Want to get set of abrasives Paint removel prep wood finishing

[PreferrablyWood]

I bought a Festool RS 300 EQ sander which I got good use of this summer in combination with my R0 80mm metabo sander. I bought the RS 300 EQ to work on table tops doors, mostly for paint removal and prep for painting, but also knowing that it the future I'll be doing some wood doors, tables cabinets, and thinking that it would be a good sander for that job the size is 93mm 173mm and it's a size I'm used to and like working with. The PS 300 EQ is built to last with a 2.5mm sanding stroke and an extremely high rate of oscillation up to 20,000 rpm..

The question then is the abrasive range and type.

After some reading it seems that Brilliant up to about 100 gr is as very good and economical choice, then from 120 up to 220 I'll be going for Granat as it seems to me to be the most universal abrasive.

I'll be mostly refinishing previously painted surfaces, then some medium hardwoods like birch, elm, and then refinishing oak and using unfinished beech, oak and some exotics like Ipe, mahogani, teak.

So the issue is that to get the range covered from 40 gr up to 220 I'll be needing to get about 8 or 9 grits they are in boxes of 100 or somtimes 50, and that adds up to something of an investment..

In the future I can see getting the RO 90 DX, and the R0 150, I don't think I'll get the ETS sanders as I feel the RS 300 can take care of that area..

Am I doing the right strategy? I can't really see buying 10 sheets at a time so I just want to mostly keep the number of grits down to a minimum. Like 8 would be a sweet spot from an economic standpoint...

 

[PreferrablyWood]

For your information the RS 300 spec and usage info:

A multi-talent.

    Different interchangeable sanding pads for an extremely wide range of applications
    Ergonomic shape ensures non-tiring work, even on vertical surfaces and work overhead
    Electronics integrated in the housing, a sturdy bearing, secure oscillators and a high tear-resistant MPE sanding pad ensure a long service life and high economic efficiency

Main applications

    Sanding surfaces and corners in one working procedure
    Sanding louvres with a special pad
    Light sanding of varnish, paint, wood and plastic
    Sanding natural woods and veneer prior to varnishing
    Light sanding of varnished surfaces
    Light sanding of mineral materials
    Special applications

Technical data:
Power consumption 280 W
Idle engine speed 4000-10000 min-1
No. of strokes 8000-20000 min-1
Sanding stroke 2,4 mm
Interchangeable sanding pad 93 x 175 mm
Connection Ø d/e 27 mm
weight 2,3 kg

I also have the metabo 125mm 424w R0 with a 5mm stroke and the 80mm SX E 400w which I intend to keep on using in tandem with the Festool for the next couple of years, at which point I'll be getting the Festool RO 150 and R0 90 dx sanders..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Still no answers on this post but I'm going to go ahead and buy the following

Brilliant 2- 120 grit 30 pcs

Granat - 150 grit 100 pcs

Granat - 240 grit 100 pcs

It's kind of a pain to have to buy so many sheets at a time of the Finer grits, but I really like the RS 300 EQ, it's built like a tank, and as far as I can see, Granat is the universal high quality sandpaper for both painted,Plastics(corian), and laquer varnish surfaces..

I using the less expensive Granat sandpaper up to 120 gr, I presently have 4i0, 80, 120 grits, so I'll have 5 gr. levels going 40, 80, 120, 180, 240, Later I might get the 150, and 280 grits, then I'll be set.

When I get the R0 90 in a year or two, I'll concentrate on getting the lower grits from 40 to 150..

I'll have to get metabo, 90mm disks for the SX E 400 and Bosch disks for the SXE 426 125mm sander as these aren't compatible with Festool abrasives... I use these as my rough sanders for level and paint removal from 40 up to 120 gr..

 

[AlexThePalex]

When I get a new tool I'm not going to invest heavily in consumables right away. I first try out the small packages when I need them. Only when I get used to a tool, know what it does and where I can use it the best, then I expand the inventory.

Don't know how well Festool is available in Denmark, but here I can get 10 packs of sandpaper very easily.

The RTS 300 is a nice sander for sure. Had it for a while, but it had too much overlap with some of my other sanders like the RO150, ETS150 and DTS/RTS400 so I sold it off again.

I don't think though the RTS 300 can stand in for the ETS 150, I find a round random orbit sander is more practical for most work than a plain orbital sander. A round random orbit sander is quite a bit faster and I think the finish is also better.

Granat is a good paper and very suitable for most tasks. For the things you mention, I would use mostly grit 60/80, 120 and 180.

I've had two Metabo sanders (among others) before I got into Festool. No comparison. Festool sanders are 3 times better. They have more power, are build like a tank, and especially the very good dust control makes them a lot nicer to work with. I've used many brands of sanders over the years, and the only brand that comes close to Festool is Rupes. But it's still no Festool.
   

 

[PreferrablyWood]

When I get a new tool I'm not going to invest heavily in consumables right away. I first try out the small packages when I need them. Only when I get used to a tool, know what it does and where I can use it the best, then I expand the inventory.

Don't know how well Festool is available in Denmark, but here I can get 10 packs of sandpaper very easily.

The RTS 300 is a nice sander for sure. Had it for a while, but it had too much overlap with some of my other sanders like the RO150, ETS150 and DTS/RTS400 so I sold it off again.

