Hi all you rod building addicts, Im looking at purchasing a power wrapper and would love some feedback between the two? The slip clutch on the Flex Coat seems very nice and the fact you dont have to move the motor belt for various speeds. The Flex Coat power wrapper has a very DIY look to it vs the Alps and I want to invest in a product with long life to it. Any opinions regarding the plus/minus on these power wrappers would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much!!

Craig

Make no mistake, what you say is a DIY look is in fact a hand made, by me, OEM rod making machine. OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. That means, we build machines professional grade and always have. They last and last. Think small batch. We make them in batches of 6 to 12. I cut the wood, and by wood I mean a high quality MDF that is melamine coated for great durability. Any rod finish that cures on it will peel right off. I wire the motors. I turn the screws. I build every one of these that goes out the door. If you want to talk to me about your machine, call me at 512-858-7742. We can discuss your needs and customize some things to how you build, many times at no additional charge. If you want to talk to the people that make many of the other wrappers you are going to need a Chinese interpreter. When you get the Flex Coat DC777 there are 5 screws to install the backboard to the baseboard. After that, just set the motor in place, slide in the spring loaded roller supports, steady rest, and control board, that now features 4 thread spools as standard, and you are ready to go.

You nailed it, no belts, just easy to use whether you are a beginner or new to power wrapping. The speed control is great for keeping things under control and the foot petal is variable as well. Our steady rest is a must when finishing, no body else even touches that feature. Our rod chuck just got an upgrade as well with a foam insert that helps with self centering the rod butt and durability.

I get it, you see the aluminum track and think, "Wow, that is more advanced", but is it? The uprights that come out of a base inhibit you from sliding a control board or steady rest up and down your rod unobstructed. Our slot mounted roller supports keep your work area free of clutter and allow free movement up and down the rod, whether wrapping or finishing. Our motor comes with a motor lock that allows you the ability to lock you reel seat straight up so that you can stand over your rod and sight down onto the red alignment stripe to ensure your guides are on the top of your blank and in line using our guide foot adhesive, whether building on the spine or straight axis.

I am confident that if there were a room full of all the machines out there, the Flex Coat DC777 would be the favorite for features, ergonomics and lifespan. Speaking of which, the NERBs event at AnglersResource will feature the DC777 and many others if you will be able to make it to that event on November 5th.

Hey, I get it, I am partial, but this motor and machine have been my passion for over 5 years now (really over 10 years I have been thinking about it). It may not be perfect, but I believe it is the best on the market today. Pretty please don't let this be the end of the discussion here, feel free to pick apart all my points.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Craig,
You mentioned what I consider to be one of the MOST important aspects of a wrapper, whether manual or power = a SLIP CLUTCH. While originally designed for use while applying finish to thread wraps (to enable stopping the rotation of the blank without stopping the motor), I have found it to also be INVALUABLE to afford an adjustable rotational tension on the actual blank itself (anti-backlash / thread tension) while thread wrapping. I cannot imagine, nor do I ever attempt, thread wrapping without one!!! A true God-send. A Flex Coat Slip Clutch is adaptable to virtually ANY wrapping system.
While the Flex Coat DC777 may be lacking a high-dollar powerhead with 3-jaw chuck, the other features trump most others, most importantly unobstructed movement under/between the roller uprights which one may not realize until actually using one. A powerhead upgrade is always possible down the road when the novice becomes more acquainted with precisely what he needs. Nonetheless, the 777 has the best basic features of the units I have examined.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

I've had mine for a year and a half now and it is a great wrapper and finisher. I can't imagine not having it and all they say is true. With the help from all of these nice folks on this forum, my wraps and finishing have never looked better. There is not much I can add to what has been already said, it's a fine wrapper.

John thank you for taking the time to point out all the advantages of your power wrapper vs other wrappers. You've hit on a number of key features that in my mind that makes the Flex Coat power wrapper superior to the others! I have to appologize for my DIY comment, your wrapper is clearly a well thoughtout and engineered piece of equipment, please accept my apology for speaking out of school. I would really love to give you a shout and discuss this further as I do have a few more questions. I'll give you a shout very soon and thank you for such a thoughtful and informative response!
Cheers
Craig Snapp

Mark and Fred thank you also so very much for your thoughtful responses. Im certain now I will go with the Flex Coat power wrapper and get to building!
Your responses are greatly appreciated and very helpful as well.
Cheers
Craig Snapp

I have built over 100 rods since starting this hobby, all wrapped by hand. There have been a few times when I wished I had a power wrapper, but those were not normal builds for me.

