I'll agree with this. I've had a Craftsman orbital polisher for years, and while I won't go so far as to say it's a "toy", it's certainly not a serious tool. I think they're popular with the home consumer crowd because they do allow for a more uniform application of polishes and waxes than you would get by hand, and it's really hard to damage your paint with a low-speed orbital polisher, but if you have any kind of scratches to remove, even very fine hairline scratches (like sanding scratches or the kind that jacket buttons leave on a motorcycle tank), then forget it.
I just picked up a used DeWalt DW849 electric buffer for about $100, and it's a totally different animal when compared to an orbital polisher. The speed is constantly variable from 0-3000 RPM, and it does a good job of maintaining constant speed, even under load. Using the DeWalt with a black foam pad and a very fine "finishing" polish, I can quickly remove scratches that my old orbital wouldn't touch, even with a coarser polish and a wool bonnet.
