Rupes Mille vs 3401 - UPDATED Thoughts

[Ronin47]

Compared to the 3401, now that the Millie has been out for awhile.

Been using the Mille for a year now and have two 3401’s for 3-4 years so am quite well versed with both.
In short the Mille is:
Quieter
Smoother
Corrects faster
Runs much cooler
Looks better

[Rsurfer]

Been using the Mille for a year now and have two 3401’s for 3-4 years so am quite well versed with both.
In short the Mille is:
Quieter
Smoother
Corrects faster
Runs much cooler
Looks better

I trust your assessment of the Millie, but wanted to hear from other members.

[dwaleke]

Anyone else have experience with the Millie?

I owned the Flex 3401 for about 10 years. I bought the Mille as an impulse purchase and did 2.5 cars with it.

I detail as a hobby so nowhere near the amount of experience of some of these guys doing multiple cars a week.

The only real benefit I felt the Mille brought to the table was that after using it there was less vibration in my arms afterward. I also like the standard 5" & 6" backing plates too. All pad types fit properly unlike the odd size of the flex backing plate (assuming you buy something other than the older LC Hybrid force pads).

I like the ergonomics of the 3401 better. I like the thicker lake country force pads better than the Rupes Mille thin pads. Yes you can use them on the Mille, but I didn't care for the taller height of the machine when doing so. I also think the 3401 (the one I had) was a better built machine.

If someone owns a 3401 I wouldn't recommend replacing it for the Mille. If you own neither and only want one tool it'd be a tough decision. Maybe you'd like the Mille. Maybe you'd like the 3401.

I've since bought 8mm (3" & 5" plates), 15mm (5"), & 21mm (5") DA polishers which is why I decided to sell both my forced rotation DAs (and pocketed money in the process). If I need something more aggressive than the DAs I can always throw a wool pad on the PE14 (or old school heavy Makita rotary).

[Rsurfer]

I owned the Flex 3401 for about 10 years. I bought the Mille as an impulse purchase and did 2.5 cars with it.

I detail as a hobby so nowhere near the amount of experience of some of these guys doing multiple cars a week.

The only real benefit I felt the Mille brought to the table was that after using it there was less vibration in my arms afterward. I also like the standard 5" & 6" backing plates too. All pad types fit properly unlike the odd size of the flex backing plate (assuming you buy something other than the older LC Hybrid force pads).

I like the ergonomics of the 3401 better. I like the thicker lake country force pads better than the Rupes Mille thin pads. Yes you can use them on the Mille, but I didn't care for the taller height of the machine when doing so. I also think the 3401 (the one I had) was a better built machine.

If someone owns a 3401 I wouldn't recommend replacing it for the Mille. If you own neither and only want one tool it'd be a tough decision. Maybe you'd like the Mille. Maybe you'd like the 3401.

I've since bought 8mm (3" & 5" plates), 15mm (5"), & 21mm (5") DA polishers which is why I decided to sell both my forced rotation DAs (and pocketed money in the process). If I need something more aggressive than the DAs I can always throw a wool pad on the PE14 (or old school heavy Makita rotary).

What brand long throw did you get?

[dwaleke]

I don't think I can discuss it here since it's not sold @ Autogeek.

They are very similar to the Griot's Garage BOSS polishers.

[dwaleke]

What brand long throw did you get?

They are similar to the Griot's Garage BOSS polishers.

Autogeek doesn't sell them so I don't think I can post the brand. PM Sent.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Reached for my 3401 yesterday. Wow, I hate that machine. Even with the pad flat, it requires a lot of energy to polish with, especially on vertical panels.

[Tarheelplayr5]

If you guys are using a Mille, you owe it to yourself to get some B&S Low Pro pads. I've tried so many different combinations on the tool and this is the one that works the best, for me anyway.

[TTQ B4U]

If you guys are using a Mille, you owe it to yourself to get some B&S Low Pro pads. I've tried so many different combinations on the tool and this is the one that works the best, for me anyway.

If mine goes through any more Rupes pads I certainly will as I am not about to continue spending money on items that don't hold up.

I've had my hexlogic and hybrid force pads for a long while and they hardly show any signs of wear after lots of hours on my 3401.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using Tapatalk

[john b]

have you tried any of the buff and shine uro cell pads?