Flex 3401 or rupes bigfoot.

FUNX725 said:
No matter what ones choice in "buffing-machines" may be...
I still beseech folks to be cautious..


Bob
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Good reminder to everyone Bob...

Factory paint is thin as I show in my how-to book so no matter how you remove the defects, focus on the task at hand and use the least aggressive product to get the job done.



FactoryThinPaint.JPG




And with Ceramiclear paints, you really need to be cautious if you're not the FIRST person to buff on the car...


Ceramiclear Paints - Be Careful



:)
 
I wish I could use all the makes before I make a decision on a purchase, I'm in the market for a rotary. Which one? I read reviews on the flex, rupes, dewalt,and Makita. I want to be happy with my purchase.
 
Bamafire said:
I wish I could use all the makes before I make a decision on a purchase, I'm in the market for a rotary. Which one? I read reviews on the flex, rupes, DeWALT,and Makita. I want to be happy with my purchase.
Click to expand...


Here's some info to digest...


Bumblebee - Testing out the NEW DeWALT DWP849X

DWP849XBumblebee04.jpg


Transformers-Bumblebee.jpg






Wetsanding a car from start to finish - Time Lapse Video


Wetsanding a car from start to finish - Time Lapse Video​


[video=youtube_share;77sROwS5QOg&hd=1"]Wetsanding a car from start to finish - Time...[/video]​



I use the Flex PE14 a lot and like it very much too, used it all the way through the full wetsand, cut and buff job on the 1969 AMX as you can see by watching the time lapse video...

AMX_Wetsanding_Daves_Camera036.jpg







Here's a side-by-side review...


DeWALT DWP849X vs Makita 9227C Rotary Buffers
 
Figures after all the months of pondering as to whether I should get the 3401, I finally bought it during the no exclusions sale. Then there's all this talk about the Rupes. Seems like a very interesting machine and can't wait for reviews of it. Both seem like good machines though.
 
I noticed the expo is this month, plan on making a trip to attend some classes on Thursday, before I make a final decision. Maybe I can get my hands on a couple of rotary's. Thanks for the additional information Mike very helpful.
 
My decision to purchase the rupes was made out of physical needs. I just had elbow surgery this Monday ,I could not deal with the vibration of the other da's and the flex ws to hard to work. I used the rupes on about 20 cars . I can tell you that the significantly less vibration of the rupes caused me no pain, and it allows the products to work more effectively,thus less work on the body
 
Got a chance to try out a Rupes 21 yesterday compliments of Chris Dasher (PorscheGuy997). Big mistake !!! Now I want one. Used in on the black 2010 Camaro from Mike's get together in Evansville. The machine was smooth and fairly quiet with plenty of power. I was much more comfortable with this machine vs the forced rotation of the Flex 3401.Used a Meguiars soft buff 2.0 pad without any problems. Chris had used a Meguiars my pad and D300 before I had arrived and by the smile on his face I didn't need to ask his opinion.lol.The cut was very quick with moderate pressure and Sonax Perfect Finish and speed set between 3.5-4. I'm looking forward to a little more time with a Rupes and also trying the 15 in the near future.
 
Just got lhr15es in from Kevin brown. Just as great a da as the lhr21e. Did the kB washer mod and programmed the ASIC ROM with the modded firmware. Makes it perform way better

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
ww2717 said:
Did the kB washer mod and programmed the ASIC ROM with the modded firmware. Makes it perform way better
Click to expand...

Whoa, whoa, WHOA! ASIC ROM, modded firmware? Are we talking about a Rupes car? I must have missed the Dinan portion of this thread...
 
That is correct we have a small semi-conductor fab capable of making our own chips. We can make our IC's such as ASICs. We are testing new firmware with the lhr-15 to see if we can modify the power curve to make it more customized. The lhr-15 has a plcc installed in it so that asics can be changed out at random.
 
ww2717 said:
That is correct we have a small semi-conductor fab capable of making our own chips. We can make our IC's such as ASICs. We are testing new firmware with the lhr-15 to see if we can modify the power curve to make it more customized. The lhr-15 has a plcc installed in it so that asics can be changed out at random.
Click to expand...

Are you working with Kevin on this? I strongly suggest you do. His opinion is HIGHLY revered and if he approves it, that would help you out a lot.
 
This not something that is going to be turned into a commercial venture. Just a group of electronic engineers tinkering that is all. I will leave it at that.
 
