Cutting or leveling — 180 is a finishing grit; roughness and proud patches are 120/100 work.
Flat wall field — 9" discs and hand/pole sheets do open field; the 5" is a detail tool.
Paint-film polishing between coats — no 240 exists in the 5" line, on purpose; between-coat and Level-5 film work is the net sheet's job (09940).
And no substrate claim: ⚑ the mineral is unstated, so this disc carries none of the wood/metal/fiberglass ratings Hyde publishes for the 9" aluminum-oxide discs — grit and size only.
by 180 the detail is shaped and level; the target is a uniform, directionless sheen under raking light matching the field. Match the finish light: read with the same low glancing light the sheen will catch, or you approve a scratch the paint later exposes. Light hand: 180 is a refiner and a scuff grit; force burnishes rather than cuts and, on a repaint, can polish the old paint instead of keying it. Conform, don't crush: let the foam follow the profile. It is the top of the line: for anything finer — paint-film polish — you are off the 5" format and onto the net line.
Asked at the counter
BUYER QUESTIONS ANSWERED BEFORE THE CART, NOT AFTER THE RETURN
Is 180 the finest 5" disc?
Yes — it is the ceiling of the 5" line. There is no 240 disc; paint-film polishing is a net-line, flat-wall job.
150 or 180 for my patch or trim?
150 under flat paint in ordinary light; 180 under satin, semi-gloss, dark color, or raking light, where a 150 scratch would show.
Can I scuff trim for a repaint with it?
Yes — 180 is the standard fine adhesion scuff, ideal on profiled and curved surfaces the flat sanders cannot key. Scuff to a uniform dull, light hand.
Sheet 180 or disc 180?
Contour and spot work → the 5" disc (45385); flat, dust-free hand-sanding → the net sheet (09939). Formats do not cross.
What sander, aluminum oxide, reusable?
The Hyde 45380 5" Round Sponge Hand Sander. Hook-and-loop inferred from URL + mating tool; mineral unstated (grit/size only); not washable — that is the net abrasives' property.
