The Abranet sanding system requires hand power and a vacuum cleaner to attach the hose to. I am testing the system with it attached to a Henry vacuum cleaner.

The really clever part of the Abranet sanding system is the mesh sanding sheets that allow dust particles to pass right through and then into the vacuum hose.

These abrasive sheets use aluminum oxide to remove material and seem to last at least 5 times longe than normal aluminium oxide sheets.

The Abranet abrasive is velcro backed so can be cut to shape to fit other makes of sander.

The DIY version of the system fits a Henry vacuum but performs best with the dedicated Mirka dust extraction vacuum. This fantastic machine costs around £200 but a more domestic version from Uk manufacturer Earlex is available with power take off socket for around £80

see details on power take off vacuum cleaner

 Also I will be testing the latest orbital sander from Metabo of Germany which has washable fibreglass filters and adjustable orbit pattern,

Black & Decker Mouse Sander

The  picture right shows the Black and Decker  mouse sander being used with a vacuum cleaner. The result is NO DUST. However whilst this is fine on walls it is not so easy in confined spaces around window frames

Subsequently the new versions of the Mouse do not have the vacuum facility..

Overall the Mouse is a very useful tool but was let down by excessive vibration that numbs your hand. It also uses Velcro backed sanding sheets that are relatively expensive, especially if you are sanding gloss paint which is liable to clog the sandpaper rather quickly and render it useless.

The same sanding pads fit the old Quattro and Sandstorm sanders too. £4-£5 pack of 5 depending on the type.

The Gel tech Mouse Sander from Black and Decker has  the addition of a  detachable base with detail extensions for hard to reach places such as window frames and around architrave. It also has Gel pads in the body  to absorb the vibration - maybe someone at B&D read my feature?

TOP TIP!

Use the abranet sanding system with the mouse connected to a vacuum for amazing performance and cost savings in long term use.

Big Orbital Sanders for Walls and flat surfaces

This Draper 280w sander costs about £25 and is a good workhorse sander with easily obtainable sheets. Draper is a UK company who have a history of sourcing cheap but effective powertools that are ideal for DIY use.

The sander comes with a dustbag for small jobs or can be attached to a standard vacuum cleaner - which makes it a bit harder to use, but much cleaner.

A pack of 10 pads (size 227 *115mm)

costs around £2.

Buy the Draper 68076 Orbital sander

Delta shape Detail Sanders for awkward areas

This little sander from Draper is suitable for awkward areas like window and door frames, skirting board and architraves. The detail sander is such a simple machine that it is not worth buying an expensive one unless you use it everyday.

The standard size delta shape pads are easily available and come in a range of grades. if you use the vacuum dust extraction then you will need pads with holes in for this to work effectively.

A pack of 10 pads costs around £3 and the machine itself is under £20

Buy this cheap but effective detail sander

 see the largest range of delta sanding sheets online

Cordless Delta shape Detail Sanders

The new 10.8v Bosch GOP 3 in 1  Multi tool  has a sander head that makes it probably the best cordless detail sander available.

The 2 li-ion batteries are surprisingly powerful and recharge quickly so this is a great tool for small fiddly sanding jobs

 buy Bosch GOP from a fredshed partner

mail me if you want a code to get another £10 off

fred@fredshed.com

Fein Multimaster - Professional Tool and the ultimate detail sander?

This expensive but superb German made tool works by oscillating its head from side to side 3 degrees up to 21000 times a minute.

The result is superb sanding performance with little kickback and minimal clogging.

The multimaster can be used with dust extraction and has the usual delta sanding sheets and this amazing tungsten carbide rasp that rips paint and varnish off and outlasts sandpaper many times.

see more at

http://www.fredshed.co.uk/feinmultimastertested.htm

Bosch 3 in 1 Multitool

Now that the patent has expired Bosch have launched their own version of the MultiMaster in mains AND cordless versions , see opposite

All of these gadgets are sold to you on the story that they will make decorating easier because you don't have to keep re-loading your roller with paint.

Whilst this sounds sensible what they dont tell you is that it will only work with special paint that is thinner than normal so you will need to paint the walls more times than you would with normal paint and a roller.

ALSO these special paints cost more and come in limited colours.

ALSO most of these gadgets are in my experience - buggers to clean.

ALSO they usually fall apart or fail due to one badly made plastic seal or component- that you cant buy very easily.

Decorating is hard work and can be dirty work. Get some overalls and dustsheets and accept that - or call in the professionals! You can be 100% sure they wont be using a painting gadget.

I can see that there are times when a pumped paint applicator like the Dulux paintpod may be useful. If you have a large room or whole house to emulsion and you dont have the strength to use a large roller.

Testing The Paintstik

One of the many decorating gadgets I have tested over the years and sacrificed to landfill!

p.s I also tried paint pads- and really cant see the point, nasty finish on my emulsioned walls. Might be better on gloss, but if a brush was good enough for Michelangelo it's good enough for me!

Did you know?

If you use the largest diameter roller you will get less splatter as the roller moves at a slower speed.

Coming soon

I will be looking at the best paintbrushes

In particular I aim to find the best paintbrush for glossing doors and windows

I am told - Due to the Chinese eating all the pigs young there is a shortage of long bristle!

Manufacturers are responding by making better quality synthetic paint brushes.

These brushes are easier to clean and have improved on earlier versions. I have the latest Dulux version that has a built in metal can opener.

I will be testing more of the latest and best soon  and comparing them to the legendry Purdey and Harris brushes

watch this space!

Most mastic guns have a metal frame and suffer badly from material continuing to spill out even when you release the trigger.

This new gun has a clever mechanism that stops dribble and even allows you to suck in fluids into an empty tube if required. It also takes  longer size tubes up to 600mm as it has no frame.

This innovative product costs a mere £12.99. So guys -stop dribbling  and e-mail me on fred@fredshed.com to get yours now. Decorating is much more fun when you have the best equipment!

You know the story, your putting up shelves, drill a hole, go to push in the wall plug and dam!, the hole is too big and the wall plug is wobbly.

Then  you have to drill another hole, and move the shelves up an inch and get out the filler to repair the other hole.

This problem usually occurs because you are either crap at DIY or-  you have soft plaster that crumbles when drilled.

I have found this product to be extremely useful when repairing other peoples bodges, such as loose curtain rails and collapsing shelves.( Obviously  I have  never bodged a job myself but keep some available just in case)

Buy a pack of 50 Wet-n-fix