I'm not comfortable in my skills to properly/safely use a rotary atm... So I purchased a 3401 the other day and should arrive next week. Reason I went with the Flex is because of the forced rotation and more power. I have never used it before but now that i'm hearing it is not the easiest to use being that it is forced rotation has me wondering if I should've went with the Rupes...
I have a Megs DA and wanted to upgrade to the Flex thinking I could speed up my correction work?? Idk... Now i'm thinking I just wasted $440 dollars lol


-Beach
 
i own both rupes and flex. you will find the flex to be a great unit. outclasses the standard pc, meg , griots in my opinion. I like some needed a smoother machine for longer jobs etc. that is my preference. i still would use my flex anytime with no hesitancy. after sending numerous meguiars and griots, back to factory i upgraded to flex and now rupes and wont go back. too many way more experienced detailers here for me to ignore. they like them both. hell i started as a kid in 1963 with dirty rags and simomize paste.
 
BeachZone said:
I'm not comfortable in my skills to properly/safely use a rotary atm... So I purchased a 3401 the other day and should arrive next week. Reason I went with the Flex is because of the forced rotation and more power. I have never used it before but now that i'm hearing it is not the easiest to use being that it is forced rotation has me wondering if I should've went with the Rupes...
I have a Megs DA and wanted to upgrade to the Flex thinking I could speed up my correction work?? Idk... Now i'm thinking I just wasted $440 dollars lol


-Beach
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Hey Beach, Use the 5 inch Hybrid pad lineup on the 3401 and you will love the power of the machine along with the ease of use. The bigger the pad on the Flex the more it vibrates and wobbles. I wouldnt use anything bigger than a 6.5 pad.
 
I hear a lot about people not liking the Flex 3401 because it 'walks' on them. I've never really had either of my 3401's walk on me. I've used almost every LC pad there is, CCS, Flat, Hydro, Hybrid and never really experience the phenomenon. Is it more 'work' than a standard PC? Maybe at first, but the results are also much better. IMHO.

The throw of the Rupes concerns me. We've all inadvertently bumped things with the backing plate PC and/or Flex and that sound will make anyone cringe. Hitting something with almost an inch of travel will most likely bring someone to tears. I'd like to hear some long-term feedback on the Rupes though. If it is as good as it is being hyped up to be, I'd get on board too.
 
smack said:
Hey Beach, Use the 5 inch Hybrid pad lineup on the 3401 and you will love the power of the machine along with the ease of use. The bigger the pad on the Flex the more it vibrates and wobbles. I wouldnt use anything bigger than a 6.5 pad.
Click to expand...

Right on, This makes me feel much better about my purchase. I hate the fact that when polishing, lets say, a deep fender flare or something like that, my g110v2 will stop spinning. This is one of the biggest reasons I chose the Flex over Rupes because the forced rotation will allow me to tackle that without an issue or at least I hope so!
I only have 4" and 6.5" LC pads but I may purchase 5.5" to see if they are much easier to work with.

Any other tips/comments would be highly appreciated!

Thank you my friends!


-Elijah
 
BeachZone said:
I hate the fact that when polishing, lets say, a deep fender flare or something like that, my g110v2 will stop spinning. This is one of the biggest reasons I chose the Flex over Rupes because the forced rotation will allow me to tackle that without an issue or at least I hope so!


-Elijah
Click to expand...

Same here. My PC XP would stop on the slightest curve on a panel. I just got tired of it and wanted a new toy anyway, so I bought the 3401 too. It was also cheaper and I probably couldn't tell a major difference between the Flex and Rupes since I'm just a hobbyist. I think both are quality machines and either should be good
 
BeachZone said:
I'm not comfortable in my skills to properly/safely use a rotary atm... So I purchased a 3401 the other day and should arrive next week. Reason I went with the Flex is because of the forced rotation and more power. I have never used it before but now that i'm hearing it is not the easiest to use being that it is forced rotation has me wondering if I should've went with the Rupes...
I have a Megs DA and wanted to upgrade to the Flex thinking I could speed up my correction work?? Idk... Now i'm thinking I just wasted $440 dollars lol


-Beach
Click to expand...

Trust me, you'll be fine. I bought the machine when it first came out, what was that, 3 years ago? More? Anyway, all the talk about people not liking the machine because it rotates counter clockwise, I thought was funny. I NEVER noticed that until everyone started talking about Rupes. I went outside to grab it and turn it on, thought, huh no sh*t it does rotate that like that. It never bothered me one bit. I love that I could literally stand on that thing before it thought about bogging down. I have worked on numerous vehicles with it. Only problems I had was not having a smaller BP to get into tighter areas, I would tilt it for A-pillars and such. I love(d) that machine, it died on me 2 weeks ago after years of use so I'm looking into the Rupes since it is supposed to be bigger than the second coming. We'll see what happens.
 
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