Rupes 21 -vs- Rupes 21 Mark II

[swanicyouth]

I find it funny that the RUPES owners that were bashing the G21 for having a more powerful motor and it not being necessary because the Rupes machine was better and more efficient, what are they saying now...Rupes changed the motor to a more powerful one????

I can't speak for anyone else, but my issue with the BOSS system was always that it was a direct knock off of the Rupes Bigfoot 15 & 21.

The BOSS is prolly a great machine. People seem to like it. But, when you have a relatively small industry like DA polishers specifically designed for automotive paint, it's just a shame some companies choose to take the intellectual property pioneered by others.

The thing is though, the the originators will always end up ahead. SEMA is coming, and I'm sure Rupes has more up its sleeve than the Mk II - or they wounded have waited for SEMA to announce the Mk II.

Sure, more power can be a bonus - but to be quite frank the original BF machines work quite well already. Rupes prolly could have done nothing and continued to sell a ton of machines.

So, for me - the problem with the BOSS was never that it was a poor machine, but sort of an ethical issue. If anyone honestly believes the BOSS' body, throw, spindle mechanism, counterweight, trigger, shroud, system approach, pad design, etc.. aren't direct copies of what never appeared on a DA before Rupes designed them - I think you are kidding yourself.

Maybe most people don't care if it's a copy as long as it's a good machine. But, given the choice - I always like to stick to the original.

[Dylan@RUPES]

...Rupes changed the motor to a more powerful one????

Not necessarily a true statement, read this:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ys-better.html
More accurately we redesigned the motor to operate more efficiently.

a) Is there any way to estimate how much improvement there was on curves? In other words, given I am only a weekend warrior and not interested in "focusing too much on technique" do you think the stalling is reduced by 50 percent, 75 percent or 25 percent.

A lot depends on the severity of the curve, but I will say this - I haven't encountered a panel feature that the Mark II stalls rotation on, even if I ignore technique and operate a little more 'ham fisted' than I'm used to.

To quantify it for you, I'd say the MKII can 100% handle the majority of common panel curves that would have stalled the original. Its only going to be in the most extreme cases that it can't overcome it.

b) Do you think this tool would work for newbies or weekend warriors who are clearly only taking care of their own rides. Or is this tool geared more to the professional detailer / body shops (where I believe Rupes wants to take their business).

Hard to say... if you'd asked me this same question a decade ago I'd have never predicted the 'weekend warriors' adopting tool technology in this price range in the first place.

Professionals, who stand to benefit from the increased performance in terms of decreased time to complete a job, its a no brainer.

For the weekend warrior... just depends on their budget and how into the hobby they are. I have friends that won't go beyond a HF DA b/c they only polish 1 car a handful of times a year and it gets the job done. I have other friends that have an entire collection of RUPES tools and they're just hobbyists.

In terms of user friendliness, it still hits the sweet spot in that its safe for an inexperienced user to pickup and use, yet powerful enough to do real work in the hands of a skilled pro.

Thx for any comments and the very fact that we have heard from multiple members of Rupes (and nothing from Flex) shows the significant attention to customer issues and that is a company I want to do business with.

Thanks for asking the questions, we're always happy to engage. A large part of my reason for coming to work for RUPES was the company philosophy of customer engagement.

[Todd@RUPES]

Thank you both Todd and Dylan for the responses. As you commented, you can stall the machine on a concave at an angle but I am considering a go all in with Rupes if you can generally answer the following:

You are welcome, but no need to thank us. I get to talk about stuff I'm passionate about and some how this is called a job.

a) Is there any way to estimate how much improvement there was on curves? In other words, given I am only a weekend warrior and not interested in "focusing too much on technique" do you think the stalling is reduced by 50 percent, 75 percent or 25 percent.

It really is an impossible question to answer accurately because of the huge amount of variables that could be involved without even considering technique. Basically it is an infinity x's infinity ='s question.

However, I have yet to use the Mk.II tools on a concave that compromised rotation. Too be honest, I find myself wanting the LHR15ES far more as the 6-inch pad and 15 mm throw make this tool a sweetheart for any surface I have encountered thus far.

