Trizact vs Trizact Gator

The gator has the "brick" like structured abrasives and the regular trizact doesn't have the bricks. It's continuous, and I think are what the really high grits come in like the 3k and 4.5 k
 
I've used the gators a bit, trizacts a few times. They both seem to work good. The gators are a bit thicker and ride a little differently, so I'd stick with one or the other on a knife as you work through the grits.
 
Erdbeereis said:
Do you think the gators could be used for sharpening?
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Yeah, I set edges with them often. Using an A45 gator and "buffing" lightly with compound on the back of an old belt gives a toothy edge that will still shave hair.
 
My only problem is that I can get A65 and A45 in normal Trizact, but A30 only in gator. THat won't affect my scratch pattern will it?

Also, do you know how silicone carbide belts work for sharpening?
 
Where are you sourcing them? Pop's has them from A30 (approx 600 grit) all the way down to A300 (approx 80 grit). It's not going to hurt anything by switching from one belt to another. I'd stick with the Gators whenever possible, they last a lot longer. Keep them reasonably clean with a belt eraser, and when they start getting clogged/worn, just dress them at speed to expose more fresh grit.

Erdbeereis said:
Also, do you know how silicone carbide belts work for sharpening?
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Never tried 'em. Once you're up to a A45 or A30 edge, you're only a few moments away from polishing it as high as you want with stones or fine paper.
 
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To back up what James said I also use the gator and find they are an excellent belt. They give a nice even finish and last a long time. I did have an issue with a damaged one though that showed up with a good number of grit blocks crushed or missing on one side. I just used that one for cleaning up spines and such to avoid the damaged area
 
james terrio said:
Where are you sourcing them? Pop's has them from A30 (approx 600 grit) all the way down to A300 (approx 80 grit). It's not going to hurt anything by switching from one belt to another. I'd stick with the Gators whenever possible, they last a lot longer. Keep them reasonably clean with a belt eraser, and when they start getting clogged/worn, just dress them at speed to expose more fresh grit.



Never tried 'em. Once you're up to a A45 or A30 edge, you're only a few moments away from polishing it as high as you want with stones or fine paper.
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Do the gators really last longer than normal Trizacts? I'm getting them from Trugrit BTW.
 
Yes, they do. There's a lot more abrasive there.

Trizact:

3M307Trizact_1.jpg]


Trizact CF "Gator":

3MTrizactCF_1.jpg


Google is your friend :)
 
Gators are really great belts. I'm still using the first batch of them that I got, two years ago. I wore out two out of three A65 belts, none out of three A45's, and two of the three A30's have not been used yet.

They last a long time. I wish I could find roughing belts that did the same. I've tried other belts, Norax, Trizact, J-flex even, for finishing bevels and these are IMO clearly the best.

I get belts when I can from Pop's, but I'd like to point out that USA has these in A20 (1000 grit) and A5 (finer than frog's hair).
 
One time I had the tip of a blade catch in a Gator belt, it was quite a wreck! I suggest being careful when grinding the tip, keep in down with the flow of a belt. This only happened once, but I still remember it well.

I do like and use the Gators for much of my work, it is pretty hard to wear one out and when they start to dull, they seem to get sharper with a wire brush wheel rake.
 
I have only been using the trizact, i will give the gator a try. I get quite a bit of use out of the trizact by resharping with a steel brush like ed said. this does wear them out more quickly.
 
Gators are awesome! Don't grind the spine or cutting edge with the flats perpendicular to the plate (hope that makes sense) because you can and will wear a stupid groove into the "bricks". Hold it at a slight angle on the platen.

Don't use either Trizact with wood handle material, gets clogged up something horrible and won't clean with the wire brush method.

Here's a tip I use to get even plunges. Run the Gator even with the edge of your platen (do not over hang like you would normally) grind in your plunge, flip the belt over and grind the plunge in the other side. The radius you "set" when grinding in the original plunge will transfer over when you flip the belt. I found this helped me a lot.

The abrasive media shouldn't make much difference in the actual setting of edges except in durability of the belt. Not to sound like a jerk but you'd need more experience grinding before you can feel the difference.
 
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