I love me some Festool sanders and dust collectors. Whether it’s paint removal or surface preparation, the performance of my Festool sander and vac (I know it’s a dust extractor) is incredible, but there has always been a one part of the Festool experience that has been a thorn in my side.
The cost of Festool sandpaper is, in my humble opinion, ludicrous! Yes, the tools are pricey too, but for a tool that lasts as long and works as well as they do I’m happy to pay a premium for the premium performance, but sandpaper? It’s good sandpaper, but so are most other premium brands.
I can get other premium brand sandpapers for far less than the price of Festool, but many of them have the wrong hole pattern so my dust collection goes to pot which is one of the many reasons I own a Festool sander and dust extractor (is that better?). Until recently I have just dealt with it and paid their exorbitant prices, until I finally got frustrated enough with the wasted money.
The Cheaper Sandpaper
Can you tell a difference other than color in the two discs above? Neither can I, but I can guarantee you that one of them cost 57% less than the other yet performs almost identically as far as I can tell after years of testing.
My shop employs 30+ people at this point and we go through a lot of sandpaper. When I looked at the yearly costs a while back I decided it was time to fix this. Through some serious research and testing I found a company called Indasa and started testing their sandpaper.
Their discs have a hole pattern that matches up with Festool sanders, costs 57% less than Festool sandpaper and after months of testing in my shop it lasts just as long and sands just as well. If you’re like me this has the potential to be a game changer on costs.
The problem with Indasa’s products was that there were hard to find so I decided to become a dealer for the Italian company’s abrasives. I felt like the US needed easier access to these money savers so everyone else could save like I was.
Their Rhynogrip 80-grit, and 120-grit sanding discs have been a Godsend for us and we use their sheets of sandpaper as well for sanding blocks since it works equally well and is far cheaper than anything else I can find on the market.
Check out the products below that have proven to be money savers for me.
I know I’m not the only one, so I’d love to hear from you in the comments below if you’ve used these abrasives before. If not, then what options have you found that have been a cheaper alternative to Festool sandpaper.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.