By Ken Bishop
Bak Industries make a series of Bakflip truck bed covers and the particular one we are going to review here is the Bakflip F1 tonneau Cover. It is their premier Bakflip truck cover. It is their thickest of truck covers and suggested better than any other folding tonneau cover. We will see how it ranks through the summary of customer reviews I happened to go through. I find customer reviews paticularily good to base an opinion upon as the customers usually have the cover on for a period of time allowing for a better opinion to base a review on. Truck forums give you a good indication as well.
I will let you have a brief description of the Bakflip F1 tonneau cover to fill you in on just what this truck bed cover is and how it is structured. First of all it is a hard type folding truck cover. It folds all the way to the cab rear window and can be secured there with the two arms which are supplied. It does cover the rear window and would protect the rear window if you were throwing things into the cargo area of your pickup truck. You are capable of driving with the cover opened. The panels of this cover have a high density EPS core which is sandwiched between a fibreglass top and aluminum underneath. The panels are connected together with a seamless rubber hinge which the company says will outlast your truck.
The F1 Bakflip tonneau cover does not have a lock that you open with a key but it does latch underneath the truck bed cover and you need to lower the tailgate to open it. This is good in the sense that you can add an aftermarket tailgate lock and then you will have a very secure cargo area. Just as well because I was never too thrilled with the locks on the top of a cover. They get moisture in them and freeze up in the winter something terrible. The company also says you can distribute up to 400 pounds on top of the cover. The cover suppose to stay cool to the touch with the UV protection coating it has which is also supposed to keep the cover looking good for years. The company says they made this cover for people who are particularly rough on a truck bed cover and who may live in harsh weather situations such as hail, ice and snow.
After reading many customer reviews and sneaking around in truck forums as well as doing searches on the net, in my opinion I found the Bakflip F1 tonneau cover to be the best folding tonneau cover around as far as craftsmanship and usability. The cover looks great as it is low profile and sits level with your truck box. With some this may be an issue because the rails that the cover sits on are attached between your truck sides which will take away a small amount of space if you really need to squeeze something in there.
Many have complimented the cover on being very water resistant. Some have tested with hoses and car washes and may have found a couple of drops of water might have entered but not any real amount. If your truck does not already have drain holes in each corner of your truck box behind the cab, you will have to drill one in each side to accommodate the drain hose that help make the Bakflip F1 tonneau cover so water resistant. If you have a bedliner you should check from underneath the truck box for pre drilled holes. Some may even have rubber grommets sealing them.
Some major benefits of the Bakflip F1 tonneau cover include the ability for the cover to fold fully open, right up to the cab rear window. At the time of this article no other folding tonneau cover has this capability. This comes in handy when it comes to hauling large items. The cover is also installed between the truck sides so it allows you to use the stake holes for side rails, tie downs, racks that are level or above the truck cab which is another feature that other folding tonneau covers do not have.
In conclusion in my opinion this folding tonneau cover has all the features that I would look for in a folding truck cover. For some reason, truck owners may have width issues and they may not want the bakflip f1 tonneau cover because it is installed between the truck sides. In this case most of the other folding covers sit on top of your truck’s side rails. Others may not wish to drill the holes in the truck bed to accommodate the drain hoses. I am just letting you know all your options, the decision is up to you and your needs.
About the Author: If you are looking to get more information on this cover as well as prices for your particular truck model visit Bakflip F1 Tonneau Cover. If this cover isn’t what you want, you can find others at Folding Tonneau Covers.
Source: isnare.com
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