Sanding Discs Less $ Alternative?

[darita]

I'm wondering if there are less expensive, quality sanding disc alternatives to Festool's line?  I'm getting an RO 150 FEQ and have been looking at Festool's abrasives line.  I know they must be very high quality, however not being a tradesman, I don't know if it would be worth it for me to spend the extra $.  Can anyone here recommend a goo alternative that costs less?

 

[Wooden Skye]

Darita

You could check out Industrial Abrasives out of PA.  I believe they have the 6" disks.  I used them before (not with Festool sanders).  Prices seem to be reasonable.

 

[fdengel]

There are lots of brand X ones up on eBay that claim to be compatible with the Festool hole pattern.

I think I've seen some elsewhere too.

I don't think going the 3rd-party route on this would be worth it.

 

[darita]

There are lots of brand X ones up on eBay that claim to be compatible with the Festool hole pattern.

I think I've seen some elsewhere too.

I don't think going the 3rd-party route on this would be worth it.

that's what I'd like to know.  If other abrasives would not hold up or sand as well as Festool's, then I'll bite the bullet, but if the holes line up and they last as long, then maybe I can get away with spending less $...not being a professional and all...

 

[darita]

Anyone use Rhynogrip?

 

[mouppe]

Buy a mixed set from Tom Bellemare. It is well worth it and will give you an idea of how long the discs last. Since I first bought my router 4 years ago, I think I have only bought another box or two since. That's how long they last. I think I am still on my first box of 220!

...and I keep them after they're used up for hand sanding.

 

[Paul G]

I've used Diablo bought from Home Depot with my other random orbital sanders and like it, then I got my RO90 and tried granat and it's way better. Also watch for the hole patterns, I think Festool is different than most

 

[NERemodeling]

check these out    http://www.woodworkingshop.com/search.aspx?q=6%22X17+Hole

one nice thing is they have a huge assortment of grits in 10 packs which festool doesn't  also they are about 1/2 price of the 10packs that festool does sell

also their 50 packs are around $10-12 cheaper each

i havent used them but others i know have used different discs and sheets from them and no complaints

they also have the festool 9 holes if you happen to be buying a used one or others are reading and interest

John

 

[Kev]

Anyone use Rhynogrip?

Yes - it was OK, but that was a while back now.

Cost is relative, the useful life you get out of an abrasive is an important parameter ... along with the finish quality. Cost per sheet is not an effective assessment. To choose you really need to do your own comparisons.

Further to this, don't buy a Porsche and put retreats on it [wink]

 

[tbellemare]

I seriously doubt that you will get more value out of competitive abrasives.

There is an example above and the difference in price is not as much as the shipping. Most Festool dealers offer free shipping.

Tom

 

[Ends of the World]

Anyone use Rhynogrip?

One of the guys up at WoodCraft turned me onto these, and they are a great alternative. Better prices, seem to last just as long as Festools, and I honestly prefer the simpler system. (I know there is an optimal / different applications for each type of FT granat / cristal / whatever sandpaper, but to me, an 80 grit sandpaper is an 80 grit sandpaper).

I only have two gripes about Rhynogrip, the first being that I don't think they make anything for the RO90, just the 5 and 6 inch sanders. Second, my local WoodCraft isn't great at keeping all the grits in, so it's a lot easier to get Festool sandpaper (which Rockler has too). There's always online of course, but usually I need things yesterday, not tomorrow.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Anyone use Rhynogrip?

One of the guys up at WoodCraft turned me onto these, and they are a great alternative. Better prices, seem to last just as long as Festools, and I honestly prefer the simpler system. (I know there is an optimal / different applications for each type of FT granat / cristal / whatever sandpaper, but to me, an 80 grit sandpaper is an 80 grit sandpaper).

I only have two gripes about Rhynogrip, the first being that I don't think they make anything for the RO90, just the 5 and 6 inch sanders. Second, my local WoodCraft isn't great at keeping all the grits in, so it's a lot easier to get Festool sandpaper (which Rockler has too). There's always online of course, but usually I need things yesterday, not tomorrow.

I agree with some of what you said here.  My experience is that Rhynogrip is far more simple then the Festool system of abrasives and that they are/can be a good value.  I'm not sure I completely agree that they last just as long, at least not in all situations.  Where I think they can be a better value is as an "all purpose" abrasive.  While each Festool abrasive type might be better in their specific niche, none are a better all purpose abrasive than the Rhynogrip.  This might be long winded so feel free to ship out now and save your self from my ramblings.

