Amazon or 3M? Made in USA 3M Roloc Bristle Discs vs Amazon Competitor [Best Surfacer] 

I no longer even shop around for sand paper, cut off discs, abrasive discs etc. If it says 3M/cubitron I bite the bullet and buy it. They just work so much better and longer.

10:00 is when he first starts using them. Your welcome

bro, that's not cavitation, if anything its chatter. cavitation is when gas bubbles form in liquid because of change of pressure. Definitely going way too high on the rpm, the bristles shouldn't be flaring out like that.

The reason the Amazon disks are "cavitating" is, they used a cheaper plastic. It's getting hot quicker and the hot plastic is grabbing the surface you are trying to clean. 3M's version must use a plastic with a higher melting point.

Ford calls for white 3m bristle disk to clean mating surfaces. The 3m disks run circles around the knock offs.

i always pay extra and buy the better one. not just the quality but more self pride and class is attached when quoting work. Getting paid allot when skimping on quality slowly degrades your self worth. you end up feeling wrong and the client can hear uncertainty in your tone. paying extra usually improves your memory too, you don’t missplace as much

i used to be a mechanic. I am retired now, but I have a couple of the 3M ones that I used to use almost daily. I NEVER wore any of them completely out. I do have 1 that has about 1/8" left on it, I am sure that the 3 or 4 of them that I have will last me the rest of my life.

Stuff like this really puts things in perspective when it comes to 'bang for your buck'. Thanks for doing the comparison and everybody can agree that 3M Roloc Bristle Disc juice is definitely worth the squeeze. The 3M Radial Bristle Discs designed for pedestal grinders / polishers definitely are as well, albeit the prices are eye watering.

I have never been so heart-poundingly excited about something so mundane. Just saw you uploaded this video after commenting on your short.

Pretty clear to me which brand I'll be buying next. Thanks for the video!

I use the Milwaukee right angle with those disks at low speeds, work great, less cavitation, the green is amazing at what it will take off!

I haven’t used the cheaper ones, but the 3M is really good, and lasts. The Amazon green copy has parts of the bristles coming off on the second test. With the permanent (it looks) splaying and the breaking off of the bristles, it doesn’t seem like much of a bargain. I don’t see a reason to stop using 3M. Often there’s a reason why something costs more and it’s not because of the brand name, it’s because of the quality. It’s usually because of the quality as to why a company becomes a brand name in the first place.

Bristle discs have been around well over a decade. I remember using them regularly well over twenty years ago, roloc bristle discs. We used them for buffing of aircraft skins for corrosion removal, and preparation for repainting. They worked great on thin, delicate aluminum, but there are far better methods for cleaning things that are harder and heavier.

Bristle discs work much better at slower speeds, especially on sealing surfaces to keep it flat. I think it’d be worth doing another video at a slower speed. It extends the life of the bristles and is a lot easier to control. I use them with my compact, low power Mac die grinder and barely even squeeze the trigger. I’ve only used the 3M ones, so I can’t comment on the Chineseium ones.

Nice comparison and good video. Useful and quite consistent comments here on the quality, too. I've not seen these bristle brushes before and I'll be getting some. I've been impressed with some none 3M Roloc flap disks and Scotchbrite-equivalent hard-ish pads. Not experienced the grabbing on the flap and pads I have but I understand the bristle brushes you have here are not really useable as they seem to grab and overheat and aren't stiff enough. Roloc rocks! I was also impressed with the angle tool. I use air for this application and it's expensive to run compared to battery equivalents. I need to find an equivalent that's equally compact and controlable. That red thing seems good!!

Cool fact is that by default, we get to see the little M12 mini grinder put through the wringer. I used those 3M discs, both the bristle discs and the regular Scotch Bright abrasive discs with great appreciation for their abilities. I will say that the rollock disc most efficient if you keep the RPMs down. I'm not surprised to see the knockoffs not hold up to the riggers of professional use. In my past experience they weren't worth the purchase price.

They go back over twenty years. An Air Force aircraft refubishment program I was involved in was using them in the early 2000's. Excellent tool.

Wow really glad I watched this before I ordered those Amazon ones. Great video!

Another excellent review! I think I would purchase both, purchased a cheaper ones because they’re not expensive, but purchased the 3M ones for when I really need performance.

If I can find 3M and it's reasonable I will always grab those... but sometimes there are things where I just need to use it once or twice and I'm not paying $86 for it... Depends on what I'm doing... These bristle disks are great though There isn't much of a price difference in this particular product but that's not always the case....

