What the best choice, rupes 15 II or flex xfe-15 with 5' backing plate?

[Mike Phillips]

What the best choice, rupes 15 II or flex xfe-15 with 5' backing plate?


Anytime I get questions via e-mail, a PM or a FB message I prefer to invest my typing time where

A: It's easier for me to share links, pictures and videos.

B: More people can read and thus benefit from the information. (no just one set of eyeballs)


So I get an e-mail asking,

Hello Mike, what the best choice, rupes 15 II or flex xfe-15 with 5' backing plate??

Enviado do meu iPhone

Hi Fabio,

Appreciate you're taking the time to send me an e-mail asking me which tool I think is best.


Here at Autogeek we sell both FLEX tools and RUPES tools and we sell boatloads of them... As a representative of both companies via my postion here and because I have great relationships with the people at both companies, I have to be sensitive to how I answer questions like the one you ask.


Coke vs Pepsi - Ford vs Chevy - FLEX vs RUPES

Look, here's what I say and what I've always said....


If the tool works I can work it. If the tool doesn't work then no one can work it.



Both of these tools are solid performers for free spinning 15mm long stroke polishers. They key thing is this....


If you're going to go with RUPES then what I ALWAYS say is budget to go all in. By this I mean, RUPES is NOT a tool... it's a system. So budget to buy the tool, the pads and the products.

If you don't like the idea of a company engineering tools, backing plates and pads to work together as a system and also formulating their own compounds and polishes specifically to work with their tools, pads and backing plates AND want to use whatever products and pads you already have then that's your decision but BEST RESULTS with RUPES start with getting and then mastering their system. Then down the road if you want to free-wheel and use other pads and products go for it. If something goes wrong you can always come back to a time-proven system.


With FLEX, they do make their own pads but they do not at this time offer a liquid program of compounds and polishes. I have found that with FLEX tools you can as I like to say,

Turn and churn just about any pad or product as long as they are high quality (and the pad makes common sense for the tool).


That's about the best I can do Fabio.

Me?

I make both tools dance on paint.

[kkritsilas]

The Forensic Detailing channel did a very comprehensive head to head (to head if the DAS 6 Pro Plus is included) comparison between the polishers. Brought up a lot of good points about all of the polishers, and where one is better than the other. Keep in mind, the video was made in the UK, so pricing may not be reflective of what it is in North America.

[VISITOR]

^ it looks like he personally favors and picks the flex (29:15)...


another one to consider would be the BOSS G15. here's a review by a popular Detailer on YT. A lot of great choices these days!

[Mike Phillips]

The Forensic Detailing channel did a very comprehensive head to head (to head if the DAS 6 Pro Plus is included) comparison between the polishers.

The DAS 6 is an 8mm free spinning polisher. Is the DAS 6 Pro Plus something different?

Brought up a lot of good points about all of the polishers, and where one is better than the other.

And of course then there's always the old use the best tool for the job.

Recently I found the ONLY tool that worked on a fresh/custom paint job was the BigFoot 21.