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First Impression: PC vs. Flex

LowNslo

By LowNslo
in Detailing Write-Ups

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LowNslo

LowNslo

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I hope this is in the right place. I called up Dylan last week to get my hands on a new flex. As many of you did, I purchased Adams Premium Products for my own personal use, but decided I could pay for my products by doing a "few" cars. Well that turned into a huge following here locally. I knew the pc wouldn't keep me going in a business setting, so I needed more power (Tim Taylor:......ahhhrrrr arrrhhhhhh arrhhhhh). I guess you do good work and offer great customer service, then word of mouth really works. Enough of that onto the write up.

 

I have been using the Pc 7424 for about a year now. My impressions of it coming from a makita rotary was its ease of use. Its simple, you put on the pad, add some DS and some polish, grab a seat and get after it! But just as I said, grab a seat cause you will be there a while. Each has their own pro and con. The PC is slow and steady, but great for a beginner. I explain to my customers that they can send their 6 year old child to my house, I can give them the PC and as long at the pad touches the paint with polish on it, They can't hurt it. Its as simple as that. After watching Junkman's videos I am sure most of you realize that its very time consuming but yields great results:glasses:.

 

I was very happy with my PC and plan to keep it. Its the only way to apply the MSW/MSS that Adams offers. Also those jobs where perfection is necessary on a high priced Italian vehicle or something you want to be super careful with.

 

Jump to the Flex. I un-boxed the flex and immediately noticed the ergonomic design of the outer shell. Its very comfortable and "feels" lighter than its PC counter part. After doing some reading in the manual (yes I am a guy and yes I did read directions......no im not sick), I decided to give it a shot on a less than stellar paint job. Working this buffer is a breeze. The Adams pads seem to stick better to the flex backing plate than my PC pads. I wanted to get familiar with the buffer and how far to take the polish before I got the "flash" from it. Being so used to making several passes with the PC I was almost aggravated that I couldn't get very many passes with the flex before the products flashed. So I changed up my technique, I primed the pad a bit more and still basically the same affect. Well I decided to pull the polish off and check my results before I get upset and start researching proper technique....... I was amazed at the result achieved in such a short amount of time!

 

Here are two pics, the first is the pc with 2 passes of green pad/SSR, then 2 passes of orange pad/SHR. The second pic is one pass of each, Green/SSR, then orange/ SHR. Keep in mind these areas were worked until the polished flashed. The PC was around 6 minutes to fully flash and the flex was almost 2:30. (These times will vary depending on the humidity and temp in your area....)

Picture055.jpg

Picture054.jpg

 

So after a few hours with the new Flex, I must say I am impressed. The time saver is a big factor for anyone who does this as a part time business or wants to take care of their personal vehicle in record time. The hardest part of this whole scenario was:

The PC requires 9-14 lbs of pressure to allow the pad to not only oscillate but also rotate like it needs, to achieve results..... where the flex only requires about 9 lbs of pressure at most for me to have the results you see in the pictures. As time goes by, I will test different techniques and post up.

 

I read many different times before even ordering any Adams products, the PC is beginner friendly and the flex is for someone who has some experience. There are a few reason I can understand that now.

1) The PC is forgiving. Working the wax too long with the flex could actually cause more damage that good. Most likely not enough damage the PC couldn't fix it, but it sets you back when correction is your original goal.

2) Ease of use. The PC did not fight back when you worked it harder.

3) The main goal of starting with the PC teaches you not only technique with the ability of time to learn the proper technique but also allow you to learn its not about just the steps you read on the internet. You can actually understand what polish does what, and how it reacts on the paint when worked too far or not enough.

 

I hope this helps. This is just my initial insight on the flex. I am sure there will be more later. Any of the avid flex users post up and give us your experience so that people like myself can understand the concept or for those on the fence about purchasing one will understand its not a waste of money! Both are great products and work well combined with Adams Polishes.

 

 

So jump to one week after purchase:

 

I was satisfied but at the same time a little discouraged with the flex. I had great results on the first vehicle, but it was trashed before so anything made it look better.

 

I worked a hood and fender on a mustang that seemed to only require FMP (at least with my PC that's what I would have used). I finished the fender and still found myself chasing micro swirls on the new paint job!

 

I decided to take a break and revisit the next day. I began with a good primed pad and tackled the roof of the car first. I could actually see what was happening. I was working the product too long. Its so weird, with the PC I could cover my area 5-8 times before the polish started to flash. Now i MIGHT get two passes over the area before it dries with the flex. That seemed to do the trick though. So user error was my pitfall this time!

