Flex XC 3401 VRG Review w/ Pics

I am really thinking about getting one of these now over the UDM but i just have a couple questions

1) Im guessing that this has the same motion as the PC making it "hard" to causing deep swirling/burning of the paint ? I know because of its higher speed its possible but how is this in comparison to a rotary in risk of paint damage ??



2) When using do you have to apply a good deal of pressure like you would on a PC or just a minimal amount ?
 
Bigreebs07 said:
I am really thinking about getting one of these now over the UDM but i just have a couple questions

1) Im guessing that this has the same motion as the PC making it "hard" to causing deep swirling/burning of the paint ? I know because of its higher speed its possible but how is this in comparison to a rotary in risk of paint damage ??



2) When using do you have to apply a good deal of pressure like you would on a PC or just a minimal amount ?
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Yes it has basically the same motion of the pc and as for paint burning........just use common sence and keep it moving.It would be much harder to burn the paint then a rotary but you still have to keep the machine moving.

I have used it with high pressure and low pressure so to say which it depends on the correction needed.To start out with go with low pressure and see what happens,the first time i tried it was with med pressure and it worked awesome.
 
I just finished up the exterior on Odyssey minivan I had this weekend. it's for my neighbor across the street. He's a lawyer, so I'm trading detailing services for legal services. Same guy's Camry that is at the beginning of this thread.



I don't have a whole heck of a lot of pics from this one. It was raining most of the day here in St. Louis, so it spent most of the time in the garage.



Here's a few thoughts on my pre-polish prep routine. As you will see here, the wheels were going to be a major task:



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I had just gotten a fresh bottle of P21s Total Auto Wash, and put it to use on these. It's too bad this stuff is so expensive or it would be my normal wheel cleaner. I worked the hell out of the wheels for about an hour at least (and wheel wells). Also, the first time I had to ever break out the power washer on a car:



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Just used it for the wheels!



Here is the final result on wheels after cleaning, polsihing with P21s Paint Restorer, and a coat of FMJ:



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I know the inside wheels are not completely clean, but that wasn't happening unless I took the rims off and that's not in my arsenal.



I then tackled the engine bay with P21s Total Auto Wash again. I actually almost used a full bottle on this minivan if you can believe that.



Next it was on to washing. I was about ready to go back to P21s car wash, but on the MDX I did a few weeks ago I discovered that Prima Mystique is one heck of a cleaner wash if you add another ounce or 2 than recommended on the directions. It doesn't suds a lot like Adam's or DG 901, but it sure does clean!!! Here's some before and afters of the car just from washing:



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After:

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Yeah, just washing the car cleaned it up a lot!!! I then clayed with gray clay (professional) from Detailer's Domain. Surfaced felt like desert. Clay took care of that.



So, onto the polishing. When I hit with the halogens, I was surprised to not see any spider webbing or swril marks. I guess if a car never gets washed, then it doesn't have an opportunity to get these defects. I ended up using Menzerna IP with an orange Erasure 6.5" pad. This is probably my favorite combo as it takes out a lot of defects and leaves the paint LSP at the same time. There was some bird poop etching, minor scratches (and major), and other defects that I faced. This was also my first time using the black 6" bp that Powerhouse sent me. Like I said, not a lot of before and afters on the polishing front, but here's a few more that are a testament to the Flex:



I know they're hard to see here, but these are tree branch scratches that were all along the right side. I was able to remove them by about 85%:

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After:

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Bird poop etching:

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After:

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Not sure what those little bluish looking specs are, but they turned out to be nothing.





After IP, I topped off with my favorite sealant, FMJ. I really like this stuff for it's easy on / easy off capability. I was just over at my neighbor's and his Camry is still beading pretty well about a month and a half later with minimal washing. I've been trying to get him on a maintenance program, but it's been tough.



Once again, the Flex came through like a champ for me. Although, I did have a problem with the new black bp. After washing one of my orange pads, I went to spin it dry, and after taking the pad off, the velcro piece came about 90% off. This was kind of disappointing. I put the red one back on, and will be calling Powerhouse tomorrow.
 
The velcro came off of the hard backing plate. You know how the velcro piece is glued onto the hard backing plate, well it pretty much just unattached itself. Again, I don't think this is any big deal. I'm calling Powerhouse today about it.
 
DJ_JonnyV said:
The velcro came off of the hard backing plate. You know how the velcro piece is glued onto the hard backing plate, well it pretty much just unattached itself. Again, I don't think this is any big deal. I'm calling Powerhouse today about it.
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Good news for velcro haters (such as myself). When I decided to order a Flex, I emailed Aaron at Edge pads to see if he was considering making an Edge adapter for this machine. I REALLY didn't want to spend the money on new pads.