Steve

I have zero experience with the Flexcoat machine. Just from looking at it, there isn't enough room between the rod blank and the back board for me to do trim bands the way I do them. I wrap trim bands by hand, holding the thread in my hand and passing it around the blank. I do thread inserts in wraps the same way. Other than that I am sure it's a fine machine. And if foot pedal input is instantaneous, Then I would love it. For strictly wrapping I don't know that the reversible motor feature would be kind of nice when wrapping from mid blank towards the tip, because it's kind of tough turning the blank backwards by hand when it gets that skinny.

I don't have an Alps wrapper per say ...... I have a Pac Bay with an Alps chuck on it, so it's pretty much the same thing. I like that I can detach the section of bed that has the wrapping motor and chuck on it and take it somewhere (if I so choose) other than my wrapping room, to turn grips. I personally don't have a problem with the rod stands being mounted in the track. They cause me zero problems with hand clearance. I guess I don't get the supposed benefit of the Flexcoat over other machines similar to my Pac Bay wrapper when it comes to moving a thread carriage or a steady rest, along the length of the track. There is a channel built into the wrapper track for those kind of things and they don't come close to hitting the rod stands.

Certainly the Flexcoat machine, if the motor response is instantaneous, would have the advantage over an Alps type machine. And from what I understand, low speed control is much easier. It has advantages to be sure. But if you are going to be building or turning grips, and you don't want to have to invest in a separate lathe to do so, the Alps type wrappers with the separate base sections is the way to go IMO. And as I said earlier. My main problem with the Flexcoat machine is clearance between the rod blank and the track that holds the rod stands. Way too close for the way I hand wrap my trim bands.

You've all been great with your responses with solid info and I greatly appreciate it.
Thank you all so very much!
Craig Snapp

David,
With the flex coat wrapper as well as other wrappers that have essentially perfect control of speed at 1-5 rpm - in both directions, trim bands are easy.

With a wrapper that has this capability - you never have to turn the rod by hand, and you can easily do your trim bands, by keeping your hands holding the trim thread in front of the rod and then use the foot pedal and the reverse switch to add your trim band while holding the trim thread in your hand.

This in a nutshell - is exactly why the folks from Flex Coat designed such a machine. i.e. the ability of this wrapper to use foot pedal to achieve perfect and precise - very very slow rpm turning in either direction facilitates main wrapping and trim wrapping.

Give on a try and you will be sold and will not be going back to other power wrappers.

Or, just modify your current wrapper with a power system that has essentially the same features of the Flex Coat machine and you will leave your hand wrapping far far behind you.


Best wishes.

Another thing about Flexcoat, their customer service is second to none.

I had no problem doing trim bands when I used one, it's not that close. Secondly, I noticed I had unobstructed workspace under and in front, not someplace that has slots that eat anything you lay down like pull thread loops, scissors, razor blades, etc. the very reason I ultimately bought the Susan tray for my CPW to put supplies on, an extra expense that works well.

Sounds like the motor control offered by the Flexcoat wrapper is the deal. Definitely something to consider if choosing between the Flexcoat and the Alps. I will trust Spencer when he says there is enough clearance between the rod and back board track on the Flexcoat wrapper. I sure looks close though.

As far as the rest of the stuff, I don't really have a problem with that kind of thing, Although the slot in the track does occasionally eat my pull through device. lol With all the advantages of the Flexcoat wrapper I could see it being a great purchase, but ..... as I mentioned earlier. I can take the section my wrapping motor is on and move it to a different location if I want to build and turn grips with it.

And honestly, the only reason I bought a power wrapper in the first place was so I could shape EVA grips. Building the grips that I have, just evolved from that.

Give and takes with both systems for sure.

David

The distance from the PVC slot board and the rod is 4".

Also, as I have already mentioned, we do custom work on these. You mentioned detaching and taking a piece of track with you. I have made several 2 piece bases, 47" long each, for exactly that purpose. Our extensions attach to each other easily with ½" dowels that insert into the PVC slot boar, keeping everything aligned and sturdy, with no small screws and tools to do the job. Just easy.

