The smooth walls with beautiful colors contribute to making the living space more comfortable. However, after a period of use, the paint is likely to peel off. If you need to renovate or repair your walls then the first step would be cleaning up the previous paint.

A long time ago, your partners in handling the job included nasty solvents, sandpaper, scrapers, and stiff brushes. But now, luckily, items like the Wagner Paint Eater render the job a little simpler for homeowners everywhere.

So, what is the paint eater? Let’s go to the next part.

What is Paint Eater?

Definition

Just imagine an orbital sander with a sanding pad, and you’ve got an idea of this tool. The paint eater is a useful device in polishing the surface of the walls, which smoothens the walls applying new paint. It’s able to reach tight corners as well.

Benefits of Paint Eater

Benefits of paint eaterThe machine is equipped with a vacuum feature, which reduces 90% of the dust released into the air compared to rubbing by hand.. So, using this machine can help you avoid health problems caused by inhaling paint debris. However, before turning it on and grinding paint, you still need to wear face, hand, and eye protection.

When you handle some tasks that require the acts peeling, chipping, and getting rust, you will have to thank this time-saving removal device. We believe that all DIYers and homeowners would gravitate to the Paint eater. Professionals facing an entire house design might want something in less time but cover more ground.

The machine is quite lightweight. Even when you work for a long time, you won’t feel tired.

After reading the information above, we believe you have enough basic knowledge about the paint eater. Let’s explore with us the differences between paint eater, angle grinder, and an orbital sander.

Comparison Between Paint Eater, Angle Grinder, and Orbital Sander

Let’s find out the different features between paint eater, angle grinder, and orbital sander, as well as the specific cases to apply each tool.

About Paint Eater

About Paint EaterThey design the discs to make sure that you can lessen the paint and dust buildup. About the bottom, you can use it to get off paint chips or take advantage of the clean edges to repaint.

The paint eater also has an excellent abrasive performance. You can control the tool easily, so there is no need to worry about damaging the surface while working.

The device can work on different surfaces, and you can even run it on its edges for stubborn strip paint. Also, you can smooth the surface on which you are working.

The outer edge helps you to reach even the tightest corners, while the open interface eliminates dust and paint accumulation while gliding effortlessly over screws.

So, what makes paint eater outstanding? Let’s see some features of it.

Some features:

  • Able to get off rough edges as well as stubborn paint.
  • Allow you to work on outdoor projects.
  • It can polish different kinds of surfaces, such as cement, wood, and Masonite.
  • Beginners can use it easily.
  • It has long-lasting and durable discs.
  • Easy to control the tool.

About Angle Grinder

About Angle GrinderThere are a couple of different grinders types. When someone says “grinder” is related to a machine, though, they’re thinking about an angle grinder in particular. An angle grinder is a powerful tool with a slot for a revolving disk at its edge, either corded or cordless.

You can use it with many different types of disks. Some are built for metal use, while others are designed for wood. Others are to be sliced while others are to be finished. You can see that a grinder is a very flexible machine.

In contrast to the machine itself, which also acts as the main handle, angle grinders are also often attached to a flexible side handle. Now, let’s have a look at its features.

Some features:

  • Use rigid discs.
  • Use for a wide range of materials, especially metal.
  • Versatility: cut metal bars or strip metal surfaces of paint, even polishing.
  • More dangerous for users than the sander.

About Orbital Sander

About Orbital SanderThere are a lot of different forms of power sanders, just like with grinders. Belt sanders, orbital sanders, and irregular orbital sanders are the most popular ones.

While each has a slightly different function, sanders are typically woodworking devices that use sandpaper to smooth surfaces and remove existing paint.

Belt sanders have belt-shaped sandpaper, as their name suggests, that moves around a couple of drums. On the other hand, in spite of their similar names, orbital sanders and random orbital sanders use single sandpaper sheets. The latter can utilize square pads or rectangular pads, which is okay.

Now, let’s look at some features it offers.

Some features:

  • Use sandpaper pads or belts.
  • Work well with wood (wooden surfaces).
  • Only serve for sanding.
  • Be more firm and smooth than grinders.

As mentioned before, you can perform many tasks using both an angle grinder and a sander, which is mainly removing old paint from metal surfaces. In that scenario, you will need the right machine for completing the job quickly (angle grinder) or cleaning (sander), depending on your demand.

Wagner Paint Eater – In-depth Reviews

Wagner Paint Eater is a product of Wagner Spray Tech, which is a German firm that focuses on painting activities. Their product lineup covers sprayers, heaters, rollers, and surface cleaners.

