Quote Originally Posted by fightnews View Post
i think im going to go with the flex i never noticed tiring out on the gg6 as a problem.
Yeah, pondered the Flex as well. Starting with the nickname 'The Beast' and reading anecdotal evidence that it can kinda be a tiring machine, looked towards long-throws as a more 'subtle' approach to getting the job done. If I every run across a 3401 at a great deal (used) perhaps, might pick one up to see what all the hubbub is about. They call it the 'Defect Killer' and with the gear drive, that sucker is never gonna stop spinning.

I'm kinda playing to my own personal strengths/weaknesses here:
- Hobbyist so no real time crunch doing jobs
- Easily distracted when tired so even switching my GG6 from a 5" backing plate to a 3" to get in smaller places could take 1 minute to switch plates, 10 minutes wandering around gathering up 3" pads, another 20 minutes wandering around garage, sitting on bucket staring out at the world. Hence I also bought the Rupes Mini.
- Curious about not only the results but the process as well; I see the Rupes is more of an 'artistic' process than forceful, will take time to master and that entertains me.
- The 'nearly no pressure' of the Rupes just seems like a calmer/gentler approach and I kinda do this partly as a meditative escape.
- As it's a hobby (and fortunately one of my only true ones at the moment) the economics of it matter less than the entertainment value. Kinda like playing Blackjack at a casino: While some do it for the money, others just enjoy playing cards in that atmosphere, expect to usually come out behind and accept their expenditures as the price of doing something they enjoy.
- While the Flex has the reputation of powering through anything and everything I wanted a tool that requires me to pay close attention to technique to get satisfactory results.

Everybody has different motivations for what they do and enjoy; while I'd toss the Rupes in the garbage if it didn't produce exquisite results, I know the spectacular results are there if I can develop the skills...that's the challenge I seek.

For the 20 or so cars I did last summer, I pretty much did all the work and provided all the supplies outta my own pocket. I had one person who insisted on paying around $450 for wash, decon, wash, clay, wash, 2-step polish, McKees ceramic coating, Gyeon Rim on wheel faces and Tuff Shine on tires and I found that, when $$ is involved it became significantly less entertaining/rewarding to do the job; it became just that: a job.

I'm hoping the Rupes allows me to make the whole thing a bit quicker, less tiresome, more precise and, in the end, more satisfying personally. We'll see how it all turns out, generally if I'm right on 50% of the decisions I make I'm having a good day!