Will Flex 3401 burn paint?

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fotomatt1

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I'm just curious, since the Flex 3401 is forced rotation unlike the Rupes Bigfoot or PC7424XP, can it burn paint if you're not extremely careful, or is it still much safer than a true rotary machine? I currently have an original PC7424 and am probably ready to upgrade.
 
Due to the forced rotation (regardless of load or pad contact) the answer is yes!
 
So as a non-professional, am I better off to go with a Rupes Bigfoot?
 
To add you can burn paint with any machine when there is enough heat allowed to be generated in a fixed spot.

Will it take the same amount of time as a rotary? No.
 
As long as you pay attention to what is going on, you will not burn paint. This machine is still a DA although forced rotation.
 
I was pretty much set on the 3401 when I read a few comments about people not liking forced rotation, which seems to be an either love or hate feature. I'm completely confused about which machine to go with. I'll probably wait on either until there's another no-exclusions sale, but I'm not really sure how to decide.
 
So if you're not a professional what are you seeking to gain by upgrading your polisher? There is very little you can't do with your PC given the proper pads and backing plate it will just generally take more time.
 
Before the Rupes was introduced, the Flex 3401 was king. Nothing really compared to the Flex for years. As you can imagine there are thousands of Flex 3401 owners. I for one do not care for the forced rotation. Are you detailing for money or just a hobbyist?
 
Rsurfer said:
Before the Rupes was introduced, the Flex 3401 was king. Nothing really compared to the Flex for years. As you can imagine there are thousands of Flex 3401 owners. I for one do not care for the forced rotation. Are you detailing for money or just a hobbyist?
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I'm just a hobbyist. My family has three cars (two of which live outside), and I try to keep them looking good all the time....difficult in the Northeast. The PC takes me forever, and it's an original...not an XP. The pad stops spinning even at a slight angle....it doesn't have very much power at all. Autogeek suggested I upgrade at some point and told me to look at both the Rupes and Flex. They're both nice machines in similar price ranges, so I'm not really sure what to do.
 
Flex 3401 is king on curves and when you need to put on edge. Pad rotation does not stop even when you put a heavy load on it. Excellent cross over DA from automotive paint to gel coat. It is rough on the forearm when working with flat pads and will walk

Rupes is king on flat surfaces. It is smoother and lot less vibration. Will stop rotating if put on edge and/or not on a perfectly flat surface. It does do well on as a cross over DA but on gel coat where you need a little more down pressure the rotation of the pad will stop.

Hobbiest with no money concerns I would go for the Rupes. For more "production" power I would go for the Flex. I have both and I use them interchangeably depending on what I need.
 
fotomatt1 said:
I'm just a hobbyist. My family has three cars (two of which live outside), and I try to keep them looking good all the time....difficult in the Northeast. The PC takes me forever, and it's an original...not an XP. The pad stops spinning even at a slight angle....it doesn't have very much power at all. Autogeek suggested I upgrade at some point and told me to look at both the Rupes and Flex. They're both nice machines in similar price ranges, so I'm not really sure what to do.
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Having only 3 cars to take care of and I'm sure they are in decent condition being that you do own a PC.. I would get a Griot's 6" DA and some micro fiber pads. You can experiment with different compounds/polishes to see what works best for you.
 
Dr_Pain said:
Flex 3401 is king on curves and when you need to put on edge. Pad rotation does not stop even when you put a heavy load on it. Excellent cross over DA from automotive paint to gel coat. It is rough on the forearm when working with flat pads and will walk

Rupes is king on flat surfaces. It is smoother and lot less vibration. Will stop rotating if put on edge and/or not on a perfectly flat surface. It does do well on as a cross over DA but on gel coat where you need a little more down pressure the rotation of the pad will stop.

Hobbiest with no money concerns I would go for the Rupes. For more "production" power I would go for the Flex. I have both and I use them interchangeably depending on what I need.
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What about the size of the pads (or lack of options) for the Rupes? The car I detail most is a Mini Cooper S. The hood is very curvy, and I feel like smaller pads might be easier. It doesn't seem like there are many pad options out there for the Rupes if you have to use their own system. Can you use LC pads on the Rupes?
 
