Hi SpannerMan,
You can get rid of swirl marks by hand, however, it's not a quick and easy way of carrying out paintwork correction, as it takes a lot longer to get results and requires much more elbow grease than if you were using a machine.
It also depends on how badly swirled the paintwork is. If you're dealing with light swirl marks you should be able to get some good results by hand using the Poorboys Super Swirl Removers... you could start off by trying SSR 1 to see if that does the trick, then if you still need a bit more cutting power you could step up to SSR 2, but you would then need to refine it with SSR1 afterwards, just to get the best possible finish.
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Poor ... -16oz.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Poor ... -16oz.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you are going to give it a go by hand, you're better off using a microfibre applicator rather than a foam one, as the microfibre has a bit more bite to it and will help to remove the swirl marks... Something like the Dodo Juice Blue or the RaceGlaze Pocket Applicator would be perfect.
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Dodo ... Pouch.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Race ... cator.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Failing that, if it really is the quickest and easiest option you're after, your best bet is to either get a professional to Detail it for you, or to machine polish the paintwork yourself. The DAS-6 Pro is a good choice, but you wouldn't necessarily need to spend that much on a machine if you didn't want to... the DAS6 and SIM-180 are both good entry level machines and will achieve excellent results when used in the right way and with the right products.
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Kest ... isher.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.autoperfection.com/shop/Kest ... isher.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hope this helps!
Taryn and Jim