Thanks, I definitely had the same amazon ones as you and experienced the same level of low quality. This convinced me to only use them on junk parts for fun and use 3m where it matters.. and to lower the speed even more

The 3M Roloc Bristle Discs were created over 25 years ago at the peak of GM 4.3L and 3.1L intake gasket failures in the mid to late 90's. Not sure if they were created specifically for that application but a TSB does state the exclusive use of the Bristle Discs instead of the Scotch-Brite Discs if my memory is correct. The Scotch-Brite material was getting into the engine and destroying the crankshaft and bearings.

Why are you going so fast, especially on such harsh corners and sensitive surfaces? Those speeds needlessly beat up both bristle discs and the work surface. The amazon one was pretty clearly outclassed at high speed the moment you went full bore (which might make the 3M one better at high speed removal), but that doesn't mean it won't work great to slap on a drill to knock some rust off for maintenance/welding/restoration. Too bad 3M doesn't sell inexpensive 3 packs (1 of each)

Yay a video i wanted forsure!

Nice job, thanks for sharing.

this is perfect for prepping ally joints before tig welding

I’ve been using made in China nylon ones for over well over 10 yrs and they worked amazingly.

Great comparison shootout!! 3M makes an excellent product. Some of the import abbrasives are good, some are not. Cavitation does not mean what you think it means.

I'm curious if the cheap ones have a lower intended rpm for use or if they just don't use as resilient materials as 3m does. Sometimes it pays to buy the more expensive consumables, but it doesn't matter how good a tool is if it's designed for one use case and uses for another.

Great comparison video, a follow up with low speeds would be cool to see. Or a short?

I really appreciate this video. I have always wondered if the cheaper ones were worth it or not. I’m sure they have their place 🤔. Great video

Great video . Good points

A 5 minute video spread out over 23 minutes! 3M for the win for anyone who doesn't have time to kill.

FYI Granger is selling the 3M disks. Thank You I did not know these existed. I have a project that these existing, I’ll definitely be buying the 3M.

A long time ago, probably, twenty years ago, one of my painters and I, sat down and did the math on 3M products. Vs everybody else... Because we had to. Some crooked salesman from Sherwin-Williams were trying to fill our shop with their garbage. And their whole sales pitch, of saving 6% on our materials, was absolute nonsense. We were saving way more than that, on primer alone. So we did the math. And tested the product. Sandpaper, roloc discs, adhesives. And what we concluded was. 3M, is one of the best partners you can ever have in the automotive repair industry. Their products are way higher quality. And have way more, durability and everybody else. Especially with the sand paper. I can't tell you, how many times over the last 25 years, these salesmen have come into the shop, pushing the same garbage, over and over again. And the sales pitch is always the same. Our product is one-third the cost of 3M. Yep. They're absolutely right. But by the time you get done using three times more of their product, then you would a 3M product. The cost is exactly the same. And yes, I have had, carborundum, and mirka Rolocs, come apart while I was using them. And caused me to repaint, 8 cars. Because that disk, everything in the shop, when it came off the mandrill. I let me tell you, nothing pisses off a technician more, then having to do free paint jobs, on a hood, or a roof. Because that piece of crap exploded. After that incident, I took all of that garbage, that we had in our shop. And threw it in the trash. Yes, my boss was pissed. Yet, he wasn't the one that had to clean up that mess, for free. My shop at home, only has 3M products in it. And those products, help me maintain, my Craftsman status as an auto body tech. And because of those products, I maintain a less than 1% come back rate, over the last 30 years. And I have quite literally used their products, on thousands of cars. And they have yet, to let me down. In fact, every time I have interviewed for a job. I have gotten the manager out of his seat. So I could look at the products they use. And if they aren't using 3M... I'm not working for them. You ain't turning me into a cobbler, cuz you can't afford sandpaper. And by the way, the biggest indicator, that your shop, is failing. Is when your management decides to start using inferior products. If they're attempting to cut costs, it's because, they are, tapping into their materials cost, to create the illusion of profitability. I've seen that cycle repeat at least a dozen times. And when the rest of the community finds out that, a shop has decided to use the inferior products. We all know... They're only weeks away from closing their doors. Their Titanic is sinking, and they're looking for a life raft. And by the way, I've also noticed another trend with these body shops. They're trying to do away with the commission employee. And put them on a straight hourly rate. Which is another, very good indicator, they're on their way out. Good labor ain't cheap. And cheap labor, ain't good. Especially, in the auto body industry. You get exactly what you pay for. And if your business model doesn't include pain, for good technicians, and good products. You might as well just give it up.

