Thread: 150mm Smirdex 750 Net Sanding Discs

Originally Posted by aldav

The pad protector stops the velcro 'hooks' on the permanent sander pad from being worn down to the point that they will no longer grip the sanding disc. So it's the disposable pad protector that gets worn instead of the sander pad. The pad protector attaches to the sander pad in the same way as an ordinary velcro backed disc and any type of velcro backed disc can then be attached to the pad protector. Pad protectors at $7 to $8 each are much cheaper than having to replace the sanders integrated pad.

Yep what I was asking was does the pad protector come off with the smirdex when you pull it off seeing as it sticks so well as suggested by woodpixel. (which would make smirdex really annoying to use)

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I'll tell you tomorrow.

Those pad protectors are maybe what I need for my Bosch GEX as I have problems getting the mesh pads to stay on. Did a bit of a search and Bosch make them but it looks like they are not available in Australia. I’ll check with Bosch on Monday but they are available from Axminister UK.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Those pad protectors are maybe what I need for my Bosch GEX as I have problems getting the mesh pads to stay on. Did a bit of a search and Bosch make them but it looks like they are not available in Australia. I’ll check with Bosch on Monday but they are available from Axminister UK.

If you need one in a hurry - Diablo mesh net comes with a pad per pack of discs. Bunnings carry the 125mm and Total Tools do the 125mm and 150mm.

So, for those who’ve used both makes; which one cuts better and/or lasts longer: Abranet or Smirdex? I use Abranet in strip form when woodturning but haven’t moved on to ROS discs yet as I still have a decent pile of normal paper backed ones. I’m trying to improve my finish “off the tool” so that I only need to start at 240 grit, similar to what I achieve using a hand plane/scraping on flat work.

I’m on a sort of holiday at the moment so if I do follow Aldav’s lead and do a bulk buy it might not be until mid-Jan.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

If you need one in a hurry - Diablo mesh net comes with a pad per pack of discs. Bunnings carry the 125mm and Total Tools do the 125mm and 150mm.

The 150mm Diablo I bought from Bunnings did not have a pad in the box.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday sanding with the ROS using both a paper disc and the Smirdex mesh. In response to qwertyu's query about removing the sanding disc from the protector pad, it's no problem. The disc is easily removed from the pad without disturbing the pads grip on the sander base. It is no more difficult than removing a paper disc from the sander.

I sanded some Oregon posts and some Alpine Ash to 120 grit. The Smirdex did a good job on both. With the vac. attached to the sander (Bosch GEX 125 AVE) the dust was totally carried away leaving the sanding disc very clean. Because of the mesh base there is no buildup of detritus at the centre of the disc and there are no hot spots developed on the disc surface.

The new Bosch paper disc had noticeable wear after sanding one Oregon post. The Smirdex did three posts and the Ash and apparently had considerable life left. How do you tell when a mesh disc is worn out? Working out when to retire a disc might be the hardest lesson to learn.

Thanks for the reply. If anyone has both abranet and smirdex (and sianet) it would be awesome to see a comparison

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Originally Posted by Alkahestic

If you need one in a hurry - Diablo mesh net comes with a pad per pack of discs. Bunnings carry the 125mm and Total Tools do the 125mm and 150mm.

Thanks for the head up. I bought a “shed” load of mesh disks some time ago so I decided to buy from Axminister. To offset the freight cost vs the pad costs I just had to buy some other goodies
Looks like Christmas will come early.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Thanks for the head up. I bought a “shed” load of mesh disks some time ago so I decided to buy from Axminister. To offset the freight cost vs the pad costs I just had to buy some other goodies
Looks like Christmas will come early.

You could have bought the pad protectors from BC Coatings, but any excuse is a good excuse. I won't tell your missus.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

The 150mm Diablo I bought from Bunnings did not have a pad in the box.

Maybe Bunnings and Total Tools have different SKUs? This is my unopened pack of Diablo mesh from Total Tools, you can see the black protector pad in the cutout window on the back.

diablo mesh.jpg

My local Big Green Shed doesn't have 150mm mesh only 125mm. They do come with a protector pad though. But at $30 for 10 x 125mm discs and a protector pad they aren't the best value.

Ive found however, the 40 and 60 grit are so powerful, they equate more to using a Arbortech grinding disk! Used on an angle they absolutely grind timber like a bastard file. It is MOST EXCELLENT! On gnarly horrid timbers, like paint cleanup of recycled stuff or sleepers, they are wonderful. The backing pad, however, sticks so aggressively to the velco it tears itself apart when trying to remove it..... SO! Use it for the whole job all at once, cos it really doesnt want to be taken off the sander! (this is a good thing!)

Danny Lee, Mirka Abranet are my all time favourite. 120 grit is very special to me Its the very best. One can skip entire grades of paper and they seemingly last forever.


Hi WoodPixel, so from your experience using both brands, they are good as each other?


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Danny, I've given this a lot of thought.

The answer is a firm "I don't really know".

Fence Furniture did an absolutely outstanding test series comparing Festool and Abranet. FF is a painfully honest dude and his tests were thorough and convincing in who the easy winner was.... Abranet.

His tests convinced me to buy a considerable quantity of the 150mm Abranet range. It was a group buy, so prices were excellent.

The Greek Smirdex is a very good product. I respect it. There are two reasons... First, they are a small company that looks after its people and cares about what they do. They have a lot of soul. Second, they are widely used in the automotive refinishing business. These blokes have zero time to bugger around with substandard crap that is going to cause them pain. If they use it, so should I.

My own personal opinion is that I see my Smirdex as the smash-it-out disks, mainly because they're cheap. I see the Abranet as my Top Shelf disks for when I'm feeling fancy or doing an expensive job... Like a box.

I have absolutely no way to conclusively state which are "better". If I were to try, I'd say Abranet. My gut feel is they last far too long. But, I know the Smirdex cut like buggery and simply Get The Job Done... Fast, clean, efficient, toss it, next job up!

My thoughts sway toward Smirdex being a Real Workshop product where you do the job, work them hard and toss them... The Abranet are for us fussy bastards who buy a 50 pack and nurse them for 15 years....