 

Still happy with my purchase and can't wait to use it on my personal vehicle soon.

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LowNslo

LowNslo

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yea my main concern with this write up was I couldn't find any adams peeps who have said much or compared the two. I saw a video of the two buffers compared but not using adams products. I hope to do a video for you guys when I get my technique down on the flex! If you are on the fence about picking one up, my first opinion is...... its a bad boy! I will be wearing it out next week, also plan to do my personal for the first time fully! I have only done minor correcting on it, but it needs it right now!

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fortplainman

fortplainman

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yeah the PC is nice, but not for trying to squeeze a 1 day full correction on a truck my size, thats when the flex would really shine. that PC gets heavy and i know my dad said his hands vibrated for about 3 days:lol:

 

nice pick up on the flex and it should let you be able to knock a few more vehicles out than before for your small business you have going.

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gencoupe3dot8

gencoupe3dot8

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A few notes:

1) Flex will use product faster than PC, so get used to adding product (as you mentioned, it flashes faster too). I also find I use more DS with the Flex (to keep dusting down and allow the product to go a little further).

 

2) Flex is a little harder to control, takes a little getting used to get in "the groove".

 

3) There isn't a gray pad for the flex... you'll want to spread your sealant/wax with the PC... most use the hand applicator for Americana.

 

Once you move to a flex (forced rotation) you'll find you won't reach for the PC (except for the afore mentioned sealant.. and the new sealant may do away with the need.... Dylan will have to let us know)

 

Your corrections will speed up considerably.... enjoy!

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Team Adam's

Team Adam's

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Once you move to a flex (forced rotation) you'll find you won't reach for the PC (except for the afore mentioned sealant.. and the new sealant may do away with the need.... Dylan will have to let us know)

 

I disagree. My PC still gets used for light clean-ups... 1 stage FMP corrections and maintenance on my truck. If you're employing proper wash and maintenance techniques the PC would be ideal for upkeep. Not saying you can't do it with a Flex, but you're just going more aggressive than needed in some cases.

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fortplainman

fortplainman

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lol for a truck my size being in the elements 24/7 365, i feel i need to do a 3 step correction already and its been 2 months:lol: mainly from being in the school parking lot, no one has respect for other vehicles. id love to just whip out the flex and have my truck done a lot quicker and corrects the deeper scratches. but i love the PC, it always seems like a plan out my details to have a ton of time and then im rushed to get them done lol. its just hard to look at a dirty vehicle when i know i have school and work and no time to take at least the whole morning to a day to take care of the truck like id want

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LowNslo

LowNslo

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Great review man. I haven't used my PC yet..but it's in the house. I'm a quick learner...so I'm sure the Flex will be in the basket pretty soon!

 

Yea man, thanks. By no means was this comparison made to downplay the PC. Its a awesome little machine for those smaller jobs or keeping up your vehicle. But for someone who wants to be in the Detailing business or owns multiple cars, flex is the way to go. With all that being said, I am glad I own both of these items. It adds versatility to my arsenal..... Not to mention the 4" focus pads you can use on the PC to get those smaller spots.

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LowNslo

LowNslo

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Nice writeup. I'm really on the fence about getting a flex... they seem to be great tools but I only really do anything close to a full correction maybe 3 times a year (1x each for our 3 cars). Not sure if I really need one, but sure would be nice to have. :2thumbs:

 

I was putting it off originally. It just makes correcting so much faster. My delima was I am so particular..... this allows more time in the day for me to get it "All" done. So where I might have spent 8 hours just correcting.... I can now spend 3-4 with the same results if not better, and fix other things I see! I will do some more research on it when I perform a full correction on my truck that hasn't been touched in 6-8 weeks.....Not even a wash :help:

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gencoupe3dot8

gencoupe3dot8

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I disagree. My PC still gets used for light clean-ups... 1 stage FMP corrections and maintenance on my truck. If you're employing proper wash and maintenance techniques the PC would be ideal for upkeep. Not saying you can't do it with a Flex, but you're just going more aggressive than needed in some cases.

Deepest apologies, I meant for more aggressive paint correction. At the moment maintenance on my Gen Coupe has been careful wash, dry and sometimes a wax... I haven't used FMP on it yet...

 

And on my my dd I am still finishing more aggressive correction (rotary)... as I did on my son's jeep (single stage paint) before it died and his new- used car.. which is gonna need SERIOUS correction (and some paint done).

 

Walks away mumbling to himself... :willy:

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