That’s all I needed to see glad i bought 3m

This video shows my findings as well. The 3M bristle discs are best. However, if you are using scotchbrite or sanding discs, the Amazon or Harbor Freight discs work nearly as well for a huge savings. I bought a fake roll lock kit on Amazon with a slew of scotchbright style discs and two spindles for cheap. The I found that the larger 3" and 4" scotch discs from HF fit perfectly on the cheapo roll lock spindle and then really work well.

Great review and good timing. 52% off at $12.00 for the 3M green. Amazon prime for the win. 👊🏻

This video saved me from purchasing the Amazon version. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for this video متشکرم از شما

Neat bit for removing rust off your tools.

From my experience with using white on both aluminum heads and steel water pump surfaces the 3m works better and lasts longer. Only downfall of 3m is they seem to be more brittle and will break off outside edge bristles if get caught on an edge. The Amazon ones are more flexible and fan out in a hurry but work okay on large flat surfaces without edges/holes

Where are the purple 3M 36 grit "body man's brush" in this test. It's the best of the best.

I can't believe that I have never seen these disks before.

I have a green and a white 3m bristle discs, spent 10 bucks each over 3 years ago, I'm an auto tech, so yes, they get used and are still a long ways from wearing out

that brake cleaner non aerosol sprayer is pretty cool too.

I used the green one and loved it!

Can you test flap wheels and non woven pads

There's no replacement for original 3M products. One often resorts to other makes not for price per se, but as you mentioned, some products are a pain in the butt to get. Being an "octopus" company that has sooo many great products hurts distribution and off the shelf availability for sure, they have so many good, excellent and irreplaceable products that even large distributors can't sink in a whackload of cash into stocking everything. IMHO the only company that's near to "par on par" with 3M when it comes to abrasives it's Norton.

genuine vs fake, you get your moneys worth either way.

In my experience with abrasives overall, cheap abrasives of any kind suck to do any real work with. They definitely might work for random stuff in the garage but if you’re doing it for a job it sure sucks changing flap disks a thousand times.

I've been using 3m over the years. 👍

I love the 3m ones but when working with thin sheet metal the get cut up and wear lot faster. I only use them when I know this won't happen because they cost so much.

So what Dewalt tool will work with the bristle disks I want to clean the inside of my pellet smoker so speed is not a real issue thanks

I know this is about the bristle disc's but how do you like and would you recommend that Milwaukee angle die grinder and do you happen to have the straight also and what are your thoughts on that also. Have been thinking about getting them for awhile but you know $$ is tight and don't wanna throw any away, Thanks for any reply on them from anyone using them

Happily gushing about the 3M while dissing the cheapies. Well, I guess that's expected. Anything which can make the job easier certainly grabs your affection. I saw how quickly the Chiwanese discs were breaking down quite quickly. 3M sure looks like the easy winner there. Now show us some Pferd victograin grinding discs for the angle grinder. They're absolutely astounding, too.

Very helpful

I use those 3M green bristle discs gently. Too fast and those bristles are forced outward. It doesn’t take much to get the job done. I switched years ago to using a green 3M bristle disc on engine mating surfaces such as a cylinder head or the block since I’ve read about Scotch-Brite Roloc disc particles causing internal engine damage. Actually they called ‘em “surface conditioning disks” but there are plenty of other surfaces I can use Rolocs without causing issues. On a similar subject, just before the pandemic, I bought a box of each color of Scotch-brite hand pads and can’t help but wonder if counterfeiters managed to perfectly fake those 3M products since the box labeling was perfect but the printing on the individual pads were barely legible, and I noticed a difference in texture. I’m not sure what happened to the easy-tear perforations but they were non-existent. Maybe 3M just made some changes.

One more item to note the Amazon brand was leaving yellow and white residue because the abrasive fingers where more than likely melting because of the friction cause by the abrasive fingers laying down or sprawling out.

