Why is the Flex 3401 considered so powerful?

[AV8R]

:iagree:But I still don't like the plastic gears in the plate. It's like buying a pressure washer with plastic fittings instead of brass or stainless steel.

Plastic is probably used not for the reasons you think (to save money). Newer plastics can actually be more robust than metal in an application like a gearset. Plastic gears are quieter, run cooler, weigh a lot less (less rotating mass means more power to the pad) and can be made to outlast brass (which has a bad habit of developing lash very quickly) or stainless (which is also a relatively soft metal). They could have stepped up and used aluminum alloys that are very, very hard and very light, but the costs associated with these are high. Engineering is an art...they may know that the plastic they chose will outlast the motor in the tool so using something better may be false economy.

 

[Rsurfer]

There's a big price difference between the Flex and the PC. The Flex however is a useful tool, while the PC makes a fantastic paper weight.

John

With the more powerful DA's and Meg's 105/205 the DA's are running neck and neck with the flex at a cheaper price. Until then the Flex was King, not anymore.

 

[Rsurfer]

Plastic is probably used not for the reasons you think (to save money). Newer plastics can actually be more robust than metal in an application like a gearset. Plastic gears are quieter, run cooler, weigh a lot less (less rotating mass means more power to the pad) and can be made to outlast brass (which has a bad habit of developing lash very quickly) or stainless (which is also a relatively soft metal). They could have stepped up and used aluminum alloys that are very, very hard and very light, but the costs associated with these are high. Engineering is an art...they may know that the plastic they chose will outlast the motor in the tool so using something better may be false economy.

What you are saying may be true, but I've seen a few broken backing plates.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

If I recall correctly you stopped using yours after a few trys because you said it was too powerfull.

Corey,

I didn't state that it was too powerful. I was talking about the direct result of having a forced rotation machine and it wanting to walk on non-flat panels. The 3401 is a joy to use on flat panels. Anyhow, we wont go there again..haha.

while the PC makes a fantastic paper weight.

John

Not saying I agree or disagree, I just found that statement pretty funny! :laughing:

 

[detailjohn]

With the more powerful DA's and Meg's 105/205 the DA's are running neck and neck with the flex at a cheaper price. Until then the Flex was King, not anymore.

Does the new PC Extra Power model have forced rotation like the flex? I personally use a rotary 99% of the time, but on certain occasions I will use a Cyclo or Flex. I do have an older PC, and haven't tried the new one, but found it takes too long to get any correction work done.


John

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Does the new PC Extra Power model have forced rotation like the flex?

No, the PCXP does not have forced rotation. However, with the newer non diminshing abrasives, DA's are able to obtain correction faster than before. Not comparing a rotary, though.

 

[detailjohn]

No, but with the newer non diminshing abrasives, the newer DA's are able to obtain correction faster than before. Not comparing a rotary, though.

Well of course. I pretty much only use Menzerna products in my shop, and they're all diminishing abrasives, but still find the PC to work slow, and doesn't cut well on hard clearcoats. If you take the time, you can certainly get good results though.

 

[Rsurfer]

Does the new PC Extra Power model have forced rotation like the flex? I personally use a rotary 99% of the time, but on certain occasions I will use a Cyclo or Flex. I do have an older PC, and haven't tried the new one, but found it takes too long to get any correction work done.


John

No they do not. I too use my rotaries most of the time. But my GG has a lot of power. I can bear down and can't stop it from rotating. Huge difference from my old PC.

 

[loudog2]

It only spins at 4800 MAX OPM. Even if you can't make the pad stop spinning, 4800 MAX OPM isn't very impressive. While some of you may want to post the Flex spins at 9600 MAX OPM, it's simply not true. This has been verified independently several times. So, why is the 3401 considered a "beast" of random orbital machines?

Can you post were a link where people tested it not performing up to par? To say it does 9600opm's, then only doing 4800opm's would be false advertisement. Espeacially when every tool shop and detail supply store in the country states it has 9600opm's max. Just curious:xyxthumbs:

 

[CEE DOG]

Plastic is probably used not for the reasons you think (to save money). Newer plastics can actually be more robust than metal in an application like a gearset. Plastic gears are quieter, run cooler, weigh a lot less (less rotating mass means more power to the pad) and can be made to outlast brass (which has a bad habit of developing lash very quickly) or stainless (which is also a relatively soft metal). They could have stepped up and used aluminum alloys that are very, very hard and very light, but the costs associated with these are high. Engineering is an art...they may know that the plastic they chose will outlast the motor in the tool so using something better may be false economy.

