Orbital buffer, Faster than doing it by hand, but faster at screwing it up, if you have ONE small speck of dirt on the pad. As far as application methods, Zaino bro's say to put it on, top surfaces-as the wind blows(front to back), sides, up and down. I tried their method, it seemed to look a little better. Some, even say to put the wax on with your hand(NO RAG) just your hand. I haven't done that. Just make sure every thing that touches the paint is CLEAN. I don't have a masters in detailing, but, I got a "first place award" at a car show, with the '69 Camaro. All done by hand, no swirl marks, clear as can be! BTW 100% cotton (Cannon Towels-White Made in the USA) work for me. Good Luck