The Festool Rubin abrasive is good on bare wood, but not so great on finishes like paint or urethane.  For finishes Brilliant or Granat are better, for removing tough old finishes Cristal or Saphir are the ticket, and so on.. For you guys well schooled in the Festool abrasive lineup this is nothing new.  For you guys just getting into Festool you can see you'll need to stock a lot of different Festool abrasive types to get optimum results out of this lineup, assuming you do a somewhat broad rage of sanding tasks.  That can be a considerable investment.  Then there is the learning curve for the Festool abrasive system.  It can take some time (and possibly a lot of money in abrasives) before you figure what Festool abrasive works best for each task you do. 

The upshot of this investment are optimum results you get with Festool abrasives, and when they are used in their niche they are a very good value.  Where you can lose is in having a ton of unused or rarely used Festool abrasives sitting on a shelf waiting for their niche task to pop up.

With Rhynogrip you can spend $100-$150 and you've got a very good assortment of abrasives that work reasonably well on a broad rage of tasks.  The same money in Festool abrasives won't cover nearly as much ground as the Rhynogrip.  So you decide on how the value works out better for you, a smaller upfront investment in Rhynogrip that covers a broad rage of tasks or the more niche type abrasives with optimum results of the Festool system of abrasives.  Okay, not so long winded but still ramblings......                     

 

[SS Teach]

When you go to the big box store to buy a tool, that's what you get, the tool, nothing else. When you buy Festool, you are buying into a system. And it's the total system that makes Festool superior to the rest. Yes you can get cheaper paper and a shop vac to hook up to your sander but it won't work as well as with Festool products. Festool is not cheap, go slowly, buy when you can, you will not be sorry. I refinished my kitchen cabinet faces with an RTS 400 and four sheets of Festool paper. The faces held 30 doors and nine drawers. The CT 36 made sure there was no dust in the kitchen. My wife was so impressed the next time I bought another sander  and explained why I "needed" it she said "you're preaching to the choir". 

 

[fshanno]

Klingspor makes a full line for Festool multijetstream disks - 60 to 1500.  I've probably used about 300 6" disks from 60 to 400.  The ones I have used were not multijetstream, just 9 hole.  Not bad, definitely worth a try especially since you can get a box of 50 for about $22.

 

[missionman]

I have been using a lot of the film backed sand paper for my two old RO 150's.  They work really well and last as long if not longer than the Festool paper.  They are a bit cheaer depending on brand and grit, but I think they are a nice alternative for the festool paper.
Larry

 

[bebum]

I'll dig up this very old thread - as from what I heard 3M has started manufacturing of Festool abrasives for car repairing. Few of my friends using Festool for car paint finishing say the are disappointed with 3M and started looking for alternatives.

Starting point - Festool 150 mm 17 hole disc format is standarized (at least in Europe) and its called GLS51. Very Few manufacturers have it by default in their catalogue (Klingspor in Germany for sure) but usually you can call most companies like Deerfos, SIA, VSM, etc and ask them to manufacture it for you. Usually minimum order is 100 pcs per grit. There are also dozens of smaller companies that produce sanding discs from 'big brand' materials and often they have lower prices for the same material and less bureaucracy. Here and here you have an example.

125 mm and 90 mm disc formats (called FESTO 9H or 7H) usually are also available at most factories but somehow they dont' advertise it.

Festool sanding paper is very high quality but it's not black magic, from my experience high quality Deerfos or Hermes sanding disc is as good as Brilliant or higher grit Granat. But to be honest lower grit Granats are unbeatable, probably because of ceramic material used.

 

[yetihunter]

Blast from the past.  Personally, I'm looking for abrasives over 400 grit for my RTS and LS130. 

 

[Nat X]

The papers are maybe 15 cents more than the ones at Home Depot at worst and it's not really worth the energy to go find anything else unless you're buying by the pallet. Their polishing accessories--including the super-high-grit papers--on the other hand are ridiculously overpriced snake oil and that's when I switch to Mirlon, Abralon or Abranet.

 

[bebum]

Well, in Europe Festool abrasives can be very overpriced. In my country it's usually 3-5X (yes, 3-5 times) the price of high quality product from other company. Don't ask me why - I don't know.

 

[Bigred30]

Buy a mixed set from Tom Bellemare. It is well worth it and will give you an idea of how long the discs last. Since I first bought my router 4 years ago, I think I have only bought another box or two since. That's how long they last. I think I am still on my first box of 220!

...and I keep them after they're used up for hand sanding.

Where can I find Tom at? I just got my first festool and got the rotex 150. I never imagined they wouldn't sell an assorted pack and can't afford to dump $500 on paper.