Good review Is this now 3rd generation of flexible from 3M

 

Picked up an assortment of these myself. Great medium for sanding detailed areas..

 

Good review, Phil ~ I have excellent results with this 3M medium for drywall touch up when feathering a patch up job.

Bob

 

Is it appreciably better than using sanding sponges in that situation?

 

Charles.. I like em for tight areas that require an "edge". They work very well with contour sanding grips:

Contour Sanding Grips - Lee Valley Tools

I'll use the sponges to sand down the majority of a profile, then the flex. sheets to get into the corners or
to sharpen up inside edges and grooves..

 

Ok, thanks Bill. I wound up with a set of those contours when I bought the Porter Cable sanding tool that uses them.

 

Is it appreciably better than using sanding sponges in that situation?

Chuck ~ I may have to retract my previous statement. I went out to the workshop and located my 3M sanding medium. It's actually a sanding sponge measuring 4 3/4 x 3 3/4 inches and approx 1/8 thick. My bad for confusing it with the flexible sanding sheets that Phil reviewed. At any rate, this 3M sanding sponge has been great for feathering some drywall mud patch around a few electrical box cutouts above the kitchen sink. I keep it dry (although you can wet it if you wish) and gently smooth down the drywall mud by using circular strokes. I need to get the patch work feathered out perfectly so that they don't telegraph their outline when I lay down the two coats of wall paint. To unload, I use a tooth brush and scrub the pad. If I'm using it in a wet mode, I dunk it in soapy water and wring it out.

Bob

 

I believe the 3M Pads use the same flex sheets over a sponge backing. At least that's what it looked like at the store. Got some painting coming up so I'll probably buy some of those. The standard pads load up really fast on drywall.