FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
Tools & Materials

Torture Test: Sanding Disks

Hook-and-loop sanding disks are disposable items, but we separate the performers from the throwaways.

By Andrew Beasley Issue 221

Synopsis: While sanding disks are disposable items, there’s no reason you shouldn’t invest in the product that gives you the best results for your money. In this torture test, Andy Beasley put eight brands of sanding disks through a variety of tests to determine endurance, stock-removal ability, cutting speed, and cost-effectiveness. After the testing, Beasley rated the Klingspor VD900 as his best overall and best value choice. The other brands tested were Norton, 3M, Gator, Grizzly, Mirka Gold, Mirka Abranet, and Klingspor VD980.

Sanding can seem like a mindless task: Plunk a disk onto a random-orbit sander, and run it until the surface feels smooth. If you value your time and money, though, it’s worth asking a few questions first: Do all sanding disks perform the same, or are there noticeable differences between them? Which brands work fastest? Which are the most durable? How long should an individual disk last? To find the answers, the Fine Homebuilding staff searched for a person gullible enough to spend hours sanding the same piece of wood over and over. That’s where I came in.

Some twists on disks

I compared the performance of three commonly used grits — 80, 120, and 180 — across eight different product lines. Each disk relied on aluminum oxide as its primary abrasive, although a few added an extra dimension.

Norton disks use a ceramic and aluminum-oxide blend for aggressive cutting, and the Norton, Mirka Gold, and Klingspor VD900 disks have a stearate coating to prevent the abrasive from clogging with dust.

Most of the disks I tested were backed with the commonly used C paper, although the Klingspor VD980 disks used the heavier, and noticeably stiffer, F paper. Mirka’s Abranet took an entirely different approach, however, relying on a polyamide fabric with thousands of holes for improved dust collection. The thin fabric has a downside, though: Prolonged sanding with Abranet can wear out the hooks on a sander’s backing pad. (Mirka recommends using its pad-protector disk, about $14 for a two-pack, to avoid this problem.)

Five of the product lines featured the usual eight-hole disks that mate with a sander’s dust-collection ports. The other designs — Mirka’s Abranet, Norton’s universal five- or eight-hole style, and 3M’s highly perforated Clean Sanding disks — all worked well with my sander. Dust collection was uniformly excellent for all brands tested.

Save time and money

An old saying holds that there are two types of people in the world: those who divide everything into two categories and those who don’t. The two-category approach certainly applies to sanding. It seems that everyone either wastes sandpaper to save time, or they flog a disk to its last abrasive molecule to save money. The most important thing I learned is that you can have it both ways: Some disks work both fast and cheap.

Once the dust settled, I rated each disk based on its cutting speed and its cost-effectiveness. For most of the competitors, disk price can be a moving target, depending on where you shop and how many disks you purchase at a time. I computed an average retail price (without tax or shipping cost) based on the purchase of five or 10 disks. Although I could find Mirka Gold and 3M only in lots of 50, buying in bulk will lower your cost per disk if you have much sanding to do.

For more photos and details, click the View PDF button below:

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
View PDF

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Code Requirements for Fireplace Clearances

Avoid DIY disasters by following code-required clearances to combustibles, rules for hearth extensions, and trim-projection limits for elements above and beside the firebox opening.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • Insulation Project Guide
  • Podcast 531: Fixing Old Felt, Outsulation Penetrations, and Demolition by Neglect
  • Podcast 529: Cold Floors, Galvanic Corrosion, and Siding Over Board Sheathing
  • Fine Homebuilding – Feb/Mar 2023, Issue #313

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 531: Fixing Old Felt, Outsulation Penetrations, and Demolition by Neglect
  • Podcast 529: Cold Floors, Galvanic Corrosion, and Siding Over Board Sheathing
  • Podcast 527: Members-only Aftershow – Educating new home buyers
  • Podcast 521: Missed Opportunities, Lax Airtightness Testing, and Low-Slope Roofs Under Solar
View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 313 - Feb/March 2023
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
    • Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
  • Issue 312 - Dec 2022/Jan 2023
    • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
    • Gray-Water System for a Sustainable Home
    • Insulate a Cape Roof to Avoid Ice Dams
  • Issue 311 - November 2022
    • 7 Steps to a Perfect Exterior Paint Job
    • Options for Smarter Home-Energy Tracking
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer
  • Issue 310 - October 2022
    • Choosing a Tile-Leveling System
    • Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs
    • Custom Built-in Cabinets Made Easy
  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept 2022
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in