Anyone have a particular one that they like? I looked at the Eastwood one on line and don't mind springing for it, but it looks like thats just the beginning. They show a lot of different replacement wheels(?) for it and some of them are pretty expensive. They show what they think someone might want to purchase with the tool and then it gets to be over $400.
To me those look like a solution in search of a problem. Given the cost of the tool and then the expensive drums, I just don't see the value.
I agree. If a person was doing a lot of fab work from stainless with a #4 finish, like restaurant equipment for example, I could see where it would be useful in restoring the finish at welds, etc. But, for automotive work it would be hard to justify the cost of both the tool and the consumables.
The SCT is a good investment especially if you plan on prepping panels for paint or grinding scale/rust off frames. I love mine. Eastwood has good sales on the tool and the drums. Plus the 120 grit drum that comes with it lasts a long time. Sent from my SM-N986U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A long time ago, I bought a Snap-on "Crud Thug". Didn't do much with it. Last year, I figured that I should dig it out and use it. Bought a bunch of replacement wheels for it. Now it sits again but at least I have more wheels for it if I ever do use it.
I have one of those SCT tools, and it works good for paint stripping, rust removal, and other stuff I thought up. I bet it will even work for woodworking, altho I haven't tried it yet on wood. I got it on sale and a very small selection of drums, and haven't bought more (YET).
I love how the people that always claim how useless something is are always the ones that have never used it.
I bought one a few years back, needed to have a brushed finish in some aluminum signs I was building. Great tool for what its meant for I haven't had a chance to use it for auto body work yet, It didn't remove paint as well as they demonstrate but does leave a nice finish. At the time I found the sanding drums/ wheels on Amazon off brand import but around 1/2 the price Eastwood was asking slightly larger diameter but they fit and work fine.
I posted this on a previous thread on this subject. I had the su****ion that this was not something that Eastwood came up with on their own, rather just something they decided to market. So I searched around a little bit. Eastwood typically copies other peoples products and make some changes and in some cases improvements. Either that or they just brand something as theirs. I’m not sure but you might even be able to get a more reasonable price on the consumables. Eastwood is expensive I think for the sanding drums etc. https://www.csunitec.com/metal-surface-finishing
Watch a few of their videos and you'll see what these are actually good for; METLMUNCHR is correct, great for stainless. For paint/rust removal, there's other methods that are either cheaper or remove less base material, sometimes both. Particularly for rust removal; I'd hate to sand pits out of possibly already thin metal, media blasting or even a wire wheel will leave the good metal.
I've got an Eastwood and like it but it is a bit on the heavy side and you know you did some work after you use it. I knocked the surface rust and cheapie primer off a fender on my OT ride in a few minutes with it though. The best part is that it doesn't leave marks on the metal like a DA does. You don't have to go back and fix the spots were you got carried away like you do with a DA. I'll have to check those cheaper drums out as the Eastwood ones get pretty spendy unless you catch a sale but so far I haven't used one enough to wear it out.
I have one. How exactly expensive is a sanding drum that has now stripped three cars, and still has useful life left in it? If you are wearing them out faster than that, you either have the wrong drum, or are using the tool wrong, or both.
Just a plain ol D.A. sander. Both electric and air powered. I have an electric powered one. I just bought a "cheap" one from Harbor Freight. $58, 3amp motor, lotsa power. Don't know how long it'll last, but I only need it for one job right now. I pushed down pretty hard with 40 rit paper, not much slow down of the motor. This one even has a vacuum collector...it even works well..! Simple and cheap to change paper grits. Hell, most of Aerospace (both planes and satellites) even uses a D.A. sander on many parts. Mike
I've had my SCT for quite some time. I've used it alot for stripping rust and paint off early 50s chevy stuff. Bodies, frames, etc. I just ordered the 2nd drum. The first one lasted a long time. I have nothing but good things to say about how it works for what I do.
It looked like ******** to me to be honest. For stripping paint and bondo I've used the polycarbonate discs on a right angle grinder in the past with good results. The SCT looked like an expensive variant of that with expensive consumables, so I brushed it off. But one of my best friends is the body and paint guy for Rob Ida Concepts, and he says the thing is the **** and is one of his go-to tools. And he painted a Tucker that won Best in Show at Amelia Island. Good enough endor*****t for me.
I didn't want to pony up $200 for the Eastwood unit so I bought a Black & Decker Restorer off Amazon for $70 or $80. The B&D drums are way cheaper than the Eastwood. I used the rust & paint remover drum with works pretty good on most panels. Not so much on hard curves. Overall I'm glad I bought it over the Eastwood.
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