Shaping cork and EVA on a wrapper or finisher is like gutting fish on fresh bed sheets, it just doesn't make any sense to make all that mess in a clean area. Even with a vacuum or dust collection, I have never seen one that gets it all.

You say give and takes with both systems, I wonder...

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

...also, we offer a Cork Lathe Setup that uses a drill you probably already have. You can easily set it up outside on a picnic table and let the dust fly. Then break it down and store it in a box. Check out our video with over 1 million views:

[www.youtube.com]

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

John, it's great that you supplied the clearance between a rod and the backing track system of your machine. And that you'd be able to make a detachable section, if so asked. As I mentioned earlier, the Flexcoat machine sounds like a wonderful machine, and I am certainly not trying to make it sound as if it's not. The motor control system probably blows away my Pac Bay wrappers system. I would love the low speed control that was talked about in an earlier post.

As far as the drill lathe Flexcoat offers. I looked at it with interest before I bought my power wrapper. I am sure it does a nice job, but I chose to go a different route.

I don't think I came off as trying to talk anyone out of buying the Flexcoat machine. I just said what I like about my wrapper. And yes there is definitely a give and take with both systems.I don't have to set up a separate lathe to turn a cork grip. But I don't have the low speed motor control that the Flexcoat machine has ........... give and take.

John,
I appreciate your comment about mixing wrapping and grip shaping on the same machine.

Perfect and I could not agree more.

For myself, I do my wrapping in my rod building clean room.

But, any sort of lathe shaping work whether it is on rods or on something else is done in a different building.
Before using the lathe, I take my high pressure air hose from my compressor and use my 4 foot wand and blow gun with all of the doors open to dust everything, starting with the ceiling, then down the walls, shelves, cabinets and finally the floors with everything blown out the big open doors.

-----------
After all of the lathe work is completed, the floors are swept and vacuumed and the cleaning process using high pressure air starting at the ceiling and on down to the floors with all of the dust and debris being blown out the big open door

Absolutely -- do not mix rod wrapping and finish application --- with any sort of lathe shaping and sanding and generating dust and dirt any where close to the power wrapper, or the power or hand wrapping area. It is virtually impossible to keep the dust from contaminating the wrapping and finish area if the lathe turning area is in the same room and or possibly the same building. Keep them separate.

Love my DC777 Flex Coat

Most of the good things about it have been covered but one thing I have come to appreciate is the aesthetic of the unit. It’s kinda of hard to describe but for me the flex coat unit leans toward “studio” and more lathe like wrappers leans towards “workshop”. Not sure if that makes sense. It’s just lovely and equally lovely to use

I reinforced the fence and made it a permanent attachment and added more material at the top of the back of the fence so I can easily attach or move a high end magnifiying light anywhere along the fence length

Next on the list is flex coat’s 4 rod 18 rpm dryer







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2022 01:34AM by Bob Foster.

Bob,
Very nice setup indeed.

Your pictures really display very nicely how convenient the Flex Coat setup is - especially for the fact that there is nothing under the rod to get in the way of the thread carriage to be able to move non stop for the full length of the rod without having to move any rod rests.

Best wishes

The thread carriage as well as a tool rest will move the entire length of a Pac Bay or Alps wrapper without the need to move a single rod stand. So both units are the exact same in that respect. If we are going to mention something as an advantage, shouldn't we be mentioning something that the other unit can't do?

In trusting what has been said about the motor control and low speed operation of the Flexcoat unit being true, I would consider that a huge advantage over an Alps wrapper. That is if the Alps wrapper motor control has the same operational characteristics as my Pac Bay machine.

As far as being able to reverse direction of the motor on the Flexcoat unit goes .... I could only truly see that as a big advantage if you were able to control motor direction on the foot pedal, or via a switch that would move with you down the length of the machine. If you have to flip a switch that is located where the motor is, then it isn't as much of an advantage as it could be.

Not having used the Flexcoat wrapper I can't honestly say, but motor control is the only real advantage the Flexcoat unit has over an Alps type wrapper.

The one advantage the Alps wrapper has, and it is a huge advantage, is that it has a quality 3 jaw chuck. That in itself makes it a much more versatile machine.

Any other perceived advantages of one machine over the other IMO comes down to personal preferences.