Rupes invented the long-throw random orbital polisher and built a complete system around it: 12, 15 and 21 mm BigFoot machines, cordless iBrid, colour-coded pads and compounds formulated in Italy for every movement. BestQuímica brings the whole system to Portugal, with demos and service.
Italian family company of professional tools, in Milan
BigFoot system
Machine, plate, pad and compound designed for each other
Trade quote
Workshop and reseller conditions, with a demo
Polishing
The BigFoot system in 4 families
Corded and cordless polishers, colour-coded pads and compounds by movement. The rule is simple: the throw chooses the pad, the pad chooses the compound. Rupes tested everything together.
BigFoot invented the long-throw random orbital: 21 mm for large panels, 15 mm for everything else, 12 mm for spot repairs, the gear-driven Mille for forced cutting without holograms and the LH19E rotary for heavy cutting.
The long-throw random orbital that made BigFoot famous, now with POLYSYNTHEC™ gears: a 21 mm throw and 150 mm plate to correct bonnets, roofs and doors in fewer passes, with 47 % less noise than previous generations.
Throw
21 mm
Plate
150 mm / 6"
Power
500 W
With a 150 mm plate it takes 150–180 mm pads; add the LHR15 for pillars, bumpers and curved areas.
The reference polisher for most jobs: a 15 mm throw and 125 mm plate, a centre of gravity 13 mm lower, PrecisionPro plates with a rubber rim and reduced vibration for long correction sessions.
Throw
15 mm
Plate
125 mm / 5"
Power
500 W
If you can only have one BigFoot, start with this one: it corrects fast and gets into curves.
Successor to the LHR12E Duetto: one machine to sand with micro-abrasives and polish with foam. 15 mm throw and 125 mm plate, for anyone doing paint repair and correction on the same car.
Gear-driven dual action: the plate never stops under pressure. It sits between the rotary and the random orbital, with the cut of one and the hologram-free finish of the other. 900 W and 125 or 150 mm plates.
Throw
5 mm (forced)
Plate
125 or 150 mm
Power
900 W
Use the Mille compounds, formulated for the 5 mm orbit and speed of this machine.
Compact, light (2.2 kg) rotary with a 1200 W high-torque motor: heavy cutting, sanding marks and oxidation with wool or foam, on 125, 150 or 165 mm plates.
Type
Rotary
Plate
125 / 150 / 165 mm
Power
1200 W
First step of a two-step correction: cut with the LH19E and refine with the LHR15 or LHR21.
The same throws with no cable dragging on the paint: iBrid tools run on an 18 V battery or plugged into the mains, and the Nano swaps movement in one click for wheels, pillars and headlights.
The LHR21 without a cable: the same 21 mm throw and 150 mm plate, on an 18 V battery or plugged into the mains with the iBrid adaptor. Large panels with no cable dragging across the paint.
15 mm throw and 125 mm plate with the freedom of the iBrid battery: the mobile detailer corrects at the customer’s without looking for sockets, and in the workshop plugs into the cable.
The evolution of the most versatile mini polisher on the market: functional units that swap in one click (SMARTFIX) for rotary, 3 mm or 12 mm orbit, 30 to 75 mm plates and a shaft extension. Wheels, pillars, headlights and badges.
Power source
10.8–12 V (battery or power supply)
Speed
2000–5000 rpm
Runtime
≈ 30 min
One tool, three movements: rotary to cut small areas, 12 mm to correct, 3 mm to finish.
The first-generation Nano with a long neck to reach deep into wheels, grilles and interiors: three movements (rotary, 3 and 12 mm orbit) and battery or corded operation.
The colour tells the function: blue cuts, green corrects, yellow polishes, white finishes. Wool and microfibre for strong cutting on random orbitals, twisted wool and open-cell foam for the rotary.
Every machine has its compounds: the D-A system for random orbitals, Mille for the gear-driven tool, Rotary for the rotary and the UNO line, which works on all of them. Formulated and bottled by Rupes in Italy.
D-A Coarse
D-A Fine
D-A Ultra Fine
UNO Pure
UNO Protect
UNO Advanced
Mille Coarse
Mille Fine
Rotary Coarse
Rotary Fine
Compound sample pack
Workshop
What keeps the system performing
Backing plates, interfaces, inspection light and pad cleaning; car care for before and after polishing; sanders and dust extraction for paint repair.
What keeps the system performing: PrecisionPro plates, foam interfaces, the light that shows the swirls, pad cleaning and organising the machines on the wall or in the case.
