Do I add the Flex or the Cyclo?

[Feets31]

My main ride is a 2010 Orange Camaro.  It is pretty clean or swirls.

 

I have a PC (used twice, so still a novice) and will have all of the 7 and 4 inch pads, both foam and micro fiber. 

 

A second car will likely be a GM, VW or a Cooper.

 

In a few years i may want to start doing some jobs on the side.  I will be in the mid 50's then. 

 

 

If I add another polisher, should it be the Flex or the Cyclo?

 

So i guess the question boils down to-- is the Cyclo closer to the PC or the Flex?  Or can the Cyclo perform the same as the Flex with just a little more work?  

 

I know that less vibration would be appreciated. 

[Team Adam's]

I would say in terms of cutting power the Cyclo is more powerful than the PC, but not as powerful as the Flex. 

 

If you plan to do detailing for money and will do it with any volume the Flex is probably the better fit. Not that the cyclo can't be a tool for a guy doing volume, but detailing (if taken seriously) is all about doing the job fast to maximize profits and the flex will do the job faster. 

 

If the "detail business" is more of a passing fancy and you're not sure you'll do a whole lot then the Cyclo makes good sense considering the versatility and the comfort part of the use of a machine. 

[Performance Auto Detailing]

I'm in the same boat. I'm not polishing other people's cars yet but I plan to in the very near future and of course after I learn how to on my own cars. The maneuverability of the Cyclo is making me lean towards the Cyclo as well as the lack of vibration. But I don't want to buy it to find it isn't powerful enough to tackle all the jobs. I'm a complete beginner so it sounds like the Cyclo would be for me. But the flex only being like $20 more is making the decision difficult

[Team Adam's]

Just like we outline in the video... expect the cyclo to do moderate to light correction (which most AVERAGE) cars are... if its something truly hammered its either going to take multiple passes of the Cyclo or a more powerful tool like the Flex to get the job done. 

 

Really comes down to how much polishing you really plan on doing and what the condition of the cars youre going to work on are in. 

[Feets31]

Thanks.  

[SS LeadFoot]

I had the same question. I think I'll go with the cyclo it looks so much better, plus I can use machine polish 1 and 2 on it to make it shine even better

[Team Adam's]

HAHA! Way ahead of you... as soon as I get some spare time I'm totally MP 1 & 2 attacking mine! 

[Feets31]

What is the difference in the learning curve with the Cyclo and the Flex?  I would guess the Flex has a little more due to having a larger pad and being part rotary.  The Cyclo really interests me because of the 4 inch pads and the many places it could come in handy on the Camaro.  

 

 

 

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[Team Adam's]

I'd say theres less 'technique' required to get the job done with the Cyclo overall.

 

As we've seen in many threads here it takes some tweaking to your process (speed/pressure/worktime/etc) to get the Flex dialed in, but once you do its a beast. 

 

Thats not to say technique goes out the window with the Cyclo, but given the lower operating speed its a more manageable tool so you spend less time worry about keeping the tool under control and more about just polishing. 

[egott_91]

If it (Cyclo) was cheaper I'd replace my PC with it for the focus pads. However, I can't justify $350 for a machine that'd only get used for small areas. If I detailed more then I would probably jump on it.

 

Jim (Feets31) whichever machine you choose I would like to meet up sometime and compare them with my Rupes, if you wouldn't mind.

[Feets31]

I keep changing my mind.  I know the Flex is what I will want if I get into the detailing more in the future, but the little added additional correcting power of the Cyclo over the PC and the ability of the Cyclo to help with the curves and contours of the Camaro keep pulling it back that way. 

 

I liked using the 4 inch pads on the PC last month and I now wonder if that is because of the less vibration compared to the larger pads. And if the Flex has a little walking in it, it would be nice to master that now instead of latter.   

 

Eric I would guess the Flex and Rupes are very similar or at least as close as the Cyclo and PC.  And if the Cyclo does what the PC does and more and does it quicker, that would be the way to go for you.  I will let you know if I pull the trigger this week. 

