General Purpose Tools

3M SandBlaster Ultra Flexible Sanding Sheets

Better than sandpaper

It’s time for another Cool Tools review. This time we’re looking at this Ultra-Flexible sandpaper by 3M. I got four sheets of this for around $7 on Amazon, which is kinda pricey for sandpaper but I’ll show you why it’s special.

We’re all familiar with sandpaper. Sometimes, there’s just no substitution for sanding something by hand.

These Ultra Flexible sheets aren’t paper at all. The grit is backed by a smooth plastic film that feels like packing tape, but stretchy. It is the limpest, floppiest sandpaper I’ve ever used. And honestly it weirded me out when I first tried it. It’s a very different feel.

But there are some huge advantages. The packaging states that it lasts 15 times longer than conventional sandpaper, but it doesn’t say why.

One reason is that it doesn’t rip. You could destroy it if really try, but the plastic back would rather stretch than rip.

It also doesn’t crease. I can fold it, I can roll it up, I can form it around complex shapes, I can crinkle it up into a little ball if I want — but it just goes back to being this floppy sheet of sandpaper. So it’s very versatile.

It can also be used wet or dry, since there’s nothing to get soggy. The flexibility makes it resistant to clogging. And you can shake them out like a rag, or whip them on the table if you need to knock anything loose.

They’re cool. I’m glad I have them. They come in Medium, Fine, and Extra Fine grit. I’ve been keeping a Medium sheet rolled up at my workbench that I use almost like a sanding rag. Mark from Cool Tools has been using these for sanding the wooden spoons that he whittles.

3M SandBlaster Ultra Flexible Sanding Sheets:
Medium
Fine
X-Fine

-- Donald Bell 06/17/18

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