Granat Net Abrasives

[Eko]

Does anyone have experience with the Granat Net abrasives? Is it really more effective at collecting dust and is it worth the extra cost? I was thinking of getting some 80x133 to use with the HSK-A sanding block since they don't make any for the Rotex 90.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I use Granat net all the time, it's a sensational product. I personally find it better in the long run than 3M Cubitorn II as it lasts so much longer and is more robust.

I was worried about the cost and wear thinking I'd chew through them, but very surprisingly I think I've worn out maybe 2-3 that are no longer useable. Even the really worn ones can still be used for hand sanding more than adequately.

Some will prefer Cubitron, but for me Granat's the best mesh disc I've used so far.

As it's a more open weave than the Cubitron, the dust collection is absolutely superb.

 

[Eko]

Thanks, [member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member]. You convinced me to give them a try.

 

[smorgasbord]

Haven't tried the Granat mesh, but the Cubitron II does come in 80mm wide rolls. Whichever you choose, make sure you have dust extraction running through it.

 

[bidn]

I find Granat Net the best for wood with a surface finish (varnish, vax, paint...), which is the most troublesome case because the finish clogs to sanding papers.

My experience from the main sanding papers I have used is the following:

For wood with a surface finish:

1. Festool Granat Net by far the best

2. Festool Granat

*** BTW avoid like hell : Mirka Iridium, doesn't even adhere well to the pad (I made the mistake of buying a full range of grids, thinking it would be as good as Abranet..)

For wood without a finish:

1. 3M Cubitron Xtract: most efficient; most durable on flat surfaces; can also be reused by hand (I explain this below). Sole negative: it is made by alternating abrasive and mesh areas, the later are weak and will easily tear apart if the rim of the paper rubs against a surface perpendicular to the surface I am sanding (e.g. a surface surrounded by a frame, or having a perpendicular panel)

2. Mirka Abranet ACE: clearly not as good as Cubitron, except that its rim handles much better rubbing against a perpendicular surface

3. Festool Granat Net or Rubin, both not being as good as Abranet on unfinished wood. I haven't used Rubin for a long time, I never tested it against Granat Net. Rubin, being closed, should more solid but not as good re. dust extraction compared to a mesh product.

If you want a single kind of sanding paper, and ever have to sand some surfaces with finish, then, because such surfaces are the most tricky, Granat Net would be the overall sole best choice in my opinion.
But the best is to have different kinds of sanding papers, each optimised for a different case (wood with or without finish).

About my reuse of 150 mm damaged Cubitron Xtract paper:
Because it has this thin mesh-only alternating areas, it is very supple. So when the rims are damaged, I reuse them like this:
I hold the paper by closing my fist on it, and letting enough of it to cover the part of my hand opposite my thumb, which part I then use for sanding by hand (this is the part you would use to slam on a table when your fist is closed), as well as covering a part of the back of my hand. This is for me the best manner of hand sanding when I don't need dust extraction and when I need top control, and the capability to apply a lot of force and to move very fast (very efficient).

 

[Eko]

A very informative and helpful description, [member=67611]bidn[/member]. Thank you.

I'm starting to wish I had bought some net paper instead of just standard Granat and Rubin.

 

[luvmytoolz]

A very informative and helpful description, [member=67611]bidn[/member]. Thank you.

I'm starting to wish I had bought some net paper instead of just all standard Granat and Rubin.

Never found the Rubin that good compared to Granat, but even the Granat paper is still excellent for coated surfaces, it doesn't load up anything like the other types. And Granat paper in the higher grits than the net comes in is superb for polishing.

 

[ElectricFeet]

*** BTW avoid like heck : Mirka Iridium, doesn't even adhere well to the pad (I made the mistake of buying a full range of grids, thinking it would be as good as Abranet..)

I just used some iridium P60 on my RO90 in rotex mode and didn’t have this problem at all. maybe you got a bad batch.

I was removing a polyurethane finish from a large expanse of bamboo, so it had a really hard workout.

I found it lasted very slightly longer than granat, so it just edges through for me. Both granat and iridium are insanely expensive. With the poly finish, I went through them very fast. I would have been better using P40, but I didn’t have any in stock.

(I would have been better using a larger diameter rotex too, but I didn’t have one of those in stock either [big grin])

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I use Granat net all the time, it's a sensational product.

Invented and developed by Mirka. Plagiarised by Festool when the patent expired. I still use the original and the best.

 

[peter halle]

I use Granat net all the time, it's a sensational product.

Invented and developed by Mirka. Plagiarised by Festool when the patent expired. I still use the original and the best.

I am assuming you are talking about the net aspect and not the abrasive aspect.  From my understanding the Granat abrasive was developed by Festool originally for the use in the automotive field for sanding the paint in the factory for Audi which has a different harder finish. 

Peter

 

[woodbutcherbower]

That’s right, Peter. You’re probably aware that Mirka originated in auto refinishing, and that’s still their core business today. I knew a little about Festool’s involvement with Audi, as a good friend of mine was working at their head office in Ingoldstadt at the time, and he told me about the product which he could eventually see jumping over to woodworking. I believe it was a joint collaboration between Festool and Klingspor, who actually manufactured the abrasive particles.‘Plagiarisation’ was the wrong term to use in retrospect - every company has the right to grab an idea and run with it once the patent expires. Just as every man and his dog now makes a tracksaw. But just like the above (and once again IMO) the original is still the best.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I wonder if this Klingspor GreenTec is similar to Granat?