Franchi Motorsports

iTrader: (9)

I’ve been wanting a tonneau cover for a while now and finally decided on the new Switchblade retractable cover which is made by Pace Edwards. I’ve seen a lot of reviews of other covers and their pros and cons but what appealed to me on the Switchblade was its easy retractability and ease of use, plus I really liked the flush mount look of the cover.

I’ve owned a few different covers over the years for a variety of trucks and this is definitely the best quality tonneau cover I’ve had.

Everything arrived well packaged and there was surprisingly a lot less parts to install then I would have originally thought which was a nice bonus ( especially considering a friend and I decided to do it day before Christmas, so it was about 9 degrees outside. Took us about 2 hours to do it and good part of that was because I also have a Bedrug installed which added a slight bit of complexity to the install ). Primarily there was just the main canister out from which the cover rolls up into and out of, 2 bed rails, top cap over canister portion, drain plugs and hardware.



Install was pretty simple, just follow the step by step instructions it comes with. Pretty much anybody could install it, although it is easier with two folks. I had to mess around with the drain plugs a bit ( cover is designed to have all water run down off the cover, into the canister itself and out through drain plug lines. I tried a few different things on running the drain plug lines, but ended up just cutting two small holes in the bedrug and running the lines through the bedrug ).

Holes cut to run the drain plugs


First try.. made the Bedrug fit like crap on the back of the bed.


Ended up running it through the Bedrug


Width tolerances on the side rails were pretty specific, had to be within 1/16 of an inch to make sure the cover could roll up and out easily, I had to use a couple of the supplied shims to get mine within the 1/16 measurement but it came with everything needed to do so.

Brackets that hold side rails in place, shimmed the rear two brackets to get within the 1/16 inch, front two didn't need any.




And if needed, the whole cover can be easily removed for hauling something large. The canister does sit over the bed right by the cab but one of the main advantages of the Switchblade as well is you can remove everything pretty easily and quickly with just a screwdriver and 7/16 wrench. Just unscrew the cap covering the canister, ( 4 screws ) unbolt the 4 side under mount brackets, ( 2 on each side ), unscrew the drain lines from the canister, detach the bed rails from the canister, and then everything is off. I can probably remove everything in less than 5 minutes if needed.

Top cap over the canister, held by 4 screws, then just the brackets on underside /\/\ pic above, would whats needed to remove everything.



I’ve had the cover on a little over a week so far now and very glad I got it. The look of it was exactly what I wanted, clean and simple with the flush mount look. Super easy to use, literally just squeeze the release clip and it retracts by itself quickly and smoothly and the pull strap makes it easy to close and click into place. My wife is vertically challenged to say the least and she had zero issues reaching into the bed to grab the pull strap to close the cover. Also the security of the cover is top notch, especially if you keep your tailgate locked ( which you should ) as short of somebody taking a hacksaw to it to cut through the aluminum panels that consist of the back of the tonneau, nobody is going to be able to break into it.

I just got back from a 800 mile road trip few days ago and on the way home it was pouring rain the whole time. I was driving the entire length of PA so I was curious to see how water proof the cover was when I got home, especially since I ran the drain lines a little different than instructions had said, but there was nary a drop of water inside the bed.


In summation, for anybody looking for a quality retractable tonneau, this one fits the bill to a T at least in my opinion. Well designed, easy to install and use, good security, and looks great.

Before




After all said and done




Short vid I took showing how easy it is to use.

AutoAnything

Awesome review!!

Thank you very much for going out of your way to post this. From the looks of it ... it was cold.

Tom
AutoAnything

Joenomad

If you have the drop in plastic bedliner, does it need to be cut or drilled for the drain tubes or is there another solution?

Franchi Motorsports

iTrader: (9)

That I have no idea since I dont have the plastic bedliner. If the bedliner covers the drain holes though, I would imagine you would just need to tap a hole for it like I did through the bedrug.

FX4Surf Truck

Good review, thanks. That is a sleek looking cover. How do you feel about the security of? With the tailgate up and locked, is there any play in the cover where it meets the tailgate whereby someone could pry it up and/or pick the lock and get it to retract?

Franchi Motorsports

iTrader: (9)

Nope, zero gap. It would take a crowbar wedged in.

Joenomad

I ordered my PE Switchblade from AutoAnything and it's on the way. Weather permitting, I should have it this coming Friday, so now I will have another Saturday project. Your pictures have been helpful and I have another question. What is the approximate distance from the corner of the bed and the floor to the hole you had to drill into your bedrug? I am trying to keep from pulling out my liner to drill the holes into the drain plug. Thanks again.

TintGuy

Looks like a nice cover!! Its between that and backflip for me!

Landonb

What size is it in the front of the bed when its opened? Wondering how much space it will take up on a 5.5' bed.

Franchi Motorsports

iTrader: (9)

Just went out and measured it and it's 11 inches wide when open.