which abrasive for all purpose use on ETS 150?

[rex]

Im a little bewildered by the different choices of sandpaper for my new sander. I have read through the literature and the Festool abrasives guide posted here...........and kinda narrowed it down a bit. I think for paint prep and wood sanding( all purpose use) the Brilliant2 would suit me best. Is that what you guys would use?  As far as grit selection,  I have used 60, 100 and 150 grits for most of my sanding in the past, but think maybe 60, 80, 120 and 150 would be a more comprehensive grit approach. I generally stop at 150 with a random orbit sander and switch to a vibrating(orbital) sander for the finish sanding(Porter Cable 330). Next Festool  purchase might be to replace the ol' PC330. ;D

I have to say that I am very impressed by the ETS 150 smoothnes of operation and virtually dust free sanding connected to a CT mini. I think I might have caught the Festool bug. :

Any opinions on sandpaper type and grit selection would be appreciated.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Brilliant2 is a good choice, I also like Cristal for general purpose sanding although it's a more aggressive abrasive. Your selection looks good but I wouldn't skip the 100 grit.

 

[EcoFurniture]

Brilliant2 is a good choice, I also like Cristal for general purpose sanding although it's a more aggressive abrasive. Your selection looks good but I wouldn't skip the 100 grit.

I just switched over to Cristal and you are right, it lasts longer then Rubin. Although, still not as good as the Mirka abranet. Anyhow, depending on the material I'm sanding I usually stop at 220 with very good results. No swirl marks or anything--no hand sanding required!

 

[Dan Clermont]

I like Brilliant 2 as an all round good sandpaper. Call it the "Swiss army knife of Papers"

Just my Two Cents
Dan Clermont

 

[justinmcf]

hi rex. 220 or 320 is a good finish. it just depends what timber you are sanding and what you are happy with.

i have used an ets 150/5 and maxxed out at S4000 grit.
you should give it a go. you will be amazed when you can see you own reflection in a piece of timber!

the grits i start with are....80, 120, 220, 320, 400, 800, S1000, S2000,and finally S4000.

it is very cool, but i find it not very practical as you can not apply stain or varnish.
wax is great, but not in the humidity we have here in Queensland, Australia.

regards, justin.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Really rough prep work: Saphir 50
Normal rough paint prep: Brilliant2 or Cristal 40
Intermediate prep on pretty good surface: Brilliant2 or Granat 80 & 120
Finish: Brilliant2 or Granat 220,240 or 320. 

Over all, Briliant2 is the most all-round paper that will do almost anything.

Granat is a brand new paper and is, as I understood, sort of the replacement/compliment for Brilliant2 and meant for the new paints with less solvents in it. Out of environmental reasons here in Europe, the solvent has to go down from 400g/L to 300 g/L in 2010.

I'd like to add that we see your question a lot here, and given the multitude of choices available that is very logical. But somehow people always want to know about "One type that does it all", and that's not the approach anyone should take. There are so many choices because each type has its own purpose and you should be wise to choose the proper type for the proper job. This will make you work faster and get a better result and therefor maximise your effort, and if you're a professional, your profit.

If you're new to Festool sandpaper, start out with a couple of  small 10 packs and don't go out buying the larger 50 and 100 packs immediately. A selection of 10 packs of what I mentioned above should be enough to get you started for most applications.

If you have more questions about the types of sandpaper, we're always here to help.

 

[rex]

Just curious if anyone has used a generic  abrasive from Industrial Abrasives Inc? I think they are Rhynogrip brand. I have used them in the past for my sanding discs, and they seemed to be a good quality. I dont know how they compare to the Festool brand(Brilliant2), but they are a little less expensive.  They have the 5" and 6" (9 hole) available.