it at 4K rpm, so I could maintain control and not accidentally get too aggressive on the stone. The 50 and 100 grit diamond pads worked very well after I had done my initial resurface/descaling to smooth out the sandstone and eliminate some swirl marks. It's very good for this type of job; however, there are some challenges: Running this on a horizontal surface (top of pool coping), there are absolutely no issues. However, when running on a vertical surface (water line stone), you will end up with a fair amount of water making contact with the back end of the grinder where the vents are (access to electrical components and motor). For the most part, when I held the grinder horizontal, but yet working on a vertical surface, I was able to work without the built in GFCI tripping (THANK GOD this has a built in GFCI). Be aware, you will periodically get a tingle feeling on your hand if you are holding the black cover at the back under this condition. Don't worry, the GFCI will trip before you get shocked. I routinely got a bit of that tingle and focused to keep my hands on the Makita Blue mid section and the grinder head. In more aggressive areas where I needed to turn up the water, or due to weird angles, I routinely ran into the GFCI tripping - so much so that I had to let the grinder dry out before re-starting. My biggest problem came in that after running the grinder on the 2nd day for several hours with a diamond grinder wheel, the wheel became permanently frozen on grinder (yes, I was turning in the correct direction based on the threads). The diamond wheel I had takes a 22mm wrench and the amount of leverage I put on the the wrench ended up damaging the wheel where the wrench is applied. I tried soaking in WD40, applying heat, etc. and it wouldn't budge. Solution required me to get another dry angle-grinder and effectively grind of the diamond wheel. This was a real disappointment as those wheels aren't cheap and I effectively destroyed it so I could continue to use the grinder with the diamond polishing pads. I'd wish this product came with a flange or something to help prevent this from happening. Overall, it's a great product and I'll find many other uses for it around the house.

****UPDATE: ONLY LASTED 2 YEARS! STARTED HAVING SHORT AS SOON AS THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. Found the water connector kit here in Amazon. I definitely understand that it should come with a connector kit; however, I found the right pieces, economical, easy to install, and easy to use. BEST CONNECTOR KIT - GORILLA EASY CONNECT Garden Hose Quick Connect Fittings. ¾ Inch GHT Solid Brass. I did not like the "Gardena 36004 Garden Hose Quick Connector Starter Set" because the connector wiggle too much at with connection with the stone polisher. My choice was the GORILLA EASY CONNECT. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBJY42W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 HOSE AND TUBING - MIXC 1/4 inch Blank Distribution Tubing Drip Irrigation Hose, 50ft Roll -HOMENOTE US Standard Faucet Adapter, 3/4'' to 1/4'' Hose Adapter, Convert 3/4" Female Hose Thread Bib to 1/4" Tubing, 2 Brass Adapter with Teflon Tape and Washer I used a drip irrigation 1/4 hose because it is easier to use and less weight than a standard hose. Also, the faucet adapter does not need clamps; therefore, it makes it easier to change the length of your tubing if needed without extra tools. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079GSWTTL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089ZZPXLQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 On the MAKITA water connector, I added a little bit of Teflon tape (just to be sure). After all, you are dealing with an electrical device and you want to be as safe as possible.

Great tool! I modified the water feed to use a barb with 3/8" 20' of tubing to a garden hose connection that worked great. I was able to patch holes in travertine tile with Temex Polyester resin, and then wet sand with this tool. A floor polishing machine is needed if trying to cover very large areas, as this would be too much time on the knees and shoulders for most of us!

Spend the extra money and get the Makita. The no name ones don't come close and when it breaks or needs brushes you can actually buy parts from Makita. No buyers remorse on this. I did some concrete coffee tables and they turned out fantastic. Its a messy job so set of for it with temporary protective walls so it isn't spraying everywhere. I used cardboard it works ok, albeit a big soggy when done. This is a quality tool. Consider splitting the cost with a buddy if its too many $ for your budget.

No quiero devolver la pulidora... solo quiero que me envien el kit de manguera y conexiones que no viene en la caja

Had a polished break halfway through a time sensitive job. Ordered this one through amazon and wasn't even down for 24 hours. Delivered to my office by 9AM the next day at a cheaper price than local suppliers (who said it would be a minimum of two weeks out). Great polisher, my second pw5001c.

it is working great for our home project. One thing to know is that the area you're actually polishing is smaller than the disc size so you will be at it a long time. Hours and hours on one sheet of granite.

Pros: Has a really nice feel to it when your using it (except the weight); Runs smooth and has a nice roller speed control on it that's easy to operate Cons: The weight. This tool is HEAVY and you know your holding something heavy after a couple of hours of use; didn't come with the mating quick connect hose adaptor. For the price it should be included; It's loud. Not sure how the others compare but you need to wear hearing protection when your using it; It's expensive. Not unlike other Makita tools but I've always found that they are worth the extra investment as they are great tools.