Swapped to a dual-action sander for a 2019 Honda Civic repair and wow what a difference

I was stubborn using my old orbital sander for years on stuff like this but after 3 panels on that Civic my wrist was killing me. Switched to a DA from Ingersoll Rand and cut my block time in half on the same job. Has anyone else noticed how much smoother the finish lays down with a DA versus a regular orbital?

2 comments

2 Comments

taraj1110d ago

Honestly that's been my experience too. It's like once you get used to the smoother action, you start noticing how much less vibration your tools put out in general. Tbh I even switched my drill to a brushless model after feeling the difference on sanders. The finish on paint jobs just lays down flatter with DA, especially on clear coat where you can see every little wave.

sam_scott5910d ago

Oh come on, I have to push back a little on that. I actually prefer the heavier cut of a traditional orbital for paint prep, especially on something like a Honda clear coat that can be pretty tough. The DA is nice for final finishing, no doubt about it, but I find it takes forever to knock down orange peel or get through factory clear on a repaint. I'd rather use my old 6-inch orbital with a coarser grit, rough it up quick, then step down to the DA for the finer passes. That way I'm not spending all day on the initial material removal. The vibration is worse, sure, but my wrist is already shot from years of body work so it doesn't matter much to me.