Which Buffer Flex or Porter Cable??
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 353
Likes: 22
St. Jude Donor '17
Which Buffer Flex or Porter Cable??
I have done lots of Auto Detailing in my life but have never owed or run a power buffer. I am considering a Flex XC3401 VRG and a Porter Cable 7424 XP. Thes is some significant differences in the price between these two units. What are the operational differences? Which one is better suited for a neophyte machine polisher. What are the advantages of one over the other. THANKS!!
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 96,209
Likes: 75
From: Houston Texas
St. Jude Donor '09
Here is what you are looking for.......Good luck......
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autogee...g-project.html
http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine...x+porter+cable
http://www.autopia.org/forum/autogee...g-project.html
http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine...x+porter+cable
Last edited by Dave1; Mar 12, 2010 at 09:26 PM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 687
Likes: 3
From: Stuart Florida
Here's an article I wrote on this topic, note the "Ease of Use" ranking...
How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project
If you're new to machine polishing the DA Polisher is the easiest of all the tools to learn and master. Tools like the Flex 3401 offer more correction ability without the swirls common to rotary buffers nor the upper body strength and even back and leg strength required to use one to buff out an entire car in one day.
While I'm cautious about ever recommending a "specific" tool to anyone because I don't have any control over the quality of the tool build, I've posted this numerous times on Autogeek and it's almost funny how no one ever picks up on it but here goes on this forum...
The new Griot's Garage ROP or Random Orbital Polisher has an 850 Watt Motor, that's almost twice the Watts of the Meguiar's DA Polisher and the Porter Cable PC7424XP.
Read carefully...
In practical use, it mimics what a rotary buffer does, or in other words it mimics the correction ability of what a rotary buffer offers because it keeps the pad rotating under pressure, (which is what a rotary buffer does), and this mean it removes paint and this means it remove defects.
I'm not saying it's a substitute for a rotary buffer, but it comes comes close at least to some level plus it has the safety of the Free Rotating Spindle Assemble so if you push too hard, or you tilt the polisher and put the pad on edge or you buff on a raised body line, (that's 3 things), the pad will stop rotating and prevent you from causing damage to the paint.
So it has the power to some major correction while still being one of the easiest tools to learn how to use and master and you can crank the speed down and polish with it or apply a liquid wax with it.
You can do everything I show in this new video with the Porter Cable 7424XP with a few ticks more power to keep a pad rotating under pressure.
How to Remove Swirls with the Porter Cable 7424XP
Video: How-To do a "Section Pass" when Machine Buffing
The downside...
The only downside is that while I worked at Meguiar's Corporate office for 7 years and now at Autogeek, I've seen two basic groups of people from the Customer Service side of the equation and what I mean by this is,
Cool, Calm and Professional
One group is pretty well-mannered and professional, if a tool breaks the take it in stride and go through the process of either getting it replaced or getting it repaired.
Not cool, calm and professional
The other group is not like the first group, I'm not going to use adjectives to describe them as that' not my nature, but I will say in simple terms they get upset.
Here's what all this means, the Porter Cable has a 20 or 30 plus year history of RELIABILITY, you an drive over one of these tools and it will keep on working.
Both the Griot's Garage ROP and the Meguiar's G110v2 are NEW tools, they don't have decades of time behind them showing their reliability, to date I haven't heard of any quality related issues surrounding either of these new tools and they both come with great warranty's.
I what' I've typed before on Autogeek is the below quote and you can find it on page 6 this thread, Post #58,
Griot's ROP that much more powerful the PC 7424XP?
I will say this also, I've used all 3 tools and they all work GREAT! But from what I've experienced, the Griot's has a little more umph to bring to the table.
When comparing the DA style polishers to the Flex 3401, besides the differences in forced rotation and free rotating spindle assemble, here's what I notice when operating the tools.
The DA style polishers are pretty simple to use from a muscle point of view. Here's my son when he was 9 years old using a G110 on a 1966 Batmobile.
Photo courtesy of LacViet Photography
The Flex is easy to operate as long as you hold the pad flat to the surface WHICH IS WHAT YOUR SUPPOSED TO DO... but if you're a Newbie, and you hold the face of the pad with more pressure to any portion of the edge or side of the pad the polisher will want to try to walk away in in one direction or the other depending upon the edge you apply pressure.
This isn't a big deal or a negative against the tool, it's' my observation I'm sharing with anyone that's never held one of these tool in their and and buffed with it. As long as you use good technique, that is as long as you use proper technique and hold the pad flat to the surface you won't experience the 'walking away phenomena".
Don't know if this provided any help or not...
I like this quote I wrote in this article,
Question: How many car waxes do you need?
"Car waxes and paint sealants are to men like shoes are to women, you can never have too many" - Mike Phillips
And if we apply this to Power Tools, then join the "Tool of the Month Club" and add tools to your collection like women add shoes to their closet.
