So...I'm going to be shopping in the next month or so for some more heavy duty products (besides my wash mitt and foam gun ) to improve the look of my berlina s2k (and my wife's berlina s2k).

I have a great local guy (well, 2 hours away) in Ubetit (Rich), who has offered to show me how to do this the right way and get my car looking a lot better.....and I believe he has a Flex rotary as well as a PC. I didn't get into too much discussion with him before about the pros/cons/benefits/cost justification in going the Flex route, but I wanted to know what others (ie: Phil ) thought about them.


Thanks in advance

 

Rotary vs Random Orbital is another thing

but if you're looking at the Flex vs PC random orbital, I think i can give you some insight.

PC

Pros
-cheap
-works for weekend warriors
-probably one of the better random orbitals out there
-lots of sites carry this with packages
-beginner friendly

Cons
-weak for heavy polishing
-may not be able to do all paint correction
-takes a very long time to break down polish

Flex

Pros
-very powerful for a random orbital
-can do heavy paint correction (a lot of pros use this)
-takes a lot less time than the PC because it is more powerful

Cons
-very expensive compared to PC (you can get an entire starter kit for the price of just the flex machine)

That's all I can think of for now... but if you are thinking about rotaries too..

Pros of a rotary
-works FAST!
-heavy paint corrections easily possible
-results may be even better depending on the user

Cons
-inexperienced users can burn through the clear coat
-must more risky because they produce a lot more heat

I remember reading a thread comparing Rotary, Random Orbital, and hand polishing. Let me try to google it later to find it for you.

Also, if you think going straight to a rotary doesn't ever happen, I learned to detail last month and I have zero experience in any random orbital. I gave you all that info based on what I've read all over the internet. Here's a thread with all my details too.

It's like my photo diary haha

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=605866

I hope this helps you!

 

it depends on what flex your talking about, is it the flex rotary or the flex orbital?


if your going rotary, the main difference is, its a rotary! lol it just spins clockwise at a high speed. an orbital will spin and the entire unit will spin as well. (kinda of like the little tea cup rides at the amusement parks) lol.

a rotary will impact the paint far greater than any orbital will. but since it just spins and doesnt have that additional spin or "orbit" then its easier to leave buff trails or holograms in the paint if you dont do enough passes on the paint. a Rotary would also be used for heavy scratch removal or cutting/buffing like buffing after colorsanding. an orbital would be hard to use to acheive the results a rotary would.

so its just gonna depend on what your looking to do, I wouldnt agree with SpecC saying the rotary WORKS faster, but it definately spins faster and creates more heat. an orbital can polish a car much faster without leaving holograms than a rotary would. a rotary is going to need extra passes in different directions multiple times to get rid of holograms or trails. If your looking to just get a unit to do some polishing and minor swirl/scratch removal, an orbital is great. a rotary is great too, but it needs a bit of patience and experience. If your looking for a rotary there are many good rotaries out there as well, not just a flex. DeWalt is a fav by many detailers, also the Hitachi, or Nakita. All are good with different pros and cons.

 

i started polishing on a rotary haha.. i failed miserably and had trails all over but progressively getting better. im prob gonna go to a PC though just because it seems so much more convenient than my cheap 30$ rotary. (although it does produce very pleasing results)

 

watch this video:

http://www.detailersdomain.com/index.asp?P...ion=Custom&ID=3

 

Yes, the FLEX 3401 and PC 7336 are two of the 5 machines I own. I sold my UDM to get the FLEX becasue even though the UDM is better than the PC, the FLEX is just in another class.

As far as the ability to correct paint there really is no comparision. The FLEX can be used with polishes that are higher up on the abbrasive scale, much like a rotary.

If i was just starting out i'd get the FLEX. You can keep the speed down and the chance of burning paint is very low.

 

The FLEX 3401VRG is unlike any other orbital or rotary. It is a forced rotation orbital so it has some benefits of each machine.

 

http://www.detailersdomain.com/index.asp?P...PROD&ProdID=287

$239???? and that doesn't include the pads...



Rich, is this what you used last time?

 

^ Actually, I used a Hitachi Rotary on your hood.

When most people talk about the FLEX they are talking about this one. It is the one i would recommend for you. http://www.detailersdomain.com/index.asp?P...PROD&ProdID=246

 

That hood still looks better than every other panel on the car btw... (and I've since waxed the car 3 times). Problem is, wax doesn't do anything to get the swirls and scratches out... and of course, it exposes all the awful rock chips.
I was thinking maybe using the Flex with the Optimum compound and polish like I had used before. Although, given the condition of my car, I'm thinking I might need something even more heavy duty...



$279!! (and that doesn't include pads~~)
Phil.. I'm going to need to find out about the DD finance plan...