Rupes started with sanding and dust-extraction tools: iBrid mini sanders with their own extraction for paint repair and the vacuum that starts with the tool.
The Rupes system for boats: compounds for gelcoat and marine paint, from removing sanding marks to the finish, and UV protection for yachts, boatyards and marinas. See the marine sector →
Marine XC-100 Extra-Cut
Marine XC-300 Fast-Cut
Marine XF-500 Fine Polish
Marine XP-700 Nano Protection
XC-1 Marine (one step)
G-Wax spray wax
Tool maintenance
Clean pads, machines that last
Pads and compounds are consumables; BigFoot polishers are not. Eight simple habits, from the AirJet to the wall holder, make the difference between replacing pads every month and replacing them every year.
Pad after every panel · wash at the end of the day · plate and air intakes every 3 monthsMaintenance steps recommended by the manufacturer
Clean the pad after every panel with the AirJet or the Claw, with the machine running slowly; change pad when it saturates. At the end of the day wash in warm water, squeeze without twisting and dry hook-and-loop side up, away from the sun.
Compounds and residue
Shake compounds before use and close the bottle well. Before protecting, remove the compound oils with Reveal and inspect with the LL200: what you cannot see there shows up in the sun.
Polishers and batteries
Blow out the air intakes at the end of the day, check the hook-and-loop and the rim of the PrecisionPro plate every three months and store the machines hanging. iBrid batteries are stored half charged, away from heat.
Original Rupes plates, pads, compounds and parts can be ordered from BestQuímica, with delivery in Portugal.Indicative intervals for normal professional use. Under heavy use, shorten them.
Why Rupes
The system that created the long throw
Italian since 1947
RUPES is a family company founded in Milan in 1947, specialised in electric and pneumatic tools, abrasives and dust extraction for industry, body shops and detailing.
A system, not loose parts
BigFoot machines, plates, pads and compounds designed and tested together: the pad colour tells its function and every compound has the machine it was formulated for.
Innovation you can feel
POLYSYNTHEC™ gears and a lower centre of gravity on the Mark V, iBrid technology with battery or cable and the Nano with units that swap in one click.
Support in Portugal
BestQuímica prepares the quote, the demo at your workshop and handles warranty and parts, in Portuguese.
Four starter sets designed around the work: request a quote with the products already chosen and we reply with trade prices, availability and lead times.
BigFoot starter
A first correction with the complete system: LHR15 Mark V, D-A Coarse and Fine pads, the compounds of the same name and the LL200 light to see the result.
Two throws for the whole car: LHR21 for large panels, LHR15 for the rest, D-A Coarse wool for strong cutting, UNO Pure for the finish and the AirJet for the pads.
Hands-on sessions at your workshop or at BestQuímica, with Rupes machines, pads and compounds, for teams starting out or wanting to correct faster. Choose the topic and we book the date.
The Rupes Marine system for boats, shipyards and marinas: compounds for gelcoat and marine paint, from removing sanding marks to finishing, plus UV protection, with the BigFoot polishers. BestQuímica prepares the quote and the demonstration at your yard.
+ Prato PrecisionPro 150 mm (LHR21 Mark V), Pad D-A Coarse azul 150 mm, Pad D-A Fine amarelo 150 mm, Lã D-A Coarse 150/160 mm, Composto D-A Coarse, Composto D-A Fine, Suporte de parede BigFoot, Lanterna LL200 Swirl Finder, Limpa-pads AirJet
Why: Between 5 and 20 cars a month it pays to have the right throw for each area: 21 mm on large panels, 15 mm for the rest. Fixed workshop: wall holder for the polishers, AirJet to clean the pads and the LL200 to inspect.
Choose the machine and see the backing plates, foam pads and wool that fit, with the right thread and diameter. Request the quote with everything already chosen.
Rule: the pad is equal to or slightly larger than the plate (130 mm pads on 125 mm plates, 150–180 mm on 150 mm plates); the LHRs use an M8 thread, the rotary M14 and the Mille 6 × M4. D-A compounds are for random orbitals, Mille for the LK900E, Rotary for the LH19E and UNO for all of them.
Backing plates
Prato PrecisionPro 125 mm (LHR15 Mark V)Available to order
Foam and microfibre pads
Pad D-A Coarse azul 130 mmconsumableAvailable to order
Pad D-A Fine amarelo 130 mmconsumableAvailable to order
Tell us how many cars you correct per month and the average size. We estimate foam pads, wool and compounds for your workshop and how many packs to order per year. Indicative values: we adjust them in the quote.