Wagner goods are renowned for their performance and usability. Let’s have a look at thorough reviews of Wagner Paint Eater.

Specifications

  • Voltage: 120VAC, 60Hz
  • RPM: 2600
  • Motor: 3.2 Amp
  • Weight: 3.5 pounds
  • Disc size: 5.”
  • Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.5 x 5.3 inches

Features

Features

  • Paint removal: The 3M abrasive sanding disk removes loose paint easily, avoiding the horrid scraping job.
  • Sanding edges is simple: Scraping the paint from the top of a panel is just a hassle anybody can do it with ease. This tool removes loose paint from the edges of the outer trim boards in 1-2 passes.
    It worked well to remove the peeling paint from the bottom edges of the siding boards that I was preparing for staining.
  • Sanding disk performance: The 3M sanding disks are not cheap, but they are very durable and last for a while if you don’t go too hard on them when sanding. I was able to remove an old stain from the whole deck with only two discs.
  • It’s easy to change the disc: The small lock mechanism below makes unscrewing and replacing the worn disk effortless.
  • Two-handed use is allowed: The Paint Eater was built for both single and double-handed use with its rotating stick. If you need to add a little more strength or are in an awkward position, the two-handed alternative is beneficial.

Disadvantages

DisadvantagesBesides many outstanding features above, it also has some drawbacks as below:

  • Surface gouging. The Wagner Paint Eater also has the ability to eat wood so you can use it to your advantage. The engine is very powerful and they have adjustable settings so you can freely choose what you need. And remember to put on protective items during operation to ensure your own safety.
  • The sanding disc cost: The sander comes with a 3M disk, but the new disks cost around $12 each for replacement. A full kit of sanding disks for a spinning orbit sander can be ordered at the same cost, but this machine only works with the corresponding 3M disk.
  • Not comfortable when using a long time: Holding up the Wagner Paint Eater all day long may cause hand fatigue. Although the handle can be changed, it is not much of a relief.
  • Small cord: When used with an extension cord, the cord should be knotted property to prevent disconnection during use to increase the proficiency of your work. The short cable is usually used with an extended cord. In case working off the ladder, the position of the cord is also distracting.
  • No bag for dust collection: Because of this feature, this machine is not appropriate to use indoors. While sanding, this creates an enormous amount of dust, making a huge mess. A mask to protect you from dust is essential.
  • “Eat” most pads, rendering the use of them pricey. There are many different factors contributing to limited pad life; including rough surfaces, heavy coatings, and pressing the machine too hard. Make sure that you have some spare pads so that you can replace as needed.

Pros

  • Be able to use it with one hand.
  • Powerful motor.
  • Able to hit corners, work well in tight places.
  • Suitable for outdoor projects.
  • Adjustable handle.
  • Get paint off the walls without compromising the underlying product.

Cons

  • The disk is a little undersized for massive spaces/projects.
  • Only used for non-lead paint.

Is It Worth Spending Money On Wagner Paint Eater?

Worth Spending Money On Wagner Paint EaterWagner Paint Eater cannot function with paint tripping gel. It is meant to be used dry, and even the manual notes that it should not be used with solvents. Why? Cause you’re going to throw solvent fluid in every direction and make a huge mess.

About the discs: The disks can last for a long time e. Nevertheless, the actual life of a disk depends on a lot of things. For instance, they are more long-lasting if you often work on flat surfaces with thinner paint coats than waterproofing paint with cinderblock painted.

It removes the need of sanding and produces a clean surface for new paint, varnish, etc. Besides, a typical grip is an inner thermal fuse designed to prevent the engine from burning out.

With occasional household use, we are confident that this tool is essential to equip in your home. We recommend Wagner Paint Eater for small outdoor paint preparing activities, but you should use orbit sander for larger projects.

With an orbit sander, you do not have to worry about scratching the timber. You can sand more fragile areas around the external windows and doors.

The lack of a dust collector causes sanding dust to return to the engine region over time. Even when equipped with a dust collector container, it is also very dusty.

So, is there any technique to link Wagner paint eater to a dust collection?

There is no requirement for attaching a dust collection machine like a shop vac. Because it generates so much dirt or small particles while working, the task is better done outside only.

Conclusion

If you have to strip the paint off the walls, the Wagner Paint Eater can handle the job quickly for a beautiful, smooth surface. DIYers and homeowners can quickly finish their job with this reasonably priced device.

As we said before, compared to traditional techniques, this paint removal approach has its pros and cons. If you’re trying to strip non-loose and peeling color, you’ll need to use the top model for the best result. However, Wagner Paint Eater is still outstanding for many benefits it brings.