The GG polisher is as good as the 3401?

And today...the flex made my Griot's look REALLY bad on some SUPER soft paint on a 2008 Toyota Avalon that had some parts repainted...see, the Griot's has good days, and days like today, when they just suck. Had to use a completely different pad/product combo to get the same results as VR8's Flex.
 
Bradshaw said:
If you are running a detail business and pumping out 3-5 cars a week or whatever, the Flex is worth it (still overpriced IMHO) But for average detailers doing there own vehicle and cars here and there, Griots will do the job just fine. I just got my Griots yesterday and like Mike said, it has plenty of power. PS. Lets not forget the man who is using the machine, he is more important than the machine itself.
Click to expand...

Another way to look at is if you paid someone to polish a vehicle correctly (most lightly a two step routine), it would pay a substantial cost of the Flex.
 
adrock2003 said:
lol I love how all of you are saying the Flex is BY FAR better, when it's not better. In SOME WAYS it's better, but for raw correction ability, the Griot's is the more powerful of the two. The forced rotation from the Flex offers a better initial finish, but it leaves a lot of defects behind that the Griot's removes.

VR8 and I work together and he uses the Flex and I use the new Griot's. My machine is more powerful and I get better defect removal, but his machine is more refined and leaves less marring.
Click to expand...
From my limited experience dabbling with DAs there is only one machine that can outdo Flex in corrective power overall, and it is not DA, it is rotary, and there is only DA that is vying to be approximately equal and it is not Griot's V2 no matter how much I like GG V2 among "PC"s.

But I am also kind of guy that is open minded to being wrong and kind of guy that believes in "proof is in the pudding".

So what I would like to see is you proving it on hard paint panel sanded with 1500 grit.
 
ZoranC said:
So what I would like to see is you proving it on hard paint panel sanded with 1500 grit.
Click to expand...

I've seen him take out wet sanding marks with his Griot. Plenty of times!
 
VR8 said:
I've seen him take out wet sanding marks with his Griot. Plenty of times!
Click to expand...
You might have. I said _I_ would like to see it. Plus I would like to see how long it takes compared to person experienced with Flex. Whole panel, not a spot. Because you can clean mow the lawn with the scissors too if you are given enough time or if your backyard is small enough.
 
adrock2003 said:
And today...the flex made my Griot's look REALLY bad on some SUPER soft paint on a 2008 Toyota Avalon that had some parts repainted...see, the Griot's has good days, and days like today, when they just suck. Had to use a completely different pad/product combo to get the same results as VR8's Flex.
Click to expand...
I had one of those days with my flex.. I used Dodo lime prime(w/abrasives) w/a grey pad on my wifes Toyota. The lime prime marred the hell out of the paint. I use it on my Infifniti with no problem. Don't you hate when that happens? Use something that works great on one car. Then think it will be the same on the next.
 
Doubt all you'd like. I've polished out plenty of wetsanding marks with my Griot's. In large and small sections and it didn't take a crazy amount of time to do. It is much faster with a rotary, but the flex isn't a rotary and neither is my Griot's. AGAIN, I say, if you have the money, GO WITH THE FLEX. If money is an issue, then the Griot's is a powerful alternative to the Flex. The forced rotation on the Flex is incredibly strong, but the power of the Griot's puts it right next to the Flex in terms of correction power. They both have their place and neither is better than the other in terms of correction ability. The flex appears to be easier to use and is more consistent than the flex due to the fact it keeps up it's rotations no matter what the circumstance is where the Griot's will have issues keeping rotations up based on the pressure you use and where it's applied on your pad.
 
adrock2003 said:
Doubt all you'd like. I've polished out plenty of wetsanding marks with my Griot's. In large and small sections and it didn't take a crazy amount of time to do. It is much faster with a rotary, but the flex isn't a rotary and neither is my Griot's. AGAIN, I say, if you have the money, GO WITH THE FLEX. If money is an issue, then the Griot's is a powerful alternative to the Flex. The forced rotation on the Flex is incredibly strong, but the power of the Griot's puts it right next to the Flex in terms of correction power. They both have their place and neither is better than the other in terms of correction ability. The flex appears to be easier to use and is more consistent than the flex due to the fact it keeps up it's rotations no matter what the circumstance is where the Griot's will have issues keeping rotations up based on the pressure you use and where it's applied on your pad.
Click to expand...
I think the new Griot's 6" is an awesome machine(I had it), I just opted forthe Flex. Personal preference, that's all. :xyxthumbs:
 
loudog2 said:
I had one of those days with my flex.. I used Dodo lime prime(w/abrasives) w/a grey pad on my wifes Toyota. The lime prime marred the hell out of the paint. I use it on my Infifniti with no problem. Don't you hate when that happens? Use something that works great on one car. Then think it will be the same on the next.
Click to expand...

