Considering selling flex 3401 and buying griots random

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rover

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I feel like the flex is too much of an orbital buffer and with a narrow throw. I am wondering if a larger throw will give me a better, faster shine without the risks of swirls by using the flex. I have used the flex 2x and it is ok but it doesn't seem like it is exactly what I am looking for. I have been able to remove some rotary buffer swirls that were in my car from the previous owner but the surface is still not what I want. Should I switch?

thanks
phillip
 
Long throw machines are a lot nicer to use and also corrects eay better than forced , no matter some old school guys say. I bought Rupes Mille and now i am selling it, it lacks cutting power compared to 15-21.
 
Me personally I would not give up my 3401 I have Rupes 15 as well its imo ok. I feel the 3401 is the holy grail of polishers until something else worthy comes along.
 
Sold my 3401 when I started using my G21. I can personally see a difference in speed and amount of defect removal between the two. More than once I had to follow up with my g21 to remove defects my 3401 wouldn't touch. Just my .02
 
Joel1979 said:
I bought Rupes Mille and now i am selling it, it lacks cutting power compared to 15-21.
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wow, that says a lot, you may have saved some people $500+ dollars (or whatever it's going to cost) or hold off on purchasing one anytime soon...
 
Joel1979 said:
Long throw machines are a lot nicer to use and also corrects eay better than forced , no matter some old school guys say. I bought Rupes Mille and now i am selling it, it lacks cutting power compared to 15-21.
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When was Rupes Mille available for sale? Where do you live?
 
custmsprty said:
When was Rupes Mille available for sale? Where do you live?
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I'd like to know also.

As far as selling your Flex for a Rupes, that's a personal choice. I have a 3401 and 3 Rupes machines, along with others. With that said I usually find myself reaching for my 3401 most of the time. I grew up using a rotary and still do, so the 3401 feels comfy to me.
 
Keep your flex and keep an eye on eBay for a longthrow my 2cents .....
 
My G21 was faster then my 3401
My new makita is also faster then my 3401

Have yet to test makita po5000c side by side with my g21
 
rover said:
I feel like the flex is too much of an orbital buffer and with a narrow throw. I am wondering if a larger throw will give me a better, faster shine without the risks of swirls by using the flex. I have used the flex 2x and it is ok but it doesn't seem like it is exactly what I am looking for. I have been able to remove some rotary buffer swirls that were in my car from the previous owner but the surface is still not what I want. Should I switch?

thanks
phillip
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If you are getting rid of the Flex I will buy it in a heartbeat. If you want to step backwards and spend more time correcting your ride with the Griot or Random Polisher that's your prerogative. Again, if you want to get rid of the Flex let me know. I would be more than happy to take that away and add a 2nd Flex in my arsenal.
 
I live in Finland, machines arrived here in last week LH19E rotarys should come soon too.
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
If you are getting rid of the Flex I will buy it in a heartbeat. If you want to step backwards and spend more time correcting your ride with the Griot or Random Polisher that's your prerogative. Again, if you want to get rid of the Flex let me know. I would be more than happy to take that away and add a 2nd Flex in my arsenal.
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Thanks and I will let you know if I sell it. So far I did the hood of my Range Rover 2x. That's it. Basically brand new
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
If you are getting rid of the Flex I will buy it in a heartbeat. If you want to step backwards and spend more time correcting your ride with the Griot or Random Polisher that's your prerogative. Again, if you want to get rid of the Flex let me know. I would be more than happy to take that away and add a 2nd Flex in my arsenal.
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I have a pink one for sale too 1.5 hrs run time
 
rover said:
Thanks and I will let you know if I sell it. So far I did the hood of my Range Rover 2x. That's it. Basically brand new
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I am a little confused as to why you want to get rid of an awesome DA. I worked on a Range Rover last week with my Flex and used Menzerna SF4500 (now I think it is SF3800) and had no issues with it. Could it be the product? I know I have had issues with some products that I no longer use. The product was difficult to use or did not do what it was supposed to do.

It could be technique too. I don't know but again, the Flex is a beast!

Here is the picture of this Range Rover. It's white so to get a reflection shot is difficult but I did get one. My point being, the Flex 3401 is a great machine and I would seriously reconsider getting rid of it. Now getting a Rupes or a Boss in conjunction with it might be the way to go. IMO that would be a great combo!

I have the Flex for my big duties and my PC7424XP for LSP application. I used Polish Angel Sealant for the LSP with my PC7424XP.

The 2nd photo was real cool. The sun just hit the hood right to where it actually changed the color of the camera shoot!
 
IMO keep the flex and look for a long throw if you can afford it.

For long hours behind the polisher- long throws are the way to go! They're smooth and very effective especially on large flat panels. Being a long time rotary user, rotary is still my preference, but there is no denying that a long throw more effectively removes more defects.

that being said, I've set the rupes mk2 21 aside on a few occasions on curvy jobs due to its pad stalling. Mk2 doesn't have near the problems as the legacy model, but they can still stall. 3401 keeps killing defects!

As many things on this forum, this issue comes down to personal preference. Flex, rupes and griots make great tools and having the support for those products on AGO is fantastic!

Good luck and happy detailing!
 
Keep working with it.

I found that softer cutting pads, and a little more compound than usual benefits the 3401.

Check out the Lake Country Purple Kompressor, or pink CCS. The green Buff and Shine is similar to the Pink CCS, and is my favorite on the 3401, and the PC7424xp.
 
rover said:
Thanks and I will let you know if I sell it. So far I did the hood of my Range Rover 2x. That's it. Basically brand new
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If you're having trouble (please elaborate on what it is), I don't see it as the buffer. Unless you're just not used to a rotary or forced rotation. I did this one with my 3401 and it's my go-to buffer.

Defects were removed with ease using Lake Country Purple Wool pads and Meg's basic Ultimate Compound. Polish was with CarPro Essence on white pads followed by an SiO2 Coating.
 
Justin at Final Inspection said:
Sold my 3401 when I started using my G21. I can personally see a difference in speed and amount of defect removal between the two. More than once I had to follow up with my g21 to remove defects my 3401 wouldn't touch. Just my .02
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Can you say more about this? I get that the 3401 may take longer (less throw), but why would it not be correcting? Not questioning that what you're saying is accurate, just not understanding it. Rotation = cutting, and it doesn't stop rotating.

I'm concerned about cars that are nothing but curves with some concave panels.
 
The 21mm essentric paired with 5000 OPM corrects faster then 8mm with only 480 OPM and 480RPM.

If you're worried about curves with the 21mm, get a mini or simply go PO5000C which is forced and specd at 6800 OPM, 780RPM at 5.5 mm stroke
 
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