Flex or Rupes?

3401 all day
Rupes sux on bumpers and contours

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MajinAl said:
3401 all day
Rupes sux on bumpers and contours

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Man I dont understand why some ppl have so many problems on curved surfaces. Mine works great. Ppl need to remember u dont have to use hardly any pressure. Sure if your pushing on it hard on curved surfaces it will bog down but its not neede.
 
68bowtie said:
Man I dont understand why some ppl have so many problems on curved surfaces. Mine works great. Ppl need to remember u dont have to use hardly any pressure. Sure if your pushing on it hard on curved surfaces it will bog down but its not neede.
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:iagree:

I see this all the time but I have never had one problem on a curved panel.
 
68bowtie said:
Man I dont understand why some ppl have so many problems on curved surfaces. Mine works great. Ppl need to remember u dont have to use hardly any pressure. Sure if your pushing on it hard on curved surfaces it will bog down but its not neede.
Click to expand...

And I don't understand how people say there's a learning curve needed to use the flex.


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The thing with the Rupes is, you are talking about 2 different machines. The 15 would be better for curved panels, just because of the size of the pad, smaller stroke, and the lower mass of the pad the 500w motor has to spin.

While the 21 can handle more ground quicker, its big pads and large stroke primarily are for flat areas.

I still wish they had smaller BPs for the 15 available.
 
swanicyouth said:
The thing with the Rupes is, you are talking about 2 different machines. The 15 would be better for curved panels, just because of the size of the pad, smaller stroke, and the lower mass of the pad the 500w motor has to spin.

While the 21 can handle more ground quicker, its big pads and large stroke primarily are for flat areas.

I still wish they had smaller BPs for the 15 available.
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And that is exactly what I'm talking about. I have a 21 with a 5bp and even though there 5.5 pads the throw will smack the grill and or the trunk.


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i would wait till after SEMA and see if there's anything new coming out and decide then. who knows, maybe Flex will come out with a DA with 25mm throw... :D
 
MajinAl said:
3401 all day
Rupes sux on bumpers and contours

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Click to expand...

MajinAl said:
And I don't understand how people say there's a learning curve needed to use the flex.


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This.

Though, I really can't talk smack because I will be getting the Rupes TA50 and 3" Bigfoot.
 
parttimer said:
Just got a notice of a coupon and it includes polishers so I am debating on picking up another to add to my arsenal. I currently have a GG with a 6" backing, I have two HF with a 2 7/8" and 5" plates. Wondering if I should get a Rupes or Flex DA? I have a myriad of 6.5" pads which I think would work on the Flex if I am not mistaken. Or I can get the multi plate job for the Flex and have all three sizes there. I'm ok with having to get new pads if needed. If you could buy one tomorrow and don't have either which would you get? The cars I work on are usually in bad shape and need a good heavy cut before polish.
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Call Kevin Brown at buffdaddy.com and talk to him about the pros and cons of both. If anyone knows what they are talking about, its him.
 
If you have lots if 6.5" pads then go with the Rupes. You can add the smaller BP if you want smaller pads. You will great cut with the Meg's MF pads and the Rupes.
 
Evan.J said:
If you have lots if 6.5" pads then go with the Rupes. You can add the smaller BP if you want smaller pads. You will great cut with the Meg's MF pads and the Rupes.
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I know the 21 was designed for 6.5 but I still dont like how the feel of it and I honestly don't believe a DA is strong enough for such a huge pad. 6.5 would work on the flex cause of the forced rotation

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For everyone reading this, here's a write-up I did after letting one of our forum members come to Autogeek's Show Car Garage and testing out both the Rupes and the Flex 3401 in optimized states.

It's a good read all the way through and the forum members posts his take.


Rupes 21 & Flex 3401 Comparison + Detailer's Paint Coating

1932_Ford_Phaeton_074.jpg


1932_Ford_Phaeton_091.jpg





Different strokes for different folks...
Also, just the opposite, after my last detailing boot camp class a Father Son team flew here from Seattle, Washington and after using the Rupes polishers on a 1987 Buick Grand National, they bought two Rupes polishers.

You can see pictures of the Grand National that everyone learned how to use the Rupes polishers on and the 1940 Chevy that everyone learned how to use the Flex 3401 on in the thread below.

1987 Grand National

Andrea_Marco_Mike_03.jpg



Andreas from Rupes using the Flex 3401 on a 1940 Chevy Sedan

Andrea_Marco_Mike_11.jpg



Marco from Rupes, the man himself demonstrating the Rupes Bigfoot polisher for my class, pretty cool huh?

Andrea_Marco_Mike_07.jpg




Just goes to show... there is no single perfect tool for everyone. In the same way some people gravitate towards a Toyota other people gravitate towards a Ford and son on...


And that's one thing I like about the classes I teach here at Autogeek and that's everyone gets to get hands-on training with all the various tools and then they can make up their mind from real world experience.


At my upcoming class at the end of this month, I'm bringing in a 1964 Chevrolet El Camino for the Rupes Bigfoot polishers...

1964_El_Camino_002.jpg




And for the Flex 3401 my class will be working on a 1959 Dodge Royal.

1958_Dodge_Royal_01.jpg





Pretty cool cars and lots of buffing time to really get a feel for the tools.


:)
 
MajinAl said:
I know the 21 was designed for 6.5 but I still dont like how the feel of it and I honestly don't believe a DA is strong enough for such a huge pad. 6.5 would work on the flex cause of the forced rotation

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I have used the LC Hydro tech pads, Rupes pads, BnS MF, and Meg's MF and I have yet to have any issues with the pad spinning or any lose of correction.

I do understand where you are coming from though. On my flex I use the 5" hybrid pads exclusively and I have found that to be a perfect match for the flex.
 
Evan.J said:
I have used the LC Hydro tech pads, Rupes pads, BnS MF, and Meg's MF and I have yet to have any issues with the pad spinning or any lose of correction.

I do understand where you are coming from though. On my flex I use the 5" hybrid pads exclusively and I have found that to be a perfect match for the flex.
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Don't get me wrong i use megs 6.5 mf cutting disc on my 21 but I dont like the way the b n s 6.5 pads feel on the 21.
I haven't tried lc 6.5 pads on there and have no interest either. I use them on my pe14
And yes my 3401 is exclusive with the hybrid pads as well


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MajinAl said:
Don't get me wrong i use megs 6.5 mf cutting disc on my 21 but I dont like the way the b n s 6.5 pads feel on the 21.
I haven't tried lc 6.5 pads on there and have no interest either. I use them on my pe14
And yes my 3401 is exclusive with the hybrid pads as well


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I will agree they do have a weird feel to them and I believe its do to the thickness of the foam on the pad.
 
Evan.J said:
I will agree they do have a weird feel to them and I believe its do to the thickness of the foam on the pad.
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Even the b n s mf cutting disc cause of the thick foam pad in between gave it that similar feel. Thats the reason I ended up nit liking them

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