I don't think though the RTS 300 can stand in for the ETS 150, I find a round random orbit sander is more practical for most work than a plain orbital sander. A round random orbit sander is quite a bit faster and I think the finish is also better.

Granat is a good paper and very suitable for most tasks. For the things you mention, I would use mostly grit 60/80, 120 and 180.

I've had two Metabo sanders (among others) before I got into Festool. No comparison. Festool sanders are 3 times better. They have more power, are build like a tank, and especially the very good dust control makes them a lot nicer to work with. I've used many brands of sanders over the years, and the only brand that comes close to Festool is Rupes. But it's still no Festool.
 

I'm buget wise going to keep using the Metabos for paint removal jobs, then finish sand with the RS 300 for the forseeable future, that said I will eventually upgrade to the Festool Sanders... I think I can work with what I've got, perhaps a little slower to reach my goals, but I'll get there..

I was looking at going with 40,60,80 grit in Brilliant, and 120, 180 in Granat.. Can't find anything less than 100 sheets in the Granat though.. Sheesh..

 

[neeleman]

From my experience I would switch the sandpaper-types:

- Granat for P40-60-80 grid
- Brilliant 2 for the finer grids P120-180-240. Works much better this way.
Or only use Granat grids which is more versatile, downside it's only available in 50 or 100 pieces in the box.
On the contrary Brilliant 2 is available in boxes of 10.

Granat can do VOC paint, normal paint, filler and untreated wood as well.
Brilliant is less aggressive/softer then Granat and gives a finer grid-pattern on paint.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

From my experience I would switch the sandpaper-types:

- Granat for P40-60-80 grid
- Brilliant 2 for the finer grids P120-180-240. Works much better this way.
Or only use Granat grids which is more versatile, downside it's only available in 50 or 100 pieces in the box.
On the contrary Brilliant 2 is available in boxes of 10.

Granat can do VOC paint, normal paint, filler and untreated wood as well.
Brilliant is less aggressive/softer then Granat and gives a finer grid-pattern on paint.

Thanks for the info, I've never had a sander where there was so many choices of abrasive before the RS 300 EQ

I have a huge amount of paint removal to do, if I want to, the bases of 7 outdoor tables, I admit I've been putting it of, as it's rather strenuous job..  After your inputs about the Festool sanders, and what I've experienced from using the Metabo SX E 400 80mm I must admit it really IS a pain to use, from the first day it sounded like it was on it's last legs, but still soldiers on,  so thinking of me having to use it for 10 hrs of sanding (outside in november) just got me to reordered my next shopping list, and will wait on getting the finer abrasives for the RS 300, the Syslite KAL 2, and a couple of Systainers and I'll just go ahead and get the RO 90 DX now, with some 40, 80, 120 grit.. I might be able to sell the Metabo for about 2/3's of what I paid for it, so I'll do that so I have that  money  to put towards the RO 90's abrasives..

What changed my mind other than your important input is the fact that there is only one type of abrasive available for the Metabo, and that can't possibly optimal! I also just used it for a job where I it took 5 hours or more to remove old paint down to the bare wood from just 1 window frame! The paint seemed to be fused to into the surface of the wood...

So R0 90 DX it is, I'll sell the Metabo to my customers from that last job, because they have a lot of sanding to do and are presently using even lower standard gear...I mentioned then that I might want to sell the Metabo and they seemed interested!

 

[Pnw painter]

If you'll mostly be sanding previously painted surfaces I'd stick with Granat for all your abrasives. I'm a house painter and since I started using Festool products this year, I keep coming back to Granat for just about every application I come across. Do a search on this site and you'll find a ton of good info about abrasives.

Depending on your budget and how often you'll be sanding, I recommend buying the largest quantity of each grit that you can afford. This is especially true for coarser grits, where you're typically removing most of the the old paint and haven't gotten to bare wood quite yet.

You should also check out the Festool USA abrasives page. You can select your sander and the type of material you'll be sanding. It then shows you a list of the best abrasives for that application. For just about every type of paint application Granat is listed at the top choice. Here's a link:
http://www.festoolusa.com/abrasives

 

[PreferrablyWood]

If you'll mostly be sanding previously painted surfaces I'd stick with Granat for all your abrasives. I'm a house painter and since I started using Festool products this year, I keep coming back to Granat for just about every application I come across. Do a search on this site and you'll find a ton of good info about abrasives.

Depending on your budget and how often you'll be sanding, I recommend buying the largest quantity of each grit that you can afford. This is especially true for coarser grits, where you're typically removing most of the the old paint and haven't gotten to bare wood quite yet.

You should also check out the Festool USA abrasives page. You can select your sander and the type of material you'll be sanding. It then shows you a list of the best abrasives for that application. For just about every type of paint application Granat is listed at the top choice. Here's a link:
http://www.festoolusa.com/abrasives

Thanks for the info, I ended up getting a Sys 2 filled with Granat 40,60,80,120. in Ø90 and P 60 for the DX 93 pad plus P 240 My plan is to use the DX mode for between coat sanding on smaller pieces. And because of some advice from another forum member I'm going for Brilliant 2 for the finer Grits from P 180 and up.

Eventually I'll upgrade my Metabo SX E 425 125/5 sander to either the ETS EC 150/3 or the RO 150 or both.

I'll keep the Metabo though to for pieces more suited to the 125mm pad..