It does not matter if you love do it yourself projects or if you only engage in them when absolutely necessary – there simply is not any garage arsenal that is complete without a handy way to sand down surfaces.
And the best means of accomplishing that task is a sanding attachment for your drill. Read on to learn more about these products and the convenience they can bring to your life.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Sanding Attachments for Drills
Comparison of the Best Sanding Attachments For Drills
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Types of Sanding Attachments
There are multiple different ways to use sanding attachments, so there are also multiple different types of the attachments themselves. Here are some of the most common:
Sanding Discs
This is the most basic type of sanding attachment and the one you will most often see. Sanding discs are small, flat circles composed of sandpaper (you can choose what grit of sandpaper depending on what you are sanding). These are the most versatile of the sanding attachments.
Angle Grinders
An angle grinder is a more intense type of sanding tool which is often used not for the finer sanding tasks of polishing and finishing, but the more intense tasks of grinding and cutting. Angle grinders also have a flat, circular end similar to sanding attachments, but as mentioned, it is sharper and more intense.
Dremel Attachments
Dremels are probably the best tool mentioned in this article when it comes to multitasking, and one of the many tasks a dremel can perform is different levels of sanding. If you have a dremel, it can be handy to invest in sanding attachment designed specifically for your dremel to maximize efficiency.
How We Choose These Attachments
Because of the wide range of different products, it is important to keep a few crucial qualities in mind when determining which sanding attachment will work best for you. We have compiled a list of the most integral:
Maneuverability
It is likely that, when sanding something down, you will need to move your sandpaper into some pretty tight corners. It can be helpful to have a sanding attachment that is on the smaller side and can be easily twisted and manipulated to fit where you need it to go.
Ease of Changing
The thing about sandpaper is, no matter how durable it may be, it will eventually wear down and can then actually cause more harm than good. You want a sanding attachment where it is quick and easy to replace the used sandpaper with fresh sandpaper so you can get back to work.
Variety
Most sanding attachments come in a sanding attachment kit. It can be helpful to invest in a kit with a wide variety of different sandpaper grits and attachment sizes so that you can handle whatever sanding project may pop up.
Review of the Best Sanding Attachments For Drills
Now that you know more about the wonderful world of sanding attachments, let’s check out some actual products:
Best Overall:
Sungold Abrasives Sun Brite Disc Assortment
PROS
CONS
The Sungold Abrasives Sun-Brite Disc Assortment is a close second choice for a best sanding attachment for drills, right behind our first option, the Mckay 3” 120 Grit Abrasive Rollock Sanding Discs. But do not think there is anything secondary about the Sungold product!
These discs are excellent for a wide range of different activities – users report they are effective at cleaning off rust, polishing metal, cleaning surfaces you intend to seal or to paint, removing sharp edges from metal objects, finishing off a surface (and most particularly, an aluminum surface), and removing gasket materials.
Plus, these discs come with a fantastic storage system. The whole ensemble consists of a case, a holder, and thirty-five discs. The holder is separated into nine different compartments so that the different types of discs are easily kept separate and organized.
And you get four different kinds of discs with this product: gray discs that are super fine, blue discs that are very fine, maroon discs that are medium, and brown discs that are coarse.
Bottom Line
The Sungold Abrasives Sun-Brite Disc Assortment is a fantastic example of a great sanding attachment product. It is not the best at getting into tighter spaces, though.
Best for the Money:
Woodstock D3292 Drum Sanding Kit
PROS
CONS
If you are interested in finding yourself a high quality sanding kit that will not completely destroy your bank account or budget, it will be difficult to find a kit that walks that balance better than the Woodstock D3292 Drum Sanding Kit. You are not compromising anything at all when you go with this kit, and you are saving your wallet quite a pretty penny.
This kit comes with a variety of different drum sizes: a half inch drum, a three quarters inch drum, a one inch drum, a one and a half inch drum, and a two inch drum, along with quarter inch spindles and three – count them, THREE – medium grit sanding sleeves included for each of the five drums.
That’s quite a bit of tool for the price! And it is simple and easy to use – it is straightforward to install the sandpaper on the mandrels, and since the biggest attachment is still only two inches, it can be easily maneuvered to fit into really tiny spaces.
Bottom Line
The Woodstock D3292 Drum Sanding Kit is a top notch sanding kit that will not break the bank. However, you may struggle a bit to attach the drum to your drill spindle.
Best Sanding Disc:
DRILLPRO 70Pcs Sanding Discs Set
PROS
CONS
The DRILLPRO 70Pcs Sanding Discs Set is far and above the best sanding disc set we were able to find. This set has it all! It comes with three different kinds of discs. The black high performance discs are designed for working with stainless steel, plastics, aluminum, ceramics, and concrete surfaces.
The zirconium oxide discs are great for polishing hard metals and removing rust. And the aluminum oxide discs are ideal for general grinding, deburring, prepping a surface, and removing paint, AKA the rougher tasks.
Users report that they are able to use the range of different discs on a variety of projects, including cleaning gaskets, resealing automotive engine surfaces, and detail work on their smaller projects.
Bottom Line
The DRILLPRO 70Pcs Sanding Discs Set is the premiere option for sanding discs that you will be able to find. Keep in mind that working with this product can get a little messy, though.