Well said
I agree that could be the case which was what I was getting at with "plastics of today as a solution". I was also thinking about the lubrication and cooling system that may have been needed to use a SS plate. In the process of design solving certain challenges can have a dominoe effect on the entire design. It's certainly all speculation on all of our parts since we didn't spend the hundreds of hours working through each of the challenges and solutions as the designers and engineers did.

Aluminum is cheaper then SS but still maybe not the right material for the gear.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Can you post were a link where people tested it not performing up to par? To say it does 9600opm's, then only doing 4800opm's would be false advertisement. Espeacially when every tool shop and detail supply store in the country states it has 9600opm's max. Just curious:xyxthumbs:

PM'ed you. :xyxthumbs:

 

[cadd]

I just bought the 3401 a few weeks ago. It definately has more power of my 7424... Like Harleyguy mentioned..it doesnt bog down when you apply pressure to it. I still like to use my PC on certain panels though, its a little more easy to handle in certain situations

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I also think there is a pretty big price difference too.

Do you have the Festool 150?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

What about the tools are to guys like shoes are to girls analogy?




Seriously, we've had some heated discussion over which tool is best and I think it's safe to say that everyone is going have their own opinion on this topic but if your opinion on this topic is different than someone else's there's no reason to start a wax war over the issue.

That's why I like this article written by one of our forum members on the topic of posting to forums... if you haven't read it yet then take a moment to read through it, it's funny and true.


[Satire]: How to Refrain from Posting


Thanks...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I wanted an explanation about technical questions regarding the Flex 3401. There was no other intention in this thread.

What about the tools are to guys like shoes are to girls analogy?




Seriously, we've had some heated discussion over which tool is best and I think it's safe to say that everyone is going have their own opinion on this topic but if your opinion on this topic is different than someone else's there's no reason to start a wax war over the issue.

That's why I like this article written by one of our forum members on the topic of posting to forums... if you haven't read it yet then take a moment to read through it, it's funny and true.


[Satire]: How to Refrain from Posting


Thanks...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

Just one thing to remember when purchasing a tool. You should look at the quality of the tool maker not how powerful the tool is. Just because it has more power does not mean it is a better tool. The accessories and the operator of said tool is what gets the results and most of all knowledge of what you are doing.

 

[Rsurfer]

Just one thing to remember when purchasing a tool. You should look at the quality of the tool maker not how powerful the tool is. Just because it has more power does not mean it is a better tool. The accessories and the operator of said tool is what gets the results and most of all knowledge of what you are doing.

Mine is made in China by a 12 year old.

 

[DARK HORSE]

Just one thing to remember when purchasing a tool. You should look at the quality of the tool maker not how powerful the tool is. Just because it has more power does not mean it is a better tool. The accessories and the operator of said tool is what gets the results and most of all knowledge of what you are doing.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

[CEE DOG]

What about the tools are to guys like shoes are to girls analogy?




Seriously, we've had some heated discussion over which tool is best and I think it's safe to say that everyone is going have their own opinion on this topic but if your opinion on this topic is different than someone else's there's no reason to start a wax war over the issue.

That's why I like this article written by one of our forum members on the topic of posting to forums... if you haven't read it yet then take a moment to read through it, it's funny and true.
[Satire]: How to Refrain from Posting

Thanks...

:xyxthumbs:

I started to type and then canceled and walked away but the thread continued to call to me. Finally I could no longer resist letting my keyboard find freedom. Mark Pm'ed me and took no offense to my post.

Mine is made in China by a 12 year old.

:laughing: :laughing:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I wanted an explanation about technical questions regarding the Flex 3401. There was no other intention in this thread.

I completely understand, funny how sometimes a thread can go south real fast... rops:

I know you've seen threads go off-topic and get ugly in the past as so have I and I don't mind stepping in and reminding everyone not to loose control of their emotions as well as the forum rules.

I wish I didn't have to ever intervene but to date it seems necessary at times and there's been numerous threads on "power tools" that have required intervention.


Thank you to everyone for understanding and complying with our forum rules.

Forum Rules


:xyxthumbs: