First date with The Beast, aka Flex 3401 VRG

[BudgetPlan1]

Umm, "wow" pretty much sums it up.

Kinda went into a polisher buying frenzy when AG had discounted gift certs last month. Have been using GG6 for last year but wanted to try something new so snatched up a LHR15 Mark 2, Rupes LHR75 Mini.

Still had some $$ left over so figrd I see what all the hullabaloo was about the Flex so ordered up one of those too kinda as an afterthought after the big holiday sales were over. So I thought, anyway; of course the week after I click `Buy` AG has a 15% sale...doh! Eh, such is life, or at least my life anyway.

Regardless, with living in NE Ohio the `garage` season is over so the only place I have to play is at work w/ the fleet of service vans that have likely recd no attention aside from occasional tunnel washes...but it seemed like a excellent place to start with the Flex, ya know kinda that whole `production` detailing environment thing.

Grabbed a couple of sets of LC Force Hybrid pads, 6 each of 6.5" gray & orange as well as 6 each of the 5.5" gray, orange and white and the smaller Flex backing plate (4 3/8").

Picked out a fine 2008 Ford E250 outta the fleet, 151K hard miles on it. Paint is totally beat, oxidized a bit, dull, scratched, swirled, water spots...you name it. Had previously worked a similar condition truck last month with the GG6, D300 and micro cutting discs. Would take a set or two of 6-8 passes to get it looking nice enough to move to polish step, with nice being a relative term given paint condition. Twas` a bit of work for sure.

So yesterday I get the chance to haul out the Flex, slap on a 5.5" grey cutting pad and give it a go with a small bottle of M105, which I had never used before either and was curious about as it seems such a popular choice. Had read all the various methodologies regarding M105, from the KBM method thru various posts regarding the best way to use it without it being difficult (Prime, mist with water and such). Musta missed something in translation as first section that stuff was stuck like glue to the paint. Fortunately it was a smaller bottle of M105 which made it easier to hit the garbage can with it; homey ain`t got time for that nonsense!

Grabbed another gray pad, slathered on some M101, speed 5.5, medium pressure and 4 passes later had the same results as the GG6/D300/Microfiber combo, that is, perfectly delightful considering the paint condition I was working with. Wow, that was certainly easy...well with respect to the GG6 combo anyway. Followed up with M205 w a white pad but, quite frankly, the M205 didn`t improve all that much as far as gloss/clarity goes. The M101/Gray combo finished remarkably well...and with surprisingly little effort.

Items of note, to me anyway:

1. The 3401 is kinda like a GG6 that has been gulping steroids and spending lotsa time at the gym. Calling it `The Beast` is pretty much spot-on.

2. Recessed body line, smaller area, weird contours? No worries...just tip it up on edge with that nice, thick Force pad and just keep on chugging with that pad happily spinning away without so much as a care in the world, making those defects run away and hide in short order. Amazingly easy.

3. Counter rotating pad? To tell ya the truth, if I wouldn`t have known before hand i probably wouldn`t have even noticed. Non issue for me.

4. Ease of operation? Love the progressive trigger, can spread on slow and move right up to speed without needing to adjust speed dial. Not sure on the weight but the longer handle made it easier for me to maneuver than the GG6, seemed able to stick it more easily into more areas. As for vibration it can seem a bit rougher than the GG6 at times but I snagged a pair of Mad Grip Impact Gloves a tech had in his van and that seemed to make it at least 50% less more pleasurable to use, if not more. Maybe I`ll grab some of the GG Gloves on this weekends sale...it certainly makes a big difference for me.

Will have to check but maybe the speed selection dial is the opposite of the GG6 as without thinking about it I always seemed to move it the wrong direction when changing speeds.

I can certainly see why this is a good choice for not only production work but delicate jobs as well. Technique and attention to detail will certainly need to be adjusted when doing final polishing work but if you gotta compound and bust up some severe defects in short order, this thing will handle your business quickly.

While a Rupes will dance those defects away, the 3401 is gonna bust down the door and stomp `em into submission quickly before exiting with a knowing smirk on it`s face.

Can think of a few jobs last year where a Flex woulda saved a significant amount of time, in some cases likely 30 to 40% in the compounding step. It`s gonna be a bit more taxing on these old bones but I think a lot of that can be minimized with further use/experience, body positioning and movement.

Got a little interesting when trying to extend my reach without moving my lazy butt (like when sitting on ground doing lower/rocker panels and such) but that`s not machines fault...it`s just telling you "Hey, we got work to do so quit messing around and get yourself over here so we can get outta here ya slacker!!"

Was kinda on the fence with this purchase, thinking maybe it was kinda redundant with the GG6, Rupes 15 and Rupes Mini but pretty sure this will have a very worthwhile seat at the `efficiency table`. For once the little voices in my head that were casting doubt regarding a somewhat redundant purchase were WRONG. Dead wrong. This thing is a cold blooded defect killer. Can`t wait to try it on some less abused vehicles with some other pads/combos and see how nice I can get it to finish out.

Also a lot easier to clean pad on fly with this constant rotation.

Winner.

