3M Cubitron II and Multi-hole Sanding Pad

[gee-dub]

There had been some discussion on 3M's Cubitron product. I had a lot of ROS work to do so I decided to try a sample pack. Reviewers recommended a sanding pad to aid in dust collection so I got a pack of those as well. Just takin' one for the team here.

 

I didn't try it without the pad. I can report that the dust collection (which was already very good on my ROS) is definitely better with the many-holed sanding disc and the many-holed pad. With an 8 hole pad and disc my system would suck in anything that even got near the pad.  With this setup I never even saw the spoil on the deck. 

Stock removal was very good and very controllable. I am not one to use abrasives after they have started to decline so my reference is pretty good as to what "normal" Norton or Kilngspor abrasives work like. Final report is that the product works well with the additional pad and seems worth the money.

If I had a very small shop and only so-so dust collection I would use these absolutely. I say this based on the dust collection improvement; basement shops would particularly benefit I would think.  I have a lot of stock abrasives to burn through before I "need" more but will definitely keep these in mind.

[Tom King]

I like them too.  I tried several different types when I had the big sanding job on the garage doors.  I'm always thinking about what I'm doing, and using supplied air if sanding, so I didn't keep up good with which lasted the longest.

I can tell you if dust collection is at the top of the list, these can't be beat.  I expect the life won't be what disks with more abrasive surface would be, but being mostly mesh, it seems like just a Shop Vac caught all the dust.

I also use the disk saver porous pads.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098SF48KT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[wtnhighlander]

I'm working my way through a box of the Cubitron II net disks, the style with the zig-zag pattern. I have to say, I'm not that impressed. Dust collection is good, there are more holes that grit surface. My complaint is that a fresh disk tends to shed a lot of grit in the first few minutes of use, leaving particles all over the work surface. I find myself stopping to brush the surface clean after a first pass, to avoid pigtails.

[Tom King]

I only used some very fine grit-like 220 or 320- and didn't have that problem.  It just didn't last long, I guess because there is not much abrasive on it.  I don't have any use for any more of it, but I do my sanding outside under a supplied air hood anyway.

[Mark J]

11 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

fresh disk tends to shed a lot of grit in the first few minutes of use, leaving particles all over the work surface. I

I hand sand with cheaper Abranet knock off disks and have experienced the same thing.  But to me the ability to blow out the swarf from the mesh makes it worth it.  I always thought the grit shedding was a consequence of going cheap, but it appears the problem is more common.  

[Chestnut]

I'm not a fan of the trend to go to more holes in the paper. I'm sure there is some engineer somewhere that has a reason for it. I have just found that the more holes there are the harder it is to ease corners and edges with out  damaging the backer pad or getting a small object stuck in a vac hole. I suppose that's the benefit for the net abrasive discs.

I'm only comparing the old 6" festool paper to the new paper that is littered with holes. I haven't tried any of the abrasives mentioned here and probably won't as a box of 100 discs has lasted me 6 years.... No. 4 smoother for the win!

[chityantu]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:32 AM, wtnhighlander said:

I'm working my way through a box of the Cubitron II net disks, the style with the zig-zag pattern. I have to say, I'm not that impressed. Dust collection is good, there are more holes that grit surface. My complaint is that a fresh disk tends to shed a lot of grit in the first few minutes of use, leaving particles all over the work surface. I find myself stopping to brush the surface clean after a first pass, to avoid pigtails.

Almost same thoughts.