Polishing and Paint Correction
Griot's G9 vs RUPES LHR15 Mark III
Different throws, different money, and a threefold difference in how much each maker will tell you about the machine. Both are good; they are not for the same person.
By Sawyer V. · Last verified 2026-09-08
We have not tested any of this. Everything below is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, and the arithmetic is printed so you can check it. This page carries affiliate links: if you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the order of the picks. Full disclosure.
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Griot's Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher Griot's Garage | The upgrade most people should actually make | 4.5/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | RUPES BigFoot LHR15 Mark III RUPES | The most completely specified machine in the ledger | 5.5/10 | Check price on Amazon |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Side by side
| Griot's G9 | RUPES LHR15 Mark III | |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit throw | 9mm | 15mm |
| Motor | 1,000 W | 500 W |
| Speed range | Not published | 3,000-5,200 RPM |
| Backing plate | 6 in vented, converts to 5 in | 125mm (5 in), M8-F thread |
| Weight | Not published | 2.6 kg (5.73 lb) |
| Cord | Detachable, length not published | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Price | $179.99 | $526.00 as a kit |
| Published specifications | Five | Seven |
The throw difference is not a quality difference
9mm and 15mm are different tools for different panels. The G9’s shorter orbit finishes more cleanly with less technique and is easier to control on a bumper or a mirror. The RUPES covers a hood substantially faster and needs a steadier hand on a curve.
If your car is a modern sedan or hatchback full of creases and small panels, the shorter throw spends more of its time actually cutting. If it is a large flat-paneled vehicle, the longer throw finishes the job in less time. Neither answer is about quality.
The wattage looks damning and is not
1,000 watts against 500 is a factor of two, and it does not mean the RUPES has half the capability. Gearing, mechanical efficiency and how much of the rated draw reaches the pad all matter, and none of that is published by either maker.
What is published is that the RUPES will run 3,000 to 5,200 RPM and that Griot’s does not state a speed range for the G9 at all. If you want a machine whose behavior you can predict from the page, the RUPES is the one that tells you.
Cord and weight are what you notice in hour three
Nine meters of cord reaches around a car from a single outlet without an extension lead lying across a wet floor. 2.6kg is a weight you can carry through a full correction. Both of those are published by RUPES and neither is published by Griot’s.
On a machine you use twice a year, neither matters much. On a machine you use weekly, they are the two specifications that decide whether you enjoy the work, which is exactly the argument in the professional polisher roundup.
Who should buy which
- First machine, normal car, correcting once or twice a year: G9. $179.99, forgiving throw, plenty of power.
- Correcting weekly, or professionally: RUPES, for the cord, the weight and the published speed range.
- Large flat-paneled vehicle: the longer throw is genuinely faster, so RUPES or a Griot's G15.
- Buying on published information: RUPES publishes seven specifications and Griot's five, and both are well above this category's average.
- Budget is the constraint: G9, and the $346 difference buys pads, compound, a light and a coating.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry lists the specifications the maker publishes, the axis scores those specifications produce, and what you give up. Rows that read “Not published” are not omissions on our side: they are figures the maker will not commit to in writing, and they cost the product points on the transparency axis.
Our pickThe upgrade most people should actually make
Griot's Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher
Griot's Garage
$179.99 for a 9mm orbit driven by a 1,000-watt motor, shipped with a 6 inch vented backing plate and convertible to 5 inch. A 9mm throw finishes cleanly and asks less of your technique than a long throw; the 1,000 watts is what stops it stalling when you lean on a curve.
- Orbit throw
- 9mm
- Motor
- 1,000 watt
- Backing plate
- 6 inch vented, converts to 5 inch
- Cord
- Detachable
- Counterbalance
- Patent pending fan-cooled
- Speed range
- Not published
- Weight
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- 1,000-watt motor published, which is more power than most 9mm machines carry
- Ships with a 6 inch plate and converts to 5 inch, so pad choice is not locked in
- Detachable cord, published, which is the difference between storing it and wrestling it
- Fan-cooled counterbalance, which Griot's states extends tool and pad life
Who it is not for
- No speed range published on the product page, which is the second number you want
- No weight published
- No warranty term published on the page despite Griot's reputation for standing behind tools
How this score was calculated
- Protection claimdropped
- Nothing in this category is bought on how long it lasts, so the axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Published orbit throw2.5/10, weight 22%
- 9 mm, scored on a band running from 5 to 21. Published by Griot's Garage.
