DA Flex or DA PC

[nrsk4u]

DA Flex or DA PC


From a recreational standpoint where I just do my own cars 3-4 times a year, is there really a difference in the 2? Thanks for your help in advance! I'd love to get the flex but I'm not gonna spend all the extra money if I'm gonna get the same result

[Danube]

I think you already answer your question.

If you can afford then buy the 3401, if not stick to PC.

[BobbyG]

A Porter Cable 7424xp is a great machine and will serve your needs nicely without emptying your wallet. That said, the Flex 3401 is quite a machine and is in a category all by itself...

[SeaJay's]

A Porter Cable 7424xp is a great machine and will serve your needs nicely without emptying your wallet. That said, the Flex 3401 is quite a machine and is in a category all by itself...

Have to completely agree with Bobby.

I think it's going to come down to how much you really want to spend. The Flex 3401 is forced rotation and has a lot more power than the PC.

I have a PC for my DA and it has served it's purpose quite well and I use mine every day. Mostly for spreading wax, but even on correction work I've never had an issue with it. Other than it bogs down sometimes under heavy correction. Which I don't use it for heavy corrections anymore since I have a Flex rotary.

If your just looking for a quality machine to do some light polishing a couple times a year the PC is a good machine and is way less expensive than the Flex. Just my 2 cents!

[Dangler]

I've used both and they are different beasts. The PC is easy to use, not too heavy and it is effective with the right pad and polish combos. But the draw back i've found is the vibrations from the PC at the highest level can cause fatigue, and it does bog down under heavy correction. The Flex corrects quicker and with less product I found. The machine is a bit more to handle. It has vibrations (though not as intense) as a PC, but can be grippy and pull like a rotary. So at times the Flex can be a little tougher to handle.

So it's a give and take situation, you need to decide which pros and cons you want to deal with. I think for a recreational detailer, the PC will do you just fine.

[Mike Phillips]

I'm not gonna spend all the extra money if I'm gonna get the same result

You can get the same results but it's going to take longer because if you push too hard on ANY of the PC style tools the pad will simply stop rotating. Not true with the Flex 3401

Also, curved panels, bot convex and concave, or raised body lines will put pressure on the face of a buffing pad in such a way as to stop the pad from rotating.

It's only when the pad is rotating that you are effectively removing paint. The only way to remove swirls and scratches is to remove a little paint.

See the below video and article, both from my article list...



New to Machine Polishing?

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project

Part 1 - How To Pick the Right Car Polisher for your Detail Project

Part 2 - How To Pick the Right Car Polisher for your Detail Project

The Flex 3401 in action...

[Mike Phillips]

What it means to remove swirls, scratches and water spots out of automotive clear coats

One of the most common problems people want to solve when it comes to improving the appearance of their car's finish is to remove swirls, scratches and water spot etchings out of their car's clear coat finish.


Below Photographs Courtesy of MeguiarsOnline.com


Swirls



Scratches



Water Spots



In order to remove any type of below surface defect out of a clear coat finish you need to carefully remove small amounts of paint surrounding the defect, (or defects), until the surface is uniformly level or flat. Of course some defects may be too deep to remove safely and in these situations you can often time improve the defect but not completely remove the defect.

In other words, in order to remove a scratch out of an automotive clear coat you must remove enough paint surrounding the scratch until the upper most portions of the surface are level with or equal to the lowest depths of the scratch or defect you're trying to remove.


Does that make sense?


The idea being, you don't really remove a scratch, you remove the paint surrounding a scratch.


The problem with removing below surface defects like swirls and scratches is whether or not you have enough film-build or paint thickness to safely remove the defect completely without going through the clear coat and exposing the basecoat also called color coat. Generally speaking, factory clear coats are thin so you need to be careful and take the cautious approach of using the least aggressive product to get the job done.

If you remove too much paint and expose the underlying color coat the only way to fix the problem is to have the affected area repainted. The color coat is usually dull as it gets its gloss from the clear layer of paint.


And this classic!

Swirls and Scratches Don't Exist

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a few videos showing these tool in action...

My Classic Car

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MsZL72VAk&hd=1]My Classic Car with Dennis Gage and Mike Phillip - Removing Swirls - YouTube[/video]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swLcPlUPd_c&hd=1]My Classic Car with Dennis Gage and Mike Phillip - Wolfgang and Flex 3401 - YouTube[/video]





Motorhead Garage

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWdYCHZrpd8]How To Remove Oxidation by Machine Polishing with Mike Phillips on Motorhead Garage - YouTube[/video]




Two Guys Garage

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QHljvm46Ek&hd=1]Porter Cable - How to remove swirls and machine wax your car with Mike Phillips and Bryan Fuller - YouTube[/video]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ1SRK_GfVg&hd=1]Flex 3401 - How To Remove Swirls using Pinnacle Polishes with Mike Phillips and Bryan Fuller - YouTube[/video]


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM8PnDooZP8&hd=1]How To Check Pad Rotation on a DA Polisher - YouTube[/video]

[Mike Phillips]

This is a very in-depth article on the PC style of tools...

The Free Floating Spindle Bearing Assembly - The Story Behind The Story...



Here's some Flex threads...


New 4" and 6" Backing Plates for Flex 3401




From this thread,


1969 Camaro Pace Car - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Michelle


This is you're truly using a 4" PFW pad on a 4" backing plate on the Flex 3401

While they tackled the hood I knocked out the panel in front of the hood and some of the tops of the fenders...











From this thread,

1986 Buick Regal T-Type Turbo


Using a 4" Tangerine Hydro-Tech Polishing pad to get close to the hood ornamnet...






From this thread,

1972 Corvette Stingray - Extreme Makeover - Process and Products Used

Adam aka Harleyguy removing swirls using Prima Swirl and a Purple Foamed Wool pad








Here's Kyle using a tape-line to do his Test Spot

[Dangler]

Damn Mike,

I think you've convinced me to buy a flex over the GG 6" polisher to replace my old PC...

errghhh...I was almost set!