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dno916

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Hey there, I've been doing mobile detailing for about a year now and have grown a pretty solid customer base and I'm now looking to step my game up and take it too the next level. Got a van and looking to get the works. My questions..

1. The Rupes LHR 15ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher or the Flex 3401? They seem very similar. Im looking for a workhorse for mostly basic corrections with the occasional mess. (also should a go for a kit with the pads n polishes) Will also be using this for RVs and Boats

2. A product line you would recommend, there are so many options its overwhelming. ive always used the pro line from meguiars but would like to try another brand.

3. I also need a carpet extractor, was looking at a mytee lite. is it worth the price? Are there any alternatives in the $400-$500 range?

Thank you to anyone who can help. Far too many options to decide without some recommendations.

D
 
I am a hobbyist so I will reply with what I know:

I got the flex. Its forced rotation vs. Rupes being random orbital. Forced rotation will never stall.....Big difference IMO

Flex is a workhorse, but not as smooth as the rupes (from what I have read). Flex obliterates defects, but the long throw of Rupes helps a lot. Flex is robust, but rupes can be used one handed on roofs and such. Again all IMO...

I chose the flex as it does the work...but again it comes down to your needs. Flex is a little more user friendly in a way that pads and such are easy to find, not limited because of the long throw, heat etc. Rupes has some pad compatibility issues as you will see in plenty of threads on here as well as heat generated due to those pads and what not.

Have you looked at the Griots G15 /21? Similar to Rupes but an amazing following so far. Amazing "system" with their polishes. Again, pads become an issue from what I have read due to the throw.

In the end, both polishers have their unique following with plenty of supporters so it comes down to what your needs are.

I use meguiars Pro at the moment (and always have) so no opinions there.
 
Right on thank you. Kinda sounds like the flex is more up my alley, the forced rotation seems awesome. basically is doesn't slow down when you apply more pressure?
 
dno916 said:
Right on thank you. Kinda sounds like the flex is more up my alley, the forced rotation seems awesome. basically is doesn't slow down when you apply more pressure?
Click to expand...

Correct. Not just that, but on curved panels where a long throw or any orbital polisher will bog down a flex wont....it really does flex lol.
 
Hobbyist here.... I have the Flex 3401 and a Griots 3" polisher going on 4 years now. If I had a business today I would replace the Griots with the Flex PE8.

As far as product lines go - Menzerna polishes are where I usually land when I lock-in my processes for correcting/prepping a whole vehicle, Wolfgang comes in second, Meguiars 105/205 would typically come in 3rd. If I am touching a car for the first time and the paint is awful, then the goal is usually to get the paint to the next level without spending 40-hours, so I consider less expensive products and use Meguiars UC, D151, Mothers OTC or Duragloss products. Note the next detail is where I will use more premium products for a more finer correction. Klasse AIO is the best polish without abrasives IMO. And lastly, 3D/HD products have an appeal these days. I haven't tried them yet but am interested.

Since you are looking into RV's and Boats then you have Duragloss, McKees, Marine 31 from AGO.

Best of luck!
 
mwoolfso said:
Hobbyist here.... I have the Flex 3401 and a Griots 3" polisher going on 4 years now. If I had a business today I would replace the Griots with the Flex PE8.

As far as product lines go - Menzerna polishes are where I usually land when I lock-in my processes for correcting/prepping a whole vehicle, Wolfgang comes in second, Meguiars 105/205 would typically come in 3rd. If I am touching a car for the first time and the paint is awful, then the goal is usually to get the paint to the next level without spending 40-hours, so I consider less expensive products and use Meguiars UC, D151, Mothers OTC or Duragloss products. Note the next detail is where I will use more premium products for a more finer correction. Klasse AIO is the best polish without abrasives IMO. And lastly, 3D/HD products have an appeal these days. I haven't tried them yet but am interested.

Since you are looking into RV's and Boats then you have Duragloss, McKees, Marine 31 from AGO.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Not to detract. Klasse is raved about a lot, but without abrasives how does it correct minor swirls etc? I picked up HD Speed as my AIO and hope to try it soon.
 
dno916 said:
Hey there, I've been doing mobile detailing for about a year now and have grown a pretty solid customer base and I'm now looking to step my game up and take it too the next level. Got a van and looking to get the works. My questions..

1. The Rupes LHR 15ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher or the Flex 3401? They seem very similar. Im looking for a workhorse for mostly basic corrections with the occasional mess. (also should a go for a kit with the pads n polishes) Will also be using this for RVs and Boats

2. A product line you would recommend, there are so many options its overwhelming. ive always used the pro line from meguiars but would like to try another brand.

3. I also need a carpet extractor, was looking at a mytee lite. is it worth the price? Are there any alternatives in the $400-$500 range?

Thank you to anyone who can help. Far too many options to decide without some recommendations.

D
Click to expand...
3401 you can't go wrong.when it comes to boats and rv there is no solo product that will polish all.Different levels of oxidation or just flat out Sheetrock look,means zero gloss or reflection.I tweak my polishes to get the desired finish I'm looking for that I'm being compensated for.menzerna product line will cover that area.look around for a used extractor on eBay or a janitorial site etc,or even craigslist.I bought a used thermax super cheap 8 years ago and still have it.cost me 240.00 to put a new motor in it last year that's it.good luck
 
Flex & HD products for vehicles. I currently use products on my boat not sold here so I can't say which. I did get some marine 31 samples but haven't had a chance to try them yet. Most of the house products are pretty good from what I've read from other forum members. If you like the results from Meguires,why change. You are already familiar with the products.
 
