The GG polisher is as good as the 3401?

[kbohip]

Unfortunately, you're wrong. I work side by side with VR8 on a daily basis and his Flex corrects no better OR faster than my Griot's.

They are in the same league and they both perform equally. They both just have their little quirks that need to be "worked out" with experience.

You apparently have failed to notice that I have 5-6 months of side-by-side comparison work between the Griot's and Flex and that I am perfectly capable of gauging whether the Flex is better than my Griot's or not and I"m telling you that it isn't.

If the flex had a faster rotation, then it would be in a different class, but due to the design, and the fact that it DOESN'T have faster rotational speeds, it is right on-par with the performance and corrective ability of the Griot's.

Adrock...err I mean O.C., I've read this post a few times just to be sure what I'm reading is right but from what I can see, you say the GG is at least as good as the Flex? I'll admit it, when I started this thread I was expecting a bunch of "You're a moron kbohip, the Flex 3401 is a far superior machine to the GG!" Instead it seems to have taken a very GG friendly tone, in the Flex section no less! I wasn't expecting this. I figured that with the Flex being priced at least $170.00 more than the GG, the Flex would obviously be a much better, higher quality, faster correcting, and just overall generally better machine than the GG. Now I really don't know what to think.

There seems to be a grey area that the GG is occupying. People have told me that unless I'm a professional detailer, the Flex is overkill. Others have said that the Flex is worth the money over the GG and is priced accordingly. Still others have said that since I already own a rotary, there's no need for the Flex's capabilities at all. Now I read your post and it seems as if the Flex has become redundant, outdated and out priced even by the GG. Can this be true?

[O.C.Detailing]

Adrock...err I mean O.C., I've read this post a few times just to be sure what I'm reading is right but from what I can see, you say the GG is at least as good as the Flex? I'll admit it, when I started this thread I was expecting a bunch of "You're a moron kbohip, the Flex 3401 is a far superior machine to the GG!" Instead it seems to have taken a very GG friendly tone, in the Flex section no less! I wasn't expecting this. I figured that with the Flex being priced at least $170.00 more than the GG, the Flex would obviously be a much better, higher quality, faster correcting, and just overall generally better machine than the GG. Now I really don't know what to think.

There seems to be a grey area that the GG is occupying. People have told me that unless I'm a professional detailer, the Flex is overkill. Others have said that the Flex is worth the money over the GG and is priced accordingly. Still others have said that since I already own a rotary, there's no need for the Flex's capabilities at all. Now I read your post and it seems as if the Flex has become redundant, outdated and out priced even by the GG. Can this be true?

KBOHIP,

The Flex has a place in the DA lineup and is a VERY high-quality machine. It will not correct better or faster than my GG, but does offer a more consistent correction being as you can always rely on the pad rotating at a constant speed because of the forced rotation and oscillation.

The griot's is a very POWERFUL machine, which gives it the correction ability of the Flex but, because it is an actual free-spinning DA without forced rotation or oscillation, it's use and correction ability relies on the person using the machine in such a way that the pad and assembly rotate as constantly as possible without allowing the pad to stop rotating.

The raw power of the motor in the Griot's gives it the ability to remove defects and correct and even refine automotive clear as quickly as the flex, but requires that the person using it know how to keep the pad rotating without allowing it to stop often, where as, with the Flex, you don't even have to worry about stopping the pad from rotating or oscillating due to the forced rotation.

Go with the Flex if money is not a factor. It is the better of the two machines in that it removes the user-variable from the correction factor.

If money is an issue, then go with the Griot's, but know that you'll have to learn how to keep the pad rotating with experience. The Griot's has the ability to spin the pad MUCH faster than the Flex, but the Flex has forced rotation which never allows the pad to stop spinning or oscillating regardless of the pressure you apply or the angle at which you're using the polisher on.

Hope that helps.

[CEE DOG]

KBOHIP, you should also not discount 2 important factors. The Flex runs very smooth compared to the vibration of the GG and the controls are placed in a much more user friendly way.

Not sure if you saw my review but here is my take on the Flex. No doubt well worth the money. Click here Review-FLEX XC 3401 Dual Action Orbital Polisher

[O.C.Detailing]

The flex may have slightly less vibrations, but you're constantly fighting the machine as you would a rotary. Not only that, but the flex actually rotates the OPPOSITE direction of any other machine therefore having a bit more of a learning curve over all other machines.

[Mikejl]

ZoranC,

Where do you post pictures of your work? I would love to see some samples.

Thank you,
Mike

[loudog2]

Like I stated before, this is not a pissing contest. If you like it, then stick with it. I love my flex and have no reason to switch. There are opinions about everything, which is fine. Mine is better than yours gets real agravating.

[PAR Detailing]

I havent used the GG but I have the Flex and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it!!! Im a pretty skeptical person when it comes to stuff like that but I bit the bullet and now im a die hard Flex fan.

[O.C.Detailing]

I love both machines. If I had $300 that I could spare, I would use it to buy a Flex and use my Griot's as a backup. Being as money is an issue, I went with the Griot's that gives the same correction but requires some finessing to achieve the same results that the Flex gives without that same finesse, but you must be a bit more careful as the flex is more prone to damaging paint than the Griot's would be due to the fact that you can't stop the pad from rotating.

No one is trying to make anyone change from a Flex to a Griot's, just giving my experience as I've worked side by side with another detailer using a Flex for about 6 months now and feel I've got enough experience to give an accurate comparison between the two machines.

[TLMitchell]

KBOHIP, you should also not discount 2 important factors. The Flex runs very smooth compared to the vibration of the GG and the controls are placed in a much more user friendly way.

What he said! The progressive trigger and trigger lock on the Flex coupled with a speed dial conveniently placed makes the Flex much more user friendly than any other DA, IMO. I'm not sure where the speed selector dial is on the GG v2 but on the 110v2 and PC they're in about the stupidest place they coulda put 'em. I have to wonder if everyone is copying each other or whether the PC-type manufacturers never heard or ergonomics.

TL

[O.C.Detailing]

The power button on the Griot's is great for right-handed people, but kind of awkward for lefties like me. The soft-off feature of the Griot's is really nice as you only need to touch the off switch very slightly to turn the machine off. The speed dial is on the bottom of the unit where the power cord enters the machine, but there have been absolutely no issues with increasing or decreasing the machines speed at all. Yes, the dial on the flex is more convenient, but not a deciding factor on whether you should get it over the GG or not. Just saying though.