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 before buying
BUYER QUESTIONS, ANSWERED BEFORE YOU ORDER
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.