I would pay more just for the control over the tool. That cavitation and catching the edge would make for some colorful language for sure..thanks

3m designs their product to not remove material or as little as possible if your working on a head gasket surface or intake plenum be extremely careful because flatness it key to sealing that surface and if you remove too much material that surface will never seal properly so 3m is definitely the way to go if your a mechanic or auto technician , so have a good one

Thank you so much for the die grinder collet holder wrench hack. First thing tomorrow I’m putting one in the vise and bending her over. That will solve many headaches haha

I've done some research. The bristles really don't like edges. But I also haven't found an abrasive that does other than sandblasting. And I don't like sandblasting. It's a circular relationship.

in turkey we have saying "Tool works and hand hand is brags about it" point is how imporant is quality of tool using.

do you ever have issues with your Milwaukee cutting out after a few seconds of using it. mine always does and its so annoying

I first bought a ''fake'' one, it was tearing itself apart without even touching the workpiece... even at low RPMs... Then I bought a bunch of 3M's, they are way better! But the 20k or 25k RPM is not advised, it will self-destruct!! The bristles will come flying of!! Other than that, they are great!! It's a great addition to the tools used in the Milwaukee (love the 90degr and straight grinders)

what are those red canister that you use to clean the marker on the table 8:06 ? whrre can i get that canister?

Chatter, not cavitation. Great review

I have one of those 'Waukee die grinders, but I literally didn't know these things existed. You don't see them in tool shops here in Australia.Thanks for this vid, one for showing me these things, and two for showing me the difference.

So the policy in 3M marketing department is to make it inconvenient and confusing to purchase their product. Did they hire the folks from over at budlight marketing?

So the yellow 80 grit os no different to using sandpaper for the same finsh for painting?

I had good luck with the cheap amazon roloc discs and scotch bright pads for prepping my engine for my jeep's LS swap. I didn't have any of that fanning out or smearing like you are getting, guess different vendors have different quality.

Generally avoid Amazon branded anything, noname word salad chinese products, and enjoy your superior tools.

Good info but what you were calling cavitation is simply bouncing. Cavitation is an effect always associated with movement of fluids (think air bubbles in water supply and going through an impeller of a pump. This could cause cavitation.)

Are the Amazon ones rated for that high of a speed? It looks like your over spinning them.

I made this same mistake on Amazon. Bought the cheap version of the white bristle discs and they were basically plastic bristles with no ceramic. The just melted and flew everywhere 😂 absolutely junk

I learned something new today, wish was 5 years ago

eBay is the place people sell overstock bulk of 3m and China that will not be used but have defects open packs etc.

does dewalt have a tool like this? this is look a die grinder in driil . very nice tool

I personally mostly use 3M products, and you do get what you pay for, at least with them? I also like Osborne wire wheel products? I still will use USA manufacturers for abrasives and the like? Tried HF sandpaper, and they can't even do that well, in my opinion? Good job, keep endorsing USA anything, as far as I'm concerned?

Cavitation is the wrong word. This guy needs to look up the definition.

The Amazon special is cutting more aggressive because if you notice the filaments fingers are laying down and there is more ceramic abrasive making contact with surface, but the reason its laying down is because the material is not as stiff or long lasting this is also causing it to grab. I'll bet it doesn't last anyways near as long as the 3M disc, I would be afraid that the fingers on the Amazon brand might even fly off, after a short time the Amazon brand looks like your using a mop. Go with the 3M if your more serious about getting a good job and longevity with your abrasive than with the price.

And all reputable rotary tools have the safety collet

Think about the efficiency you're losing with the cheap one, all the repositioning and effort to keep it from flying off to the side, now add it up throughout the day times that by the work week then times that by how many weeks of the year... It truly does add up

When i see "almost as good " as 3m, ill watch. Havent seen it come true yet,though.

He obviously doesn’t know what cavitation means: cav·i·ta·tion noun-PHYSICS the formation of an empty space within a solid object or body. the formation of bubbles in a liquid, typically by the movement of a propeller through it.

I've been using the 3M discs for years, and would never use the cheaper ones, you get what you pay for!!

These have always been best for removing decals , and personally don't ask for them ever .

The lesson, pay less, get less, sometimes a whole lot less.

Military has been using this for decades. To remove paint and corrosion

Do you need a high RPM tool to make this work? Or will a Dewalt drill on 3 do it?

Why are we even considering anything from China? Why????

You can literally adjust the speed on pneumatic rotary tool

I like the way you say bristle discs. Now say that 3 times fast 😂

It's almost like you get what you pay for.

3M for the WIN.

We call these whisker biscuits at work.

Here in Europe they horrendously expensive the discs are 50€ each and the holders 70€.

Whistle biscuit battle.

They’ve been around since late 90’s