Up Close & Personal: FLEX Swirl Finder Light

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Nick McKees37

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Any day that I walk into my office and a find a new FLEX product sitting on my desk is a good day. As Kramer from Seinfeld would say....giddy up!

FLEX sent us a couple prototype lights several months back for us to evaluate. We took notes, sent them back to FLEX, yada yada yada, a couple months later and we have a production ready swirl finder light. The quality of life just went up!

The FLEX Swirl Finder Light is packaged in a very nice case and..GASP!...batteries are included. I was already beginning to like this light!

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Swirl marks are a car care enthusiast’s worst nightmare – it’s a fact! If you stumbled across our website in the search for paint compounds and polishes for removing swirl marks, the chances are you’re tried of looking at them! While swirl marks are easily spotted in direct sunlight, they disappear as soon as you pull your vehicle in the garage. Once you start polishing, it’s difficult to tell if you completely removed the swirl marks. Take the guesswork out of swirl removal with the FLEX Swirl Finder Light!

The FLEX Swirl Finder Light is compact and lightweight, making it easy to hold.

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FLEX is a name that’s synonymous with quality and innovation, and the FLEX Swirl Finder Light is no exception. With a rugged aluminum case secured in non-slip rubber grip, the FLEX Swirl Finder Light is a quality piece that is built to last. What’s more, the FLEX Swirl Finder Light is packaged in a sturdy box for safe storage.

The focus of the beam can be adjusted depending on your distance from the surface.

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The FLEX Swirl Finder Light is far more than just a flashlight. FLEX set out to design a compact, lightweight, reliable light that makes it easy for you to track your progress as you polish your vehicle – preferably with a FLEX polisher!

The FLEX Swirl Finder Light illuminates swirls that the naked eye cannot see, making it easier to track your progress as you work towards creating a swirl-free finish!

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With the demise of the beloved Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light, FLEX saw an opportunity to reinvent what is arguably a must-have detailing tool, and came out with their own swirl finder light that simply rocks.

FLEX Swirl Finder Light

A special thanks goes out to Mike Phillips for taking photos as I modeled the FLEX Swirl Finder Light. :)
 
Any chance Flex will change out the strike bezel for a more "drop friendly" scenario on paint? Maybe a rubber cover? I have a few tactical torches that are designed for self defense but I don't anticipate auto paint trying to attack me! Lol! :-)
 
The hardest challenge for swirl finder lights is on lightly swirled white paint in otherwise great condition. If you have the time, would you mind checking that out and reporting back, maybe compared to the Brinkman Xenon?
 
SR99 said:
The hardest challenge for swirl finder lights is on lightly swirled white paint in otherwise great condition. If you have the time, would you mind checking that out and reporting back, maybe compared to the Brinkman Xenon?
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Believe it or not I find that less light will expose the finer defects better than a brighter light. Too much light can whitewash the surface, especially LED.
 
Just02896 said:
Believe it or not I find that less light will expose the finer defects better than a brighter light. Too much light can whitewash the surface, especially LED.
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I find this to be true at times as well. However adjusting the angle of the light seems to help when dealing with bright LED lights. I use a rechargable StreamLight, 250 lumen with an adjustable high/med/low setting. Im able to drop down as low as 65 lumens if needed. I cant see myself buying this, the fact that it needs batteries is a real deal breaker IMO.
 
While the rubber protection is a good idea, it looks like it already has a "drop friendly" device (That Nick isnt using lol) The lanyard that is supposed to be around your wrist. If you wont use it then your nuts with or without a rubber protector on the front.
 
CM8 6MT said:
I find this to be true at times as well. However adjusting the angle of the light seems to help when dealing with bright LED lights. I use a rechargable StreamLight, 250 lumen with an adjustable high/med/low setting. Im able to drop down as low as 65 lumens if needed. I cant see myself buying this, the fact that it needs batteries is a real deal breaker IMO.
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Agreed! I use a fenix PD32 for defect exposure. it's adjustable from 330 lumens down to 50, I believe. I find myself using the 2nd lowest setting the majority of the time. You should look into rechargeable batteries! I've got about 20 or so tac lights and almost all of them run on the same battery which I have 25 of! Lol! Nitecore intellicharger is the best charger I've found yet. I even made a solor panel so I can fight swirls AND zombies during the apocalypse! Lol!
 
Just02896 said:
Any chance Flex will change out the strike bezel for a more "drop friendly" scenario on paint? Maybe a rubber cover? I have a few tactical torches that are designed for self defense but I don't anticipate auto paint trying to attack me! Lol! :-)
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That's a great idea! I'll pass the recommendation along. :dblthumb2:

Until that design feature is implemented, don't drop your swirl finder light - or anything else for that matter - on your vehicle. :)
 
No rechargeable batteries? Wonder if the rupes light will come with some.
 
OMG! What a waste of money.

Sorry guys but I can go to Costco and buy two Duracell ultra bright flashlights for $20 and get a product just as good for 1/4 the price.

C'mon man!
 
no disrespect meant....but what is the difference between this and any other adjustible LED flashlight?
 
Just02896 said:
Agreed! I use a fenix PD32 for defect exposure. it's adjustable from 330 lumens down to 50, I believe. I find myself using the 2nd lowest setting the majority of the time. You should look into rechargeable batteries! I've got about 20 or so tac lights and almost all of them run on the same battery which I have 25 of! Lol! Nitecore intellicharger is the best charger I've found yet. I even made a solor panel so I can fight swirls AND zombies during the apocalypse! Lol!
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330 lumens!? Wow, that must of cost a pretty penny. I got mine when I was trainning at the police academy. I never intended to use it for detailing, however it works great for finding swirls and general lighting purposes.
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For those who build custom lights, perhaps a cheap Surefire G2 with the proper Kelvin LED drop-in would be better. As mentioned before, i find it odd for Flex to have a swirl finder light with a crenelated strike bezel.
 
theparmachine said:
OMG! What a waste of money.

Sorry guys but I can go to Costco and buy two Duracell ultra bright flashlights for $20 and get a product just as good for 1/4 the price.

C'mon man!
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I'm surprised you've used the FLEX Swirl Finder Light, as the unit just went on sale less than 12 hours ago. Would you mind posting a review on the forum?

Rez90 said:
no disrespect meant....but what is the difference between this and any other adjustible LED flashlight?
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It is optimized for use on painted surfaces.

A regular flashlight is designed to provide illumination in areas where light is lacking.

goone said:
How does work on white paint on bright sunny day?
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If you're inspecting a vehicle in full sunlight, you won't need a swirl finder light. The FLEX Swirl Finder Light is designed to be used when sunlight isn't available (ie: a garage).

FivePoint.0 said:
How do you turn it on?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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With a button on the back.
 
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