Flex vs Rupes?

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boostedmoose003

New member
I am in the market for a new polisher and have been leaning towards the Flex 3401 but have recently seen people talking about the Rupes Bigfoot. I haven't found anything on here about the Rupes unless I missed something. What are the advantages/disadvantages of each compared to one another
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Bump, I'd definitely like to learn more about the comparison of these two. I currently have the G110 v2 and while it's great for finishing it seems like the cut leaves something to be desired, even with the smaller 5" pads. I'm wanting to do more "production" detailing using a nice finishing AIO like meg100 and think either of these two would be my tool of choice. There's a great video of the Rupes in action in the meg100 thread, not sure how to repost it here.

mjlinane said:
Garry has a great review: 2001 Porsche Boxter 2 step paint correction Meguiars M100 D300 Garry Dean Wash Method Detailing Tampa, FL high end Rupes microfiber Infinite Use Detail Juice eco car wash waterless rinseless HD Polish - YouTube



I'll be buying some in the relatively near future.
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Here is a video of the Rupes in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeCTwW76QXI

Paul Dalton (Miracle Detail) has some great videos on Youtube, too.

I think I have posted elsewhere that both are quality machines. If your background is DA and, especially if you like MF pads, Rupes may be the machine for you. If rotary is your thing, then maybe the Flex.

Sometime in the near future, I am planning on conducting a shootout between them. I will just need to use the Flex first. Because, if you get Rupes, it is hard to go back. ;)
 
There is quite a bit of info about the Rupes on another website from the man who first brought them to the US--Kevin Brown. Including technical explanations on why the large orbit is so benificial.

From what I've read everyone who has purchased one is extremely happy with the performance of the Rupes and many pros are saying it will be their go to tool. It seems the only unanswered question is long term reliability.
 
Very simple, after 13 years in the high end detailing business , this is the best thing I have purchased. It just makes the products work better.
You will see them soon available here and ag, I am sure.
 
I've got a question that may play into the whole decision making process. How about pad sizes and compatibility? I'm assuming most people are using the larger LHR21ES which if my conversions are correct is set up for a 6" pad. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Can you only use their pads or will all hook and loop pads work? Also what about changing backing plates and pad sizes? Just had a couple questions while researching and figured this would be the best place to get answers. And on a side note, that little small pneumatic polisher looks legit!

Also, here's a video I found informative. I believe they compare it to a PC, so I don't know if it's the best comparison but good info either way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQnddU1nuQc
 
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No one has more experience and knowledge of the Rupes than Kevin Brown. You can post your question on the website where he is a partial sponsor and he will respond or you can even email him and he will respond.
 
The stock BP that comes with the 21 fits 6" pads. The BP for the 15 fits 5" pads and does fit on the 21. It is available from Kevin.
 
I think no matter what forum you're on - Kevin Brown is VERY respected and a leader in all things related to detailing. Now, I'm an old guy with a short attention span, I get kinda lost reading all the stuff Kevin writes, it's like - hey man, I'll take your word for it! But, if you want to know how a watch works and not just what time it is - then I'd suggest reading his articles, they're just above my head!
 
Lou Bunn said:
I think no matter what forum you're on - Kevin Brown is VERY respected and a leader in all things related to detailing. Now, I'm an old guy with a short attention span, I get kinda lost reading all the stuff Kevin writes, it's like - hey man, I'll take your word for it! But, if you want to know how a watch works and not just what time it is - then I'd suggest reading his articles, they're just above my head!
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Same here, but it's nice to know someone is out there doing the research!!!
 
mjlinane said:
The stock BP that comes with the 21 fits 6" pads. The BP for the 15 fits 5" pads and does fit on the 21. It is available from Kevin.
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Yup, order from Kevin. The Flex is Forced Orbital, Rupes is RO. Rupes with the right setup of MF Discs/Polishes really is amazing with the 21mm throw (if you get the 21). Flex runs counter clockwise so I dislike it among many other aspects.

