Flex 3401VRG or the New Rupes???

suf420

suf420

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I know the answer but need some reassurance, Mike had suggested I get the flex and I have decided to go ahead but have heard that a new and improved Rupes Big foot is out.

Is it better than the flex, does it also have forced rotation etc?

Any advice would be appreciated.

If going for the Flex I will be getting the Lake Country backing plate adapter so it can take the smaller pads, which are easier to work with and cheaper too!
 
The Rupes Bigfoot isn't forced rotation like the Flex 3401. The Rupes Bigfoot is a random orbital polisher with a 21mm or a 15mm throw.

The new Rupes is the Mark II. It's the same as the original Bigfoots in terms of mechanism but the Mark IIs have added more efficiency to increase pad rotation when you encounter concave surfaces.

IMO, it's just personal preference. There are some people who like the forced rotation nature of the Flex 3401. There are some people who like the smoothness and ease of use of the Rupes Bigfoot. The best thing for you is to go to your local detailing store (if you have one) and try both.

You really can't go wrong with either one.

I myself prefer the Rupes Bigfoot over the Flex 3401. I sold my Flex 3401 to get the Rupes Bigfoot and I'm so glad I did.
 
I have both and the Rupes MKII is significantly more powerful than the 3401 not to mention much smoother.
 
i recently bought the bigfoot mark 2 it is awesome you have the whole system and what rupes really takes care of the people who buy their tools i am glad i own it .
 
Mike any suggestions???


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Zubair said:
I have both and the Rupes MKII is significantly more powerful than the 3401 not to mention much smoother.
Click to expand...

So you are saying more powerful as in you cant stop it as you cant with the FLEX?
 
suf420 said:
I know the answer but need some reassurance, Mike had suggested I get the flex and I have decided to go ahead but have heard that a new and improved Rupes Big foot is out.

Is it better than the flex, does it also have forced rotation etc?

Any advice would be appreciated.

If going for the Flex I will be getting the Lake Country backing plate adapter so it can take the smaller pads, which are easier to work with and cheaper too!
Click to expand...

Of course I am not Mike, but the first question that would be asked is, "What kind of work will you be doing?"

I am a mobile detailer. At one point I had owned the Flex. Sold that to get the new Rupes 15 MKII.

Though the Rupes is great, I ultimately miss having the Flex for the simple fact, as it has been said MANY times, "POWERS THROUGH A DETAIL."

I also mentioned in a different thread how I am actually saving money to get "Flexified"again.

Rupes, because of the NON-forced rotation, requires more "feathering". It is just he nature of the machine. Something that will also be mentioned is, with sufficient time behind the tool (meaning hours using the tool in the real word) you can become a pro with the Rupes.

The honest truth is, I have my days where I say to myself, "O how I love this thing."

MOST days I say to myself, "I MISS THAT GOOD OLE' FLEX!"

— my opinion
—my two cents

HAPPY DETAILING!
 
dcjredline said:
So you are saying more powerful as in you cant stop it as you cant with the FLEX?
Click to expand...

Its a mission to stall it and on the rare occasion it just orbits the correction is still there. Rupes really outdid themselves with these.
 
Dan Tran said:
Of course I am not Mike, but the first question that would be asked is, "What kind of work will you be doing?"

I am a mobile detailer. At one point I had owned the Flex. Sold that to get the new Rupes 15 MKII.

Though the Rupes is great, I ultimately miss having the Flex for the simple fact, as it has been said MANY times, "POWERS THROUGH A DETAIL."

I also mentioned in a different thread how I am actually saving money to get "Flexified"again.

Rupes, because of the NON-forced rotation, requires more "feathering". It is just he nature of the machine. Something that will also be mentioned is, with sufficient time behind the tool (meaning hours using the tool in the real word) you can become a pro with the Rupes.

The honest truth is, I have my days where I say to myself, "O how I love this thing."

MOST days I say to myself, "I MISS THAT GOOD OLE' FLEX!"

