Flex 3401- how safe is it?

Just took my Flex out of the box,grabbed the Menzerna and headed for the garage. This machine is AWESOME! It's all that and a bag of chips.
I would tell anyone that is contemplating buying a PC, UDM, Rotory, (any brand ) to pass and buy the Flex. I was using it on my hood with one hand. A smooth running DA, light weight,easy to handle, with UMP! I will probably sell my 2 rotories real cheap. If anyone wants to know anything about the Flex and mo about it. PM me I'll answer any questions. I'll be in the garage!
 
budman3 said:
So much talk and hype about the Flex ... yet so little answers. One would think all of the talk about how great the Flex is would lead to some answers ... :confused:
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It's actually pretty simple... the Flex will correct paint imperfections easier/faster than a PC, but not quite as easy/fast as a rotary. Of course, the that makes the Flex more apt to do damage than a PC, but still safer than a rotary. You don't want it to touch vinyl, rubber, or anything like that if you are running it at significant speeds.

If you already have a rotary and use it, you shouldn't have any issue with the Flex. If you are not comfortable with the rotary, stick with the PC.

I have a Makita and Milwaukee rotary buffers, a PC, and now that my son has a Flex, we are covered. :D If he didn't have the Flex, I would sell my PC and maybe even one of my rotary buffers to buy the Flex after using it. I was able to do nearly the same corrective work as a rotary in about 1/2 the time it would take with a PC.

Again, the rotary is still the most efficient tool for paint correction, but with the Flex, I didn't have to do near the taping, didn't have to worry much about splatter, and didn't have to worry nearly as much about edges and such.
 
Detail_Guy said:
It's actually pretty simple... the Flex will correct paint imperfections easier/faster than a PC, but not quite as easy/fast as a rotary. Of course, the that makes the Flex more apt to do damage than a PC, but still safer than a rotary. You don't want it to touch vinyl, rubber, or anything like that if you are running it at significant speeds.

If you already have a rotary and use it, you shouldn't have any issue with the Flex. If you are not comfortable with the rotary, stick with the PC.

I have a Makita and Milwaukee rotary buffers, a PC, and now that my son has a Flex, we are covered. :D If he didn't have the Flex, I would sell my PC and maybe even one of my rotary buffers to buy the Flex after using it. I was able to do nearly the same corrective work as a rotary in about 1/2 the time it would take with a PC.

Again, the rotary is still the most efficient tool for paint correction, but with the Flex, I didn't have to do near the taping, didn't have to worry much about splatter, and didn't have to worry nearly as much about edges and such.
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Detail Guy, thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was looking for, especially the last part. I am no pro with a rotary but I do have enough experience with it where I won't make any dumb mistakes and burn paint or trim (been there done that). I really only pull out the rotary when I'm working on a total disaster (how would a Flex handle this):

P1010022.jpg


Since I currenlty do correction with a PC / UDM 90% of the time I think a Flex may be worth it ... but probably not any time soon ... not too fond of 1st round batches :buffing:.
 
budman3 said:
I really only pull out the rotary when I'm working on a total disaster (how would a Flex handle this):

P1010022.jpg


Since I currenlty do correction with a PC / UDM 90% of the time I think a Flex may be worth it ... but probably not any time soon ... not too fond of 1st round batches :buffing:.
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Budman,

Anything the PC can do, the Flex can do... only faster, and probably better. So, if that paint correction was done with a PC (nice by the way), then a Flex will do it. Again, with the speed turned up on the Flex, it is much closer to a rotary buffer in performance... of course, it also starts to approach the same concerns with doing damage.

To be honest, I'm not a real PC fan. Prior to purchasing mine about 5 years ago, I had used rotary buffers of various types for 35 years or so. Through the years, I've used pneumatic rotaries, singe speed electric, dual speed electric, and variable speed electric. The first time I used a PC, it felt like I was trying to polish paint with a jack-hammer. :D While the Flex still feels somewhat similar to a PC, at least I didn't have to work the paint as long with the Flex. So, I didn't mind it so much.

As for the "1st Batch", I wouldn't worry about that too much, as the Flex has been around Europe for a long time. Actually, with the recent surge in popularity, I'd be more concerned with the next batch.
 