But depending on the angle of the concave, the tool can easily be more than 100% more forgiving of technique. (I don't know what that means, but I just wanted to state a percentage).

b) Do you think this tool would work for newbies or weekend warriors who are clearly only taking care of their own rides. Or is this tool geared more to the professional detailer / body shops (where I believe Rupes wants to take their business).

One of the biggest benefits of the large throw random orbital technology is that anybody with minimal training can achieve world-class results. Move it slow/ hold it flat/ enjoy. In this regard, the BigFoot Mk.I and Mk.II's are perfect for newbies and weekend warriors who want to create a true swirl free finish quickly without damaging their paint.

Thx for any comments and the very fact that we have heard from multiple members of Rupes shows the significant attention to customer issues and that is a company I want to do business with.

Again, no need to thank us but your comment is appreciated. Both Dylan and myself have years of customer service experience (I was with Proper Auto Care and PBMG's Autopia division for 3 years and Dylan was the man behind Adam's Polishers for just as long). Add Jason Rose to the mix and we have the personal to actively engage in online discussions.

In fact, all three of us love to do it.

[7.3powerstroke]

Todd, I like how you mentioned you really like the 15 these days. I believe Dylan also said the 15 is his favorite tool most of the time. I already have a Rupes 21 and also a 21 from another company. It sounds like a new 15 would fit me just right.

[jms493]

I am in for saving time. I like the PC but it takes lots of passes to achieve desirable results. With 2 young kids my time is valuable to me. If price is right i will jump in with a 15 inch model.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[VISITOR]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my issue with the BOSS system was always that it was a direct knock off of the Rupes Bigfoot 15 & 21.

The BOSS is prolly a great machine. People seem to like it. But, when you have a relatively small industry like DA polishers specifically designed for automotive paint, it's just a shame some companies choose to take the intellectual property pioneered by others.

The thing is though, the the originators will always end up ahead. SEMA is coming, and I'm sure Rupes has more up its sleeve than the Mk II - or they wounded have waited for SEMA to announce the Mk II.

Sure, more power can be a bonus - but to be quite frank the original BF machines work quite well already. Rupes prolly could have done nothing and continued to sell a ton of machines.

So, for me - the problem with the BOSS was never that it was a poor machine, but sort of an ethical issue. If anyone honestly believes the BOSS' body, throw, spindle mechanism, counterweight, trigger, shroud, system approach, pad design, etc.. aren't direct copies of what never appeared on a DA before Rupes designed them - I think you are kidding yourself.

Maybe most people don't care if it's a copy as long as it's a good machine. But, given the choice - I always like to stick to the original.

Thats the great thing about this forum, you're entitled to your own opinion as everyone else is...

[Garagehack]

Read through the whole thing but did not see a release date for the MrkII. Did I miss it? When will this thing ship?

I am thinking of throwing a 5" backing plate on my first gen 21 and buying the MrkII for the 6-7" pads. Probably easier for the first gen 21 to keep a 5" pad spinning than the larger pads. What do you guys think?

[fotomatt1]

Any chance the internals of the Mk I will be upgradable to make it a Mk II without buying a whole new machine? Would be great if Rupes could put out an upgrade kit or something.

[Woob]

Does the Mark 2 come with a better electrical cord? Excited for this release!

[JMCamaroSS]

I have been using the Mark I Bigfoot 21 for a few months now. When I received it, I immediately made the KB style washer on a bench grinder, to fit the 5" Rupes backing plate I also got for the 21.

Having used the GG 6" (the regular one, not the boss), I was very happy with the faster and better results from the Rupes. Also the nearly vibration free operation.

In spending many hours using the GG, I learned to keep the pad spinning on concave and convex areas by rotating the body of the machine to "fit" the curve. Using the Mark I Bigfoot 21, I have no issues with pad stall, as it only happens occasionally when I don't move the body of the machine properly with the curve.

My question is, will the new Mark II continue to spin if your technique is less then spot on when polishing concave and convex panels?