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Technical flap disk recommendations please

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by atch, Sep 28, 2020.

  1. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 5,626

    atch
    Member

    I've been using 4" and 4 1/2" flap disks of various grits from:
    • Harbor Freight (cheap but not particularly good quality)
    • local welding shops (good quality but pricey)
    I've been looking on Amazon but there does not seem to be much selection. Nonetheless I'm tempted to order some anyway. Price can be good but don't have any way of knowing if they are crap or excellent or somewhere in between.

    1. Where to you guys buy your flap disks?

    2. What brand(s) do you recommend?

    tia
     
  2. I like Walter, Norton ,Sait , for quality and long lasting.

    The princess auto ( Canadian harbour freight) I use on wood, but on metal they are about as good as a used Q-Tip.

    Flap discs are like cut off wheels, the good ones may seem pricey , but when 1-2 wheels due the job of 6 cheap ones , the good ones quickly become a deal.
     
    joel, fauj and alanp561 like this.
  3. cfmvw
    Joined: Aug 24, 2015
    Posts: 977

    cfmvw
    Member

    Not a flap disc, but I remember a neat grinding disc called AVOS (Allows view of surface), which was a disc with three holes and used with a corresponding backing disc and arbor. You could see the actual surface you were grinding; I think they wore a little faster, but we got a nice finish with them.
     
  4. I like benchmark abrasives

    -chris
     
    Roothawg likes this.

  5. TA DAD
    Joined: Mar 2, 2014
    Posts: 1,107

    TA DAD
    Member
    from NC

    I use Benchmark abrasives.
     
  6. Binkman
    Joined: Nov 4, 2017
    Posts: 378

    Binkman
    Member

    3X Benchmark. I buy 10 packs.
     
  7. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    What he said....every once in a while they run a special and I buy a buttload.
     
  8. Do it Over
    Joined: Dec 25, 2017
    Posts: 478

    Do it Over
    Member
    from NYC, NY

    I use Benchmark Abrasive off Amazon. The high density ones last the longest. IMO great bang for the buck.
     
  9. Doublepumper
    Joined: Jun 26, 2016
    Posts: 1,535

    Doublepumper
    Member
    from WA-OR, USA

    I've got a couple of Walter disks I've been using to save my stash of Benchmarks, but the Walters are working pretty good and lasting a lot longer than I thought they would. I'm impressed with them.
     
    Tim likes this.
  10. Halfdozen
    Joined: Mar 8, 2008
    Posts: 632

    Halfdozen
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Am I the only one here that dislikes flapdiscs? I don't use 'em because it's almost impossible to get a flat surface with one. I prefer a basic flat sanding disc in whatever grit the job needs.
    IMO cheap abrasives are no bargain, and I would never use a cheap cutoff wheel, not even with the guard on the grinder.
     
  11. These guys have been my go-to for years... http://www.keenabrasives.com/
    The only fly in the ointment is they have a $300 minimum order but if you're buying quality pieces singly it'll take less time than you think to get there. And their volume discount per piece compared to singles is 50% or more. I use 2" roloc scotchbrite discs in the various colors to prep aluminum parts for polishing. Saves a ton of time, but you'll go through a bunch of them. I was paying between $1.50 and $3 EACH for them locally, through Keen it dropped my cost to .50 each. Big difference...
     
    VANDENPLAS likes this.
  12. thecj3man
    Joined: Aug 16, 2010
    Posts: 78

    thecj3man
    Member
    from TN

    mcsfabrication and thintin like this.
  13. Paulz
    Joined: Dec 30, 2018
    Posts: 126

    Paulz
    Member

    Walter. Best that I've ever used.
     
