What is the difference b/t the 2, which one is better. I thought there was only one Flex until I visited pakshak.com today. I've only seen one on ADS.

 

The Flex 3403 is a rotary, your looking for the Flex 3401.

 

school me some more. What's the diff b/t a rotary and the G110.

 

The G110/G100/PC are orbital polishers. They oscillate the pad, but don't spin the pad, kind of like you moving a pad in a circular motion with your hand, but a lot quicker. These have the least chance of burning the paint, because of oscillation and because they are weaker, comparatively speaking.

A rotary doesn't oscillate. It just spins in place. They are also a lot more powerful than an orbital polisher. These also have the most chance of burning through paint, because of the heat they can generate heat in one spot if you leave it there too long.

A Flex, and I think one of the Mikitas, are true dual action polishers. They both oscillate, and spin the pad. They are also more powerful than an orbital polisher when it comes to corrective-ness, but fall a little behind the rotaries. Even though they could still burn the paint if you really try, they have a lot less chance of doing so because the oscillation doesn't let the heat build up in just one place.

I hope the explaination is correct

 

I thought the PC/G's were dual action?

 

They are.

A PC/G100/G110 is a DUAL-ACTION polisher, *NOT* an orbital polisher.

Orbital polishers oscillate only; where as DA's rotate AND oscillate. If you take a black marker and draw a line on the back of your pad on a DA and then turn it on you can watch it spin, and watch it slow down as you apply pressure. This is because of a safety clutch. Because of this reason you can not burn paint with a DA.

Orbitals do not do that. They simply make random movement. They offer virtually ZERO ability to correct paint.

Rotary polishers do just that- they rotate. They have significantly (tons) more power and corrective ability over a DA. A rotary has no safety clutch, thus the fear of "burning paint."

To be honest, they aren't as scary as most think, but at the same time if you are looking for a single, universal machine that is not the tool for you. They are not intended for wax application, and can be difficult to finish down with hologram free for new users (and veterans for that matter).

Keep your search between the 3401 and the G110. Trust me.

 

Thank you for explaining that. Now with that said. What is the 3401 considered, A DA?.

 

I agree with everything Lumadar posted and will add that the difference between a Flex 3401 and the G110 is the Flex is more powerful, has a longer stroke, and has forced rotation of the pad.

 

I refer to the 3401 as a hybrid (As much as I hate how that term is thrown around these days thanks to our hippy friends), but that is truly what it is. It shares the properties of a DA and a Rotary. It has random orbital movement and forced rotation up to 480 RPMS.

By contrast, most rotaries go from 600 or a 1,000 RPMS starting rotation up to 2,000+. So, as you can see it is much slower, BUT it also adds in random orbital movement...effectively giving it more corrective power than a rotary at the same RPMS.

I have done some correcting with my 3401 that would be on par with my Makita at about 1,000 RPMs.

Like I said in your other thread, I think a G110 would be more fun to work with, easier, and safer if you are a total newbie. You can get backing plates for 3.5/4 inch pads, and 5.5 inch pads and still do correction work with it as well. Lake Country makes smaller pads for this that work great.

Also, Meguiar's has several new DA friendly products that allow for some serious paint correction via DA coming out in the 1st quarter of 2009.

 

So unlike the G110 which he said had a safelty clutch you can risk burning paint on a vehicle if you not careful with the Flex. What is Force rotation? I'm sorry for all the questions but b4 I make any purchase of anything I like to make sure that I understand it. Thanks

 

Interesting. So by forced rotation, you mean that the Flex has no clutch, where as the PC does? I mean, I noticed that my G100 rotated, but seeing it stops if you put some pressure down, I always thought the rotation was just because of the oscillation. The last orbital polisher I had (the cheap 20 dollar Auto zone one) also rotated the pad, but stopped once you put pressure.

 

Forced rotation means it is forced to rotate by the machine. Ie, no safety clutch that disengages the spinning under too much load.

 

Yes. All DA's have a clutch.

Yes and no...the rotation is intentional and part of the intended operation of a dual-action polisher.

That makes sense, as it goes in somewhat of a circular motion, but to a lesser degree than the DA. Enough of a lesser degree that it isn't considered to add any benefit. I know it might seem like splitting hairs, but there is a noticeable difference between a random orbital and a DA buffer. Meguiar's for instance lists product compatibility and a DA and an orbital are listed as different, and some products get both, some only the DA.

 

ok ok ok cool. I think that in this case, me being a beginner and ADS having the G110 on sale, I think this is what I should start off with. I can do my truck, my lady's car and a few family members car once in a blue blue moon. I would love the Flex (especially when it comes to shaving time) but I don't want to risk damaging my truck or someone's car. If you don't think that this is the case than Flex here I come (as long as my lady doesn't buy it). I got a feeling that this is what she's thinking of getting me for X-MAS b/c I've talked about it so much.


If I do get it I will not be able to use it until Spring.