best brand sandpaper for power tools? Festool 125

[svloki]

I just switched over to the Festool 125 sander, great tool! Now need to stock up on discs.



Question for the painting professionals- what is your preferred brand / type of sandpaper? For hard topcoats and varnish? Antifouling? I tried "Granat" so far, but many options to choose from.



* Not asking about grit size, just brand and type. Thanks




Festool paper:


Granat - Versatile, general purpose abrasive for use on wood & finished surfaces.

Rubin 2 - Finish Faster - Rubin 2 is designed to quickly shed wood fibers, eliminating clogging so the abrasive stays sharp, leading to a 30% faster removal rate.
Save Money - Since Rubin 2 is designed to prevent clogging due to the buildup of pitch and wood fibers, you’ll get up to 30% longer life out of every sheet.
Your Best Finish - Designed for rapid grit progression, you’ll spend less time getting from 80 to 220, achieving the best possible finished surface in the least amount of time.

Brilliant 2 - paint, fillers, primers and finishes like lacquers and varnishes; its antistatic coating is compatible with water-based products.

Platin 2 - A foam-backed, silicone carbide based abrasive with a stearate coating specially developed for high-gloss finishes on closed surface materials.
Ideal abrasive for super-fine finish on fillers, finish coats, solid surface, fiberglass and plastics.

Saphir - Durable aluminum oxide abrasive incorporates a tear-resistant fabric backing for longer life in extreme applications.
Ideal abrasive for heavy duty sanding of wood, paint, plastics, fiberglass, composites, concrete and steel.

Vlies - excellent for deep pore cleaning on natural woods, veneers and is great for use on contours. Perfect for cleaning and de-rusting metal.

Diamant - High-performance abrasive for finishing very hard surfaces
Matting and refining hard surfaces such as scratch-proof clear coats and composite and solid surface
Light sanding of panel-type materials coated in melamine resin for preparation of paint application

Titan 2 - excellent for automotive finishes: paints, fillers, primers and lacquers and preferred for all oil-based paints and finishes.

[Chotu]

I have found literally no difference between any sandpaper. It’s all the same. The only thing that matters is the grit.

[svloki]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I have found literally no difference between any sandpaper. It’s all the same. The only thing that matters is the grit.

Let me offer a test for you. Wrap a soft sanding block with 80 grit Home Depot sandpaper. Wrap another with 80 grit 3m "Cubitron II". Try both sanding overhead for 10 minutes. Same?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by svloki

Let me offer a test for you. Wrap a soft sanding block with 80 grit Home Depot sandpaper. Wrap another with 80 grit 3m "Cubitron II". Try both sanding overhead for 10 minutes. Same?

I don’t do that kind of sanding. Ha ha. That’s like gentlemen don’t sail to weather.

Put it on a machine and they all work the same.

It usually has more to do with what you are standing. Clogging is the main problem. That, and dust.

I have used enough sandpaper in a marine sense to sand/fair two hulls that are 50 feet long, top sides, keel, deck. Also abraded every join in the entire vessel. And it’s 25 feet wide. Plus a deck house. That’s an ungodly amount of sanding. I can tell by your selection of sander that you are swayed by brand names. Searching for the ultimate tool is not going to get you anywhere. Just getting to it and going through it will get it done faster. It’s all basically the same. You’re not saving any time by spending a fortune on premium sanding gear. It’s low tech business.

You never know how good a tool is until you just use it. Some of the best tools I used over all of the years of building my boat were the cheapest tools. I would go through premium tool after premium tool, and I finally had enough of paying for them. Then I would buy a piece of junk so when it broke in a couple weeks it was cheaper to replace. It would last for years. And I’m talking about running this thing every day, all day long. Eight hours a day. For years. Ryobi no less. Lasted longer than any of the expensive ones. Go figure.

[svloki]

Thanks for the reply Chotu

Going to have to offer a different opinion on tools and abrasives

Like you, I have been in the game for a while.

You mention clogging and dust. IMO, this is a place that you are missing the boat on cheap sandpaper and cheap tools. Pun intended.

Dust:
Try a well designed sander with an integrated dust control system. The amount of dust on the jobsite with Festool is way lower than anything I have seen before. Honest here, I mean I can sand without a respirator most jobs.

Clogging:
Try a backing pad with through holes and a vacuum system like a Festool or Fein, and a premium grade of paper, like 3m or Norton. Clogging should be far less than your Ryobi and no name paper. Try it out.

Every professional painter tells the same story- materials make a difference in labor cost and job speed.

Fatigue and injuries:
After building a few boats from a bare hull up, I choose tools that are lighter, cut faster, and vibrate less. My 20 year old Porter Cable DA was great, but after a long day of sanding I can have numbness in my hands from that old machine. That can cause nerve injuries. Old tools are much heavier than the modern expensive sanders, that just wears you out! Tools that work slower means more time holding the thing up there.