Estimate
Consumable
Usage
To order / year
D-A Coarse blue pad 130 mm≈ 8 cars per pad, washed at the end of the day
5 pad/month
60× pad
D-A Fine yellow pad 130 mm
3.3 pad/month
40× pad
D-A Ultra-Fine white pad 150 mm
2 pad/month
24× pad
D-A Coarse wool pad 160 mmonly on cars that need heavy cutting
2.7 pad/month
32× pad
D-A Coarse compound 1 L≈ 60 ml per average car
2.4 L/month
29× 1 L bottle
D-A Fine compound 1 L≈ 40 ml per average car
1.6 L/month
20× 1 L bottle
BigFoot premium microfibres2 per car, replaced every 40 cars
2 cloth/month
24× unit
Basis: a D-A Coarse pad lasts ≈ 8 cars and a D-A Fine ≈ 12 (washed at the end of the day), an Ultra-Fine ≈ 20; a D-A Coarse wool pad ≈ 15 cars; ≈ 60 ml of cutting compound and ≈ 40 ml of fine polish per average car; 2 microfibres replaced every 40 cars. Indicative averages, not official manufacturer data.
What detailers ask us most often about throws, colour-coded pads, compounds, iBrid and warranty.
LHR21 or LHR15: which one should I choose?
The throw is the diameter of the circle the plate describes. The LHR21 (21 mm, 150 mm plate) covers more area per pass: bonnets, roofs and doors. The LHR15 (15 mm, 125 mm plate) gets into curves better and is the most versatile. Many workshops use both; if you can only have one, the LHR15 does almost everything.
What changes on the Mark V?
Lighter and tougher POLYSYNTHEC™ composite gears, less vibration, around 47 % less noise than previous generations, a centre of gravity 13 mm lower and PrecisionPro plates with a rubber rim that protects edges and delicate areas.
Random orbital, Mille or rotary?
The random orbital (LHR) spins freely and oscillates: no holograms, the everyday machine. The Mille LK900E is gear driven: the plate is forced to rotate, so it cuts more without losing the finish. The LH19E rotary only spins: it cuts fastest, with wool, for sanding marks and heavy oxidation, but needs an experienced hand and a refining step afterwards.
Which pad goes with which compound?
The colour tells the function: blue (Coarse) cuts, green (Intermediate) corrects in one step, yellow (Fine) polishes, white (Ultra-Fine) finishes and applies protection. Use the compound with the same name: D-A Coarse with the blue pad, D-A Fine with yellow, UNO Pure or D-A Ultra Fine with white. D-A wool and microfibre for heavy cutting.
Do the D-A compounds work on a rotary?
D-A compounds are formulated for random orbitals and the Mille. For the rotary there are Rotary Coarse and Fine; for the Mille, Mille Coarse and Fine. The UNO line (Pure, Protect, Advanced) is universal and works on every machine.
What is iBrid technology?
iBrid machines (HLR21, HLR15, HLR75, HSR/HSE sanders) run on an 18 V battery or plugged into the mains with an adaptor, without losing power. The Nano uses 10.8–12 V batteries or a power supply.
What is the Nano 2 for?
It is the mini polisher for wheels, pillars, headlights, badges and interiors: it swaps in one click between rotary, 3 mm orbit and 12 mm orbit (SMARTFIX) and uses 30 to 75 mm plates, with a shaft extension to reach deeper. It complements an LHR; it does not replace it on panels.
How do I clean the pads and how long do they last?
While working, clean after every panel with the AirJet (3 seconds of compressed air) or the Claw. At the end of the day wash in warm water, squeeze without twisting and dry hook-and-loop side up. A well-kept pad lasts dozens of cars; replace it when the foam tears or loses density.
What is the warranty?
Legal and manufacturer warranty on Rupes tools, with an extension through registration on the Rupes website for eligible models. BestQuímica handles the process in Portugal: keep the invoice and the serial number. Pads, compounds and batteries have their own wear rules.
Why are there no prices on this page?
Rupes prices are trade prices and depend on volume and customer type (workshop, detailer, reseller). Request a quote and we reply within 1 business day with prices, availability and delivery times.
Trade quote
Request a quote for your workshop
Detailers, body shops, dealerships, car washes and car-care shops: tell us what you do, how many cars you treat per month and which machines you already have. We reply with trade prices, the right machine, pad and compound combination and reseller conditions.
1Tell us what you do, the monthly volume and the machines you already have.
2We reply with trade prices, availability and the right pads and compounds.
3Order with your trade account, with delivery in Portugal.
Rupes news
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