[STex]

How is the vibration on the flex compared to the cyclo? Will you get the numb hands with the flex?

[Team Adam's]

 

I liked using the 4 inch pads on the PC last month and I now wonder if that is because of the less vibration compared to the larger pads. And if the Flex has a little walking in it, it would be nice to master that now instead of latter.   

 

Pad size has almost nothing to do with it. The cyclo's low vibration is due to the fact the heads oscillate in perfect opposition to eachother, essentially offsetting eachother. Cyclo also includes various weights, so if you change out the pads for the brushes (coming soon) the machine can be setup to balance perfectly for those. 

 

How is the vibration on the flex compared to the cyclo? Will you get the numb hands with the flex?

 

The Flex is still a very smooth tool, but the speed + forced rotation does generate a fair amount of vibration. Far less than the PC, but still some. The bigger strain from the Flex comes on your shoulders IMO... b/c of the rotation it wants to walk in one direction or another to some degree, this requires you to use your shoulders and upper arms to prevent lateral movement. 

[STex]

^ Thanks. Was going to the flex but may just cyclo now. Years of tennis etc and my shoulders need no more wear and tear. Also cyclo seems better for reaching center of large truck panels etc...

 

Brushes????????

[Team Adam's]

^ Thanks. Was going to the flex but may just cyclo now. Years of tennis etc and my shoulders need no more wear and tear. Also cyclo seems better for reaching center of large truck panels etc...

 

Brushes????????

 

We'll be introducing those soon... the Cyclo can be mated up to various types of brushes for carpet cleaning and other tasks. I've used an aggressive brush option with APC to scrub sprayed in bedliners on trucks. Works AMAZING and is much easier than doing it by hand. 

[Bunky]

. The bigger strain from the Flex comes on your shoulders IMO... b/c of the rotation it wants to walk in one direction or another to some degree, this requires you to use your shoulders and upper arms to prevent lateral movement. 

 

With the Flex, I find body position is key on vertical panels. You cannot just extend your arms out as you can with the non-forced rotation DA but move closer and not get it as far over your shoulders.  I will say I never felt the after polishing effects like I did with a DA from the vibrations so the Flex always feel consistent (and I own a Rupes too).

[Feets31]

At 6-4 and on a vertical panel on the Camaro I am on my knees or sitting on the floor.  But when i did my first detail with the pc.  I did some one handed polishing on the lower levels.  Does sound like that would fly with the flex.  

[egott_91]

Jim, I wasn't thinking about replacing my Rupes. It's awesome. I just wanted to see how it compared to the flex. I think I might pick up the cyclo and sell my PC since I can't stand the lack of power.

 

It's very tempting with the 15% off. It's like getting pads and polishes for free!

[b_pappy]

It's a tough call, both machines have strengths over each other. Like Dylan said, the Cyclo has some accessories that really add more uses to the machine, eg carpets and bedliners. In the end you should just buy one of each.

Bruce

[Powerboy09]

In the videos, I was surprised to find that the adam's cyclo was adjustable in speed because many people on the net talk about how it is only a one speed machine. Explanations?

[Natch02]

Yeah I noticed mine has 5 or 6 settings. I also read what you are talking about.

[egott_91]

The Adam's model is the pro model which is a variable speed polisher. The non-pro model is a single speed polisher.

Edited July 25, 2013 by egott_91

[Team Adam's]

A long time ago it was a single speed machine, probably just people talking about things with all the info on the current version.

[EPHIOS]

I still have a M's G110v2 DA polisher. I had it for 3 years now. Good thing my Toyota clear coat is pretty soft. I look forward to purchasing a Flex someday.

[RByers91]

Sounds like the cyclo is a much more versatile machine. If you can do carpets, paint, and bed liners with the thing thats insane! I was contemplating on whether to get the flex or the cyclone for myself, and since i dont really detail others cars very often the cyclone seems like the best bang for the buck. Quick question about the brushes, will these be able to be used for cleaning seats? Or is carpets the main focus with them?

Edited July 30, 2013 by RByers91

[Green Machine]

Flex