Hand polisher vs buffer

The differences between hand polishers and buffers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a buffer has an average salary of $39,730, which is higher than the $32,681 average annual salary of a hand polisher.

The top three skills for a hand polisher include hand tools, polishers and blueprints shop. The most important skills for a buffer are sand paper, buffing wheels, and BMW.

Hand polisher vs buffer overview

	Hand Polisher	Buffer
Yearly salary	$32,681	$39,730
Hourly rate	$15.71	$19.10
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	4,398	58
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 64%
Average age	44	43
Years of experience	-	-

Hand polisher vs buffer salary

Hand polishers and buffers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hand Polisher	Buffer
Average salary	$32,681	$39,730
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $44,000	Between $22,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between hand polisher and buffer education

There are a few differences between a hand polisher and a buffer in terms of educational background:

	Hand Polisher	Buffer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 64%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Hand polisher vs buffer demographics

Here are the differences between hand polishers' and buffers' demographics:

	Hand Polisher	Buffer
Average age	44	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9%	Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 23.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 2.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between hand polisher and buffer duties and responsibilities

Hand polisher example responsibilities.

Train and instruct other polishers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Train and instruct other polishers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Align aircraft components precisely using layout, jigs, templates and fixtures.

Buffer example responsibilities.

Operate rubber tread roll buffer, G10 scale level job.
Receive beer from bright beer tanks after CO2 purging are completed.
Coordinate with bright beer tank operator on DBW pushing and CO2 purging of beer transfer lines.
Operate rubber tread roll buffer, G10 scale level job.

Hand polisher vs buffer skills

Common hand polisher skills

Hand Tools, 58%
Polishers, 15%
Blueprints Shop, 14%
CNC, 13%

Common buffer skills

Sand Paper, 33%
Buffing Wheels, 33%
BMW, 21%
Assembly Line, 7%
Machine Operation, 3%
Buffing Floors, 3%

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs