Love at first sight - FLEX XCE and XFE

[RaysWay]

Normally, walking into the office on a Monday morning after New Years` festivities does not put me in the best of moods. But when I found two brand new unreleased polishers on my desk wearing the legendary FLEX name, the clouds seemed to part and I found myself in a great mood.

XFE-715 150 (large stroke, free spinning DA)
XCE 9-8 150 (forced rotation DA)





The first thing that jumped out at me were the new heads. Those of you lucky enough to own a PE-14 will find this familiar. The rubber heads give you a comfortable area to place your hand while applying pressure directly above the center of the backing plate. It`s a thing of beauty.



The second visual that jumped out at me, was the new vented area above the backing plate. FLEX promises cooler running temps and lower running decibels with this new shroud, you`ll have to wait for my next post to find out if it`s true .



Here`s a picture of the metallic shroud found on the older model 3401. If you`ve ever considered roasting a marshmallow above that metal shroud before, you might be a professional detailer This area does get pretty warm after use.



Side by side, they`re almost identical in size. But the new versions feel MUCH smaller and much more ergonomic.



One thing to keep in mind is that with the new head, your hand is now a few inches farth back on the machine. When you`re using the older machine, your hand rests above the backing plate, whereas the new model allows your hand to fit comfortably above the center.



The next thing I noticed was the weight. The new version feels much lighter. So I headed over to our scale to see if it was all in my head.

The Flex 3401 came in at 6.65 lbs.



The new version came in at 6.10 lbs. While this doesn`t seem like a huge number on paper, there`s a substantial difference when picking them up side by side.



Stay tuned for an update!!

Now I`ve got to find something to polish....hmmm.......

[Bunky]

Are they made in Germany?

[BuffDoubt]

Welp, time to start saving those pennies. The new vents in the shroud probably make a significant improvement in heat management.

[jrock645]

very cool! Coming from Flex, they`re sure to be absolutely awesome

[donbeezy]

will they come in pink!?!

[jtford95]

Need a pink one also. Can`t imagine the price

[EzyBrzy]

So many polishers. . . why can`t I just have them all.

[EXPDetailing]

Brand-new Flex vs Rupes debate...

[Ronkh]

I`m bettin` $10-$20 cheaper than Rupes.

Just a guess.

[apthai]

Hey Vega,

I have the current 3401 and tons of LC 5" Hybrids. Do you know if these will work on the new XCE? Not sure what backing plate it comes with and/or if the current LC 4" BP will work.


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[jrock645]

I`m bettin` $10-$20 cheaper than Rupes.

Just a guess.

You really think so?

[Ronkh]

You really think so?

Yeah, I do.

Rupes is the king of long throw, if Flex wants to compete, they have to make the price of admission a little less. (just my guess, but imho realistic)

[Migue]

Looking forward to more info on the long throw model, I`m very excited about it.

[Detailology Oz]

Yeah, I do.

Rupes is the king of long throw, if Flex wants to compete, they have to make the price of admission a little less. (just my guess, but imho realistic)

They didn`t create long throw and they won`t be king for much longer unless they up the ante with larger throw

[jrock645]

They didn`t create long throw and they won`t be king for much longer unless they up the ante with larger throw

Who did it first? I know theres polishers not sold in the us, so what other options are out there globally?