Tonneau covers pay for themselves. So it’s always a great investment. Besides protecting your cargo, their aerodynamic design also make your truck fuel efficient saving you a lot of money (in the long run). But which of these covers are better for you?
Well Gator EFX is a nice budget pick and its probably the cheapest tri fold hard cover out there with such amazing durability.
On the other side, the Undercover Ultra Flex is best if you want more/better features out of your cover.
Let’s check out both of these guys.
Table of Contents
Starting with their Design
The Undercover Ultra Flex, is made out of 2 aluminum sheets with a foam in between, a foam sandwich if you will. (This acts as an insulator, as heat isn’t able to reach the bottom layer quickly).
The outer part of panels have a black coating giving them matte and glossy look at the same time.
The cover sits more flushed in comparison here as it aircraft grade aluminum sheets are thin enough. But again not thin enough to make them flimsy.
Now I personally like 2 things about this cover, one is the looks…but looks are subjective, and the 2nd is the features this cover has. Undercover really takes care of tiny things, which you don’t find in other covers.
These features include LED lights pre-installed. And I don’t recall seeing it in any other cover. Its a nice little design feature to have. The cover comes with a LED along with the button that you install on the rails. With other covers, I cant tell you how many times, I had to come back to my seat to pick up my cellphone and use it as a torch.
Other nice feature is the carpeting of the panels from underneath. Now this thing is very under-rated. This cushioning of panel from inside improve the ride quality as things don’t rattle too much and they dampen the noise. And of course they also protect the cover from inside and it just feel more premium.
Other than this, their prop rods are made premium and even the place where they sit is great. They don’t rattle at all like other covers.
On the other side, the Gator EFX is a great pick design wise, especially when you consider its price tag.
The cover sits very flushed, almost 1/8 of an inch above the side caps of the truck, (where the rubber weather stripping overlaps a little bit).
Its aluminum made (industrial grade) which is powder coated with black to make its surface scratch/dent resistant. But being a metal sheet the cover is very prone to dings. As you would see the below of the cover is just aluminum.
The coating looks great and gives this cover a semi-glossy look.
This cover can only be secured at 3rd position and you cant/shouldn’t drive with 1/3 or 2/3rd partially open cover. Also you cant have full bed access with this cover like in Ultra Flex. And if you wish to use your whole bed, you have to remove the cover. (Which is not a big deal as you can remove this cover easily, I’d worry about storing the cover more than removing it).
The Ultra Flex can be opened up to last position but it covers the rear along with 3rd brake light as it stands at exactly 90 degree angle without touching the rear of the truck. (So the cover is also not suitable for resting any heavy cargo against it).
Other than this both covers come with EPDM rubber seals and watertight seals along with drain tubes that you have to install by drilling holes for them.
Durability and Protection:
When it comes to UnderCover Ultra Flex, its design of aluminum panels which are air-craft grade, make it more durable and tougher in comparison.
That’s why this cover has weight bearing capacity of 400 lbs, (but it can take almost up to 500 easily).
The cover also provides you with coated layer (matte black polymer) which allows it to resist temperature damages.
And the carpeted panels from underneath further aids this and keep your cargo cooler in summers.
This cushioning also helps your cover from any sort of scratches or chips/cuts from underneath.
For protection against rain/hailing or any other acts of God, it has EPDM seals and of course drain tubes which directs the accumulated water in the rails out through the tubes, keeping your stuff dry.
On the other hand, the Gator EFX is pretty durable too with 300 lbs weight bearing limit. The panel is coated with black powder which also makes it UV resistant.
So the cover is slightly less durable in comparison. And since the lateral seals between the panels are not as good as the Ultra Flex, they are also more prone to leakage.
But note that no cover is fully water proof. That’s why they never use the word water-proof. They always say water resistant. So its wise not to put any rain/water sensitive cargo in the back of your truck.
Performance/ Working:
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.
Note: Gator EFX is lighter in weight compared to Ultra Flex (its packed box weight is 80 lbs).
The cover uses turn knob bolts that can be quickly tightened by hands.
Installation usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes, if you are absolutely beginner at it. (Because instructions are not that great, but still okay, you’ll know what to do).
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.
In case of Ultra Flex, you can open the cover in a similar manner, but you can also have a full bed access as the cover can also be secured in the last standing position, where you have prop rods and stuts instead.
Here the cover also does not make any contact with the rear of the truck as well, so again, don’t rest heavy things with it.
Both these covers have multi-fold tailgate seals allowing you to shut the cover efficiently, regardless of the tailgate being opened or closed.
Also both truck covers are equipped with latches that slam shut and “pull the string” opening system.
And their locks (while opening) can be triggered from either side where you just pull the latch string to fold the cover.
So Whats the verdict?
In case of Ultra Flex, the tonneau is a more expensive option here. But it really justifies its price. As the cover feels very premium and comes with unique features that you rarely find anywhere else.
Compared to Gator EFX, the cover provides you with better durability and better overall weather protection. But if you consider the price tag of EFX cover, it really makes a great value for money option.
