Reply To: The FX-8 is being replaced by the FX-9

[Teresa Lang]

Mitchell,

Let me start off with a description of each filler by the manufacturer (Viper):

Base fill is a medium viscosity heat cure compound used to fill holes or deep cracks in vinyl or leather is cures to a firmer feel and sands well. It can be grain when its hot. And cures at a lower temp around 295 degrees.

Dura Flex is our super thick state of the art reinforced heat cure compound it has fiberglass blended into it to provide and extremely durable repair it has excellent adhesion to both leather and vinyl., it grains easily and can be sanded. It also cures with very little shine for excellent hiding . This is a viper exclusive product and the best compound in the industry.

Extra Thick Vinylhyde is a unique vinyl repair compound. It has special fillers added to it to give it a super thick constancy that provides excellent filling without shrinking . Very popular for use in doing restaurant repair work as well as automobiles.

Fusion X is a unique vinyl repair compound. It has special fillers added to it to give it a super thick constancy that provides excellent filling without shrinking . Very popular for use in doing restaurant repair work as well as automobiles.

FX-9 goes off at 295 degrees and grains very well. It has multi flex technology and is extremely durable. This is a must have compound for today’s new heat sensitive vinyls.

Medium Vinylhyde is a medium viscosity vinyl repair compound . It grains well and spreads easily. This compound is similar to our competitors but with a stronger tensile strength and better flex.

XR-15 is our exclusive reinforced high performance heat cure . It cures at a lower temp and has a softer feel and now is reinforced with our exclusive process using a special milled reinforced fiberglass this adds extreme strength to the compound.

Was there something wrong with the previous fillers?

No. But we do try to constantly improve our products. In the past vinyl fillers might have been migrating, required more heat to cure, weaker, cured harder/less flexible, didn’t grain as easy and so on. Viper does a great deal on improving their heat cure compounds and making them the best in the market. A lot of comparable heat cure compounds of competitors lack in one of the following characters: Easy to grain, durable, non-migrating, easy to hide, real leather- or vinyl feel, strength, sand-able, easy to cure, easy to spread, durability, and so on. In your other comment you mention the B-1 and the very long shelf live. This is a good point. Since we have Dr. Vinyl technicians all over the US our heat cure compounds (and every other product for that matter) should withstand the long therm effects of different temperatures. Let me look into that and see if any of our current fillers has a comparable shelf live to the B-1!

Another reason for frequent updates on heat cure compounds is that all our techs have very different preferences. Some like thin viscosity, super easy to grain fillers while others might like thick viscosity, quick fill compounds. I think the different thicknesses mainly benefit new techs. I’m sure most experienced techs are able to fill, spread, cure and grain with every available compound. For “newbies” it might just be easier to find the right viscosity and get used to the process before they are able to use every product on the marked. This is why during training every new technician has the option to test all fillers and find their favorite choice.

– Teresa