I bought some of the 900 Global NEAT sanding pads on Ebay. Honestly, when I first opened the package I thought I must have gotten the wrong thing. They look and feel like rubber with felt backing.


I had doubts about whether or not they would work. Not to mention, they are smaller then the Abralon pads, I would say 5" instead of 6".


When using them, they don't load up like Abralon does and seem to maintain the ability to cut into the surface better than Abralon, especially the 4000 grit pad. They are more flexible than Siaair pads which can be stiff at the lower grits and create creases that don't actually touch the ball surface. They also seem to work faster with less pressure than the other pads.


I have been using the Abralon pads more without water to get the finish I was looking for, but I used water with the NEAT product and achieved better results. After I get back from El Paso, I will take a couple of freshly finished balls to RaiderH2Oboy's shop and have him do the surface scan. I'm interested to see the results between Abralon and the these pads.


I tried the "N" pad first, it's supposed to be 750 grit. It puts a nice aggressive finish on the ball without the deep sanding lines I see from 500 or 1000 Abralon or even 800 Abranet. Honestly, the finish looks more like what you would get with a 1000 grit box finish from the factory. The ball really hooks up on the lane, better than I have experienced with the same ball at 1000 Abralon.


I also tried the "E" (1500 grit) pad on one of my Sigma Stings, again, it looks great, like a factory sanded 2000 box surface. After a couple of throws, this will be one  of the surfaces I use in El Paso in two weeks. It's a bit more aggressive than the 2000 sanded finish I have been using in the same ball.


Then the "A" (2500 grit) pad. Same result, love the appearance of the finish, but instead of leaving it as is, I decided to lightly polish over this one. I would guess this might be as close to the "1500 Polished" Storm finish I have seen other than a new ball. Easy through the heads and very sharp move off the friction! I will probably finish a ball with the "A" pad (unpolished) for El Paso as well.


Finally the "T"(4000 grit) pad. I used it to resurface my Ascent Apex. It left the ball just as it came from the factory. A little bit of shine, but the shot shape is great.


I had doubts about this product when it first came out and thought it was just another high priced gimmick, but after using them, I'm convinced. These will replace Abralon and Siaair pads other than for a heavy initial sanding to remove the deeper cuts and scratches.


One thing I forgot to add, if you are going to use these, do yourself a favor and get one of the Velcro sanding gloves. It will make it much easier to hang onto the pads.

Good catch, a typo. Thanks.

Yea, I will be using them from now on that's for sure.

Milo,

You switched around E and A.

Glad you liked the pads though! They're the bomb!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how long that NEAT pads seem to last compared to the others.

They seem (to me) to last 3x - 5x as long as Abralon or Siaair pads.

I bought all four pads for 35.95 shipped, so about $9 each. As for how long they last, I don't know yet, but the 4000 grit one does seem to hold up much better than a 4000 grit abralon or siaair pad. The more important thing to me is the surface they put on the ball. I have no issues paying for quality.

Interesting conversation. After doing a Google search for all the references between Abralon and NEAT, plus looking at this and previous discussions on ball reviews, here's what I've seen:
Avalon - Designed to give you that smooth appearance that you want when finishing furniture without the rough feel

NEAT - gives you a smoother finish then Abralon but gives you a rougher surface overall (magic)

NEAT - Lasts 50% longer according to Abralonpads.com, and five or six times longer as stated previously by Eric and Charles. I suspect a marketing steer from Abralon.

NEAT sure sounds pricey, but who wants to spend time re-ordering pads 3-4 times as much?

In these days of "smell my bowling balls", the following maybe heresy, but I do not give a H.E. double hockey stick what the ball looks like as long as it grips where and when I need it. I only care about what the pins look like as they are leaving the pin deck.

There are discrepancies, but I trust Jeff and Eric. Where's the cheapest place to buy NEAT pads?

Milo,
    Have you only used the NEAT pads with water?

I tend to do most of my adjustments at lane side, after throwing a few shots in practice. So if you have to use the NEAT pads with water, this would be a deterrent from getting them for me. I could use it with water on my spinner at home, once I find a good place to put it in the new house/garage. If not, do the NEAT pads still produce the same surface without water or are you back to more of an Abralon type of surface that way?

Thanks for the info, look forward to hearing the results after you visit Gene.

Milo,
    Have you only used the NEAT pads with water?

I tend to do most of my adjustments at lane side, after throwing a few shots in practice. So if you have to use the NEAT pads with water, this would be a deterrent from getting them for me. I could use it with water on my spinner at home, once I find a good place to put it in the new house/garage. If not, do the NEAT pads still produce the same surface without water or are you back to more of an Abralon type of surface that way?

Thanks for the info, look forward to hearing the results after you visit Gene.

I've only tried them with water so far. I will probably keep a few Abralon Pads in my bag for dry use during tournaments. The NEAT pads may work just as well dry, but have not tried them without water.

Quote from: charlest on May 14, 2015, 07:39:32 AM

Quote from: Brickguy221 on May 13, 2015, 08:03:47 PM

I recently bought twelve  5" Siaair Pads @ $2.03 each. If a Siaair 4000 grit pad would last 3 sandings, and a NEAT pad would last 3 times as long, that would be the same as 9 sandings @ $12.95 per pad. (priced on Bowling.com)

If Siaair Pads cost $2.03 per pad and 3 sandings per pad at 4000 grit, then 3 pads would be needed to sand 9 times at a cost of $6.09.  If the NEAT pads could be bought for say $6 each, then the price of NEAT and Siaair would be the same

To me, it would seem it is cheaper to use Siaair pads unless NEAT pads could bought for less than $6, but I don't know that for fact, just throwing some numbers out there trying to compare.

However, it has been said that the NEAT pads put a nicer finish on the ball, so if that would be true, maybe they would be worth the extra cost, I don't know.

Jim,

I was being extremely conservative with my 3x - 5x estimate. I'm still using my original set of NEAT pads and I have completely lost track of how many times I have used the 4000 grit one. It is at least in the 30 - 40 range and still going strong. The way I feel now, I think you could pay $15 for each NEAT pad and and it would still be cost effective!

Jeff, do you use the pads dry or with water?

Also, do you use a Cab Block or use without a Cab Block?

My main interest in NEAT pads is the 2500 & 4000 grit pads as it seems with 4000 grit Abralon and Siaair pads, it is 1-2 uses on an Abralon pad and 2-3 uses on a Siaair pad and the texture on the pad is gone, leaving a sheen finish on a ball.

I use water with them.
I usually use a CAB block but have used them by hand.