Edit: The HOW TO USE FLEX POLISHER book that came with it is an invaluable tool to get a feel for the techniques and possibilities of using this thing. Saved me much effort going in as to what to expect, how to maximize efforts and tips and tricks. Didn`t have to learn the hard way.

I did change plates and give the 6.5" pads a try too. Interesting...very interesting. Best be paying close attention unless you want the machine to take you on a quick trip to wherever IT wants to go.


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[Ronkh]

Love mine.

[Accumulator]

BudgetPlan1- So glad you like it (you too, Ron ) !

Yeah, the Flex with M101 will certainly get the job done.

The follow-up with M205 did more than you think, just gotta see the difference in the right light and you`ll understand what I mean.

[felixthecat]

Thanx for the great review, was on the fence & kept going back & forth w/ the rupes 15 & 3401.

[Accumulator]

Thanx for the great review, was on the fence & kept going back & forth w/ the rupes 15 & 3401.

Seeing that you`re going with the Flex 3401, do you plan to finish out with it? Noting that I set the bar awfully high, but also work on hard clear, I simply can`t get quite the final finish I want with the Flex 3401. *Always* end up finishing with some other polisher. Just a heads-up for your consideration...

[felixthecat]

Seeing that you`re going with the Flex 3401, do you plan to finish out with it? Noting that I set the bar awfully high, but also work on hard clear, I simply can`t get quite the final finish I want with the Flex 3401. *Always* end up finishing with some other polisher. Just a heads-up for your consideration...

Yea I planned on that. Seems like my thoughts have changed once again.

[Tpr1634]

3401 is my favorite for sure it`s got balls, Rupes 15 serving me well.

[felixthecat]

3401 is my favorite for sure it`s got balls, Rupes 15 serving me well.

Your not helping, LOL....

[Accumulator]

I can fully understand people loving/despising the Flex 3401, just one of those things.

Tpr1634- That Flex 3401/Rupes 15 combo oughta be great! While I generally think "GG Boss15" instead of the Rupes, that`s 100% me and I might change my tune after I`ve used my Rupes Mini for a few jobs.

felixthecat- That somewhat pricey combo just might be the ticket for you too unless you want/need something smaller for spot-correction (dunno if they make little plates for the Rupes 15 or not).

BTW, I like your user-name, didn`t think anybody still remembered that character!

[felixthecat]

Yea I understand about the 3401. Seems like a love/hate, kinda similar to some on a few car boards, about udp`s, which I`ve always used on different vehicles. We`ve always had cats.....

[JustJesus]

3. Counter rotating pad? To tell ya the truth, if I wouldn`t have known before hand i probably wouldn`t have even noticed. Non issue for me.

Yeah, that`s been the same experience for me.

While a Rupes will dance those defects away, the 3401 is gonna bust down the door and stomp `em into submission quickly before exiting with a knowing smirk on it`s face.

I liked that line!

I did change plates and give the 6.5" pads a try too. Interesting...very interesting. Best be paying close attention unless you want the machine to take you on a quick trip to wherever IT wants to go.

I recently tried a 6.5" LC Variable Contact pad on the roof of my Yaris. I expected a bit of a battle with the bigger pad, as my prior experience with the machine was using the smaller pads. Well, I thought it was a rather smooth feel. Could have been the softness of the Black finishing pad, maybe the Poorboy`s Polish, or the soft contour of the roof line. Whatever it was, it was one of the more pleasant experiences I`ve had polishing. And this was standing on one of those small platforms.

I can fully understand people loving/despising the Flex 3401, just one of those things.

Tpr1634- That Flex 3401/Rupes 15 combo oughta be great! While I generally think "GG Boss15" instead of the Rupes, that`s 100% me and I might change my tune after I`ve used my Rupes Mini for a few jobs.

BTW, I like your user-name, didn`t think anybody still remembered that character!

Serious. It`s either love/hate with the 3401.

I`m really curious as to which 15mm machine you will end up with, G15 or Rupes.

Yeah, when i saw the FelixTheCat name, and his avatar, it took me back to some good times.

[JustJesus]

BudgetPlan - I forgot to mention, I really enjoyed reading your post. Along with your other "experience" thread, I`m really liking your writing style, and I hope you write more!

Thanks for sharing

[Migue]

Glad you liked it, it sure deserves the "Beast" title.

[Accumulator]

Serious. It`s either love/hate with the 3401.

[

Eh, I think of myself as ambivalent. It does the job but I don`t like/dislike it.

I`m really curious as to which 15mm machine you will end up with, G15 or Rupes.

We won`t know for a while, maybe not within this lifetime For the infinitesimal amount of correction I do I really have no need for either and the whole Accumulating Tools thing has already filled the shelves with polishers that sit unused for years on end.

when i saw the FelixTheCat name, and his avatar, it took me back to some good times.

Heh heh, I woulda thought you were too young for that to resonate

[Raymoche]

I love my 3401 but sometimes my mind wanders around and think about the large throw ROs... I really wanna know what the fuss is about... and whether or not it can really meet or beat 3401 performance. I have my doubts, since I just never was able to get the correction speed I want with other RO polishers... but I do feel I can be a little more care free when finishing with the Mini.