On the subject of "1st batch", Flex as a company is not a newcomer to scene that is trying to quickly put some parts from China and Mexico together. They have been around and they have a reputation. Still, even best companies with long history and reputation do end up being bitten by "V 1.0" syndrome. However, it is my understanding XC 3401 VRG has been sold in Europe for months before it was sold here. It's just that States were not hearing about it. Flex was not sold here until August/September. However, I was investigating info about European units 3+ months before that. I know for fact of purchases in Europe before that. Therefore this can not be considered a first batch.
 
Thanks again Detail Guy. The above picture was done with a rotary, light cut pad and Optimum Hyper Compound ... those are the types of vehicle I use a rotary on and usually everything else gets done via PC (for the most part atleast).
 
budman3 said:
Thanks again Detail Guy. The above picture was done with a rotary, light cut pad and Optimum Hyper Compound ... those are the types of vehicle I use a rotary on and usually everything else gets done via PC (for the most part atleast).
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No problem budman3!

If you can do that kind of work with a rotary, I don't see you having any problems using a Flex.
 
ZoranC said:
On the subject of "1st batch", Flex as a company is not a newcomer to scene that is trying to quickly put some parts from China and Mexico together. They have been around and they have a reputation. Still, even best companies with long history and reputation do end up being bitten by "V 1.0" syndrome. However, it is my understanding XC 3401 VRG has been sold in Europe for months before it was sold here. It's just that States were not hearing about it. Flex was not sold here until August/September. However, I was investigating info about European units 3+ months before that. I know for fact of purchases in Europe before that. Therefore this can not be considered a first batch.
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Zoran,

I'm trying to get in on the "next" batch. Would you call me already???;)
 
Detail_Guy said:
No problem budman3!

If you can do that kind of work with a rotary, I don't see you having any problems using a Flex.
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I'm not really concerned whether or not I'd be able to use the machine, but thinking about others, and whether or not I'd trust someone to use it and be comfortable with it. A lot of my questions were angled to get more useful information about the Flex on the forums other than the 'this machine rocks' posts :). My predicament is whether I should upgrade my rotary or pick up a Flex. If there is a big gap between the two then a rotary may be a better fit for me... but if a Flex can handle the above situation fairly quickly then that would be more attractive. I'll probably end up with both later on down the road though :buffing: :).
 
budman3 said:
I'm not really concerned whether or not I'd be able to use the machine, but thinking about others, and whether or not I'd trust someone to use it and be comfortable with it. A lot of my questions were angled to get more useful information about the Flex on the forums other than the 'this machine rocks' posts :). My predicament is whether I should upgrade my rotary or pick up a Flex. If there is a big gap between the two then a rotary may be a better fit for me... but if a Flex can handle the above situation fairly quickly then that would be more attractive.
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I see two contradicting questions expressed here: one where you are more concerned about others as users and later another one where you are concerned whether Flex will work for you or not. Whichever one it is you are actually trying to find answer on sometimes best way to find answer on whether tool will work for you or not is by going and answering it yourself. You get what you want by going for it. If I was waiting on others to provide me with all answers on Flex we might not have been here talking about Flex at all, nobody was breaking the ice even though tool was available in Europe for months before here. So I just went for it and dove right in head first. What you have to lose by trying it? Very little, maybe $20-ish or so if you decide you do not like it and sell it. What you have to gain? Cutting the chase (which matters when time is money) and getting best possible answer for yourself.
 
ZoranC said:
I see two contradicting questions expressed here: one where you are more concerned about others as users and later another one where you are concerned whether Flex will work for you or not. Whichever one it is you are actually trying to find answer on sometimes best way to find answer on whether tool will work for you or not is by going and answering it yourself. You get what you want by going for it. If I was waiting on others to provide me with all answers on Flex we might not have been here talking about Flex at all, nobody was breaking the ice even though tool was available in Europe for months before here. So I just went for it and dove right in head first. What you have to lose by trying it? Very little, maybe $20-ish or so if you decide you do not like it and sell it. What you have to gain? Cutting the chase (which matters when time is money) and getting best possible answer for yourself.
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Yes I had a few questions - one that could be helpful for others and another to get answers for some of my own questions.

In my point of view there is still little useful information about the Flex ... there isn't a lot of facts on what makes it a great machine or what some of the downsides of the macine are. A lot of hype ("this is a great machine") and not a lot of info. I guess I would like to see more 50/50 shots (under full sun or under halogens... no black cars in the shade) to see what this machine can actually correct. Can it sand 1500, 2000, 3000 grit sanding marks?