I don't think at the time he was thinking about it, but he liked my idea and is currently making a proto-type for me to test. After I let him know my thoughts I'm sure he'll want to do his own testing and then hopefully start selling the adapter.



I'm quite excited to have the adpater as it means I don't have to buy new pads. Plus, I can use all the various Edge pads with the machine like the flat pads, wave pads, and the 4" pads. I wonder how the Flex would do with 8" pads? Maybe I should buy a set of those too. :D
 
Now that's a good update!!! I have some Edge pads for my PC as well, and would definitely be interested in an adapter for the Flex as well. How soon will you have the prototype in hand? Please let us know how it works out.
 
DJ_JonnyV said:
Now that's a good update!!! I have some Edge pads for my PC as well, and would definitely be interested in an adapter for the Flex as well. How soon will you have the prototype in hand? Please let us know how it works out.
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I'm not sure exactly when I'll have it. Aaron told me yesterday that he would be making it up for me. I'll receive another email when it's ready, but I imagine it wouldn't be too long.



I ordered my Flex yesterday and that should be in my hands before the end of the week. However, I'm going on vacation all next week. Hopefully by the time I'm back the adapter will be ready.
 
Man you guys have me thinking hard about getting one of these.



I have been using 5" CCS pads from Danase on my PC with a 3.5" BP. I like the maneuverability this combo gives me but I need more power. What pad/bp combos are the flex users here using?
 
The BP is proprietary to the Flex. The one that comes on it is just shy of 6", but I think they'll eventually be shipping or have a replacement at 5.5". I was able to score a 5" bp as well a couple of weeks ago. As for pads, you can just about use anything you want with a velcro back that would fit the bp obviously. Looks like the Edge guys are looking at an adapter for it for their Edge 2000 pads which would be good. I'm using some 6.5" Erasure pads with mine and the same size from Detailer's Paradise, which are more of a flat pad. Folks have had mixed results with the CCS pads. Some folks have had really nice results, while some (like me) didn't have too much luck with them. Just start doing some reading on these Flex threads. They're has been a lot covered already.
 
DJ_JonnyV said:
The BP is proprietary to the Flex. The one that comes on it is just shy of 6", but I think they'll eventually be shipping or have a replacement at 5.5". I was able to score a 5" bp as well a couple of weeks ago. As for pads, you can just about use anything you want with a velcro back that would fit the bp obviously. Looks like the Edge guys are looking at an adapter for it for their Edge 2000 pads which would be good. I'm using some 6.5" Erasure pads with mine and the same size from Detailer's Paradise, which are more of a flat pad. Folks have had mixed results with the CCS pads. Some folks have had really nice results, while some (like me) didn't have too much luck with them. Just start doing some reading on these Flex threads. They're has been a lot covered already.
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Thanks for the info. Time to start doing some research.
 
I just spoke with Ben at Powerhouse, and he has me on the list for one of the replacement BPs coming from Germany. Word on the street is that it's supposed to be a softer BP and 5.5" as others have reported. Also, they do have a website now:



Page 1



Looks like you can't order online yet, but gives you a better feel for Powerhouse. Sounded like it's very much still WIP as well.
 
I finally got to use the Flex today for my winter detail. Because I have to work outside (no garage) and it's November in New England, finding a nice day to polish can be a challenge, but the weather cooperated nicely today with temps in the high 50s. It was windy, and the trees are still shedding all sorts of stuff, so it was a battle keeping the car contaminant free while polishing, but I did OK.



I was trying both the Flex and the Menzerna polishes (SIP and 106FF) for the first time today. I started with 106 on an Erasure white pad, but that didn't get the marring out. Moved up to an Erasure orange pad which was better, but still needed a step up. Ended up using SIP on the orange pad for the hood, roof, and trunk followed by 106FF. All the other areas got 106FF on a white pad.



The Flex is a great machine. I never found the vibrations to be much of an issue nor the weight of the machine. I really appreciated the front handle for control and to be able to apply pressure as needed. While the sound is loud, it's not annoying like the PC. More of a low rumble that gives you an audible clue that this thing means business! And I now understand what you guys said about positioning the tail of the polisher to make it move in the direction you want it to. I did end up fighting it some, but overall the forced rotation is very manageable. I was even able to one-hand it for the hard-to-reach areas on the hood and roof ... with the Flex on 5. I never did go above 5.



