Why don't we hear much about Cyclo?

W

wn1998

New member
I have been lurking here as well as Autogeek for the better part of the last month. I have some detail experience and am looking at getting a Random Orbital to replace my rotary. I am currently looking at the new Griots, Cyclo and the Flex 3401.



It seems that there is not much talk about the cyclo? I know it looks like the Flex is king but I am on the fence if that is the way to go due to the price. If I get the griots I can get pads and products for the price of a new flex.



Anyone have any real experience with the cyclo? How much correction can be done with the cyclo compared to the griots or the flex?



Thanks for your input.
 
wn1998 said:
It seems that there is not much talk about the cyclo? I know it looks like the Flex is king but I am on the fence if that is the way to go due to the price...
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If there's any way to swing the price, I'd go Flex (and I have a scad of different polishers). That forced rotation it has really makes a difference.



Anyone have any real experience with the cyclo? How much correction can be done with the cyclo compared to the griots or the flex?
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I've used Cyclos since the mid-'80s (and man are they durable).



I don't have the Griot's (yet, expecting one for Christmas :D ), but the Flex simply outclasses the Cyclo when it comes to serious correction. Also, sometimes the Cyclo's single speed becomes a limitation.



When machines like the Griot's (I only have experience with the PC when it comes to this kind of polisher) are fitted with 4" pads, they actually do *more* aggressive correction than the Cyclo, which sorta surprised me. It's enough of a diff that with the PC/4" you need to be more careful by far than with the Cyclo (which is nearly idiot-proof).



And even though it uses small pads, the housing shape/size of the Cyclo sometimes makes it unable to deal with certain contours/etc. on some vehicles. I first bought a PC because the Cyclo just couldn't handle the contours of my XJS.



That all having been said, I *enjoy* using the Cyclo more than any other polisher. When it's suitable for a given job it's my hands-down choice as I simply love the thing (enough that I have two of them). The problem is that it's not always suitable, or at least not always *optimal* compared to the Flex 3401.



My first choice would be the Flex 3401. Then the Griot's. Then the Cyclo. But if you ever have the money to spare I'd give the Cyclo some consideration; I sorta think of it as a luxury these days, but oh boy do I like having it.
 
I used a Cyclo to buff out an aircraft, and I was very disappointed with the result. Fixed speed, and it doesn't offer much cut even with aggressive pads.
 
I have only played with a Cyclo a bit so I can't comment on the performance but I can tell you we have many customers that have Cyclos that are over 20 years old and still going strong. Hopefully others can comment on the performance for you.
 
Cyclos still have their place in a detailing "arsenal", but the single speed is a huge limitation. If they made a variable speed Cyclo, it would make it SO much better. But, it's still a VERY durable machine, VERY smooth to use, has plenty of accessories available, and has a strong motor.



My polisher of choice is the Flex 3401, hands down. It's more powerful than the Griots, is more durable, and will, overall, provide better results in less time. The level of versatility you get with this polisher is second to none and it really is the "king" of DA polishers. Personally, I would simply go for the 3401 because if I settled for anything less, I'd end up buying the 3401 down the road anyways. :hifive:
 
Matt@Autogeek said:
Cyclos still have their place in a detailing "arsenal", but the single speed is a huge limitation. If they made a variable speed Cyclo, it would make it SO much better. But, it's still a VERY durable machine, VERY smooth to use, has plenty of accessories available, and has a strong motor.



My polisher of choice is the Flex 3401, hands down. It's more powerful than the Griots, is more durable, and will, overall, provide better results in less time. The level of versatility you get with this polisher is second to none and it really is the "king" of DA polishers. Personally, I would simply go for the 3401 because if I settled for anything less, I'd end up buying the 3401 down the road anyways. :hifive:
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I too like to have "the best". I am leaning towards the flex however, I just can't really justify $350 (pads included). The griots would give me pads and maybe some product for about $250. I am not looking for miracles in the paint, just some moderate swirl removal on my family cars and maybe a friend or two.
 
I have a Cyclo and love it. Super durable, very good at correcting (dependant on pad choice and polish .i.e Gloss-It). This will handle swirls and most imperfections. Also, the Cyclo interior brushes work marvels on carpets/mats. For me, as a casual detailer that handles myself, my family and a select group of people, the Cyclo works wonders.



I have not tried the Flex. I also have a UDM that works well too.
 
Cyclo is my go to polisher day in and day out. VERY smooth with the Edge system, and with the two pad footprint you can polish with one arm outstretched. As for small areas and contours, I have never had an issue.
 
wn1998 said:
I too like to have "the best". I am leaning towards the flex however, I just can't really justify $350 (pads included). The griots would give me pads and maybe some product for about $250. I am not looking for miracles in the paint, just some moderate swirl removal on my family cars and maybe a friend or two.
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Assuming that you are serious about detailing (meaning that you will polish several times per year), a $100 difference is nothing over the long term. However, if you think this is just a passing phase and that you will lose interest, the Griots may make more sense.
 
I studied the options when making my list for Santa.. I struuggled like you are! After much research I went with Griots over the others. I am an avid detail enthusiast with 2 garage queens that are in great condition most always. Hopefully I wont ever need major correction! I'll summarize the plus & minuses of each IMO below.

Flex- no doubt about performance! I dont think I need that much machine for my cars. If I had to detail a myriad of cars, this would be my first choice. The big minus for Flex is its proprietary 6" backing plate. If you want to use a spot buff pad you are hosed! Also warranty is 1 year.



PC - the standard. No big negatives. Not as powerful as Griots and warranty is limited.



Cyclo - Plus is its made to last! Minuses are size and set speed. Cost was OK for a life time machine.



Megs V2 - Was not out at the time.