- Cost per ouncedropped
- This is not a consumable, so cost per ounce says nothing useful and the axis is dropped.
- Price against the ceiling5.5/10, weight 14%
- A listed $179.99 against the $400 one upgrade in this category realistically tops out at. A list price captured on the compile date, not a live price and not what you will pay.
- Written commitmentdropped
- Griot's Garage publishes no warranty term on this product's own page, so the axis is dropped. On a tool that is worth noticing, and it costs the product points on transparency instead.
- Spec transparency6.3/10, weight 18%
- 5 of the 8 specifications we went looking for are published by Griot's Garage. Every blank row below is something the maker will not put in writing, and it costs the product points here.
List price $179.99 per Griot's Garage's own store, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
Specifications from Griot's Garage G9 product page, compiled September 8, 2026.
2The most completely specified machine in the ledger
RUPES BigFoot LHR15 Mark III
RUPES
RUPES publishes orbit, power, speed range, pad diameter, weight, cord length and thread pitch on one page: 15mm, 500W, 3,000-5,200 RPM, 125mm pad, 2.6kg, 9 meters of cord, M8-F. Seven numbers. Nobody else here publishes more than five.
- Orbit throw
- 15mm
- Motor
- 500 W
- Speed range
- 3,000 - 5,200 RPM
- Backing pad
- 125mm (5 inch)
- Weight
- 2.6 kg (5.73 lb)
- Cord
- 9 m (30 ft)
- Pad thread
- M8-F
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- Seven published specifications, including weight in kilograms and cord length in meters
- 9 meter cord, which is roughly three times what a domestic tool ships with
- 2.6kg, published, and weight is what decides whether hour three feels like hour one
- M8-F thread published, so backing plate compatibility is knowable in advance
Who it is not for
- 500W is half what the Griot's long-throw machines carry, which shows on hard clear coats
- No warranty term published in the technical documentation
- The kit price at a US retailer is $526.00, well above the Griot's machines
How this score was calculated
- Protection claimdropped
- Nothing in this category is bought on how long it lasts, so the axis is dropped and the other weights are re-normalized.
- Published orbit throw6.3/10, weight 22%
- 15 mm, scored on a band running from 5 to 21. Published by RUPES.
- Cost per ouncedropped
- This is not a consumable, so cost per ounce says nothing useful and the axis is dropped.
- Price against the ceiling0.0/10, weight 14%
- A listed $526.00 against the $400 one upgrade in this category realistically tops out at. A list price captured on the compile date, not a live price and not what you will pay.
- Written commitmentdropped
- RUPES publishes no warranty term on this product's own page, so the axis is dropped. On a tool that is worth noticing, and it costs the product points on transparency instead.
- Spec transparency8.8/10, weight 18%
- 7 of the 8 specifications we went looking for are published by RUPES. Every blank row below is something the maker will not put in writing, and it costs the product points here.
List price $526.00 per Adam's Polishes, LHR15 Mark V kit listing, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
Specifications from RUPES' LHR15 Mark III technical page, compiled September 8, 2026.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Questions people actually ask
+Is the RUPES worth three times the price?
+Is 500 watts enough for paint correction?
+Can I use RUPES pads on a Griot's machine?
+Which finishes better?
Where these figures came from
- Griot's Garage, G9 Random Orbital Polisher product page — retrieved 2026-09-08
- RUPES, BigFoot LHR15 Mark III technical page — retrieved 2026-09-08
Every figure on this page is a published manufacturer or authorized-retailer claim, not a measurement we made. How we research explains exactly what we did and did not do.