Executive Report:

Fully flexible

A new wall chaser from Flex is designed for ease of use by left or
right-handed operators, and for maximum efficiency. Phil Mist gives his assessment.

Flex Power Tools is typical of many smaller manufacturers that develop specialist products for specific applications and markets. Based in Germany, Flex-Elektrowerkzeuge GmbH (to give it its full name) was previously known as Ackermann Schmidt, and has something of a reputation for over-engineering its products. However, in the past it has introduced ideas that have led the way in good design and better performance. Indeed, Flex claims to have invented the first high speed grinder approximately half a century ago, and more recently, the company introduced a low-vibration handle for its small grinders, which is now standard on many machines.

The company’s current range includes a number of surface finishing sanders of varying shapes and sizes, polishing machines designed for specialist tasks, and several wall-finishing tools that may look a little strange,
but which perform excellently. One such product is the new MS 1706 FR wall chaser, which has a feature that sets it apart from other machines. A common problem with such tools is that, like most hand-held equipment, they are invariably designed for right-handed people. Flex set itself the challenge of devising a product that can be used equally well with either hand, and backwards or forwards.

To switch from left to right handed operation, or to operate the machine in either direction with the same hand, the user simply turns a knob on top of the tool and reverses the angle of the machine’s body. It can then be pushed or pulled with either hand, thus working either away from or towards the operator. You do not have to turn the machine round in order to operate it in the opposite direction, but you can do so if you wish.
The MS 1706 FR is equipped with two blades to produce a chase with only one pass. At 140mm in diameter, they are larger than those on comparable machines, and can cut to a maximum depth of up to 35mm. Furthermore, by using a combination of spacers to adjust the distance between the blades, the machine can produce a channel of up to 30mm in width. This can then be removed by hand, using the chisel provided with the tool. Power comes from a 1,400watt motor, which has an excellent output power rating of 950 watts, and yet the machine weighs only 3.7kg. To plunge into the wall to the pre-set cutting depth, there is a lever positioned on the inside of the blade guard immediately adjacent to the handle, and the depth of cut is set via an adjustment knob on the front of the machine.

Features incorporated on the MS 1706 FR include soft start, constant speed control, overload protection, motor temperature monitoring, auto cut-off brushes, tool-free SDS-Clic blade fitting, a 360? rotating dust collection fitting on top of the machine for standard vacuums or dust collectors, and a fully enclosing blade guard that can be removed very quickly. The noise emissions are claimed to be 97dB(A) (sound power level) and the quoted vibration figure is only 2.5m/s2. Certainly, the test machine provided was very comfortable to operate, and it performed well.

All in all, the MS 1706 FR is a superb machine that does an excellent job in complete safety. And if it is connected to an appropriate dust collection system, I would go so far as to suggest that you could even use it while wearing a business suit, without having to visit the dry cleaners immediately afterwards. •

T 0870 777 1425
W www.flex-tools.com

Executive Hire News › Archives › August 2008 › Executive Report › Fully flexible

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