Grriots V2 - Now takes all back plates that fit PC. I think I will like the D-Ring handle better than PC handle. The deal closer was Griots lifetime warranty and more amps than the PC.



Hope this helps!
 
I've had my Cyclo for a couple of years and really, really like it. It's not the only machine I have in my arsenal, but the more I use it, especially for corrections, the less I reach for the rotary. I've found that for corrections the KBM method works great with the yellow pads.











Hopefully the pics will show up...
 
longdx said:
.. Also, the Cyclo interior brushes work marvels on carpets/mats..
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Yeah, those do work super :xyxthumbs



I usually just leave one Cyclo set up with the carpet brushes all the time, especially this time of year.



Heh heh, looking back over my previous post, it sure doesn't read like I like the Cyclo as much as I do :o Until I got the Flex, I used my Cyclos more than anything else by a huge margin (well, except on the Jag, and goodness knows I tried). Unless I needed the rotaries, the Cyclo is what I reached for.



And the Cyclo is surprisingly easy to use one-handed.



Old Tiger brings up a good point regarding the Flex and spot-correction. I reach for my PC/4" for things like that and it's nice to be able to work a small area. I *could* fit my E2K adaptor to the Flex, but I haven't ever gotten around to trying that.
 
sirhubbs said:
I've had my Cyclo for a couple of years and really, really like it. It's not the only machine I have in my arsenal, but the more I use it, especially for corrections, the less I reach for the rotary. I've found that for corrections the KBM method works great with the yellow pads.











Hopefully the pics will show up...
Click to expand...



pics no workie.



pretty red X's though.







I am eyeballing the Griots as I typed, and the lifetime warranty and 15% off is going to sway me towards it most likely.....





*edit* nevermind about that 15% off, the package doesnt qualify, lol.
 
First off, let me state that I'm an amateur at this detailing thing. I only take care of the three cars in the family, and occasionally an odd one here or tthere.



I have no experience with a rotary, none with the Flex, Griots or anything else mentioned here, except the Cyclo.



The Cyclo however..........I've been playing with that thing since about 1969

or so. At that time I was a kid working in a gas station that offered a "Simoniz" for your car for $19.95. The owner of the station bought a Cyclo for us kids to use.( Talk about an idiot proof system ) My Dad saw the Cyclo and decided he had to have one for himself. This was back in the day when the only pads available were wool of varying grades. ( I've still got a mess of those pads in the basement ). That Cyclo was the first thing I took from the old homestead when Dad died so that my brothers wouldn't lay claim to it.:xyxthumbs I've used that very Cyclo I can't count how many times over the years. I finally had to replace the brushes and power cord a year or so ago.



I've upgraded to all this fancy foam pad stuff. Am using real polishes and waxes

now, as opposed to throwing on some Turtle Wax like we did back at the gas station.



I sent pics of the Cyclo with the serial number to the manufacturer last year and they said the buffer was made in the late '60's.



Again, I can't speak to how good the Cyclo is compared to the others. I can say I'm able to do some reasonable correction with it, especially with todays pad and polish stuff out there.



I will say that it appears to be a durable little unit, one that I expect my grandkids to still be using.:cool:
 
spookertunes said:
First off, let me state that I'm an amateur at this detailing thing. I only take care of the three cars in the family, and occasionally an odd one here or tthere.



I have no experience with a rotary, none with the Flex, Griots or anything else mentioned here, except the Cyclo.



The Cyclo however..........I've been playing with that thing since about 1969

or so. At that time I was a kid working in a gas station that offered a "Simoniz" for your car for $19.95. The owner of the station bought a Cyclo for us kids to use.( Talk about an idiot proof system ) My Dad saw the Cyclo and decided he had to have one for himself. This was back in the day when the only pads available were wool of varying grades. ( I've still got a mess of those pads in the basement ). That Cyclo was the first thing I took from the old homestead when Dad died so that my brothers wouldn't lay claim to it.:xyxthumbs I've used that very Cyclo I can't count how many times over the years. I finally had to replace the brushes and power cord a year or so ago.



I've upgraded to all this fancy foam pad stuff. Am using real polishes and waxes

now, as opposed to throwing on some Turtle Wax like we did back at the gas station.



I sent pics of the Cyclo with the serial number to the manufacturer last year and they said the buffer was made in the late '60's.



Again, I can't speak to how good the Cyclo is compared to the others. I can say I'm able to do some reasonable correction with it, especially with todays pad and polish stuff out there.



I will say that it appears to be a durable little unit, one that I expect my grandkids to still be using.:cool:
Click to expand...



Very cool! :2thumbs:
 
spookertunes- Yeah, that's *very* cool :xyxthumbs



Heh heh, nice to hear somebody has more history with their Cyclo than I do...I bet you still remember how, uhm..."fun" it was to struggle with those rubber-booted pads!



Glad (but not surprised) to heat the Cyclo has given you such great service over the years. And yeah, it's an heirloom tool that future generations will still be using.
 
I have a PC, PCXP and a Cyclo - traded Mr.Helme my Flex for it. And I've had a Makita rotary back a few years ago. I think that some tools just seem to feel right and for me, the PC and Cyclo just suit my detailing style better than anything else. I know ya'll might wonder why I traded a Flex - well, it just didn't feel comfortable to me, and I didn't care for the noise of it on speed 6.



Since you have a cyclo, get a PCXP, some little backing plates (3.5") for the 4" pads and another for the 5.5" pads, get some LC hydro pads and you're good to go, BTW those little backing plates will fit the cyclo too.
 
I am torn now even more than before. I feel like I would really like to go with a cyclo but am not sure if it has enough cut for some of the projects I would like to use it on (neglected family cars). I have many family cars that are not garaged and have not been waxed regularly.
 
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