Both these tri-folding covers are great at giving you a good deal of security while providing you with total bed access. But which of these bad boys takes the cake here?
If we start with the Undercover Ultra Flex, the cover with its matte (powdered finishing) design looks great and protects great. But its the little things that this cover takes care for. And I really like them for it.
On the other hand, the BAKflip F1 is their top of the line cover and also provides you with almost equal durability. And it would have been easier to skip this cover, but their customer service is just exemplary. We’ll talk about it in the end.
First let’s check out these boys.
Table of Contents
Starting with their Design
So UnderCover Ultra Flex is a high end cover. It’s made out of 2 aluminum sheets with a foam in between (think of it as a foam sandwich) where the hard foam in between provides you with the insulation and toughness.
The outer part of the sheets are coated with black powdered giving the cover a semi glossy look (Matte and at the same time shiny).
The cover looks cool and sits flushed with its low profile design. And the sheets are aircraft grade aluminum so they are thin but they are still not flimsy.
Now I personally like its design, as its company really takes care of little things and features you know.
Like for example they provide you with LED light pre-installed (along with a actuating button). And its a really nice feature to have when you are in the dark. With other covers, I’ve had… 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.
Besides this, the underneath of all panels are carpeted, which speaks volumes of how they take care of tiny things. The cushioning underneath protects the cover from any sorts of sharp/edged cargo that may put a ding/scratch in your cover. (Other covers with scratches inside look really bad when you drive with them open).
Other than this, their prop rods quality and the place its rods sit are premium. They don’t rattle at all back there.
The cover comes with EPDM seals and drain tubes. They are fine but I hope they come up with something where you don’t have to drill holes for them.
Another design flaw/or thing they can improve about their design: They can do something, to at-least make the middle brake light visible. When cover is fully opened, it blocks the rear view and also the 3rd brake light with it.
But the good thing about this cover is that it comes with slam latches combined with dual-action tailgate latch. So you can open/close the tail gate without opening/closing the cover.
If we go towards the BAKflip F1, which is also their high end product.
This cover is composed of high strength aluminum panels and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP). It has a nice glossy/black finish on it which aids to its strength. And its very durable.
Their durability given their weight of just 50 lbs (compared to Ultra Flex 80 lbs), is just amazing.
The cover also comes with drain tubes (so again, you have to drill here as well). And there are cable latches to trigger the opening/closing of covers. And of course there are those buckle straps (for 2nd last position opening of the covers) that you see common with all tri-folds.
Other than this the covers have bumpers so you can rest them on the rear of your truck when opened. And since they rest at an angle there, they don’t cover the 3rd brake light, which is great. Other than this prop rods and strats are also fine and durable and show good quality.
If we talk about the things they should improve (in design)…
Well, the first thing is, you can’t close the cover, while the tail gate is open… you have to close your tail gate first in order to completely close your tonneau. And this is just odd and at times (if you’re like me and own many different covers) you forget about it and close it down on tailgate.. and it stays open. And it becomes a security flaw.
Other than this, some also complained that its color starts fading away…and I think that’s true for about any cover… but yes, this cover needs more attention, otherwise it would fade quicker. For now, keep these covers dry (I’ll talk about it more in the upcoming articles).
Also there is no cushion underneath the panels. And they are hot to touch in summers. And yes, there is also no LED light included.
But the biggest design con for me is that these covers absorb a lot of water and they get heavier and heavier to the point where hinges start getting the weight and become weak.
So if you are someone who lives where it rains a lot. You’ll know what I’m saying here.
Protection / Durability of these covers?
In a line, both covers are durable and protecting.
Here the powdered coating of matte black polymer makes this cover UV resistant. And this layering also ensures that there is no fading or buckling for a long time. This integration also makes these panel less likely to have corrosion and at the same time resistant to dents.
(But its coating is more prone to scratches, if we compare it with BAKFLIP F1).
Other than this, like mentioned in its design. It has 2 panels and a foam sandwiched in between. And this foam absorbs a lot of bumps and ensures a quieter ride in comparison.
And speaking of ride quality, the underneath cushion also aids this further, as things inside your truck don’t seem to rattle that much (besides protecting the cover from inside).
For protection against weather, it has EPDM rubber seals and a drain tube which directs water out of your truck bed, keeping your gear dry.
You have to install the rails, that collects the water where at the same time these seals protect from leakage. And then with the installed drain tubes (where you have to drill holes), the accumulated water gets out nicely.
The BAKFlip F1 has the same mechanism. And initially both of them provide you with great sealing. But with time, Ultra Flex would be better at it.
As the BAKFlip F1 absorbs water in its panels over time. And it starts getting heavier and heavier to the point where the hinges of the panels and the lateral seals between panels start to suffer.
But at the same time, its FRP coating provide you with better UV rays protection in comparison and the material is less scratch proof as well.
Overall both covers are equally durable, and both have the same 400 lbs weight bearing capacity (distributed evenly). But the Undercover Ultra Flex still takes the lead here with its dual tail gate seals. So the cover closes properly even when the tail gate is open. And this enhances its security. But when at times you forget.
Hence, you can lock the tonneau in place both with an opened or closed tailgate.
Performance
Both truck covers are equipped with latches that slam shut and “pull the string” opening system.
Locks (while opening) can be triggered from either side where you just pull the latch string to fold the cover.
You can fold these panels and secure them in all positions including the last standing position with the help of prop rods.
On Ultra Flex, the last position (when all panels are open and standing) they make a 90° angle (blocking rear view), and the cover does not have any rubber besides them, so with this cover, its better to avoid larger cargo. But in case of BAKflip F1, you can rest your heavy stuff with the opened panels.
But given the fact that the BAKFLIP here does not provide you with dual action tail gate. And also, that these panels go heavy with time. Ultra Flex takes the cake in the performance section.
So What’s the verdict?
Well, both covers are great, and provide good protection, sure.
But Ultra Flex provide you with all the features of other cover and even more. So it justifies being more pricey here.
But keep in mind, these covers are more prone to minor scratches compared to BAKflip F1.
But I would buy BAKFlip cover for another reason. And that’s their customer service, and its just great.
I’ve had problem with its cover hinges and I contacted them and they really listened to my issue and long story short… they asked me to destroy/throw the old one and sent me a new one.
PS. It was a different cover (MX4) and it was a manufacturing fault.