    Blue One and VANDENPLAS like this.
  14. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    i buy sandpaper and all that kind of stuff in bulk on ebay. more you buy, the cheaper it gets. dont buy anything from amazon, jeff has enough money
     
    bubba55 likes this.
  15. lake_harley
    Joined: Jun 4, 2017
    Posts: 2,159

    lake_harley
    Member

    I buy flap discs for my angle grinder at Airgas, the main welding supply store I use. I've grown a strong distaste for ordering online. Someday, and I fear it may not be far off, there won't be many local stores to buy anything. To me, that will be much worse than spending a few extra pennies or dollars.

    Lynn
     
    bchctybob, reagen and rusty valley like this.
  16. chopolds
    Joined: Oct 22, 2001
    Posts: 6,208

    chopolds
    Member
    from howell, nj
    1. Kustom Painters

    Another vote for Lehigh! Even with their great prices, sometimes they have SALES! Stock up!
     
  17. winduptoy
    Joined: Feb 19, 2013
    Posts: 3,331

    winduptoy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Buttload....that's an engineering term
     
  18. triumph 1
    Joined: Feb 9, 2011
    Posts: 591

    triumph 1
    Member

    I’ve had really good luck with Walter
    I buy them from my local welding supplier



    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  19. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    I've always wondered which is more a butt load or a crap load? Chicken and the egg deal......
     
    winduptoy likes this.
  20. A shit load.;)
     
  21. joel
    Joined: Oct 10, 2009
    Posts: 2,467

    joel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I use 3M grinding discs and cutoff wheels. They outlast and out perform welding store and hardware store both.
     
    Halfdozen and rockable like this.
  22. I use the Trust X wheels from Partmaster in Texas. A little pricey, but quality discs. Getting an account helps as they run sales on stuff often and let you know. I also use their Cryobit drills.
     
  23. Ziggster
    Joined: Aug 27, 2018
    Posts: 1,697

    Ziggster
    Member

    I’m still looking for something that lasts as well. Done the Princess Auto thing, snd have used Walter. I just purchased a couple of Walter discs aypt CAN$17.00. ea. Spendy, and they do last longer than than cheap stuff, but still not long enough for my liking based on the cost. Noticed that one of their products was designed to be trimmed down, but don’t ask me how you would do that.
     
  24. Phil P
    Joined: Jan 1, 2018
    Posts: 492

    Phil P
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I'm new to flap disks so I don't have any experience for comparison but I've been happy with canadian tire disks.

    Phil
     
  25. What are you using them for? Years ago I learned how to fold my own out of old belt sander belts. Better than anything you can buy. I did a tech piece here once.
     
  26. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 5,626

    atch
    Member

    I'm grinding the welds on the patch panels I'm putting in Clarence.

    I'll try to find your tech post.
     
  27. Nope, you're not the only one. I don't use them either for much the same reasons. Particularly on body sheetmetal, because it's entirely too easy to thin the surrounding metal too much. Bodywork patches I do almost exclusively with 2 or 3 inch roloc sanding discs because you can grind just the weld, not the surrounding metal. I'll make one last pass with a 5" sanding disc to knock down any high spots that may have been missed, but that's it.
     
    Hutkikz, lake_harley and rockable like this.
  28. Have you ever tried the "easy grind" Mig wire? I use the .023 and it grinds really well.
     
  29. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have about everything out on spikes across a beam in my garage. Easier to keep track of them that way. I just bought a batch of flapdisks from Benchmark and like them pretty well but have only used a couple so far. https://benchmarkabrasives.com/

    I've used the Lehigh Valley Abrasives and really liked them and still get an email from them once in a while but haven't had a big need for flap disks for a while until I started on my latest project.
    I've bought lot of the HF flap wheels often in the mix and match pack and they don't last long but are cheap. Lately the project (s) I am working on calls for more of the grinding disks than flap wheels.

    My "local" welding supplies are 20 miles in either direction and since a long time friend who had owned one of them sold out to a big company when he retired I have been going to a different local welding supply in the other direction. I have bought some flap wheels from them but theirs are spendy.
     
  30. This style of flappers is more for smoothing and shaping items and not for sheetmetal.
     
    triumph 1 likes this.

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