DAMO Variable Speed Stone Polisher – Hands On Review

The concrete counter for my grill island was in place. The final task at hand was to get a beautiful finish and make all that hard work pay off. I’m a DIY guy who loves to try new things and this concrete countertop (link to how to make concrete countertops) was no exception. I used the DAMO concrete polisher to achieve that beautiful smooth finish.

concrete countertop before being sealed

After doing some quick research I chose the DAMO concrete polisher straight from Amazon. When I do a project like this for the first time and need to use a specialized tool like this stone polisher, I try not to break the bank.

My method is not to get the cheapest tool, but not the professional grade either. Like I said, I like to try new things and this tool was priced reasonably and had the features I was looking for, so I ordered it. 

Now, my project isn’t huge, one of the counters is 3' x 7' and the other is 2'  x 5'. If you have a much larger project you may need a different tool all together. For this project I found it to be just the right size.

If you look on Amazon for this product, you will see a few variants. The one I used was priced right in the middle of the bunch. It still came with the required assorted diamond polishing velcro discs (link to Amazon for the discs only) and everything else I needed to complete the concrete polishing job.

You can read specs all you want, and I will list them below. The thing is, until you have actually used the tool in the correct application you really don’t know what you’re getting or how well it will perform. Let me shed some light on that.

Specifications 

  • Variable speed feedback system
  • Optimized gear ratios
  • Variable Speed 700 – 3,000 RPM
  • Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
  • Garden hose / faucet adaptor
  • Lock on switch
  • Splash Guard
  • Side handle
  • Water control valve
  • Set of DAMO 4" polishing pads

Performance

Out of the gate I was psyched to get started with my polishing job and jump right in with both feet. The procedure is to start with the coarsest grit and eventually go down to the finest, at which point you will have a beautiful polished concrete countertop (more on that here).

polished concrete countertop

Before you begin, get yourself some rain gear, or cover yourself with plastic because you are going to get soaked.

The guard does not prevent the water from going everywhere. You will need to turn the water down to just a trickle. Any more than that makes a huge mess.

Do not try and polish your countertop or any project without water. The heat will build up and you will ruin your discs and possibly your project.

Read our article on how to polish concrete countertops (link to article) for more information on how to use a concrete polisher.

I began using the coarsest grit that comes with the set. You may not notice at first but this is quite aggressive and will quickly leave indentations and low spots if left in one place too long.

This is where the variable speed comes in to play. The lower more aggressive grits need to be used at a much slower speed than say a 3000 grit polishing disc.

The DAMO concrete polisher has a variable speed feedback system that allows the disc to maintain its speed whether it is under a load or not. This did help to get a decent finish on my project, especially for a newbie like me.

Issues

As you probably know, electricity and water DO NOT play nice together! It's extremely important you plug this in to a GFCI protected outlet when in use. 

One disappointing thing about the DAMO concrete polisher is a feature that is there for your protection. I’m certainly glad there is GFCI protection against shock, however if the motor gets wet the polisher shuts off and will not turn back on until it is completely dry. 

concrete polisher Water Control Valve

As I mentioned earlier the water control valve needs to be turned down to a trickle. Doing this reduces the amount of times it will shut off due to getting wet. I found this irritating. As soon as I was “in the zone” polishing in a methodical way the thing would conk out on me. 

Resolved

I did find a way to remedy this. You can see by the pictures below, I shrouded the body of the polisher in a plastic bag held on by a hose clamp. This worked extremely well and had no more issues after doing this. 

DAMO concrete polisher with plastic protection
DAMO concrete polisher and diamond polishing disc

*** Update... Since my last review, it looks like this concrete polisher has been redesigned. The water inlet has been moved from the top of the grinding pad to the back of the unit. This should help with the issue mentioned above.

More Specs

  • Weight 6.5 pounds
  • Dimensions 18” x 6” x 8”
  • 120 volts, 800 watts, 7 Amps
  • Spindle size and thread ⅝ - 11

Conclusion

If you are a DIY person like me, then even for its small shortcomings this tool is perfect. If you plan on using this for day to day continuous use, I recommend upgrading to one of the name brands like the Makita stone polisher (link to Amazon). Although there are no guarantees you won’t have similar issues I did with my DAMO concrete polisher. 

raw concrete countertop slab

Raw Concrete Before Polishing

polished and sealed concrete countertop

Concrete Polished and Sealed

For occasional projects around the house it’s the perfect size at a great price point. I recommend this tool for any backyard enthusiast who wants to create beautiful concrete projects that can stand up to whatever mother nature throws at it. I hope you found this article useful. Until next time enjoy your backyard water garden.

~Jeff

 

About the author

Jeff

I love being outdoors and hands on DIY. If you share my passion, you are in the right place. If I can help one person surprise themselves with the success of a project, then this website is a success.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Get Your Ultimate

Pond Building Guide