Best Angle Grinder:
Katzco Grinding Wheels for Angle Grinders
PROS
CONS
The Katzco Grinding Wheels for Angle Grinders are the best option for an angle grinder that we could find after scouring the market. It comes with five different wheels, all with different grit sizes. The coarsest wheel is excellent for removing scratches and defects from knife blades, and it will not leave behind any ugly marks itself.
It is also great at removing rust and excess material from other tools, and for cleaning up welds that may have turned out a little bit rougher than you originally intended when you were working on them. These wheels also happen to be awesome at finishing carved wood pieces, so they are truly quite versatile. There really is not much to dislike about the Katzco Grinding Wheels for Angle Grinders.
Bottom Line
The Katzco Grinding Wheels for Angle Grinders are a fantastic set of grinding wheel that can really do it all for you, from polishing up a carved wood piece until it shines to scrubbing off those scratches and imperfections from your knife blade. Just keep in mind that, although the wheels work well, they do not look or feel particularly well made.
Best Dremel:
Dremel 110 Piece All Purpose Rotary Accessory Kit
PROS
CONS
The Dremel 110 Piece All Purpose Rotary Accessory Kit truly has absolutely everything you would ever want or need in order to take your grinding and polishing game to the next level with your dremel. Its name boasts it has 110 pieces, and that is completely accurate!
This kit comes with thirteen fat sanding drums, thirteen skinny sanding drums, twelve 180 grit sanding discs, twelve 220 grit sanding discus, twelve 240 grit sanding discs, four small polishing wheels, four large polishing wheels, one polishing cone, one package of polishing compound, two aluminum oxide grinding cones, two silicon oxide grinding cones, one steel bristle wheel, one nylon bristle wheel, five different collets, one high speed cutter, twelve small cutoff wheels, twelve medium cutoff wheels, one large cutoff wheel, one large reinforced cutoff wheel, one grinding wheel, one grinding stone, and one collet wrench/driver.
Go ahead…try and think of a project you will not be able to complete when you are rocking this kit!
Bottom Line
The Dremel 110 Piece All Purpose Rotary Accessory Kit is extensive and versatile enough to meet all of your project dreams. Although everything else in the kit is excellent, you may want to invest in some separate grinding stones, as they do not cut particularly well.
Best Floor Buffer:
3M Perfect It Ultrafine Foam Polishing Pad
PROS
CONS
The 3M Perfect It Ultrafine Foam Polishing Pad is the best option we could find for a incredibly top notch floor buffer. It can be quickly attached and detached from your polishing tools, and its attachment system will also automatically center the polishing pad on your attachment.
This centering will reduce vibration and wobbling, and will ensure you are getting the most efficient polish experience. It is fantastic also for polishing the finish on your car, particularly when eliminating tiny scratches and swirl marks in the paint. This system is effective even when working on cars with darker paint colors, whose paint defects are more readily noticeable in the sunlight.
Bottom Line
The 3M Perfect It Ultrafine Foam Polishing Pad is the ideal polishing pad, with a number of qualities that make it the premiere in floor buffers, and also awesome for polishing up your car’s paint job. It can be a bit of a hassle to clean the pad off after you are done using it, though, so keep that in mind.
Best for Drill Press:
Big Horn 12 Piece Extra Long Sanding Kit Drum Type
PROS
CONS
The Big Horn 12 Piece Extra Long Sanding Kit Drum Type is the ideal sanding attachment if you are looking for something that will work well with your drill press. This kit comes with a pretty impressive range of different supplies: four extra long two inch drums with a variety of different diameters, from a half inch long to one and a half inches long.
It also has one fine grit sleeve and one coarse grit sleeve for each of the included drums, for a total of twelve pieces (hence the name). It is versatile enough to also be able to be used with a hand drill, so you are really limited only by your own imagination when it comes to what you will be able to accomplish with this kit. Its sanding sleeves are firmly attached, will hold tightly, and will not slip at all while in use.
Bottom Line
The Big Horn 12 Piece Extra Long Sanding Kit Drum Type is an ideal kit for use with a drill press. Just know that you cannot order the fine and coarse grit drum refills separately.
8. Mckay 3” 120 Grit Abrasive Rollock Sanding Discs
PROS
CONS
The Mckay 3” 120 Grit Abrasive Rollock Sanding Discs are the absolute best sanding drill attachments we were able to find after scouring the market for available products. These discs are the real deal!
They are quick and easy to change out, though it should be noted that you will not really need to replace these discs that often because grinding the disc down will simply reveal more of the abrasive sanding surface, so they will last a long, long time for you.
Additionally, these discs are quite easy to maneuver and will be able to fit into the tight corners you need in order to sand those more tricky surfaces sometimes. The provided arbors will fit a wide variety of different discs (although it should be noted that only one type of disc comes with this order).
Bottom Line
The Mckay 3” 120 Grit Abrasive Rollock Sanding Discs are the premiere choice for sanding attachments for drills. Keep in mind that you may need to find other sizes of discs depending on what you are sanding, though.
Conclusion
Sanding attachments for drills can truly be a game changer if you have been previously sanding all of your surfaces by hand. Make sure you keep in mind what you are specifically looking for from a sanding attachment, whether that is one that is best at finishing shaped wood pieces or working on the rough metal edges of car parts. You will not be able to go wrong when you choose one of the awesome products from our list!
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