How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project
If you're new to machine polishing the DA Polisher is the easiest of all the tools to learn and master. Tools like the Flex 3401 offer more correction ability without the swirls common to rotary buffers nor the upper body strength and even back and leg strength required to use one to buff out an entire car in one day.
While I'm cautious about ever recommending a "specific" tool to anyone because I don't have any control over the quality of the tool build, I've posted this numerous times on Autogeek and it's almost funny how no one ever picks up on it but here goes on this forum...
The new Griot's Garage ROP or Random Orbital Polisher has an 850 Watt Motor, that's almost twice the Watts of the Meguiar's DA Polisher and the Porter Cable PC7424XP.
Read carefully...
In practical use, it mimics what a rotary buffer does, or in other words it mimics the correction ability of what a rotary buffer offers because it keeps the pad rotating under pressure, (which is what a rotary buffer does), and this mean it removes paint and this means it remove defects.
I'm not saying it's a substitute for a rotary buffer, but it comes comes close at least to some level plus it has the safety of the Free Rotating Spindle Assemble so if you push too hard, or you tilt the polisher and put the pad on edge or you buff on a raised body line, (that's 3 things), the pad will stop rotating and prevent you from causing damage to the paint.
So it has the power to some major correction while still being one of the easiest tools to learn how to use and master and you can crank the speed down and polish with it or apply a liquid wax with it.
You can do everything I show in this new video with the Porter Cable 7424XP with a few ticks more power to keep a pad rotating under pressure.
How to Remove Swirls with the Porter Cable 7424XP
Video: How-To do a "Section Pass" when Machine Buffing
The downside...
The only downside is that while I worked at Meguiar's Corporate office for 7 years and now at Autogeek, I've seen two basic groups of people from the Customer Service side of the equation and what I mean by this is,
Cool, Calm and Professional
One group is pretty well-mannered and professional, if a tool breaks the take it in stride and go through the process of either getting it replaced or getting it repaired.
Not cool, calm and professional
The other group is not like the first group, I'm not going to use adjectives to describe them as that' not my nature, but I will say in simple terms they get upset.
Here's what all this means, the Porter Cable has a 20 or 30 plus year history of RELIABILITY, you an drive over one of these tools and it will keep on working.
Both the Griot's Garage ROP and the Meguiar's G110v2 are NEW tools, they don't have decades of time behind them showing their reliability, to date I haven't heard of any quality related issues surrounding either of these new tools and they both come with great warranty's.
I what' I've typed before on Autogeek is the below quote and you can find it on page 6 this thread, Post #58,
Griot's ROP that much more powerful the PC 7424XP?
Sure I agree with you, I think most car guys would agree more power is better, just look all dimensions of the car hobby culture, it's all about power!
I've met a lot of car guys and even car gals that want to take care of their car's finish but they don't go to the extremes like many of us do in the forum world. They don't care to get out each and every scratch and they don't even care if they get out all of the swirls. If they get a polisher and do a simple paint polishing process to their PT Cruiser or their Mazda Miata and when their done the paint looks clear and glossy, and the result they're seeing look way better than any results the achieved by hand, then they're happy.
On paper the Griot's Garage ROP has more power and out in the garage the Griot's Garage has more power from what I can tell and based upon my experience.
So if you want the polisher with the most power this would be your choice but all 3 of the 2nd generation polishers have enough power to keep pads rotating and that's what's important when removing swirls.
The Griot's Garage polisher is still the new kid on the block and time will tell if the reliability is there with the power. The warranty is great but from behind the scenes, I've seen how people act when a tool stops functioning and that's why I wrote as gingerly as I could that if you're the type of person that gets upset when a tool malfunctions then maybe go with a tool that has a time-proven history of reliability.
I met Richard Griot at SEMA this year and he's the real deal as far as being a car guy goes and just as nice in person as you see him on TV or expect after reading any thing he's written on his website or in his catalog. I'm confident they've done their homework when it comes to launching a new tool and and if any problems do arise then they'll address them. Meguiar's ran into a few glitches when they first introduced their polisher and they tackled them head-on and refined their tool to be one of the top 3 tools in this category. You would expect on less from Meguiar's and you should expect no less from either Griot's Garage or Porter Cable. That's the nature of doing professional level business.
So everyone reading this needs to study and evaluate their different options when it comes to any electric polisher and then evaluate themselves and then make their decision.
Whichever tool a person buys one thing for sure, the staff here at Autogeek and myself will be here to support you with your detailing projects and see you through to success in your garage.
I've met a lot of car guys and even car gals that want to take care of their car's finish but they don't go to the extremes like many of us do in the forum world. They don't care to get out each and every scratch and they don't even care if they get out all of the swirls. If they get a polisher and do a simple paint polishing process to their PT Cruiser or their Mazda Miata and when their done the paint looks clear and glossy, and the result they're seeing look way better than any results the achieved by hand, then they're happy.
