Mirka DEROS and Abranet Ace Abrasives – Perfect Partners?

Sanding is not nearly as much of a chore since the invention of random orbital sanders and longer lasting abrasives. Chuck in a few dust control and collection regulations, some new materials to be sanded and what the various manufacturers’ R and D teams come up with can be truly amazing. I was impressed with the Mirka CEROS sander I tested a few years ago, so I looked forward to trying out the Mirka DEROS to see how far things had come.

DEROS – Direct Electric Random Orbital Sander

The Mirka DEROS 5650CV 125/150 Orbit 5.0 Case UK – its full title – arrived in a bright yellow custom fitted sustainer case. It all felt a bit lightweight for an industrially rated sander – but fear not, the lightness is very much a virtue, and by no means a reflection of the performance of the tool. It was also accompanied by a variety of net sanding discs so that I could compare the performance
of the machine and discs in various sanding applications.

The DEROS is a well specified and thoroughly modern sander – and its price reflects this. But it is also very well made, versatile enough to fit into a large number of work scenarios, both on site and in the workshop, and it reflects most of the current developments in sanding technology. So once again it is a case that you get what you pay for.

Brief Run Down of Specs:

• Integrated vibration sensor
• 5mm oscillation
• Powerful brushless motor
• Constant speed electronics
• Built-in motor brake
• Soft start
• Motor speed control lever
• Improved dust collection backing
• Left or right handed use – or two handed use
• Lightest machine on the market
• General or specialised sanding
• 125 or 150mm sanding pad options
• Performance comparable to a standard 500w electric ROS

Anyone who appreciates sanders will look at the above list and immediately get the point that the DEROS is a cut above. But there are a couple of features that caught my eye as significantly important to follow up on.

For instance, the DEROS has an integrated vibration sensor that can be connected via Bluetooth and the myMirka App (downloadable via Google Play and the Apple app store) that monitors the exposure to vibration of its user. Sanding machines rely on a vibratory movement in order to work, so it is clear that users will be subject to some hand arm vibration. Most users stop sanding when their fingers tingle – but this is not a safe indicator – so a vibration monitor that gives accurate timings is going to be a good deal safer.

Aimed at: professional and demanding users who need versatile and effective sanding.
Pros: lightweight, modern, well developed, controlled vibration etc etc – a great machine.

The other thing that is obvious is that the DEROS is actually so compact and light that it is simply easier to handle and manipulate when sanding. The on/off switch is inset into the body and the operator simply pushes down the lever on top of the body to start sanding. This lever invites left or right handed use and when it is released the sander stops very quickly due to the motor brake. It is very easy to get used to the ease and sophistication of this sander and it will make you think about how other random orbital sanders work.

The Abrasives?

Mirka is well known for its development of net based abrasives. These have the advantage of not having to have holes pierced into the sanding discs in order to allow the collection of dust. The hook
and loop backing is efficient enough to give a good grip on the sanding pad as well as allowing dust to be vacuumed clear. I was given three types of abrasives to compare – Abranet, Abranet Ace and
Abranet Ace HD – but users have an excellent choice depending on what they are sanding. I have used simple Abranet discs a lot, even on my other random orbital sanders and I have always managed to get an excellent and, more to the point, quick finish on my work. An easy task it would seem, since I mostly sand wood and manmade boards. If I have a small criticism of the discs it would be that I mess up the rims of the discs because I sand too close to edges.

Abranet Ace abrasives were developed for more demanding sanding applications. By using ceramic abrasive grains, tougher hardwoods, like oak, are easily and quickly sanded. But it can also be used fruitfully on various industrial finishes and primers. I tried it on beech, elm and oak and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I could get a decent result. If I could put a figure on it, I reckoned I
could get a comparable result about 20 to 25% quicker than using my ‘standard’ abrasive discs on my ‘standard’ ROS.

The Abranet Ace HD discs I was sent even looked slightly different from the above mentioned ones. The ceramic grains seemed to be a bit more prominent and attached to the disc so that the abrasive surface was more noticeable. On the back the net also looked woollier and deeper with very pronounced gaps in the net structure that would clearly allow the sanding dust to be quickly cleared through it. I tried some 40 and 60 grit discs to sand down a large area of wall that had to be prepared for painting. I have to say that the results were very impressive – to the point where I actually went up a few grades so that the sanding wouldn’t be too aggressive and destroy the plaster surface.

I tried something similar on painted wood and the job literally took a few minutes to clear the frame of a door back to the wood through several layers of old paint. Impressive – and time saving.

Perfect Partners?

The answer is of course, a definite yes. Having a lightweight and very efficient sander combined with some hard working and effective sanding discs is a winning combination. In truth, I am going to miss the DEROS a great deal when it goes back because I can genuinely say that it has saved me time and effort on the jobs I did with it. Hopefully I can hang onto it a few weeks longer…