— my opinion
—my two cents

HAPPY DETAILING!
Click to expand...

Hi buddy! Well here goes.

I have three cars at home.

1) Audi A8 - Mine.

2) Range Rover Sport (to be prepped and sold by mid September - Replaced by 2016 Audi Q7 - Younger Brothers.

3) Mercedes E220 Convertible - Youngest brothers.

The paint on all cars is oxidised and has swirls, I want achieve maximum paint correction and restore the gloss to 99.99٪‏ (if possible).

I will be getting the following pads and polishes, please feel free to comment and suggest or add/remove items.

266c7208504f06ec39372da5cd05abc1.jpg
92a037cf37fa78844dc1349edefb4809.jpg




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I have the flex and love it. With that being said, I still want a Rupes. I'd use the flex for compounding and correction, and the rupes for polishing, jewling and LSP.
 
Blackdevil77 said:
I have the flex and love it. With that being said, I still want a Rupes. I'd use the flex for compounding and correction, and the rupes for polishing, jewling and LSP.
Click to expand...

The Rupes corrects and finishes better. I have spent enough time behind both. I almost sold my 3401 twice as a result but everytime I use its fun all over again, but the Rupes is way ahead from a technology perspective.
 
Zubair said:
The Rupes corrects and finishes better. I have spent enough time behind both. I almost sold my 3401 twice as a result but everytime I use its fun all over again, but the Rupes is way ahead from a technology perspective.
Click to expand...

Wow, really!? Now I really want one!
 
I just recently purchased a flex
It's more of a Learning curve, not for results, but for controlling it's walking
I've very limited with it right now.
Atm, I love my G21 the most
 
I use my Flex Rotary and Rupes most of the time, the others less and less as I tend to lean toward faster corrections.
 
Zubair said:
I use my Flex Rotary and Rupes most of the time, the others less and less as I tend to lean toward faster corrections.
Click to expand...

Here are the cars and their colours for a better idea.

Apologies for My youngest brother being cheeky in the last one.

c4bfc525c1314aa714e037871af7b44c.jpg
9b6cb50c8947e2b3e23e17628d8f6cf7.jpg
f6139989fa6e14b02ce0e50554be56bf.jpg
ba0ed3fcebfeffbaadcd7481c27284f1.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had both the Flex and Rupes. I sold the Flex after struggling to get good results.

I personally prefer the high pad speed of the Rupes and less need to apply downward pressure. With the right pad and compound combo I can keep up with some rotary guys.
 
Thats the good part about a flex. You dont have to turn up the speed or put alot of pressure. Id bet tilting the Rupes or on an "edge" it will stall. Not the flex. Doesnt matter what surface it is on or if its on edge it will spin and correct. I have never tried a Rupes but after reading alot of it I dont think I need one. I would for sure like to try one just to see what the hype is and just how much better it could POSSIBLY be than my GG6 which could finish out anything the FLEX couldnt (Havent run into that problem yet either)
 
dcjredline said:
Thats the good part about a flex. You dont have to turn up the speed or put alot of pressure. Id bet tilting the Rupes or on an "edge" it will stall. Not the flex. Doesnt matter what surface it is on or if its on edge it will spin and correct. I have never tried a Rupes but after reading alot of it I dont think I need one. I would for sure like to try one just to see what the hype is and just how much better it could POSSIBLY be than my GG6 which could finish out anything the FLEX couldnt (Havent run into that problem yet either)
Click to expand...

Honestly I too feel the same, I have read a lot about both and feel the same about the flex, undisputed and unmatchable in terms of build quality and the fact that it does both the work of a rotary and DA.


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Put a lake country hybrid wool pad + heavy cut compound on the 3401 and it can't do some work!

Put a Meguiars MF cutting pad + heavy cut compound on a long throw and it can do some work!

Did I help? ;)

I have a DAS 15mm and Flex 3401. I use them both.
 
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