Rupes has a huge following now NOT from boutique/DIYers but actual paint correction individuals that are legit. It's shut down many rotaries. Read more at Kevin Brown's site buffdaddy. You can get a 21 with the 5inch BP.
 
Whatever you do when you're ready speak with Kevin he has great amount of knowledge about polishing with the DA. He was gracious enough to speak with me on several occasions before finally deciding on the Rupes LHR 15. My main reasoning was many of the vehicles I work on have quite a few curves in tight areas. Another thing to keep in mind, you're still going to need a small orbit polisher for those tighter areas. Still plan on getting the 21 in the near future.

Maximizing technique is going to be the biggest factor in achieving great results with the DA. Kevin has some great articles on the proper use of exact fit backing plates and how they help improve the efficiency. Caution needs to be had because they do go to the edge of the polishing pad so bumping trim could be an issue.

It's worth reading up. As a long-time user of the rotary, I find myself using it less and less. And much of my work is full corrections.
 
Definitely spend some time reading Kevin's articles on the Rupes as his info will be the most valuable! :bigups


I've had the LHR21 and the LHR75 for a little over 2 months now and I just received my LHR15 this week. I also owned a Flex 3401 for about 18 months before I sold it off. The Rupes are now my go to tools and my 3 rotary and 7 traditional DA's polishers pretty much just sit on the bench now...actually I just sold one of the DA's two weeks go so I'm down to 6. :D

The LHR21 will correct as fast, if not faster than the Flex IMO and it will do it with less vibration and noise, which means less fatigue on your end. They are very smooth and if you're a rotary user you will love they ergonomics of it.

On flat panels no reasonable amount of pressure is going to stop the rotation, but it can be stalled on curved panels or by tilting it on its edge...this simply requires and adjustment in your technique. You also don't need to apply the heavy pressure you do now with traditional DA's to get good correction.

The Rupes pads are nice, but you don't have to limit yourself to them if you don't want to. They have a flared edge so the polishing face is a bit larger in diameter than say LC pads. The velcro grabs like no other too so be sure to grab the backing material when pulling your pads off.

I'm also playing around with the Rupes polishes and so far they seem pretty good, but I'll need further testing.

Some pics. :)

Rupes.jpg


LHR75.jpg


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My buddy Justin stopped by for a while and tried out the LHR21....I think the expression on his face says it all! :D
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Completing my Rupes trio!
IMG_3559_zps29c32e8d.jpg
 
Rasky--thanks for posting the information regarding the Rupes. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the 21 vs the 15. I just have two cars to take care of and it seems like the 15 would be fine since it's orbit is almost twice the orbit of the GG DA.
 
ski2 said:
Rasky--thanks for posting the information regarding the Rupes. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the 21 vs the 15. I just have two cars to take care of and it seems like the 15 would be fine since it's orbit is almost twice the orbit of the GG DA.
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After talking with Kevin there are a couple factors that would go into the decision between the two. First off do you have any other machines? Along those lines, do you already have a collection of pads? If you already have a large amount of pads in a certain size that could steer you in the direction of one or the other as well if you already had a machine that could be setup for smaller pads then it would definitely be reccomended to get the 21. Larger pads not only mean more coverage and stability, but you will get longer work time as well because the pads won't load up as quick. Also note that you can put the 5" backing plate on the larger Rupes but it is roughly $40. This is just the tip of the iceberg when deciding between the two. Since you are specifically only working on 2 cars you'd also want to take into account the contours and shapes of the vehicles. If the are relatively "smooth" then a larger pad would handle them with ease, but if they have alot of contours and sharp body lines the smaller would probably be better suited to your needs. Just my 2c on the subject.
 
Custom Care said:
Also note that you can put the 5" backing plate on the larger Rupes but it is roughly $40.
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After spending the money, the extra size backing plate size should not be a real issue to provide more options especially to reuse existing pads (price of about 4 to 5 pads).
 
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