Bob Eichelberg and the staff at Flex Power Tools in German were so kind as to let me test out their prototype FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher.
I've been using rotary buffers since the 1970's and that's long enough to know how my way around a rotary buffer. The rotary buffer is the most powerful tool in the industry when it comes to machine polishing paint. Guys always ask me,
"What's the best tool?"
My answer is always the same,
"There's no one best tool for all jobs... there's the best tool for specific jobs."
And this is why you should never limit yourself to a single polisher. In the same way a Master Mechanic has a roll-around tool cabinet with drawer after drawer of clean, shiny tools, each with a specific function and duty, so should any accomplished detailer have more than a single polisher.
The right tool for the job
There are a number of specific tasks that the rotary buffer is best suited for including,
• Removing sanding marks after wet sanding a custom paint job or after collision work.
• Removing serious and deep below surface paint defects for older neglected cars.
• Removing deep swirls after an aggressive compounding step.
• Removing serious oxidation from both automotive paints and marine gel-coats.
Full size rotary buffers
For the above types of tasks, a large buffing pad, 7” or larger is best suited as in most cases you’ll be buffing large sections of paint that make up large body panels or the hulls for marine craft.
Compact, lightweight rotary polishers
When it comes to buffing along raised body lines, panel edges, thin panels and intricate areas or curves, large full size rotary buffers are to big, heavy, clumsy and awkward and large pads are too big for these areas and increase the risk of burning through the paint.
Other Applications for a lightweight, compact rotary polisher,
• Headlight Restoration
• Motorcycle Detailing
• Marine craft Detailing
The solution?
A small, lightweight and compact body design for a rotary polisher.
The tool?
The FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher is Flex’s answer for precision and surgical buffing. The FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher makes buffing the more delicate areas safer and easier.
Flex Lightweight 3" Rotary Polisher - Model PE8-4 80
• 7.6 Amp Motor
• Variable Speed with a range of 1300rpm to 3900rpm
Small size + small pads = Easy to control
Because you only use 3” diameter buffing pads with this compact rotary buffer it’s incredibly easy to control even when buffing along the edge of a panel like the hood or trunk lid, or for buffing up and down the a-pillars around the windshield or around the curves of the window frame.
Plenty of power
The Flex engineered and Flex built electrical motor is built for power and reliability. Like all German-built Flex tools every component and every process is monitored under the strictest process controls to the tightest and highest specification for longevity and performance in the world when compared to their counterparts in the industry. The motor and gear-driven drive mechanism are designed for a maximum pad size of 3" and as long as you stay within the 3” pad size limit there’s no end to what you can polish with the FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher.
Lightweight
The FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher weighs in at only 4 pounds and this lightweight feature means it wont tire you out while your buffing or fatigue your muscles during use and this further reduces any chance of risk when buffing tight, intricate areas, panels or components. With a bulky, full-size tool you spend way too much time simply man-handling the tool and this takes your focus away from the task at hand and reduces your ability to work with precision control.
Compact body design – Less is more
I personally cannot stress how important a small, compact size body is when buffing intricate shapes, tight areas, thin panels or small components. It’s the perfect example where less is more as in less bulk gives you maximum control in both your view of the area being buffed as well as the great access ability for buffing in tight areas.
Quiet Operation
I’ve been buffing out cars for decades now and with most tools not only can you not hear the radio but must wear ear protection or risk damaging your hearing. The FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisher is as quiet as you can get when it comes to a rotary or circular polisher. Part of the reason is less mass due to the smaller, more compact design of the internal drive components. The other reason goes directly back to precision German engineering and manufacturing of all the moving parts including the gears. The gears of the FLEX PE8 Kompakt Rotary Polisherare stainless steel for long life and rust resistance. They are also machined to exact tolerances which means perfect meshing of the gear teeth together under operation, both load and no-load operation. Most other rotary buffers use gears that are stamped using high production, low quality processes and you can hear the difference via the grinding or growling of the gears.
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