Using newer vs older Sandpaper with the newest Jet Stream Pads on RO150

[idratherplaytennis]

Hey guys, I apologize if this has been posted before- I did try searching numerous terms with no luck before posting-

I've had an ETS EC 150/3 since it was released, and loved it. I finally had reason to go get some additional grits and noticed they had changed all the paper to the current pads that they've come out with- the ones that seem on some posts to have caused a lot of people agony over losing surface area to new holes. This is not about that. I bought a couple of the new pads for my ETS EC 150/3 and went on my merry way along with the lower grits I needed for the job. I wasn't so worried about it, what with the ton of sandpaper I still have being on the old holes- I have almost full boxes of 80, 150, 220, and I think 400. That said- I just made the dive after 5+ years of waiting and bought my Rotex 150.

First impressions of the RO150 are amazing. I have a left hand thumb injury so it made learning and switching out the pad from the soft to hard a significant pain until I got the first fitting on and broke it in... but other then that and the paranoia of how little the (plastic??!!) spindle lock actually contacts to lock the sander to change pads (I experienced significant slippage with my thumb that had 6 stitches earlier this month, along with other fingers I tried testing with to avoid pain), I am very happy. I have noticed- just on the 80 grit and oak I practiced on for a very short time, however, that the pad and paper seem to get very hot- and I wondered if anyone knew if it would be cause enough that I should consider selling my old paper, if the newer paper with more holes would allow for any better cooling.

The only other question I was wondering about was for the times when (and I know this is probably another sore topic for some) go over Bondo. Does anyone ever experience the heat interfering with sanding surface work? I only use the blue paper (granate?) to minimize any buildup and I am still perfecting how I mix my bondo because I almost always don't seem to mix it properly and get stuck with buildup (maybe I just don't add enough hardener because I worry about it drying out on me before I apply it to all the patch areas.. I dunno).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to playing around with the rotex later today, sanding down my extremely weathered door sill to try and test some methods of crack filling, using a gel-stain and eventually poly before I do work on my sister's house which I actually care about producing a good looking sill on. Had to get the rotex because even my lil RO90 took significant work to break through the super old and durable finish on the 50+ year old super-solid oak threshold.

 

[GPowers]

This video details the advantages of Multi-Jetstream paper. It ia an old video but at 2:17 is compares old and new paper, on metal, and shows the temperature difference.  My understanding Multi-Jetstream 2 is even better as it sucks up fresh air on the edge of the disk.

Multi-Jetstream Paper

 

[sancho57]

I had to replace my pad on my ETS 150/3 all they had was the new jet stream pad, I have the old style of paper. Didnt see any difference paper worked great as expected

 

[Sanderxpander]

Had to get the rotex because even my lil RO90 took significant work to break through the super old and durable finish on the 50+ year old super-solid oak threshold.

FWIW, the Rotex 90 has the highest power to size ratio of all Rotex sanders, though obviously it does a smaller area at a time. Just saying it doesn't seem like with a Rotex 150 it would be easier going.

 

[RKA]

The new paper and backing plates should stay cooler than the old, but the improved dust collection was really what they emphasized with the new multijetstream 2 pads.  You can continue to use the old paper on that new sander, you just won't benefit from the improvements they made to the backing plates.

Regarding the bondo, I don't have much experience, but some materials can clog and pill on the sanding pads which only gets worse with heat.  My best advice is to step down to a lower grit so it can do the leveling work quickly and not build up as much heat.  Also, if you're finding the bondo particularly hard, you could underfill with the standard bondo.  After that dries, finish with a layer of bondo glazing putty as the final layer, which does sand down much easier and to a smooth finish. 

 

[ben_r_]

From everything Ive read on comparisons, no one could tell a difference. I havent bothered to worry about moving to the new pads as I never felt the need for better dust collection. It already performs amazingly well for me.