there were 2 kinds. One was a 6" coleman orbital that was just 15 bucks. It was 4000 rpm. This was was corded. The other one was made by rockport and was 35 bucks iirc. It was cordless, had 2 rechargeable batteries, was 10", and had 2800 rpm, also orbital. I don't have the money to get a pc, and was wondering if these would do just fine for a guy that doesn't have to eliminate every single swirl on my car's finish to be happy? Is more rpms better? any advice? Using these would produce far less swirl marks than polishing/waxing by hand, right? tia

 

Higher RPM's generally run more risk of burning right through your paint if you are not experienced or careful.

 

Also, if you're not careful - since these aren't random orbital buffers, you may introduce more swirls than you originally had.

I had a similar Coleman from WalMart a while back, i thought it worked then, but after getting the PC i figured i just wasted $20 some odd bucks.

I say save up that $35 and get a PC, you can get one as cheap as $100 on ebay, or $30 more for a brand new one.

 

You're not going to remove any swirls from your paint with those buffers, that is, if you don't introduce more swirls into the paint.
Those buffers, particularly the Random Orbital is good for applying, and removing wax. Generally, I wouldn't even think it saves any time. When I had those, I used too much wax, and any time I saved by using the buffer, I wasted by trying to remove the wax residue.
As a very happy PC owner, there's really no other way that to do it the right way.
On another note - I'm very meticulous with my pads and supplies with my PC. When I had those generic buffers, even when trying to care for them, it's very hard to clean and prevent particles from attaching to the bonnets.
I was also told a long time ago that you'll do more by hand (as far as swirl removing) then you would by applying by machine.

Just to reiterate: if you were local, I would give away those other buffers I have to you. That's how much I think of their abilities.