Yeah, John and I always seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to our machines. I"ll be having a great correction day and he'll just be having issues left and right or vice-versa. He'll be doing great and I'm getting marring and hazing all over the place. I believe it has something to do with the paint/clear we're working on. I believe I get a better correction from harder clears where his machine is IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE on softer clears. I mean, it's not just a small difference either. It's very noticeable. I've had days where soft clears just mar and haze up on me and John is just smoking along leaving behind a crystal clear finish, but on harder clearcoats, I get better results with my Griot's. I prefer the flex's ability though. I'll be buying one when I can swing the $300 for it.
 
loudog2 said:
I had one of those days with my flex.. I used Dodo lime prime(w/abrasives) w/a grey pad on my wifes Toyota. The lime prime marred the hell out of the paint. I use it on my Infifniti with no problem. Don't you hate when that happens? Use something that works great on one car. Then think it will be the same on the next.
Click to expand...
Grey pad has no cut, and lime pime has very little cut, and it still marred the paint?! So, what pad and polish would you use to remove the marring?
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
Grey pad has no cut, and lime pime has very little cut, and it still marred the paint?! So, what pad and polish would you use to remove the marring?
Click to expand...
Toyota and Honda paint is very soft and marrs easily. Chad(Rasky) had the same issue with lime prime on his Honda. Dodo even has a warning on their website now. It says to be careful using this product on soft Japanese paint.

I just grabbed my SIP and a white pad to correct it. Then finished the car with 106FA w/a grey pad.
 
adrock2003 said:
Doubt all you'd like. I've polished out plenty of wetsanding marks with my Griot's. In large and small sections and it didn't take a crazy amount of time to do. It is much faster with a rotary, but the flex isn't a rotary and neither is my Griot's. AGAIN, I say, if you have the money, GO WITH THE FLEX. If money is an issue, then the Griot's is a powerful alternative to the Flex. The forced rotation on the Flex is incredibly strong, but the power of the Griot's puts it right next to the Flex in terms of correction power. They both have their place and neither is better than the other in terms of correction ability.
Click to expand...
It seems to me you have failed to notice I am _very_ familiar with DA machines and what each one of them can / can not do, especially Flex and GG V2, and that I am not easy to impress.

I am glad to hear you are very enthusiastic about GG V2 _but_ no matter how much I like it myself, no matter do I consider it best of "PCs", _reality_ is that is just not in the same league as Flex, including corrective ability wise. Sorry.
 
I haven't had a chance to use my GG-V2 yet, but I look forward to using it... and I don't regret having bought it, based on what I've read in this thread and other ones.

Lets keep this dialogue going.
 
I bought the Flex for a few reasons. One being that I needed
something with more power. I had the PC for quite sometime and I
liked it. If you're just starting out, then the Griots would be
fine. I'm doing details on a regular basis on top of my full time job.
I knew what I'd spend on it would come back in details. I'm now either going to buy a 2nd Flex as a back up or a Makita.
In other words if you are just one of those casual detail your own cars then I see the Griots as being fine. Assuming it works as well as the PC.
 
Just to note, all the tools Autogeek offers are all very capable tools when it comes to correction work, besides the tool factor, using the right pad, product and technique are also HUGE factors for getting good results.

Don't limit yourself to just one tool, you wouldn't do this with the tools in your tool box, for example chances are good everyone reading this thread has more than just one flat blade screwdriver.

The Flex 3401 because it's a forced rotation, dual action polisher, it does offer more ability to remove paint when applying pressure to the pad and that's what the correction step is usually about, removing a little paint in an effort to level out the surface.

DA Polishers like the Meguiar's, the Griot's and the PC can all do this too but because they all have a free rotating spindle assemble they bring to the table a unique feature in that if you apply too much pressure or hold the pad at an angle the pad will stop rotating, for most people new to machine polishing this is an attractive safety feature, plus they are very easy to learn how to use.

Free Rotating Spindle Assemblies on DA Polishers
FreeRotatingSpindleAssemblies002.jpg
FreeRotatingSpindleAssemblies003.jpg

FreeRotatingSpindleAssemblies004.jpg
FreeRotatingSpindleAssemblies005.jpg




Check out this thread for more information on the different tools...

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project


:)
 
Mike... what is the measurement of each brands D/A orbit, compared to the Flex's Forced orbit?
 
ZoranC said:
It seems to me you have failed to notice I am _very_ familiar with DA machines and what each one of them can / can not do, especially Flex and GG V2, and that I am not easy to impress.

I am glad to hear you are very enthusiastic about GG V2 _but_ no matter how much I like it myself, no matter do I consider it best of "PCs", _reality_ is that is just not in the same league as Flex, including corrective ability wise. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you're wrong. I work side by side with VR8 on a daily basis and his Flex corrects no better OR faster than my Griot's.

They are in the same league and they both perform equally. They both just have their little quirks that need to be "worked out" with experience.

You apparently have failed to notice that I have 5-6 months of side-by-side comparison work between the Griot's and Flex and that I am perfectly capable of gauging whether the Flex is better than my Griot's or not and I"m telling you that it isn't.

If the flex had a faster rotation, then it would be in a different class, but due to the design, and the fact that it DOESN'T have faster rotational speeds, it is right on-par with the performance and corrective ability of the Griot's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top