At first, I used 2 to spread the polish. But hey, the thing has a trigger, so after a while, I kept the speed dial on 5 and used the trigger to spread the polish and bring the Flex up to speed. More tricky that way obviously because your finger pressure on the trigger can vary. Next time, I may go back to simply using the different settings on the speed dial. I did find a few times that my finger missed the trigger latch, but I attribute that to operator error and unfamiliarity with the machine.



I used the 6" backing plate that came with it (the red velcro one). The velcro didn't separate from the edge like it has on some, but I now have a blackened ring of velcro around the BP screw. Has this happened to anyone else? It left a nice black ring on the backing of the Erasure white pad (which was my main pad for this detail). Not sure what that is all about. :nixweiss



All marring is gone. Yippee! I never was able to get rid of it with the PC (OC and OP), but I was with the Flex and the Menzerna polishes. And I found applying the LSP (845IW) to be real easy with the Flex on 1 ... just about as easy as the PC. I'd get rid of my PC, but then I'd not be able to do spot corrections with a 4" pad.



Bottom line ... well pleased with the purchase. :xyxthumbs I still need to play around more with the polishes, but the Flex does its job and does it well. All I need to do is figure out what happened to the BP. I really didn't apply much pressure.



No pics ... no digital camera, and it was dark when I finished. That $40 that I spent at Lowe's last night for a 1000W halogen light stand was well worth it.
 
First off...glad to hear of your success.:woot:

Yup, trying to explain the "feel" of this machine is very hard to do. Just have to try it for yourself to really know what we've been trying to explain regarding the tail, angle and such. You'll find over your next couple usages it will require very little if any "fighting" with the polisher...the way the flex reacts becomes second nature to the user and without even thinking about it you'll be working with the polisher instead of against it.



toml said:
I used the 6" backing plate that came with it (the red velcro one). The velcro didn't separate from the edge like it has on some, but I now have a blackened ring of velcro around the BP screw. Has this happened to anyone else? It left a nice black ring on the backing of the Erasure white pad (which was my main pad for this detail). Not sure what that is all about.
Click to expand...



Can you take a picture of this?? Is it around the screw itself or around the nickle size recessed opening that houses the screw?? How thick is the black ring?



Do you think the velcro could have melted and transferd from either the BP velcro or the pad velcro?



To answer your question I haven't noticed this on mine...but if it's a very thin ring, I may have just missed it. I'll have to check when I get home tonight.
 
weekendwarrior said:
Hey guys,

Without having to read back through all of these posts - where is the best place to purchase a Flex?
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You really have 2 options:



1. Powerhouse Distributing - these guys are the master parts and service distributor for Flex North America. Super nice guys to deal with as well. Again, here is their webiste which is in progress:



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Their phone number is on their site. Their price is $269 + shipping. This is where I purchased mine.



2. Detailed Image's website - they recently started carrying the Flex. Price is $265 + shipping.



Don't think you could go wrong with either one.
 
DJ_JonnyV said:
You really have 2 options:



1. Powerhouse Distributing - these guys are the master parts and service distributor for Flex North America. Super nice guys to deal with as well. Again, here is their webiste which is in progress:



Page 1



Their phone number is on their site. Their price is $269 + shipping. This is where I purchased mine.



2. Detailed Image's website - they recently started carrying the Flex. Price is $265 + shipping.



Don't think you could go wrong with either one.
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I ordered mine from DI. Shipping was $7 for me which is pretty cheap. DI also has a deal until the end of the month where you can buy the Flex plus your choice of Menzerna (either PO106FF or SIP) for $299.
 
frostydog said:
Can you take a picture of this?? Is it around the screw itself or around the nickle size recessed opening that houses the screw?? How thick is the black ring?



Do you think the velcro could have melted and transferd from either the BP velcro or the pad velcro?
Click to expand...



I may be able to get a picture this weekend. The black ring is on the velcro around the recessed opening that houses the screw. It's about 1/4" thick.



Couldn't be the pad velcro because the pad velcro is white. The transfer was definitely from the BP to the pad velcro.
 
Hey, Tom, glad it's working out for you. It's good to see others having the same kind of success. As you stated in your post, some of the intangibles of the Flex are just hard to put into words!



On the black ring, I just checked mine, and there is no black ring on the red velcro. I have noticed some black rings on my Erasure pads though, right in the center of it. I don't think it's too much to be worried about though. After several details I have not noticed any ill effects from this.
 
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