Flex is a German power tool manufacturer whose machines are built for daily professional use, and the PXE 80 is the one most detailers know: a compact machine for tight areas, badges, pillars and door handles where a full-size polisher cannot sit flat. We stock the machines alongside the full consumable range, including M14 backing plates, red cutting, purple medium and black finishing pads, 35mm foam cones and cylinders for spot work, and Flex compounds.

Red is the cutting pad for defect removal, purple is medium for one-step correction and light swirls, and black is the finishing pad for refining and applying protection. Match the pad to the compound: a cutting pad with a finishing polish wastes the polish, and a finishing pad with a heavy compound will not clear the defect. Pad size matters too, since the same compound cuts harder on a smaller pad because pressure concentrates.

They fit the small rotary and mini machines and are made for the areas flat pads cannot reach: door handles and shuts, around badges, wing mirror bases, spoiler edges, grille surrounds and tight window pillars. The 35mm cones and cylinders come in the same grade colours as the flat pads, so you can carry your cutting and finishing steps into those areas rather than leaving them uncorrected. They are sold in packs of five because they wear faster than flat pads.

The Universal One-Step Compound is the sensible default: it corrects light to moderate defects and finishes down in a single stage, which is what most cars actually need. The Finishing Compound is for the second pass on darker or softer paint where you want maximum clarity after cutting, or for jewelling before protection. If you are buying one bottle to go with a new machine, buy the one-step.