I'm not familiar with PC brand. What's that?
Used a lot of Norton, 3M, Klingspor. Don't know Mirca, either. Just to be clear, this Sandblaster stuff is a far cry from the 3M stuff I've used before.
Jim
But in spite of all that personal experience, the stuff must suck because such and such magazine said so. Come on Jim, get with it!
(G) To be fair, though, I don't think anyone said the stuff is not effective. Those who have read the article merely reported that it rates the paper as not *cost* effective.
After all the discussion on this, I took a closer look at the Sandblaster paper and did a little web surfing for it. 3M's part number for the series is 216U. It does get (nothing but) high praise on the net, notably from renowned finishing expert Jeff Jewitt ("the longest-lasting, best cutting sandpaper I've used" [1]), and folks who do french polishing.[2][3] Jeff's assessment certainly jives with my experience so far!
There are also many good words for Mirka abrasives. (Leon had recommended Mirka). In particular, Jeff Jewitt touts it specifically for value [4], which is where the Wood article purportedly finds fault with 3M's 216U. Numerous others praise the Mirka Bulldog Gold series, especially for finishing applications. Interestingly, many references that address finishing problems suggest solutions involving the 3M 216U or the Mirka Bulldog Gold as alternatives.
I have to confess that despite over 20 years of woodworking, I had never heard of Mirka abrasives until this discussion (thanks, Leon and Owen!). To find that it is a rather big and highly respected name in the industry puts my own knowledge and experience in a humbling perspective. You can bet I plan to try some Mirka sandpaper immediately, if not sooner. (G)
Cheers!
Jim
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