Looking to buy first rotary.. Need help

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Lots of info in this post no matter which rotary buffer you get...

My vote goes with the Flex PE14



From page 3 of this thread,

Bumblebee - Testing out the NEW DeWALT DWP849X


Opinion/Personal Preference - Flex PE14

Both are excellent tools though and you can't go wrong with either one.

Buffing out a special interest vehicle like this because of its size and large smooth panels gave me a really good feel for both rotary buffers. I put the paint through three machine processes, doing a half side of the car with each rotary buffer.

While both tools worked exceedingly well, after hours of holding both tools and working 3 different products, my personal preference at least for the type of polishing I was doing to this car would be for the Flex PE14. In fact by the time I got to the Jewelling step I finished off most of the car using the Flex rotary buffer.

I preferred the lighter weight and more compact size of the Flex to the DeWALT, especially when I was working around the pinstripes, raised or hard body lines and thin panels. I used both rotary buffers without handles.

Rotary Buffer steps completed...

• Compounding: 6.5" CS Orange Cutting Pad with Optimum Compound II at 1000 RPM
• Polishing: 6.5" CS White Polishing Pads with Optimum Polish II at 1000 RPM
• Jewelling: 6.5" CS Red Finishing Pads with Optimum Finish at 600 RPM

Resuts...

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Very nice review Mike. That Flex sure does have plenty of good things going for it. The only real negative seems to be the high initial cost.

Quality never costs money it makes money...

The one remaining unanswered question I have is, can it be used for high volume paint correction work? The DeWalt looks heavy duty, like it was made for high volume work. Can the same be said of the Flex?

According to Flex the answer is yes. They state that up to an 8" diameter pad can be used with the Flex PE14 but I prefer to stay a little smaller especially for wool pads.

More reciprocating mass creates more torque
My personal thoughts are that if you're going to be buffing out sanding marks all day long or removing oxidation from large boats all day long that a full size rotary buffer would be a better choice. The gears are bigger in size as are the rest of the components in a full size rotary buffer and I think having more reciprocating mass creates more torque and this is something you would want if you're going to be doing heavy compounding and polishing with full size pads, (8" and larger), 6 days a week.

It does look beautiful indeed. No way i could swing that kinda cash for a rotary right now but its nice to have some input as to a comparison of the 2 polishers.

Quick question...what major differences do you see between the PE and the 3403 flex rotary?

First major difference is the new Flex PE14 has the design that flushes the tool with air to help the tool run cooler.

More information and a video on this page,

The New FLEX PE14-2-150 Rotary Buffer

Also to those who were interested in the 3" pads...AG does sell some...they are made by Griots...of course!

Correct and these work well too. You can see them in action here,

Pictures + Video of 1932 Ford Highboy Extreme Makeover

The 3" pads I'm using are some prototypes...

I must say that detailing cart looks super sweet....another wish list item...grrr....i wont buy it till i finally have a stationary place to do my detailing...too bulky for mobile detailing..im 25..i can still lean over to clean my pads LOL.

The cart is nice, it makes using the pad washer a lot easier plus gives you plenty of storage space for other related tools.


After about 6 hours of running both rotary buffers here's what I think, the new DeWALT is a great rotary buffer especially for the price. The 600 RPM low range is the most valuable feature. I also really like the rubber bumpers on the back side that enable you to set it down on a polished fender or hood without scratching the paint.

Apples to Oranges
Comparing the Flex PE14 to any of the full size DeWALT rotary buffers, or the Makita, or any other brand of full size rotary buffers is like comparing apples to oranges in that the Flex PE14 is a true compact rotary buffer and falls into the Compact Size category, while the DeWALT DWP849X falls into the Full Size category for rotary buffers.


Makita 9227C vs DeWALT DWP849X
A better comparison would be to compare the Makita 9227C with the DeWALT DWP849X as they are much more similar and my guess is that DeWALT introduced this new model to compete against the Makita rotary buffer. Both of these buffers, the Makita or the DeWALT would be great choices. I've always been a fan of Makita rotary buffers if for no other reason because I used one for years until it finally wore out having purchased it new in 1988.


The best of both worlds
In a perfect world a person would have at least two rotary buffers, a full size working dog for doing all of the grunt work and a compact, light-weight rotary buffer for when you need to dosurgical precision work. This way you can use the one that best fits the job at hand.


The compact size and low weight of the Flex PE14 plus the 600 RPM range are the features I'm most attracted to. It's light weight and small size make it really easy to control when doing intricate work. Perhaps we'll see the introduction of other compact, lightweight rotary buffers into the future.

After the compounding the upper half of the 1949 Sedan Delivery, I just switched over to the Flex PE14 due to the light weight and compact size features. I could have used either for the rest of the job by my preference was for the easiest tool to work with as this streetrod has a lot of real-estate to buff.


Here's some pictures to show relative sizes...

The two Flex rotary buffers on the left are in the Compact category while the other 4 rotary buffers are in the Full Size category. Comparing the compacts with the full size rotary buffers can be done but it trends towards the comparing applies to oranges analogy as in person and in use you can tell right away when you switch from a full size to a compact or visa-versa.

The new DeWALT DWP849X is wider and more bulky like the other full size rotary buffers in these pictures.

You can that the Flex is more narrow from top to bottom...

:buffing:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Rotary Buffer Talk with Bob Eichelberg from Flex Tools


Bob Eichelberg, the President of Flex Power Tools North America, stopped by Autogeek today for a meeting and after his meeting I asked him if he had some time to talk shop about rotary buffers and he politely said "yes"

Yesterday I had all the rotary buffers out to show comparative size for this thread...

So while all the rotary buffers were still out we spent some time talking about some of the differences between Flex power tools and the others you see on the work bench.

One of the things we did was one-by-one, turn each rotary buffer on, set the RPM to the lowest setting and then listen to each one as it was running.

Bob pointed out the lack of grinding noise with the Flex PE14, so I asked him why the difference?

He said the noise comes from the gears as they mesh together while the tool is running. The gears used in Flex power tools, (all their tools), are each hand ground by machine and then heat treated to strict tolerances. These extra steps,

• Reduce noise so the tool runs quieter
• Reduce wear-n-tear for increased working life

He also pointed out that Flex Polishers are designed and engineered specifically for automotive paint polishing instead of using a Global Manufacturing Process, which means the tools are designed for multiple applications, such as,

• Steel grinding, sanding and cutting
• Concrete grinding and cutting
• Polishing paint

The Global Manufacturing Process is a one-size fits all approach so that one tool design can be marketed into multiple industries.


Bob said this is key difference that separates Flex Power Tools from others plus all Flex power tools are designed and manufactured in Germany with a 90 year reputation of German engineering quality.

I also asked him about using the PE14 in the same manner that a person would use a full-size rotary buffer, that is with a full size wool pad doing heavy cutting all day long and he said "yes".


Thought I would share our shop talk from today with all my forum friends and to be fair and balanced, anytime a representative, or even the President of any of the other companies for the tools we carry wants to stop by and talk shop the door is always open. Have never heard anything from Makita, or DeWALT, or 3M etc.

Bob Eichelberg from Flex is in this for the long run and he's always involved in our collective paint polishing world.