Black & Decker MOUSE 180 Grit Sandpaper, 5-Pack

Why I reached for these sheets

Sometimes the easiest upgrade isn’t a new tool—it’s better consumables. I grabbed a pack of 180-grit MOUSE sheets for a weekend of trim touch-ups, cabinet door cleanup, and a round of finish prep on a pine bookshelf. I use a MOUSE detail sander a lot for small nooks and curves, and 180 grit is a sweet spot for smoothing without erasing profiles. After running these through a variety of tasks, I came away impressed by the consistency, the dust management, and a small but meaningful design choice: the replaceable tip.

Setup and compatibility

There’s not much to “set up,” but fit does matter with detail sanders. These sheets matched the pad on my MOUSE exactly, including the dust holes. The contour shape tracks the iron-like nose of the sander, and the holes lined up without fuss, so I got good dust pickup right away. Attachment was firm and didn’t creep or curl at the edges, even after some heat from extended use.

The pack includes five sheets. That’s not a contractor-sized quantity, but it’s appropriate for punch-list tasks, refinishing a couple of doors, or prepping a furniture piece. For a full-room paint prep or deck project, I’d plan on multiple packs.

Abrasive performance and grit behavior

At 180 grit, these are made for final shaping, pre-finish prep, and between-coat scuffing—not heavy stock removal. Used that way, they deliver. On finger-jointed primed trim, I was able to knock down raised grain and nibs without cutting through the primer. On raw pine, the finish came out uniform with no obvious scratch pattern telegraphing through after paint. I also used a light touch on MDF shelving edges to remove fuzz; the sheets cut cleanly without loading too quickly.

The abrasive is aluminum oxide, which is the standard for woodworking and paint prep because it fractures to expose new cutting edges instead of simply dulling. In practice, I found I could keep a sheet on for a respectable amount of time before performance dropped off. When I pushed too hard (impatient on a patch of filler), I could feel the sheet warm up and start to clog—no surprise there. Backing off, letting the sander do the work, and cleaning the surface between passes kept things on track.

On painted surfaces, the sheets did well for feathering small touch-up areas and blending edges. I wouldn’t choose 180 for stripping paint, but for smoothing brush marks or taking down a ridge at a patch, these did exactly what I wanted.

Dust collection: better than expected for a detail sander

Detail sanders don’t move as much air as a connected random orbit sander with a vacuum, but hole alignment matters. These sheets matched the pad holes, and the integrated dust box on my sander actually filled instead of the air around me. On pine and MDF, where dust can clog and float everywhere, the difference between perforated and non-perforated sheets is noticeable, and these performed on the good side of that line.

I still wore a mask—fine dust is fine dust—but cleanup was easier, and the abrasive stayed effective longer because less dust was building up under the pad.

The replaceable tip is a smart, real-world feature

On detail sanders, the tip takes the brunt of the work: corners, profiles, louver edges, and inside fillets. That area always burns out first. The replaceable tip on these sheets isn’t a gimmick; it extends useful life where it counts. When the nose got tired, I peeled the spare tip and set it in place. It stuck secure, aligned properly, and gave me a fresh point for inside corners.

I got in the habit of swapping that tip early rather than running the whole sheet dull. That cadence kept the overall cut consistent and reduced the temptation to push harder (which only shortens life). Over the course of a day, that little design choice saved me a sheet or two.

Durability and feel

Even pressure and a clean surface will do more for sheet life than any label claim, but construction still matters. The backing felt robust enough to avoid tearing at the edges when I wrapped over a slightly rounded profile. I didn’t experience adhesive transfer or pad fuzzing after repeated changes. The grit stayed bonded; I wasn’t shedding abrasive prematurely.

On resinous pine and over small puttied areas, I could knock dust out of the sheet with a quick tap or a rubber cleaning stick and keep going. That’s a good sign for the abrasive’s resistance to clogging.

Where these shine

• Trim, casing, and baseboard touch-ups before paint
• Cabinet door rails and stiles, especially around the panel profile
• Between-coat scuff sanding on clear finishes
• Feathering small drywall or wood filler patches without cutting through surrounding areas
• Smoothing MDF edges before sealing

If you’re doing more aggressive work—rounding over an edge or removing thick finishes—you’ll want to start with a coarser grit and step to 180 to finish.

Limitations to keep in mind

• 180 grit is not a do-everything solution. Used for stock removal, it’ll clog and slow down. Pair it with 120 and 150 for faster, cleaner workflows.
• Five sheets go fast on larger jobs. For whole-room prep, buy multiple packs or a mixed-grit assortment to avoid running out mid-task.
• Dust collection is good for a detail sander, but it’s still not the same as a vacuum-extracted random orbit. In dusty environments, supplement with a vac where possible or plan more frequent canister emptying.

How they compare to generics

I’ve used plenty of unbranded detail sheets over the years. The big issues I run into with cheaper options are hole misalignment, weak attachment that lifts at the edges, and a nose that burns out in minutes. These avoided all three. The replaceable tip alone puts them ahead for me; it meaningfully extends the area I use most. If you’re cost-sensitive and doing rougher prep, a value pack might make sense, but for finish work where surface quality matters, I’d rather have consistent cut and fit.

Value and warranty

You’re paying for five sheets with a specific shape, proper perforations, and that extra tip feature. In that context, the value is solid, particularly if you’re chasing a clean finish and want to minimize sheet changes. There’s a stated limited warranty, which is unusual for consumables and not something I expect to use, but it speaks to baseline quality control.

Tips for best results

• Let the sander’s weight do the work; pressing harder just generates heat and clogs the sheet.
• Vacuum or wipe surfaces between passes to keep abrasive cutting clean.
• Swap the replaceable tip early to keep a sharp nose in play.
• Step through grits: 120 or 150 to shape, 180 to prep for paint or clear finish.
• Keep a rubber abrasive cleaning stick nearby to clear resin and dust.

The bottom line

The 180-grit MOUSE sheets do the fundamentals right: consistent cut, good fit to the pad, effective dust hole alignment, and a genuinely useful replaceable tip that extends life where you need it most. For finish prep on woodwork, light paint feathering, and between-coat scuffing, they were predictable and clean. I didn’t have to fight edge lift, misaligned holes, or premature nose wear—the usual annoyances with detail paper.

Recommendation: I recommend these sheets if you use a MOUSE sander for finish work or detailed prep. The combination of aluminum oxide abrasive, proper perforations, and the replaceable tip makes them a dependable choice for clean, controlled sanding in tight spaces. If your project is heavy removal or you need bulk quantities for rough prep, start with coarser grits and consider larger packs; otherwise, this five-pack is a practical, high-quality consumable that supports a better finish with fewer hassles.