Cubitron abrasives

[robo hippy]

I am not sure if you have seen this or not, but best review of the different abrasives I have seen to date.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZDCRFi8dKY&t=655s


robo hippy

 

[Larry Copas]

I often wonder about these tests for real world performance. In the mesh line up I've used Mirka Abranet for a long time and 3M Xtract. I bought 4 boxes of Xtract (200 discs) and have nearly finished them. My experience was that it's not even close to the performance of Abrannet, and I'll never buy it again.

In the film backed world, I use Indasa Rhynogrip WhiteLine, which was not tested. It's found in a lot of commercial shops and schools. I would put it equal to Xtract in performance and cheaper to use. It's the best I have found in film backed.

The tester used some kind of industrial sanding machine I've never seen. I suspect it's a lot different from the ROS's I use. On the electric side, I use a Festool, and on the pneumatic side, I use a Dynabrade. I wonder if the difference between the sanding machines accounts for some of the differences in the test results.

 

[Steve Worcester]

I often wonder about these tests for real world performance. In the mesh line up I've used Mirka Abranet for a long time and 3M Xtract. I bought 4 boxes of Xtract (200 discs) and have nearly finished them. My experience was that it's not even close to the performance of Abrannet, and I'll never buy it again.

In the film backed world, I use Indasa Rhynogrip WhiteLine, which was not tested. It's found in a lot of commercial shops and schools. I would put it equal to Xtract in performance and cheaper to use. It's the best I have found in film backed.

The tester used some kind of industrial sanding machine I've never seen. I suspect it's a lot different from the ROS's I use. On the electric side, I use a Festool, and on the pneumatic side, I use a Dynabrade. I wonder if the difference between the sanding machines accounts for some of the differences in the test results.

As far as tests go, I think that his is about the fairest as far as same conditions for each product, so there is repeatability to it, but again, your own use is a better indicator of what works for you.

 

[Dave Sabo]

Yes, it is high compared aluminium oxide discs, even very good ones, but about right for Cubitron. (For reference, the 3" discs of another specialty brand name sandpaper, Abranet, tend also to be around $1 each.)

And of course, the per-disc cost is only part of the equation: the Jonathan Katz-Moses videos, which looked to be quite thorough, concluded that Cubitron is competitive (or cheaper) when the criterion is quantity of material removed per disc.

KM’s data is inaccurate -which makes his conclusion(s) suspect or just plain incorrect.

The Diablo mesh is a solid performer in the total removal category , neck and neck with 3M and Norton’s.

Where he falls short is the cost/ value conclusion. Diablo mesh discs are often available for .40cents / disc. With that data point it shoots waaaaaay up the vale chart in cost per gram removed on his chart / rankings.



That said , Michael Nathal has rightly stated that mesh isn’t really good on a rotary mandrel for turners. The Diablo stuff also doesn’t come (readily anyway) in anything outside of 5” so there’s that too.

But, if you want to use the “best value” sandpaper and you’re going to go through cutting / modifying to get there - , and don’t mind mesh abrasives - then Diablo should be at the top of your list.

Bonus that it’s available everywhere without a distributor at Home Depot , no minimum order , and the price is hard to beat even for el cheapo junk discs.

YMMV on whether that translates into useful info for your turning , but you should be aware of accurate facts.

 

[Gord Cameron]

At $40 for 50 disks, the cubitron is kinda cost prohibitive.

This could be a question of educating the market: the per-unit price is high but a number of trials show that the longer life of Cubitron makes it competitive or less expensive to use than the cheaper discs.

I think that most of the comments here agree that mesh disks (e.g. Abranet and 3M Cubitron Xtract) are optimized for orbital sanders with vacuum extraction, which both clears the sanding path and cools the paper, big factors in sanding effectiveness. The mesh frays on rotary sanders.

So, looking at the KM tests for contenders with the solid backing that might be better suited to rotary sanders on the lathe, the top solid-backed disc in the KM test was Cubitron with the film backing. I love it these discs. They sand effectively for a very long time and the edges hold up. The higher per-unit price is daunting, but I find them to be worth it. I get the 3" discs in 50 disc boxes. Kevin Jenness posted a link above to an Amazon vendor with a pretty good price, about $20 per 50 discs.

But Cubitron 3" discs are generally harder to find, especially in a range of grits. There should be a market for these discs among woodturners, it might just need some availability and education.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, every single person I have seen that does comparison tests agrees that the Cubitron is the best. I am not sure about finding the 3 inch discs. I did order 3 3/8 inch discs for sanding my bowls. I called 3M direct, ask for abrasives. Anyway, they will cut them for you, but there is a 2000 disc minimum per grit, so maybe a club project. I went with 80, 120, 220, and 400. It should keep me going for a while....

Project Farm test:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2XqXYEZkU


robo hippy

 

[Jamie Straw]

So much to digest here, wow! My 2¢, very general: I became an Abranet fan years ago, and still use it for certain spindle work - despite woodturning friends who carped about how expensive it is. Now, I've gone predominantly to the Cubitron. "OH!" they say. "It's SO expensive!" No, it's not! The Cubitron lasts at least 3x longer than the Abranet, which lasts probably twice as long as a good sandpaper, for any given application. Price tag per unit is a small part of the equation. BTW, use a very light touch with Cubitron, very light....

 

[robo hippy]

Well, JKM an d others agree that the cubitron cuts faster and lasts longer, but it does cost more per disc, but it is the cheapest to use.

robo hippy

 

[robo hippy]

I called up Taylor Tools which is a small business I like to work with. They just got a new computer system, so they had to look around to see. They do carry 3 inch sanding discs of the cubitron. They didn't have a lot of stock handy, but will. One friend who uses it gets his from Amazon, but I will not buy anything from them. I did ask Tay Tools about the 3 inch belts of cloth backed 3 inch rolls for drum sanders, and the woman I spoke with said she was going to bug the owner about that topic.

robo hippy