a few questions for the Flex DA gurus out there.... i might get a flex DA soon, and wondering what size (diameter) is the backing plate ? I have some 5.5 and 4 inch pads which I dont think will work on the flex... do you guys reckon I still keep the megs g220 just for the 4 inch purpose ? might have to get 6 to 6.5 inch pads for the flex... would the sonus sfx pads fit onto the flex DA ? or maybe the meguiars soft buff pads ? I quite like their spongyness. not very keen on the LC CCS pads...or should I consider them ? and I remember reading bout the backing plate issues ages ago. whats the full story on that and how do I know which one's the improved backing plate version ? and in terms of operation, comparing the flex DA to the udm, are the arm movements as slow or should be faster with the flex ? and also what about the downward pressure on the head ? less i'm guessing ? i dont think its possible to do it like the rotary where i've seen others just use the weight of the machine... ? thanks !
I have to use 6.5 pads on mine but, I think Al-53 bought an extra backing plate and trimmed it down for the smaller pads.
I believe the replacement BP's they sent out for the Flex's were 5in. The first ones were 5.5in iirc.
what about colour of the new updated bp ? do they have diff colours to differentiate ? hmm so if the bp is 5 inch, i think the sonus sfx pads velcro part is up to 5 inch right ? i think the latest sonus sfx pads velcro are not up to the end of the edge...hmm....
We just got in our local shipment a round a month back and they all came with the new BP. It is 140mm which = 5.5". The newe backing plate also has an additional white foam section between the velcro and the plastic part. Hope that helps
Carn's right. I just measured mine, its 5.5in. I guess the original ones were 6in. Ppl were cutting them down themselves (the original 6in? BP).
Well, not a Flex guru, but yes the Flex backing plate is 5.5 inches on mine too. I got it last spring so I'm not sure when the plates were 6 inches. I have and use Sonus SFX pads, the ones that Chris at eShine sells and they are 150 mm/5 7/8 inches. Anything smaller might be a problem I think. I also have a UDM and use it almost exclusively for my 4 inch pad now so the smaller machine is still handy. I don't find I need to use nearly as much downward pressure with the Flex as the UDM. I'm not as tired after using the Flex. I don't think my arm movements have changed much. I try to use about the same pace as with the UDM but it does such a better job that fewer passes are needed, hence faster. I also use the LC PFW with the Flex and they are faster at correcting than the foam when needed. Hope this is of some help. G
hmm ok, i just measured both my sonus sfx and the LC CCS low profile pads. The sonus sfx pads I recently ordered , the velcro does not reach the end of the pad ( i think the older version did) . but anyway it measures 135 mm (5.3 inch) . which is just a little bit away from 140m (5.5 inch). which means 0.2 inch of the backing plate exceeds the velcro, but not exceeding the overall pad. the same goes for my LC CCS low profile pads... but thats all the way to the end of the pad. so i guess a little bit of the backing plate 0.2 inch will be hanging out. what do you all think ? does this mean these pads are not suitable ? sonus LC CCS low profile
oh, and has anyone tried the cobra cross groove pads before ? how are they compared to the LC CCS 6.5 inch pads ? not sure how durable they would be and also in terms of the usage & performance...hmm
Ive used the Sonus pads on my Flex DA with no issues. The velcro is right to the edge on mine though, but I cant see that being an issue.
yeah the new style ones which i received about 2 weeks ago did not have velcro to the edge... and by measuring...seems like the flex bp will be a bit over the velcro edge, but not over the pad edge. my concern is the bp biting into the foam part ?