Currently using the G21 and had the Rupes previously. I've also worked with the flex as well. Don't know how serious you are, but one thing I can add between forced rotation and free spinning da is that with a flex, your consistently fighting the machine. Towards the end of the day, you will definitely feel beat. The g21 is extremely smooth. Also, I don't get stalls on curved panels, if anything I get slower pad rotation. With proper adjustment of the polisher you can maintain pad rotation while polishing away the swirls.
 
I have Rupes LHR15, Duetto, Mini, Griot's G21 and have never considered a Flex. Probably never will. I prefer the smoothness of these machines vs. forced rotation. It's really a personal preference. Maybe eventually you get both a large throw and a Flex?
 
usmcpab said:
Currently using the G21 and had the Rupes previously. I've also worked with the flex as well. Don't know how serious you are, but one thing I can add between forced rotation and free spinning da is that with a flex, your consistently fighting the machine. Towards the end of the day, you will definitely feel beat. The g21 is extremely smooth. Also, I don't get stalls on curved panels, if anything I get slower pad rotation. With proper adjustment of the polisher you can maintain pad rotation while polishing away the swirls.
Click to expand...

How do you like the g21 compared to the rupes?
 
Whitewater25 said:
Flex & HD products for vehicles. I currently use products on my boat not sold here so I can't say which. I did get some marine 31 samples but haven't had a chance to try them yet. Most of the house products are pretty good from what I've read from other forum members. If you like the results from Meguires,why change. You are already familiar with the products.
Click to expand...

Jomax said:
How do you like the g21 compared to the rupes?
Click to expand...

There's a lot of features I love about the G21 that the Rupes doesn't have. Instant start, variable trigger, so you can control speed with the trigger, the ergonomics, I can actually lock the trigger even though I'm left handed,, and most importantly, the system. The Boss system is awesome. I stared with the Rupes 21 mkii but that was stolen. Honestly, a part of me is happy it was stolen, because I never would have tried the G21 and the system. A part of me want to pick up a Rupes again, but I think I may just pick up another g21 again.
 
usmcpab said:
There's a lot of features I love about the G21 that the Rupes doesn't have. Instant start, variable trigger, so you can control speed with the trigger, the ergonomics, I can actually lock the trigger even though I'm left handed,, and most importantly, the system. The Boss system is awesome. I stared with the Rupes 21 mkii but that was stolen. Honestly, a part of me is happy it was stolen, because I never would have tried the G21 and the system. A part of me want to pick up a Rupes again, but I think I may just pick up another g21 again.
Click to expand...

Dude, I'm glad you like it.👍🏽
And like I told you in a previous convo, if I had a chance to do it over I'd stick with my purchase of the G21.. There was a time when I didn't think I'd see it that way, but I'm glad things ended up the way they did.:)
 
I like the Griot's BOSS Correcting Cream. Cuts nice and finishes nice. I have also read on here that the BOSS Fast Correcting Cream is excellent. Besides the HD line (HD Poxy is great), you might also want to try the Four Star Ultimate Paint Correction sealant - seems to go a long way, and is extremely easy to apply and remove.
 
Love my Flex 3401. Powers through anything and I love the fact that it won't stop rotating. Makes it great for bumpers, and any curved surface.
 
Appreciate all the different input. Still kind of stuck, sound like they both have their different pros and cons. Either way will be a massive upgrade from what I'm currently using.
 
GSKR said:
3401 you can't go wrong.when it comes to boats and rv there is no solo product that will polish all.Different levels of oxidation or just flat out Sheetrock look,means zero gloss or reflection.I tweak my polishes to get the desired finish I'm looking for that I'm being compensated for.menzerna product line will cover that area.look around for a used extractor on eBay or a janitorial site etc,or even craigslist.I bought a used thermax super cheap 8 years ago and still have it.cost me 240.00 to put a new motor in it last year that's it.good luck
Click to expand...


I love the meguiars marine rv cleaner wax, ive had great consistant results from that. Ive never actually done a two step polish then wax. How does it turn out? What do you typically charge?
 
usmcpab said:
There's a lot of features I love about the G21 that the Rupes doesn't have. Instant start, variable trigger, so you can control speed with the trigger, the ergonomics, I can actually lock the trigger even though I'm left handed,, and most importantly, the system. The Boss system is awesome. I stared with the Rupes 21 mkii but that was stolen. Honestly, a part of me is happy it was stolen, because I never would have tried the G21 and the system. A part of me want to pick up a Rupes again, but I think I may just pick up another g21 again.
Click to expand...

That variable trigger sounds awesome, I'm going to check this one out a little more.
 
Eldorado2k said:
Dude, I'm glad you like it.����
And like I told you in a previous convo, if I had a chance to do it over I'd stick with my purchase of the G21.. There was a time when I didn't think I'd see it that way, but I'm glad things ended up the way they did.:)
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm glad I picked it up, especially wth the ergonomics.
 
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