Flex vs. PC: How to select the right machine for you

[Team Adam's]

Edited April 4, 2012 by Dylan@Adams

[Devin04]

Time to upgrade I guess

[VeeCee]

Hey guys. I bought the flex kit about a month ago. Having doubts about if I purchased the correct machine. I haven't used it yet (too cold up here in Toronto) but I'm have some self doubt as well. I decided to get the flex because I wanted one machine and I figured I could handle the flex based on the adams videos. Junkman scares me when he say the flex will hurt your paint if you're a novice. I'm a novice but I figure following the right steps will allow me to learn and do a good job without wrecking my paint. Any specific tips for using the flex so that that I don't get myself in trouble. Also, I plan on using it on two vehicles which are in pretty good shape 1) 2007 GMC Acadia (charcoal) 2) 2011 Hydundia Gen Coupe (white). I plan using the flex next weekend. Can I use it once or twice a year on each car to keep them looking sharp or is that to often for machine polishing.

[RedexInLA]

A.J is right, if you never used a machine to polish then you should start with the PC.

I never used the Flex but heard from many that it has a lot of bite to it.

I use my rotary now only if really needed, the PC will do everything that I need it to do.

If I were you I'd stay away from the edges, the clear is really thin there, maybe you can practice on a junk car to see how to control the machine.

A friend of mine ask if he could use my rotary, I asked him if he used one before, he said yes, the outcome of his work was bad, really bad, the Flex can do as much damage as of the rotary, maybe not as fast but you can burn paint with it.

[VeeCee]

Hmmm...may have to speak to Adams about doing a return. Videos made it look easy and pretty safe. Like to give it a try but don't want to use it and then return it. Thanks for the advice Redex.

[Junkman2008]

... the Flex can do as much damage as of the rotary, maybe not as fast but you can burn paint with it.

 

The Flex can do damage, but no where near as much or fast as a rotary. There are mistakes that you can make with the Flex that would wipe your paint out if you did them with a rotary. With that said, I would still never start a novice off with a Flex as the learning curve is a lot steeper when compared to the PC. The PC is a excellent learning tool and as you mentioned, it is just as important in your detailing arsenal even though you have a more powerful polisher.

 

Think of the Flex like having an exotic sports car. You wouldn't drive it every day, even though you could. A trip to the market a few miles away can easily be done in the Ford Ranger and it won't use nearly the gas. Gas is like clear coat. No need to waste it unnecessarily.

[19stang88]

why does the white pad tend to pull me more than the orange and green pad?

[MAYBEN]

sub'd

[Junkman2008]

why does the white pad tend to pull me more than the orange and green pad?

 

I have not experienced that. Maybe you are using too much polish.

[Chewy]

why does the white pad tend to pull me more than the orange and green pad?

 

Going out on a limb here and guessing that since the white is a softer and almost rubberier foam, that it would hang on to the paint a bit more than the harder orange and less rubbery green pads.

 

Just a thought.

 

Chris

[Team Adam's]

Going out on a limb here and guessing that since the white is a softer and almost rubberier foam, that it would hang on to the paint a bit more than the harder orange and less rubbery green pads.

 

Just a thought.

 

Chris

 

I have no technical answer, but this follows my logic.

[mc2hill]

I have no technical answer, but this follows my logic.

 

Dude, that's the answer to, like, every question ever asked!

[Bill-V8V]

Dude, that's the answer to, like, every question ever asked!

 

The good news is if he ever decides to get out of the detailing business he just gave an answer that qualifies him to be a VP at my company cause I get that same answer all the time :lol:

[19stang88]

I have not experienced that. Maybe you are using too much polish.

I am just using an making an x with the polish. So nobody else has experienced this? Polishing with white pad can be hard since I want to be shifted all over! Also, the green pad doesn't feel much stiffer than the white pad.

[Junkman2008]

I am just using an making an x with the polish. So nobody else has experienced this? Polishing with white pad can be hard since I want to be shifted all over! Also, the green pad doesn't feel much stiffer than the white pad.

 

Are you using the SMOOTH, Flex pads or the Hex, PC pads?

[mc2hill]

Also, the green pad doesn't feel much stiffer than the white pad.

 

The green pad is a different type of foam from the white pad, but it is more aggressive.

[Junkman2008]

The green pad is a different type of foam from the white pad, but it is more aggressive.

 

I'm not sure about the foam being different, but the pores that make up the white pad and the green pad are different sizes. The size of those pores are what gives a pad its cut.

[Team Adam's]

the white is closed cell foam, the green is open cell... apples and oranges comparison.

[Junkman2008]

the white is closed cell foam, the green is open cell... apples and oranges comparison.

 

... and deeper than I go into in the knowledge department. I felt a nap come on after reading that!

