Just looking for some recent info on BakflipMx4 and Lomax hard trifold covers.

Most of the posted info dates back a few years. I am thinking about both of these to fit a 22 Tacoma 6' bed. Was wondering if quality has declined or gotten better in the past few years. Both have had excellent reviews in the past, if anyone has had recent experience with either of these covers, I'd appreciate your input.

 

I have the Bakflip MX4, purchased summer of 2022. It's OK, I guess, but I wouldn't buy it again.

I like being able to fold it all the way open, which makes filling up the bed with stuff easy and getting it all back out again later even easier.

I don't live in an area where I'm concerned about someone trying to break into it, so I can't speak to how secure it is or isn't. That said, the catches are plastic and don't really engage very deeply, so if someone wanted to get into the bed, it shouldn't take a huge amount of force to pop the cover up (a prybar would do it, if not a big screwdriver). Still, this is more security than a fabric/soft tonneau cover.

Water will get past the seals and into the bed. Most of the time, this is minimal, even sitting outside overnight in a steady rain or driving through a rain squall, but I wouldn't store anything that shouldn't get wet in the bed. Car washes (automatic and by hand) are another story. Lots of water will get in the bed, but water is also coming from angles that wouldn't happen in nature, so I'll give it a pass. I haven't done any special work on waterproofing (stuff that shouldn't get wet goes in plastic totes that make loading/unloading easier anyway).

The rubber seals at the hinges where the sections fold (that push against the side of the bed rail) tend to want to fold up on themselves and not let the cover lie flat unless you manually hold them against the cover when folding closed. This gets old, very very quickly as you end up walking back and forth from one side to the other to "fix" them, folding and unfolding until it sits flush. This is my biggest gripe.

The top of the cover has a lot of exposed rubber, which has not aged very well (starting to turn sort of yellow after about 2 years). The truck gets washed regularly (both hand wash at home and no-touch carwash when I can't do it myself) but is not regularly garaged. That said, it's not like western Washington bakes in the sunlight and high temps like other parts of the US do. Not sure if this is from the rubber aging poorly or from springtime pollen that sticks onto it -- either way it shouldn't look this way after only 2 years.

The catch on the drivers side doesn't latch by itself no matter how much I try to adjust the alignment of the cover -- I always have to latch it by pinching the cover and the rail it latches onto closed. This means you have to have the tailgate open to securely latch the cover. Not a problem, per se, but annoying. The passenger side always latches without issue. To release the latches when opening, you pull on a coated metal wire, which seems kinda cheap but so far doesn't feel like it's going to break.

Overall, it's a fairly expensive piece that looks pretty good at first glance and seems sturdy enough, but I don't think it's going survive the life of the truck.

 

I’ve owned three tonneau covers since I bought my truck (bad financial decisions, yes, agreed)

- A used older model Bakflip MX4
- A used Diamondback
- A new Bakflip MX4 I bought this year.

My first Bakflip felt very solid and the relocated bed rails worked great. Unfortunately it leaked and leaked badly from the rubber seams between the panels from day 1.

The Diamondback was an excellent cover. If you don’t need full bed access frequently, I can’t recommend this cover highly enough. Unfortunately, I use my bed a lot and removing it got annoying.

I bought my second Bakflip this March. At some point, Bak redesigned it and the cover now uses the bed red extensively rather than relocating them. I almost returned it when I got it but I’m selling my Tacoma soon and need a cover in the interim.

Based on my experience, I would look at Lomax. Or, if you don’t mind the price and don’t need access to the bed all the time, consider a Diamondback.

 

My Lomax (matte black) tri-fold cover is great. I've had it for a few months now and no complaints, actually much better than I expected. I previously had a Proven Ground tri-fold, which had plastic panels construction with soft material covering top to look like a soft cover. It was O.K. and I guess what I expected, being my first tonneau cover ever.

The Lomax is a step above. Built much better (but not heavier), better attachment system, looks better, and crisp/solid latching system. Also leaks less than my previous cover (only some dribbles during heavy rain). Would definitely purchase again and highly recommend. Got mine from Luke at Truck Alterations (truckalter on forum), so recommend checking with him for a good price if you decide to buy.

 

Put a Lomax on my 2019 6 months after purchase it’s still on the truck and in perfect working order. I wipe it down with Chemical Brothers waterless wash several times a month and all the vinyl seals are still like new. It’s very easy to fold up and pop off to have access to 100% of the truck bed. Its pretty secure but won’t keep out someone who really wants in. If I did it again I’d buy the Lomax again unless I didn’t need access to the bed then I’d go diamondback.

 

Got my Lomax in '22 when I got the truck. I appreciate how low profile and light weight it is and easy to remove whenever I need to haul larger items.

My main gripe is the metal around the edges is unfinished and somewhat sharp in certain areas. I've shared pictures of it here if you search my posts.

 

I have the BakFlip MX4 on my 23. Hate it. I've had the cover broken into at a big box store, not secure at all.
All you need is a bent coat hanger & you can grab the cable & open the top, even with tailgate locked.
My 2009 has the Leer trifold, much more secure & a better cover & latching system. The Leer has no cable hanging down for a hanger to grab.

 

I have the BakFlip MX4 on my 21.
So far so good.
None of them are 100% waterproof and my 4x6 Persian run in the back is still in good shape.
After all a truck like this deserves a Persian rug wouldn't you say?

 

Thanks to all that have replied so far, looks like a Lomax maybe the way to go. I'll hold off purchasing for a while and see if others will share their experiences. Thanks again

 

Agree with @Steves55, Bakflip easily broken into with a coat hanger. I've had two diamondbacks (short and long bed Tacos), @MadKatt, and the oem hard tonneau. I liked the oem hard tonneau, pretty secure and easily removed. But, nothing beats a diamondback and that's the way I'd go if I needed another tonneau. Found both my diamondbacks on CL for at least half price of a new one.

 

I have had my Lomax about a year and a half and have been very happy with it. There is a thread about the Lomax covers. Get a hold of truckalter for a quote. Saved me a couple hundred dollars and it showed up 2-3 days after placing my order.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lomax-hard-tri-fold-tonneau.607175/page-2#post-20856763