Printable View
I recently finished my first major detail with Flex 3401. I really like this machine! I also have a XFE 3" for tighter spaces, but after using the 3401 for a week, I would prefer a positive drive in the smaller size. Does anyone know if Flex plans to introduce a smaller (3") positive-drive orbital polisher in the future?
Thanks!
Rob
Welcome to Autogeek Online SoCal Rob. :props:
Congratulations on buying two top quality machines already. :buffing:
I cannot answer your question I’m afraid but I would like to know your reasoning behind this desire.
I like the idea & I think it would be a great tool to add to the arsenal, however - after spending a week using the Flex PXE 80 in both Rotary & 12mm free spinning DA configurations, I couldn’t think of a situation where I would long for a gear driven version to achieve results.
Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
Thank you for your response Aaryn. Although I have been detailing my own cars for over 30 years, my skills are not yet up to par with respect to using a rotary or free spinning DA. After using the 3401 for a week, I forgot about managing pad speed because I could get away with it. After switching back to the XFE, there were a couple of times when I was working around body panel features that I released too much pressure from the pad and splattered material. Although my results look great with either machine, the cleanup was much worse with the XFE. Now I want to polish some interior plastic and I don't want to risk splattering material inside my vehicle! I realize that the true pros could accomplish this with the tools that I already own. However, for someone like me who only uses a polisher 1-2 times per year, the positive-drive lets me get away with my rusty skill set.
Here's the deal about tool manufacturers....
They don't tend to tell you what they are going to introduce next until they are ready to introduce it.
Kind of, for the most part.
I would say, look for more cool tools from FLEX moving into the future.
And if history is our indicator, you'll hear about them here first.
:dblthumb2:
Here's something I can share now,
Last time I was in Germany, this was for the Automechanika Show, I also visited FLEX tools. While I was there they showed me all the cool cordless tools out now.
I'm holding a Roadshow Class at WaxStock this year, look for an announcement after Mobile Tech Expo, and after WaxStock there's a good chance I'll be visiting both SONAX and FLEX again. I hope so because if history is any type of indicator, I'll get to see what's on the drawing board or in prototype.
Automechanika Show Pictue Thread
Secret meeting with the Flex Engineers!
:)
There is a Festool compact gear driven sander/polisher. 3.5 or 4'" pads. It is expensive > $500.
If a compact gear-driven tool were made (aside from Festool as noted above), what would one be willing to spend?
I like that the Pixie is priced below what I thought it would be!! Given that, something in between 200-300$ range?
Twice the price of a G8 sounds reasonable to me.
$200-300 range would be great, especially if it could accept pads smaller than 3"
Just want to mention.
When you go down in the size of the rotary polisher you lower the effectiveness from it very much. Which the tool makers makes up with a higher rotation.
A DA polisher is the other way around at least when they match the counter weight for it to be effective.
What this says to me is with a direct driven DA polisher in smaller size than 3" will from a manufacturing stand of point being almost impossible to do. Or you will get a polisher with a very low effectiveness from it. But with a polisher like the Flex Pixie in rotary mode and 1" it's a pretty safe polisher to use on the lower speed settings. And you get the direct driven polisher. Then this is with either polisher in these small sizes is that interior parts is most often even thinner and harder to finish than paints. Also there are polisher kits which you attach like the tube to a bigger rotary polisher. And have like a very small hose/tube where you can attach different polishing attachments on the other end and it looks like a Dremel attachment if that makes sense.
What I'm trying to say is that a rotary polisher in the 1" or 2" with the pads and polishes available today is pretty safe to use like a DA polisher would be as well. Cause of the the higher rpm that rotary needs in the smaller sizes. What's the bigger risk and that has not to be which polisher you use of them but rather the places that you are polishing.
And if you go at interior parts or small crevices and such there is often an unknown thickness of what you are polishing and often more than not a very thin surface. So be prepared before polishing these to replace them or repaint if possible if you take any kind of polisher on it.
Maybe find a polisher with the 3mm throw which usually is pretty easy to maintain pad rotation and it's also much safer and less aggressive than rotary mode or the 12mm throw when polishing. The Pixie has a 2" 3mm but think it's for the sanding discs that you tape on but can be wrong and someone could chime in on it.
The Rupes Nano has a 3mm throw with the velcro backing plate on it. I think that with a 3mm throw and smaller size than 2" it's the closest you will get to how a direct driven DA polisher in that size would work.
But with lower speeds don't put off the rotary polisher in these small sizes as they needs to be having a lot of rpm that they usually don't has to be scary to use like a high speed rotary polisher on the high speed settings can be (with lower speed setting than 1000rpm these rotaries has gotten pretty safe to use these days than the 2500-3000rpm that some used before)
:)