My opinion of Granat

[Chris Hughes]

Traditionally I use brilliant 2 for most of my sanding applications.  It has been very productive for my many uses.  I do a lot of solid surface work and these days a wide range of varnish and lacquer application.  Cost wise I always saw brilliant as a very good value.  Prior to using Festool I used to use Sait and Norton paper.  All three papers were in the same price range while the brilliant 2 lasted a little longer.

So the other day I ran out of brilliant 220 which I was using between coats of hi-build precat lacquer.  I went to my local Woodcraft to stock up on papers expecting to buy my usual selection.  I was very put out to find that they were no longer going to carry the product I have used for so long.  To make matters worse, the closest thing the had was 240 Granat at 50% more cost.  I was not happy, and not impressed about the price increase.  I did however find some 220 for my rts so I could still get the job done.

So I got back to the shop put the Granat away and stated sanding with the tried and true brilliant.  Like normal I would use about 4 sheets per side before build up would take out the sheet.  So just for grins, I set up a sheet of the new Granat 240.  WOW, no build up even after three sides of the doors I was working on.  Very nice!  Price compared to brilliant at 41 cents a sheet I was spending $3.20 per door, versus at 63 cents a sheet I can get a door and a half.  That's 40cents a door.  By using the much more expensive paper save 2.80 a door on paper.

Lesson learned, again, don't be afraid to spend more with Festool, in the end you will save money.

 

[ScotF]

It's good stuff...I also like it when leveling joints and sanding out dry glue squeeze out...it does not clog like other papers.  I use it as my primary paper for most things and think it does a great job.  I am going to try the new Rubin as well for bare wood in hopes that it last a lot longer than the older style of Rubin. 

Scot

 

[CharlesWilson]

My son was sanding down his floors with my RO125 after removing some linoleum. I had some Cristal, which made a bit of headway, but quickly gummed up with the gummy stuff that was under the linoleum. (Stripper had already been used to get as much of the goo off as possible.) Luckily I found some Granat 40 grit at a nearby supplier.

What a difference! I am looking forward to the day when Festool replaces Granat with an even better abrasive.

Charles

 

[jc]

My experience with granat in the 40-80 ranges is that it does not gum up but it does lose it's bite after a while.  If you run your hand over the paper and compare with fresh paper, you can feel the difference.  The stripping performance does degrade noticeably. 

 

[adubeau]

It's what I use mostly for sanding wood.. You can't beat it....

 

[Stone Message]

I much prefer Granat and say so in several of my videos. I have not bought any Rubin 2 yet and I am told that this is also very good.

Peter

 

[Sparktrician]

Granat is also wonderful for the coarse (220, 320, 400), cleaning-down stages of solid surface material rejuvenation.  It leaves a wonderful base from which to work with Platin and the liquid abrasives. 

[smile]

 

[jacko9]

I recently had to sand the steel cross support rails on my table saw sliding table to make way for the motor dust cover.  I used my RO 90 with 80 grit Granat and was able to cut 3/16" off of each rail along a 8" length.  I used several discs but, it was fast and easy.  I have used Granat on bare hardwood and have been impressed at the longevity vs my old brand of paper.

 

[Scott B.]

Great example, Chris, thanks for sharing that. I have been using Granat exclusively for the past 18 months and have found that same scenario time and again.

 

[Tinker]

I recently did a couple of DT drawers.  I have usually used Rubin 50 to sand off the slight extensions of both sides of the DT joints. I had run out of the Rubin and tried a disc of Granat 50.  I was amazed at how much quicker it was.  when using the Rubin, i would sometimes get and use the block plane instead.  With the Granat, i had no such temptation. The G-50 is the only Granat i have, but next time i go to my toy store, i will try other grits.
Tinker

 

[NH-Engineering]

I had one sheet of granat 80 grit that came together with my rotex 150. Until now I have ignored it since I normally use higher grits. Last evening I was doing some rough construction work where the finish did not matter. So i did use this to remove wood. I found the granat really impressive. No clogging at all! I found this paper so well performing that I wanted to see what other people think of it. So here I am, and I see that others have the same experience.

 

[builderbob]

I exclusively use Granat for all of my sanders. Since it's release, I've really liked the performance and versatility of it!

 

[avrs22]

From 40g to 100g Granat all the way for me.

 

[Kev]

I'm 90% Granat ... RAS115 is the only sander I'm not using Granat on (oh, the belt sander isn't using Granat either).

 

[Frank Pellow]

I already had a big supply of abrasives when Granat was introduced, and a lot of that supply still needs to be used up. 

But, I do have granat in some grades for some of my sanders.  IT'S GREAT!

I also have a good supply of the Granat hand sanding sheets in some grades and I highly recommend them.

 

[worldburger]

I'm 90% Granat ... RAS115 is the only sander I'm not using Granat on (oh, the belt sander isn't using Granat either).

Kev, what abrasives do you like with your RAS?