If paint is thin... like on a raised body line where other detailers have buffed and they were NOT careful... you can burn through simply by polishing by hand....


The rotary buffer is the most common culprit for burning through paint and it's normally on edges, corners and raised body lines.

You can burn through with any tool including a pad attached to a drill, it just depends on all the usual suspect factors like,

  • Type of pad
  • Thin paint to start with
  • Type of compound or polish
  • Downward pressure
  • Time

:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
If paint is thin... like on a raised body line where other detailers have buffed and they were NOT careful... you can burn through simply by polishing by hand....


The rotary buffer is the most common culprit for burning through paint and it's normally on edges, corners and raised body lines.

You can burn through with any tool including a pad attached to a drill, it just depends on all the usual suspect factors like,

  • Type of pad
  • Thin paint to start with
  • Type of compound or polish
  • Downward pressure
  • Time

:)
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If you had to choose a machine for a hobbyist, would it be the Rupes 15, 21 or the Flex 3401?
 
fotomatt1 said:
If you had to choose a machine for a hobbyist, would it be the Rupes 15, 21 or the Flex 3401?
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if you're a enthusiast then the GG6 with a variety of different backing plate and pads will work just fine. if you want to step it up and buy a DA with more power but can also be fitted with different backing plate and pads also then get the flex 3401 which has forced rotation...
 
On a test panel a few years ago, I went thru SS paint (no cc) rather quickly using the F3401.

I've been using the PC7336SP for over 10 years now and it still works for my needs. Never ever came close to strike-thru. But the day of an upgrade is coming soon for me.

I would look at the Rupes, the XP, the GG, the Megs. I know which one I would go with.

Ask yourself who your clients are and if you have no clients and are just a hobbyist then what cars and paint condition do you primarily work on before making a choice.
 
jmsc said:
On a test panel a few years ago, I went thru SS paint (no cc) rather quickly using the F3401.

I've been using the PC7336SP for over 10 years now and it still works for my needs. Never ever came close to strike-thru. But the day of an upgrade is coming soon for me.

I would look at the Rupes, the XP, the GG, the Megs. I know which one I would go with.

Ask yourself who your clients are and if you have no clients and are just a hobbyist then what cars and paint condition do you primarily work on before making a choice.
Click to expand...

The car I detail most is a 2013 Mini Cooper S that's only been clayed, cleaned sealed by hand once. It's not a daily driver and lives in a garage. My other two cars are both less than 2 years old, but they're not garaged and are daily drivers. They both need a pretty good correction.

I just ordered a bunch of CCS pads to clean and seal the Mini again before the winter with my 7424 and get a little more involved with my Subaru and Jeep.

My only concern with the Rupes is that you're relatively limited on size and variety of pads.
 
I'm a hobbyist who progressed from PC7424 to Flex 3401 to Flex 14-2. I use all for different reasons, but my "workhorse" is the Flex 3401. With dual action & forced rotation, the Flex 3401 provides the safety (dual action) & power (forced rotation) to finish 99% jobs safely and much faster than dual action alone.
 
For 3 cars, I suggest a GG6 with the addition of a 3.5 inch backing plate or a Rupes 15. The GG6 will probably give you more bang for the buck.

I love the GG6, but it was too bulky for my hands and the vibration I felt was something I would rather avoid.

I use the Rupes 15 for both my cars and the GG6 with the 3.5 inch plate for smaller areas.

I love having both.

My vote for you is for the GG6, however. Plus, the GG6 has a life long warranty and Griot's Garage is typically VERY good about warranty returns. Rupes - 1 year.

The pads for the Rupes are a little more limited, but for the hobbyist, how many do you really need? I've found all the Rupes pads to work well as well as the Optimum MF pads and Rupes MF pads. Plus, Lake Country is now coming out with some pads for the Rupes.
 
If all you do is your own cars, then you shouldn't be doing paint correction often, anyway. So getting the job done faster only applies to the few times you will (should) ever do correction. Keep that in mind.
 
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