On paper the Griot's Garage ROP has more power and out in the garage the Griot's Garage has more power from what I can tell and based upon my experience.
So if you want the polisher with the most power this would be your choice but all 3 of the 2nd generation polishers have enough power to keep pads rotating and that's what's important when removing swirls.
The Griot's Garage polisher is still the new kid on the block and time will tell if the reliability is there with the power. The warranty is great but from behind the scenes, I've seen how people act when a tool stops functioning and that's why I wrote as gingerly as I could that if you're the type of person that gets upset when a tool malfunctions then maybe go with a tool that has a time-proven history of reliability.
I met Richard Griot at SEMA this year and he's the real deal as far as being a car guy goes and just as nice in person as you see him on TV or expect after reading any thing he's written on his website or in his catalog. I'm confident they've done their homework when it comes to launching a new tool and and if any problems do arise then they'll address them. Meguiar's ran into a few glitches when they first introduced their polisher and they tackled them head-on and refined their tool to be one of the top 3 tools in this category. You would expect on less from Meguiar's and you should expect no less from either Griot's Garage or Porter Cable. That's the nature of doing professional level business.
So everyone reading this needs to study and evaluate their different options when it comes to any electric polisher and then evaluate themselves and then make their decision.
Whichever tool a person buys one thing for sure, the staff here at Autogeek and myself will be here to support you with your detailing projects and see you through to success in your garage.
I will say this also, I've used all 3 tools and they all work GREAT! But from what I've experienced, the Griot's has a little more umph to bring to the table.
When comparing the DA style polishers to the Flex 3401, besides the differences in forced rotation and free rotating spindle assemble, here's what I notice when operating the tools.
The DA style polishers are pretty simple to use from a muscle point of view. Here's my son when he was 9 years old using a G110 on a 1966 Batmobile.
Photo courtesy of LacViet Photography
The Flex is easy to operate as long as you hold the pad flat to the surface WHICH IS WHAT YOUR SUPPOSED TO DO... but if you're a Newbie, and you hold the face of the pad with more pressure to any portion of the edge or side of the pad the polisher will want to try to walk away in in one direction or the other depending upon the edge you apply pressure.
This isn't a big deal or a negative against the tool, it's' my observation I'm sharing with anyone that's never held one of these tool in their and and buffed with it. As long as you use good technique, that is as long as you use proper technique and hold the pad flat to the surface you won't experience the 'walking away phenomena".
Don't know if this provided any help or not...
I like this quote I wrote in this article,
Question: How many car waxes do you need?
"Car waxes and paint sealants are to men like shoes are to women, you can never have too many" - Mike Phillips
And if we apply this to Power Tools, then join the "Tool of the Month Club" and add tools to your collection like women add shoes to their closet.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 353
Likes: 22
St. Jude Donor '17
I don't get freaked when a tool has a problem. I am a semi newbie. I like good tools. Honestly, any of these will take care of my light swirling and one towel rash. So, my choice is power and ease of use. I have backed off from the Flex and now am down to the PC, Meguires, and Groits. Cost in this case is not a consideration. All three are close enough on cost that it doesn't matter to me. On ease of use they are ranked equal so... I guess I will order the Groits Polisher based on power unless someone jumps in here and argues against that decision.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 353
Likes: 22
St. Jude Donor '17
One other thing, After 5 hours of trade show this morning and a 7.5 hour drive home in my 4 door Rubicon (oddly the troopers weren't everywhere and I made much better than expected time). I am exhausted. I have tried to read all this stuff on these buffers and my head is about to explode.
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 14,104
Likes: 244
From: South Florida
All the updated Random Orbital Buffers offer alot of bang for the buck. The PC-XP, Griots RA, and the updated Megs unit. They certainly have moved the bar alot closer to the Flex 3401 but most still consider it the best buy when cash is not considered. It offers alot of power and ease of use, but is limited by its backing plate and pad sizes. There is no wrong choice and exactly why Autogeek offers them all and has tested them back to back.
Make a choice and then ask for help on the best polishes and pads to get the most out of the unit you chose. You will be amazed at how much difference is noted so jump on in, and if you need help call us. Its toll-free and we are ready to help as needed. I doubt you will be upset at the choice in any of these power tools.
http://www.autogeek.net/bupo.html
Make a choice and then ask for help on the best polishes and pads to get the most out of the unit you chose. You will be amazed at how much difference is noted so jump on in, and if you need help call us. Its toll-free and we are ready to help as needed. I doubt you will be upset at the choice in any of these power tools.
http://www.autogeek.net/bupo.html
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Brett Foote
Disabled by request 27 March 2026
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: Pearl River La
I bought the new Griots from Autogeek and am very pleased with it. I too looked at the Flex and it is a great tool. Since I only use the polisher for my own cars I felt the difference in price could be spent on product and pads, JMO. I do have the older PC 7424 and the new Griots is heads and sholders above it. The older Pc 7424 is still going strong and is a good machine, but the new Griots does the job faster.