What do I have to lose... $290... my stockpile of various pad sizes because there aren't any choices... I'm not detailing full time so the initial hit is a big one... I already have a PC, UDM and rotary... they are on backorder and I want to learn as much about the machine as I can if I ever sink that type of money into one. Stuff like that.
 
budman3 said:
In my point of view there is still little useful information about the Flex ... there isn't a lot of facts on what makes it a great machine or what some of the downsides of the macine are.
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As I said, if you are unhappy with status of the things be the change in the world you want the world to be. Get it and contribute information you would like to see. Or, with jason30513 now having Flex (I think) wait little bit longer till he contributes answers to your questions.

budman3 said:
Can it sand 1500, 2000, 3000 grit sanding marks?
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I think you have then missed my post in which I was talking about person posting "C&B" taking the sanding marks out with it. Also, that is exactly what I was doing last week, taking 1500 grit sanding out of the black hood. It took more time than with rotary but it did it. Based on those results person I was working with (with lifetime more of experience and knowledge than me) felt taking out 2000 grit sanding would not be a headache.

budman3 said:
What do I have to lose... $290...
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Only if you can not find a buyer for it. Realistically it should be in $50 neighborhood and as little as $20 if buyer is local.

Backorder gets in the way only if people procrastrinate.
 
I guess I'll wait for someone else to answer my questions then since I assume you don't have any pictures of the sanding mark removal. I don't understand whats wrong with asking a few questions about a polisher. As I said above (a few times) I would like some answers before I consider a purchase. I don't need another polisher and definitely don't have $300 to dump into a new one at this point in time. I was trying to get some useful info about the Flex on the forum and try to get some questions answered... but I guess that's asking too much from you. So if anyone could show some 50:50 shots under halogens or full sun it'd be greatly appreciated (from many members). Thanks.
 
budman3 said:
I guess I'll wait for someone else to answer my questions then since I assume you don't have any pictures of the sanding mark removal.
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Post I was referring to does have pictures, and one can find them if he invests little effort, unless he wants to be spoon fed. I did not point to ones from sanding done by first person because a) we all know policy about linking to competing sites, b) question has been answered, existance/lack of pictures does not change the value of answer. I did not post mine as I was not taking any. I was not taking any because I was being under NDA due to polish being used while doing that.

Sorry that is not up to your requirements but there is no obligation on anybody to provide any answers meeting requirements or owe any explanations why they haven't done so.

budman3 said:
I don't understand whats wrong with asking a few questions about a polisher.
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Nothing wrong with answering few questions. However, does "waiting on somebody to answer few questions for me" become "waiting on world to do my homework for me, serve it on the silver platter, and illustrate it while they are at it as I accept no less when I have a question, and complaining they haven't done so yet" at certain point and is there anything wrong with that?

"Many members" are not waiting for somebody else to drop everything he might be doing and do 50:50 halogens and full sun just because somebody had a wish, many members do not need that answer because they took matter in their own hands and are out there correcting those 1500 grits already. If many members were waiting Flex would not be sold out and backorder, especially not this quickly. If some of the members were not "go getters" carrying their own weight when needed you and many others would not be even aware of Flex.
 
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shimp said:
TOGWT

Which EU car manufacturers use the Flex?
Where did you learn this info?
Do the car manufacturers have to replace their bp's on the units they use?
How long has the Flex been around?

Thanks
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wanted to bump this up,since it might have been overlooked :)
 
shimp said:
wanted to bump this up,since it might have been overlooked :)
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Thanks shimp. Had a few questions that I wanted to ask also.
What's up with the original BP and a new 5.5" backing plate being shipped to some that have the Flex? Thanks.
Sorry for the hijack questions budman :D
 
Jimmie said:
Thanks shimp. Had a few questions that I wanted to ask also.
What's up with the original BP and a new 5.5" backing plate being shipped to some that have the Flex? Thanks.
Sorry for the hijack questions budman :D
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Not a problem. As I said before I was trying to get some useful information about the Flex on the forum, adding to my questions is perfectly fine... plus that way I don't look like I'm trying to be "spoon fed". Since I created this thread I have read issues concerning CCS pads and burning paint. I'm still not sure I'd let a rookie use this machine...
 
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