[mc2hill]

The green pad is a different type of foam from the white pad, but it is more aggressive.

 

I'm not sure about the foam being different, but the pores that make up the white pad and the green pad are different sizes. The size of those pores are what gives a pad its cut.

 

the white is closed cell foam, the green is open cell... apples and oranges comparison.

 

... and deeper than I go into in the knowledge department. I felt a nap come on after reading that!

 

 

Only reason I knowed was cause big D had already said so!

[VeeCee]

Will flex (if used correctly) take out any more or any less clear coat than the porter cable (if used correctly)?

[1anonly]

Will flex (if used correctly) take out any more or any less clear coat than the porter cable (if used correctly)?

 

The Flex will take off the same amount as the PC, but it will do it faster. It will do it faster because it rotates and oscillates and the PC only oscillates.

 

Make sense?

[Junkman2008]

Will flex (if used correctly) take out any more or any less clear coat than the porter cable (if used correctly)?

 

MORE clear coat.

 

The Flex will take off the same amount as the PC, but it will do it faster. It will do it faster because it rotates and oscillates and the PC only oscillates.

 

Make sense?

 

Not exactly. The difference is that the PC has what Porter-Cable calls a "free floating spindle assembly" and the Flex has "forced rotation". Because of the PC's design, the back plate's rotation acts more like a clutch driven assembly and can be bogged down to the point where the rotation can be stopped (oscillation still occurs). It we were to get technical, one would called the PC a "orbital" polisher. The technique that I use to work a PC is directly affected if the pad rotation is not allowed. I want the PC to work for me, not the other way around where I'm working the heck out of me while using the PC.

 

Now the Flex on the other hand is truly a "dual action polisher" in that it oscillates and rotates, and neither of these actions can be stopped or bogged down. Thus, it is going to remove more clear by nature of what the pad is doing. You have two, guaranteed solid movements with the Flex (oscillation and rotation), compared to one guaranteed operation with the PC (oscillation). A dual action polisher will do much more work than a orbital polisher because rotation generates much more heat than oscillation.

 

That was really getting more technical than I like to.

Edited May 12, 2011 by Junkman2008

[VeeCee]

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like you need to develop the proper technique to ensure you don't waste clear coat when using the flex due to its added ability to generate friction/heat.

 

But I'm trying to establish if one was going to own only one machine, could the flex be used as for both "casual" polishing (one or twice a year) and "serious paint correction" when needed.

[Junkman2008]

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like you need to develop the proper technique to ensure you don't waste clear coat when using the flex due to its added ability to generate friction/heat.

 

But I'm trying to establish if one was going to own only one machine, could the flex be used as for both "casual" polishing (one or twice a year) and "serious paint correction" when needed.

 

And as I explained in my videos, there's where your mindset is totally wrong. Both polishers compliment each other. If I had to choose just one, it would be the PC because it is more versatile. It may take longer to fix really bad damage but at least you can use it to do everything, including spreading wax. Not so with the Flex.

 

Also, you don't wait until "once or twice a year" to address your paint issues. That's like trying to save water by flushing once or twice a month. You're going to have a crap load of funk on your hands. You address damage as it happens and thus, it becomes very easy to deal with because you are always on top of it. That's what I like to call preventive maintenance. By doing so, you also perfect your technique when it comes to fixing your paint. Don't allow your paint damage to build up over time, manage it (because if you drive your car, the damage will come daily). If someone uses their polisher once or twice a year, I would question why they bought the thing in the first place. You would have been better off paying someone else to fix your paint.

 

For as much as the Flex cost, I would get a heck of a lot more use out of it than twice a year.

Edited May 12, 2011 by Junkman2008

[Team Adam's]

MORE clear coat.

 

 

 

Not exactly. The difference is that the PC has what Porter-Cable calls a "free floating spindle assembly" and the Flex has "forced rotation". Because of the PC's design, the back plate's rotation acts more like a clutch driven assembly and can be bogged down to the point where the rotation can be stopped (oscillation still occurs). It we were to get technical, one would called the PC a "orbital" polisher. The technique that I use to work a PC is directly affected if the pad rotation is not allowed. I want the PC to work for me, not the other way around where I'm working the heck out of me while using the PC.

 

Now the Flex on the other hand is truly a "dual action polisher" in that it oscillates and rotates, and neither of these actions can be stopped or bogged down. Thus, it is going to remove more clear by nature of what the pad is doing. You have two, guaranteed solid movements with the Flex (oscillation and rotation), compared to one guaranteed operation with the PC (oscillation). A dual action polisher will do much more work than a orbital polisher because rotation generates much more heat than oscillation.

 

That was really getting more technical than I like to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k... its so unlike you to get technical AJ.