However, something irritating came up before the order came in.
In looking through Arrowhead Lapidary & Supply's catalog after ordering the dura-tex I came across both the micro-tex and crystalpad line.
The crystalpad line by Crystalite looked to be a direct competitor of Lapcraft. I went with the Lapcraft dura-tex due to it being pushed as durable. After the whole thing with the silicon carbide sanding pads, I wanted something that would last.
But, Lapcraft's micro-tex was sold with this as part of its description: "not as dense or durable as dura-tex, but it is more versatile. It is also a more universal pad that accepts a charge using finer grit sizes 260-1800". Both the catalog and website indicate that the dura-tex pad takes a charge from 180-1800.
It was clear that the dura-tex was more durable and took a coarser charge. But I had no way to quantify the micro-tex being more versatile or universal. So, I wrote Lapcraft by way of their website to ask what they meant by those terms on Tuesday. I've yet to hear back from them.
hmmm
After my order arrived I examined the dura-tex pad and noticed two things: #1 the label on the package said the pad was for grits 260-1800 and #2 how very like the uncharged disks (ordered from Arrowhead) they were.
Regarding #1 -- you'll note that is the same grit range as the micro-tex. That makes me leery of buying any more of their products.
Regarding #2 -- I decided to get my loupe out and compare them.
The Arrowhead uncharged disk is (from what I can tell) a resin coated canvas weave with 1mm x 0.1mm (approx.) pockets all over its surface. The dura-tex is a plastic disk with 1mm round divots all over its surface. The uncharged disk is firmer then the dura-tex.
I suspect that the larger divots on the dura-tex will hold more grit and will make the pad cut more aggressively. At this point I've seen no real wear on the uncharged disks.
My thinking so far is this:
- if the dura-tex does not cut more aggressively than the canvas disks, I see little point in paying the $5 for it over the ~$1 canvas disks
- unless the dura-tex pads last more than five times longer than the canvas disks I see no reason to pay more
- based on Lapcraft's lack of response, I'm more inclined to look at Crystalite's products
- Crystalite's pads are being pushed as "engineered to eliminate orange peel and undercutting". If those problems come up I'll look into them.