Here is another test: Your boat.
Hull 1: Sand all antifouling on one hull, nice and smooth using a cheap Lowes Ryobi sander. Use cheap sandpaper, stuck on with cheap feathering disk adhesive.

Hull 2: Use a Fein or Festool 6" DA sander with 3M Greencorps hookit discs, and an auto power vacuum dust extractor. Sand the hull smooth.

Tell me now, which one is faster and easier? Try the topsides next...
Still want to tell me that "they all work the same"? BS I say.

Brand Names:
I am way too old to worry about cool points from owning expensive brands. Yes, I have bought Fluke meters, Milwaukee drills, and a Festool sander. They all make sense to me for the same reason, they are reliable, safe and effective for the task. Good economics for decades of use.

So if it is a once a year job, go to harbor freight and get working. If it is a big job, or repeated, or toxic dust, get the right tools up front.


Just my opinion. Happy sanding.

[Benz]

Mirka makes a sander that's supposedly on par with Festool. I'll bet their paper is as good. I buy sticky-back rolls of 3m sander discs from a local auto finish supplier (Finish Master). Cheaper than small packages at hardware stores, and good enough quality for most of the boatbuilders around here.
I use an air DA, but am longing for a Festool. Some day...

[svloki]

Not sure if Chotu is trolling or not.

There is no conspiracy my friend.

Yes, most very expensive power tools really are faster, and better. Worth it is up to you, but they are better.

Some brands of abrasives really are better. They last longer, and work faster. Its just a fact.

[svloki]

Originally Posted by Benz

I buy sticky-back rolls of 3m sander discs from a local auto finish supplier (Finish Master). Cheaper than small packages at hardware stores, and good enough quality for most of the boatbuilders around here.

Do you punch the holes in the paper yourself? I tried it with some 3m plain discs. Not too difficult!

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I have found literally no difference between any sandpaper. It’s all the same. The only thing that matters is the grit.

Nope, not even close. I've done side-by-side tests measuring material removal by weight. The difference can be several times. Yes, Cubtron is a good one.

[Spot]

I don't sand professionally or willingly, I am more of a 'if I must' sort of sander. I should work on technique and patience in that regard. I have OK equipment and good supplies so I cannot lay blame there...

There is a difference in the quality of sandpaper!

There is dollar store sandpaper that I would not wish upon an enemy, and some of the yellow stuff sold in the drywall or concrete section of USA home improvement stores is not much better. The next step up is all of the 'red' stuff found in the woodworking section.

I am currently liking hook and loop backed stuff from Indasa (white) and Sia (lavender) for the big sanders. These get used with various sized and density backer pads. I will start with an 8 inch disk and run it until the edge starts to fray. Then I trim it down to 7" and use with at 7" backer, then 6", then 5" or I will start using it as 'handpaper' as the cloth backer keeps them mostly intact.

I hear Mirka is good too. I would not object to having a higher-end RO/DA with the vacuum attachment.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by svloki

You mention clogging and dust. IMO, this is a place that you are missing the boat on cheap sandpaper and cheap tools. Pun intended.

Not a pro but have put in many hours of sanding from boat bottoms, varnish, old paint and even metal finishes.

My experience is that there is a very big difference in sandpaper and one of the easily noticeable is, as you mention, clogging. Not sure how or why that is so but 3M vs the el cheapo brands is night and day difference. I'll change out the cheap stuff in a sander several times for every one sheet of 3M I use.

And, it cuts better.

[Orion Jim]

I sand my bottom every year to remove the paint applied the previous spring. My aim is to have a smooth bottom with no paint build up since I stripped and barrier coated my bottom a few years ago.
I use a Festool brushless r/o sander together with a Festool CT HEPA dust extractor. The only sanding discs I use are Festool Granat NET mesh. This system may seem like overkill but results in nearly no dust and the job is now almost fun. I still wear a dust mask but it isn’t even discolored from the sanding dust. I’ve been wearing the same mask for three seasons now.

[keepondancin]

I use Festool sanders and vac system. I have found the best discs for Festool is Festool discs. Very good quality, slightly pricey, but very long lasting. I stay with Granat for all around uses. I have used Rubin, but found Granat all purpose. I use the Rotex for quick cutting, and for boat bottoms, but also on my strip built kayaks. The 125 REQ is a great finish sander. The dust collection is superb. I cringe when I think of what the milk crate full of different grits cost me, I go from 40 to 220. In my opinion, other Festool tools are just over priced.

[Bill O]

Another +1 for 3M brand discs/sand paper. They cut better and last longer than the cheap paper on our disc sanders.

[Cadence]

If there is one close, go to a dealer that supplies the commercial market and tell them what you are doing. They can be a source of some great recommendations.