Both of these covers, being tri-folds are made from aircraft-grade aluminum with a glossy black finish and both of them provide you with a great deal of protection.
Both also allow you to secure your bed in different accessible positions where you have 3 of these in case of MX4 and 2 in case of RC Low Profile.
Let’s check out both of these guys in detail.
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Which cover offers better value to money?
- Well, you get a premium aluminum all the way panels on Bakflip MX4, and a better finishing and weight bearing capacity.
- But Rough Country Low Profile offers a budget pick, which a little compromise.
Covering your trucks since 1975, the Rough Country with its one of the latest covers, the “Low Profile” brings a great look for your truck.
As the name tells you, the company is focused on making this cover flushed.
But yes it’s low profiled (but I think it still does not beat Lomax Stance).
But sure, with this price range, it’s a great flushed looking cover.
The cover is made of aluminum of aircraft grade (so it’s lightweight and durable). And its panels also have an extra layer of coating giving it semi glossy look besides adding to its toughness.
Its hinges and end caps are also coated with the same color and they also enhance the covers looks further.
The cover comes with a draining system, with seals and 2 drain tubes, where the seals are just made of rubber and not EPDM.
And for drain tubes, you may have to drill in to your truck.
The cover also does not provide any proper sealing along with the tailgate (and this area is always very prone to water leakage).
Other than this, each panel has a rubber bumpers (which rest on other panels), so the panels/plates don’t rub against each other and remain protected.
But note that these rubber feet are prone to damage (after a while), but you can always replace them.
The cover can be secured to 2/3rd position and…that’s it. You can not access full bed with this cover as it does not provide you with the “propping” rods.
So the cover’s going to take your 11 inches of truck bed’s space.
If we talk about other things in this cover (considered as cons), the cover really invites the dirt to settle in its texture. (And the dirt really sticks in).
On the other side, the BAKflip MX4 may seem same but shows a slightly higher quality that lasts longer.
But then again its also way more expensive too. And has the weight bearing capacity of only 100 lbs more giving it a weight rating of 400 lbs.
But the cover is made out of aluminum panels and they are also of aircraft grade coated with matte black finish.
The difference here is that the MX4 is exclusively aluminum, where the RC Low Profile is a composite material having aluminum covering on it. So with completely built aluminum MX4 offers more strength in comparison.
And yes, the MX4’s coating does not invite dirt to settle in easily as well, as it has the FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer) coating.
The cover also provides you with EPDM seals and drain tubes which show better quality in comparison (you may have to install drain tubes by drilling however).
If we check out other differences…
Unlike, Rough Country Low Profile, with MX4 , you can have full bed access with this cover, as its panels can be propped up vertically in the last position.
They lean against your cabin and have rubber bumpers and that way they protect your truck from any heavy cargo by taking the impact instead.
And, although they block the rear view like all other trifolds, MX4 still don’t block the 3rd brake light.
Protection Comparison – Which Is Better?
The MX4 is a little more durable as the cover provides you with 400 lbs of weight rating compared to Rough Country Low Profile’s 300 lbs.
Both covers provide you with almost identical draining system with drain tubes and rails…
But with better EPDM seals, the MX4 is more water tight in comparison.
The Rough Country Low Profile is a little more prone to water leakage as its lateral seals that sits between its panels are a little weaker in comparison.
The cover also is more prone to leakage along the side of tailgate.
But the difference is still very low, and given the price difference this can be ignored too. As no cover is water proof. That’s why all these covers are marketed as water resistant and not water proof.
But sure, MX4 provides better resistance to water leakage.
Also the cover with its FRP coating also provides better protection against the UV rays. So besides making the cover good insulators to heat, the cover would also have more life as it would encounter less fading (which occurs because of the sun).
Also in MX4, the cover offers you with very low profiled hinges between each plate of the panel, so the cover would not bow in the middle (which creates a water pool in wet conditions).
Working of these covers?
Working of these covers is very similar. Except for the fact that the RC can be opened fully (to the last position), there’s isn’t too much difference.
Both covers take almost the same time to get installed.
And both covers come with dual tail gate action locking and automatic locking latches.
Note: The Dual Tail Gate locking allows you to close the cover over open tail gate (and its missing in many trifolds), and the automatic latching is the locking of these covers “automatically” as you close/fold them back down.
So What’s the Verdict?
Coming in at about a grand, MX4 is quite expensive when it comes to trifolds.
While the Rough Country is a great catch especially if you are looking for a hard cover in a very reasonable price.
So out of the two, RC Low Profile provides you with better value for your money, while the BAKflip MX4 provides you with premium cover that is going to last a long time and also is going to look great.
But the biggest selling point of BAK Industries for me is their customer service, its just great and they really help you out with everything. And if you get any sort of manufacturing issue with your cover, they don’t hesitate at all sending you a new one.
So if you need a premium cover, go for MX4, otherwise, RC Low Profile is the best budget pick.
