FLEXPAD softie report

General Discussion
1

…hello;
I use Power pads and Ferro pads. Finally last year I decided to order (Internationally for me) Flex pads. May be any of you remember a thread where I mentioned that the pads do not have a nut or similar hex to use a wrench so you rely on a hand chop to disengage it. This is NOT possible with the softie.
That pad lasted ONLY one big board gloss polish! a real crappy pad. I keep it a no more than 750rpms as mentioned in the pad but the real problem is when you try to disengage it from the sander; the pad gouge in circle where the metal part inside cannot hold the softness anymore…
Is soft but STILL CAN let heavy marks in a gloss coat so beware. Also too hard for the rails (gloss coat)
Definitely a useless piece of trash, but like the other manufacturers, they are full of themselves so no critic is allowed to develop a better product.

-I used silicone on the threads as mentioned in that other thread by Aquaglassing but did not worked at all for this pad. Could be near impossible to disengage without a total tear down if I did not apply it…
-Ferro pads do not have a hex nut to use a wrench but you can disengage it without tearing it apart due to the plastic backup is almost big as the foamy part.

2

I have found the flexpads pretty good in my opinion as a backyarder. I dont need to get hundreds of boards out of one before it falls apart, but that has not happened yet. I did have one that just did not want to come loose from my sander. After much frustration, I found that my sander has a little vent on the side where I could see the gears inside. I took a flathead I think and stuck it in there so it could not spin at the head freely anymore. Then just a little extra leverage I could not get without jamming the gears allowed it to come right off. No damage to the pad or sander. Once I got a feel for the different pads, I can use them pretty much on whatever step I need without too much worry.
For what its worth, I have let people use my pads and if they have no clue what they are doing, it can be easy to shred the edges of the pads in some situations. I usually try to stop them before they ruin anything too badly.

3

…hello; I am referring to the softie. With these is the problem.

4

good to know. thx