Red Label Abrasives 2 X 72 Inch Non Woven Surface Conditioning Sanding Belts for Knife Makers and Metal Fabricators - Coarse, Medium, and Fine Grits Sand Paper - 3 Pack Assortment

These are a must if you want to make knives at a high level of quality and also be efficient. I don’t have tons of time to hand sand blades since I’m not a full time bladesmith. These give you the same or better finish plus it’s done in a fraction of the time. The amount of time spent doing a satin finish on 2 blades was less than half the time I’d spend hand sanding just one side of a blade. They are pricey, but if you use them correctly these can last a long time and save hours that could be spent on production or personal/family time. Word of advice - don’t start using these until after you’ve ground off forge scale or at least a rough belt finish on low grit. It will prep the blade for using the conditioning belts so you’re not wasting the abrasive.

I got these to try before I invested in the 2x72” size belts and they worked so well I’m going to go ahead and get the bigger belts. If you have a 2x72 grinder and are thinking if these are worth it, they are. They polish up the blades I make real nicely.

They leave a great finish, especially the fine belt. The courser ones didn't fit the HF untill i bent the back guard up by the tracking wheel. They are VERY tight and hard to muscle into place. When in, the motor may not spin on it's own. I had to use my hand to "fling" the belt, that got it started and eventually it loosened up. All said, I'll gladly buy again :)

I make knives. Red Label makes my life easier.

I’ve tried other conditioning belts, but none have compared to this product. Very good quality and value for the money. I’m thinking of trying some of their other belts for my 1x30 for grinding and sharpening

These belts work exactly as I wanted them to. Beware, though, if you're intending to use them on one of the really cheap belt sanders that comes from that chain of stores that sells really cheap import tools. The sander doesn't adjust to these belts, so modifications might need to be made. But if you get the belts running, they work great.

Good job guys!

I purchased these belts to help with surface finishing on my knives. I could hand-sand up to 600 grit, but it would take 1-3 hours depending on the size of the knife. Instead I used these belts to get approximately 400 grit finish in about 10-15 minutes.But these belts are incredibly thick. VERY thick. I literally had to grind down the supporting steel on the belt sander to get these belts to fit. Even then, they rubbed on the back protective plate. Even THEN, the mid grit belt was too thick, and wouldn't spin. Only after using the Coarse and Fine belts for a while did the Medium belt fit and spin.Another word of caution: These belts can burn down a leading or trailing edge on the metal a LOT faster than you think. My first knife I had to regrind an edge losing me about an eighth inch of material because I basically sharpened the knife with these belts unwittingly. But once I knew it was happening, I was much more careful in the future.These belts are definitely worth it! The time I can choose to save in the finished product more than makes up for the cost. And after ~10 knives, these things are still going strong without any performance degradation.