Meguiars G110v2 vs Flex XC 3401

[RED JEWELL SS]

I think you guys have helped me decide to buy a V-2....lots of reading ,I think my brain is about fried from reading about polishers....:StarWars:

[imported_Stokdgs]

Hey Camaro SS guy - you will be fine with the new Meguiars machine that is supposed to be better than the old style and new style Porter Cable machines.

And service if it breaks should be alot simpler if you buy it from Angelo here at PAC, as they are great about standing behind every product they sell.

You will have great flexibility of pads, small 4", bigger 5", and bigger still 6", so what could be better than that?

I have 3 machines so I can do about anything I want, and I need that flexibility if I am going to stay in the business.

If you are just detailing your fleet and a few family/friend`s cars, etc., I cant see how you could go wrong with your choice.

The Flex 3401VRG is still an awesome machine - in fact I am using mine now on a 1999 BMW Z-3 Titanium silver, with M205 and L/C 6" white foam pads and it is pretty much doing it on 1 pass.

Dont forget - the Flex people make high performance heavy duty buffing machines to polish stone, really hard stuff, etc., so their product is really, solid and has lots of nice things about it too - except for the limited size backing plate/pad.

Dan F

[RED JEWELL SS]

Hey Camaro SS guy - you will be fine with the new Meguiars machine that is supposed to be better than the old style and new style Porter Cable machines.

And service if it breaks should be alot simpler if you buy it from Angelo here at PAC, as they are great about standing behind every product they sell.

You will have great flexibility of pads, small 4", bigger 5", and bigger still 6", so what could be better than that?

I have 3 machines so I can do about anything I want, and I need that flexibility if I am going to stay in the business.

If you are just detailing your fleet and a few family/friend`s cars, etc., I cant see how you could go wrong with your choice.

The Flex 3401VRG is still an awesome machine - in fact I am using mine now on a 1999 BMW Z-3 Titanium silver, with M205 and L/C 6" white foam pads and it is pretty much doing it on 1 pass.

Dont forget - the Flex people make high performance heavy duty buffing machines to polish stone, really hard stuff, etc., so their product is really, solid and has lots of nice things about it too - except for the limited size backing plate/pad.

Dan F

Dan,
it looks as though I am going that route, and i appreciate your input. I think I will get aquainted with this machine and when I am comfortable ,then decide if I want to venture further....chances are I will....I cant think of any thing I have one of : Fleet ? yeah , you got that about right , four right now .

[vaboom123]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

[imported_Flash Gordon]

Zach,

I have the Makita 9227 the P/Cable old style and the Flex VRG3401.
If you decide on the Flex bear in mind that it only has one, repeat, one backing plate for 6" pads and no other backing plates are made for it to my knowledge.
Your P/Cable can have backing plates for 6, 5, and the smaller pads, 4" I believe. Same as the Makita 9227.

I find myself using the smaller pads on the P/Cable on alot of front end parts of cars that are too small to try to work even a 5" pad in there, so for me, having the flexibility of smaller pads on the P/C or for that matter, the new Meguiars P/C with more power,etc., would be a greater advantage, even for weekend warriors.

I also like the Makita for certain times when I feel it will give me the best shine quickest, but the Flex is about right there with it, and less issues, with the material used in the polishing with a Random Orbital. The Flex will have forced rotation which is an advantage, but having only one size of pad that can be used with it, makes it a tough sell for some people.

I like the Flex too and just used it to buff out a 1999 BMW Z3 hood, Titanium Silver, and it was fast, with no problems loading up, etc, and I was able to run the speed all the way to the end at 6 with no problems..

So decide what you want your machine to do with what variety of pad sizes or not, and go from there..

All are good solid machines.

Good luck

Dan F

Wow, this information has helped me tremendously. Thanks Dan

P.S. Only 1 plate for the flex huh, I wasn`t aware of that

I think you guys have helped me decide to buy a V-2....lots of reading ,I think my brain is about fried from reading about polishers....:StarWars:

Good choice ^ this stuff (info) could drive you nuts :doh:

If it was me, I would go with the meguiars unit at this point and maybe later get that New machine David is working to produce :blacksmith:

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Hi vaboom, when did you get here. Glad to have you aboard matey :soldier:

[ZL1Mark]

I have a Flex VRG, love it. I have a PC, not a G110, so I can`t comment on that although I hear they`re great machines. One thing I really like about the Flex is it doesn`t beat my hands up like a PC... not sure how the G110 is, vibration-wise, I imagine it`s like a PC?

