Polishing and Paint Correction
Griot's Garage Polishers Compared: G8, G9, G15 and G21
Four machines, four throws, $145 to $260. Griot's publishes enough about each one to make a real comparison, which is rare, and the top rung is not the answer.
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 | Griot's Garage G15 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher Griot's Garage | The most published numbers of any polisher here | 5.9/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Griot's Garage G21 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher Griot's Garage | Big flat panels, and nothing else | 7.4/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Griot's Garage G8 Mini Random Orbital Polisher Griot's Garage | Pillars, bumpers and everything the big machine cannot reach | 4.1/10 | 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.
The ladder, in Griot's own figures
| Model | Throw | Motor | Speed range | Plate | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G8 Mini | 8mm | 700 W | Not published | 2 in and 3 in | $144.99 |
| G9 | 9mm | 1,000 W | Not published | 6 in, converts to 5 in | $179.99 |
| G15 | 15mm | 1,100 W | 3,000-5,300 OPM | 5 in fanned BOSS | $249.99 |
| G21 | 21mm | 1,100 W | 3,000-4,500 OPM | 6 in | $259.99 |
What that table tells you
Three things worth noticing. The G9 has more power than the G8 and a barely longer throw, which tells you it is a full-size machine rather than a slightly bigger mini. The G15 and G21 share a motor, so the difference between them is purely the throw. And the G21’s published top speed is 800 OPM lower than the G15’s.
That last point is the interesting one and Griot’s publishes it plainly. A longer orbit requires more torque per revolution from the same motor, so the top speed comes down. The G21 is not a faster G15; it is a machine that covers more area per stroke and fewer strokes per minute.
Which rung to stop at
G8 Mini, $144.99
A second machine, not a first one. 8mm throw and 700 watts on 2 and 3 inch plates, for pillars, bumpers, mirrors and door shuts. Griot’s publishes a comparison to its own previous model — 60% longer orbit, 191% more power — which is the only generational figure in this ladder.
G9, $179.99
The machine most people should buy. Forgiving throw, the most power of any 9mm machine we could document, a plate that converts between 6 and 5 inch, and a detachable cord. If you are correcting your own car once or twice a year, this is where the ladder ends.
G15, $249.99
The step worth taking if you correct regularly or your car has large flat panels. 1,100 watts, a published speed range, and a fanned backing plate. Of the four, this is the one with the most complete specification.
G21, $259.99
Ten dollars more than the G15 for a longer throw and a lower top speed, on a machine that is genuinely awkward on curves. Buy it if the vehicle is a truck, a van or a large sedan with big flat panels and you are doing them often.
The two-machine answer
If you are going to own two, the pairing that covers everything is a full-size machine plus the G8. The G9 and G8 together are $324.98 and handle every panel on a normal car; the G15 and G8 are $394.98 and do it faster on the flat parts.
What does not make sense is the G15 and G21 together, because they overlap almost entirely. The gap in a one-machine setup is always small areas, and that is what the mini fills — see the polisher roundup for the wider field.
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 published numbers of any polisher here
Griot's Garage G15 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher
Griot's Garage
$249.99 for a 15mm throw, an 1,100-watt motor, six settings from 3,000 to 5,300 OPM, a 5 inch fanned backing plate and a 10 foot quick-connect cord. That is five published figures on one page and it is the most complete specification in this ledger.
- Orbit throw
- 15mm
- Motor
- 1,100 watt
- Speed range
- 3,000 - 5,300 OPM, six settings
- Backing plate
- 5 inch fanned BOSS plate
- Cord
- 10 ft quick-connect
- Weight
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- Speed range published as 3,000 to 5,300 OPM across six settings, which nobody else here does
- 1,100 watts against the G9's 1,000, with a 15mm throw to use it on
- 10 foot quick-connect cord published
- Fanned BOSS backing plate included rather than sold separately
Who it is not for
- 15mm is more machine than a beginner needs and it is less forgiving on edges
- No weight published
- No warranty term published
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 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 ceiling3.8/10, weight 14%
- A listed $249.99 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 transparency7.1/10, weight 18%
- 5 of the 7 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 $249.99 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 G15 product page, compiled September 8, 2026.
3Big flat panels, and nothing else
Griot's Garage G21 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher
Griot's Garage
Skip this one. Unless your car is mostly flat, the G21 is the wrong end of a trade-off. The extra 6mm of throw buys speed on a hood and costs control everywhere else.
$259.99 for a 21mm throw, 1,100 watts, 3,000 to 4,500 OPM and a 6 inch plate. The 21mm covers ground faster than anything here on a hood or a roof, and it is the wrong machine for a car made of curves.
- Orbit throw
- 21mm
- Motor
- 1,100 watt
- Speed range
- 3,000 - 4,500 OPM
- Backing plate
- 6 inch
- Cord
- 10 ft
- Weight
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- 21mm throw, the longest here, which is real speed on large flat panels
- Speed range published as 3,000 to 4,500 OPM
- Only $10 more than the G15
Who it is not for
- A 21mm throw is genuinely awkward on tight or curved panels
- Lower top speed than the G15 (4,500 vs 5,300 OPM), because the throw is longer
- No weight published, and a long-throw machine's weight is what your arms feel
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 throw10.0/10, weight 22%
- 21 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 ceiling3.5/10, weight 14%
- A listed $259.99 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 transparency7.1/10, weight 18%
- 5 of the 7 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 $259.99 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 G21 product page, compiled September 8, 2026.
4Pillars, bumpers and everything the big machine cannot reach
Griot's Garage G8 Mini Random Orbital Polisher
Griot's Garage
$144.99 for an 8mm throw and a 700-watt motor on 2 inch and 3 inch plates. Griot's publishes the comparison that matters: a 60% longer orbit and 191% more power than the 3 inch machine it replaces. It is a second polisher, not a first one.
- Orbit throw
- 8mm
- Motor
- 700 watt
- Backing plates
- 2 inch and 3 inch
- Stated improvement
- 60% longer orbit and 191% more power than the previous 3 inch model
- Speed range
- Not published
- Weight
- Not published
- Cord
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- 8mm throw on a 3 inch pad is a genuinely useful amount of correction in a small space
- 700 watts in a mini machine, published, and Griot's states the increase over the previous model
- 2 inch and 3 inch plates included
Who it is not for
- No speed range published
- Nobody should buy this as their only polisher
- No weight, cord length or warranty published
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 throw1.9/10, weight 22%
- 8 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 ceiling6.4/10, weight 14%
- A listed $144.99 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 transparency5.0/10, weight 18%
- 4 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 $144.99 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 G8 Mini product 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
+Which Griot's polisher should I buy first?
+Is the G21 better than the G15?
+Do I need the G8 as well?
+Can I use 5 inch pads on the G9?
Where these figures came from
- Griot's Garage, G9 Random Orbital Polisher product page — retrieved 2026-09-08
- Griot's Garage, G15 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher product page — retrieved 2026-09-08
- Griot's Garage, G21 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher product 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.