Tonneau covers protect your truck with their durable design (especially when it comes to hard ones). And they may cost a little but they always pay you back as you save on gas money owing to their aerodynamic design (which makes your truck fuel efficient).
Here the Gator EFX is a budget pick, which is probably the cheapest you can get in the trifolds.
And Armor Flex by UnderCover is a top of the line product, that would cost you a little more, but its premium design really justifies that.
Let’s dig in.
Table of Contents
Starting with their Design:
In case of Armor Flex, unlike the EFX, it comes with aluminum panels all the way.
And they are also marketed/sold with LINE X coating. And I have to say, its a great catch. As this coating, if you get it aftermarket, costs you almost 5 times more.
And since this coating can take on some abuse and gives you cover more life, it’s totally worth it.
The coating also looks great on it’s panels as well.
They also made the overall sealing on this thing better… especially if you compare the cover with it’s previous model.
It now has 3 lip seal on the cover that goes along with the tail gate, allowing the cover to have dual tail gate sealing system (where you can close the cover on both open/closed tail gate).
And speaking of sealing, the covers comes with EPDM rubber seals, and drain tubes, so both really protect the cover from water leakage.
Other than this the cover is light weight given its all aluminum panels (but they are still 10- 15 pounds heavier than the Gator EFX, talking about the box’s weight here).
The cover has automatic latching system, comes in 3 different sizes and has 3 years of warranty.
On the other side, the Gator EFX is also a great pick if you are considering it’s price tag which also comes with 3 years of warranty.
It’s not all aluminum and is just covered by it.
It’s has a composite material core which is then sandwiched by these aluminum layers on top and bottom (and they are also not completely this metal and made of aluminum alloy).
The cover is coated with black finish which makes it scratch and UV resistant.
So why not by a cheaper cover?
Well, the thing is, the cover is not as premium as the Armor Flex. And also you can not access the whole bed with it.
I mean you can secure your cover up to 2/3rd position, but it does not go all the way up with prop rods.
When in case of Armor Flex, the cover stands exactly 90 degrees when fully opened (and blocks the rear view including 3rd brake light), but still giving you full bed space.
Where Gator EFX eats up almost 1.8 to 2 feet of your bed space.
Other than this the cover sits flushed and also has EPDM sealing and is still good at protecting your cargo in a decent way, as one would expect from a trifold.
Protection & Durability of these covers:
So does EFX provides you with better protection? Well not really, if you compare it this premium cover.
The UnderCover Armor Flex can carry 400 lbs of evenly distributed weight where the Gator EFX has a rating of 300 lbs.
EFX also does not provide with premium coating so it also provides less protection against the scraps, dents, …and UV rays.
So, the Armor Flex is better prone to rust or corrosion with it’s LINE X coating and at the same time the cargo underneath remains cooler (in summers) as the coating is also a better insulator to heat.
If we talk about sealing, the Armor Flex comes with 3 lip sealing of EPDM rubber, and it makes a water tight connection with the bed along with its draining tubes.
Gator EFX, also has EPDM seals, but its still lacks behind here as the area where the cover’s lateral side and tail gate meets is prone to more leakage.
But you should know that all covers are water resistant, and none of them are water proof. So expect all cover, no matter how premium, to leak a little.
Other than this, as Gator EFX, does not provide you with fully opened position, (besides removing the cover for full bed access), you can’t rest any cargo against it. Or in other words, there would be nothing between your heavy cargo and your truck.
On the other side, with the Armor Flex can sit in between but it still does not have leaning against the rear of your truck, it sure uses prop rods, but you can lean anything too heavy with them as those rods won’t be to support as much weight…but I have found a way around this.
You can install rubber shoes under them and then rest these panels against your truck, that way you can lean heavy cargo/stuff with them.
Which has the better Performance?
The Gator EFX cover comes in a box (almost 55 to 60 lbs in weight) and with clamps (made of aluminum) rails, drain tubes, hand tightened clamps for covering rails and weather stripping.
The cover is lighter where Armor Flex weighs about 80 lbs (in a box).
One thing I like about EFX’s performance, is how easily it can be installed. It takes you about 20 minutes (instructions are not so great by the way, I’d recommend you watching a video for installation).
The cover uses turn knob bolts that can be quickly tightened by hands.
The mounting rails of EFX sit inside of the bed cap, so the cover mounts inside of bed rails and provides a low profile.
The cover can be opened with a latch cable from either side and you can secure the cover in 2/3rd position.
If you need to carry large items into your truck bed, the cover can be secured in its position with the help of storage straps that hold the cover, so you can safely drive down the road.
If you need to access the full bed, you will have to remove the cover. The removal takes no more than 5 to 10 minutes.
On the other hand, Armor Flex can also be installed (but not as easily, and it takes a little bit more time).
But the working mechanism of the panels is very similar.
They offer you complete and partial bed access. They have pull cable latches, which open the cover. The cover has rubber shoes (so they don’t rub against other covers while opening).
You can secure the cover in 2/3rd position with the help of buckle and straps.
And you can have full bed access by folding all panels and propping them up with the help of rods.
Now as mentioned earlier, they don’t lean against your truck and stand exactly at the right angle.
Both covers provide you with dual tailgate action design and closed in the same way. (But Armor Flex with it’s 3 lip seal provides better closing performance).
The both have latching panels, but again the Armor Flex provides more firm latching system, and they feel more premium.
Also one more think I liked about Armor Flex is that it contains a skid-resistant surface for improved traction when loading or unloading heavy cargo.
So whats the verdict?
Both covers are great.
But the Undercover Armor Flex provides you with better durability and protection (against water leakage, and UV rays/dirt/dust/dents/scratches… But the cover is also pricey.
On the other side, the Gator EFX, is probably the cheapest cover, that you can get in the trifolds category. And it also provide you with satisfactory protection, design and durability.
So, it’s up to you to choose.
But a word of advice, if budget is not an issue, go with the premium cover, as these cover pay you back long term, with their aerodynamic designs (as you save up fuel money).
