Paper or cloth hook and loop?

[gato markham]

:confused: Just playing with my new bosh 5" orbita lsander,, hook and loop and was wondering what the differance of cloth vs resin paper and aluminum zironia or stearate oxide klingspor's or norton?

[Joe Chritz]

Backing roughly translates to life expectancy but is not the only factor.

Stearates help keep the paper from clogging but possibly can cause finish problems under water finishes.

FWIW, I order from Klingspor for almost all sanding papers and have had very good luck. It is best if you can get a few different samples and try them out.
I get very good life out of the disks I use and they are relatively inexpensive.
Key word being relatively.

Joe