The Flex is a quality machine, never had a problem with it. I love the trigger mechanism and how you can ramp up to speed slowly if you need to like a modern rotary.
I seem to be able to do better corrective work, with less effort, with the Flex as well... that probably has something to do with the forced rotation of the Flex.
I`ve been doing a "modified KBM" thing lately with the Flex, using Meg`s 105/205 combination and it works SO nice. Basically the same technique but you use less pressure with the Flex, and maybe a little less speed, although I`m usually on "6" in the middle of a panel... then ramp the speed down as I let off on the pressure. I can get 105 to finish out almost LSP ready everytime with a Flex.

The downside of the Flex is the backing plate`s only one size. I just keep another machine, either the PC or a rotary, handy with a smaller plate to do the tight areas.

For an orbital/DA type unit, I vote for the Flex.

With KBM, isn`t it mandatory to keep the same amount of pressure throughout the buffing cycle? I understand to use less pressure overall with the Flex...

[imported_Stokdgs]

With non-diminishing abrasives as in the Meguiars 105 and 205 compounds, you have to decided when you want to let up some on the pressure.
With new paint, you have a less chance of hurting it, but on old detailed alot paint you have to be more careful.

I always look at the panel Im going to do, note the problem areas if any and buff there longer and hopefully be able to see with good light, that the problem scratches, etc., are going away.
Then, you can choose to lighten up a few more passes and wipe off and see what it looks like.

Along the way, you will learn how much is enough product on which pad, cleaning pads during the process, and how much moisture do you want/need to help the process along.

With diminishing abrasives, like for me the Menzerna line, I can run those down with a finishing pad to almost nothing if I want to, and this will further refine the clarity of the finish.

For example, I just detailed a beautiful Merlot color BMW Z4, 5 years old, 5 years worth of swirls from hand washing, a few scratches where it got hit with keys, etc.,

I used Meguiars 205 with a Orange 5" L/C pad, Meguiars 34 Q/D for moisture on the pad, and a Makita Rotary.
This took 1 pass to get out all the scratches, etc., and then I went back with Menzerna 85RD and a L/C Black 5" pad, rotary and wow, it was so clear which we all know = shiny, very shiny!
Customer was stunned and said that they thought the finish was really a brownish color, but after cleaning, they were very happy it wasnt really brown at all.

You will figure out ways to do this, different combo`s and what works best for you and the vehicle at that time.

Thats the beauty of all this; you have to be constantly thinking, working and learning, as there are no set hard and fast rules, alot of great guidelines and products, and stuff but you are literally making up your prescription for this particular work each time you go out there.

Keep checking in, read, read, and read, ( I know it makes me sleepy too
and we will do our best to help you think things through based on our experiences, etc..

Dan F

[Bluegrass Cat]

If you are a pro detailer, it may make since to have both. I sometimes will have my Flex fitted with a 6.5 inch pad and my UDM (very similar to the PCXP, G110, etc.) fitted with a 4 inch pad. When I am working on large areas (roof, hood, trunk, doors, etc.) I will use my Flex and get through those areas quickly due to its increased power and the larger pad covering more real estate while polishing. When I get to tight areas, I will grab my UDM. Not having to switch backing plates and pads does speed things up more than you would think.

[imported_Flash Gordon]

I have a question...

What kinda Replacement Warranty does this machine come with :Frosty:

[Todd@RUPES]

Great advice so far. The best bet, although not the most realistic is to test drive the different models if you can.

The Flex has a maximum RPM of 480 (similar to a super slow speed rotary) but also osicilates at a maximum of 4800 OPM. It always will make 10 orbits per rotation (gear driven).

The V2 has a maximum speed of 6800 OPM (faster then the flex) but the RPMs are not driven. They can vary between 0 to probably a top end of 300 or so.

Face value the Flex has more power (the pad will still rotate at near maximum speed under pressure where as the V2 will slow dramatically), but this doesn`t always translate to better/faster polishing.

In most cases the Flex will have more power, but not always. The V2 is more comfortable to use (IMO) and has near the cutting power, particularly when paired up with 4 inch pads.

[imported_Roadrunner]

With KBM, isn`t it mandatory to keep the same amount of pressure throughout the buffing cycle? I understand to use less pressure overall with the Flex...

It`s my understanding that towards the end of the cycle you lighten up on the pressure a bit. That`s what I`ve been doing and it works very well.
The "heavy pressure" bit is the defect correcting phase, after the defect`s been dealt with, you lighten up on the down force and that will take care of any marring caused by the pressure used to repair the defect.
You end up with a finish that looks so good that you think it`s LSP ready. A quick trip around the car with M205 and a black pad and it you`ve got some serious gloss going on.

[imported_Stokdgs]

I believe the Meguiars machine comes with a 1 year warranty, right Angelo ??

Dan F