Black & Decker 50G MOUSE Sandpaper, 5-Pack

Why I reached for these sheets

I pulled out a set of Mouse 50‑grit sheets to tackle a trio of small but stubborn jobs around the shop: stripping thick latex paint from a door jamb, knocking down cupped edges on a pine shelf, and shaping a patch on an oak stair tread. A coarse, 50‑grit paper is not subtle—its purpose is to move material quickly. On a compact detail sander, that makes sense when you need fast stock removal in tight spots where a larger random orbit sander can’t reach.

Setup and fit

On a Black & Decker Mouse sander, the sheets attach cleanly with hook‑and‑loop and the perforations line up with the pad’s dust ports. The triangular profile reaches into inside corners, and the pointed nose is the right shape for window muntins and cabinet interiors.

Compatibility is worth a mention. The shape is tailored to “Mouse‑style” pads, but not every detail sander follows the same footprint or hole pattern. On my older off‑brand detail sander, the holes didn’t align and the sheet overhung the pad slightly. It still worked in a pinch, but dust extraction suffered, and the overhang made the tip more prone to fraying. If you’re not using a current Mouse‑pattern pad, check the pad shape and hole layout before you stock up.

Alignment matters even on the intended sander. Taking the extra 10 seconds to center the sheet and match the perforations noticeably improves dust pickup and reduces clogging.

Abrasive performance: aggressive by design

Fifty‑grit aluminum oxide is meant for heavy lifting. On bare pine and poplar, the sheets chew through high spots and cupped edges quickly, taking a board from rough to flat with light pressure and a slow pace. On oak and maple, removal is predictably slower but still effective, especially when you let the sander do the work rather than bearing down.

For paint and finish removal, the paper is effective provided the finish is brittle or already failing. It rips through old, flaking latex and varnish well. With gummy modern paints, it will load unless you pair it with good dust extraction and clean the sheet periodically. I kept a crepe rubber cleaning block nearby; a few passes restored cutting performance several times before the grains dulled.

You’ll get a pronounced scratch pattern—as you should with 50 grit. Plan to follow with 80, then 120 or 150, to erase the deep grooves. If you stop at 50 and move straight to primer or stain, you’ll telegraph scratches.

Dust collection

The perforations do their job if your sander is connected to a vac or has a decent onboard fan. On my Mouse hooked to a small shop vac, dust release dropped substantially compared to non‑perforated generics I’ve used. Coarse sanding still throws chips, but the paper didn’t cake as quickly, and the work surface stayed clearer, making it easier to see high and low spots. If your holes are even slightly misaligned, suction falls off quickly—one more reason to align the sheet carefully.

Durability and that reinforced tip

The tip of any triangular sheet takes the most abuse. Here, the reinforced/replaceable tip area gives a modest but real bump in usable life. On paint removal in corners, I typically burn through the nose of a coarse sheet first. With these, I could reposition or swap in the spare tip section and get back to a fresh point without tossing the whole sheet. It doesn’t double the life, but it extended it enough to finish the jamb and start the next task before I needed a new sheet.

Across several sessions, I found wear to be even. The aluminum oxide grains fracture and expose fresh edges as expected, and the backing held together without the hook‑and‑loop tearing free—a common failure on cheaper papers. Avoid hitting errant brad heads or staples; like any coarse paper, one encounter with metal will notch the tip and end its corner‑sanding career.

Working in tight spaces and on contours

These sheets are shaped for access, and with the sander’s contour attachments the paper wraps around small radii reasonably well. I used the nose along a bullnose stair tread and the edge on a cove profile; the paper conformed without cracking, and the abrasive stayed adhered. Don’t expect miracles on highly intricate moldings—that’s asking a coarse grit to do a detailer’s job—but for easing edges and breaking paint at inside corners, the format is excellent.

One caution: when wrapping around a tight contour finger, keep the sander moving. Holding the abrasive in one spot on a small radius builds heat and will glaze the grains prematurely.

Value and pack size

A five‑pack of coarse sheets is a sensible quantity for punch‑list and repair work. For a full strip of a large door or a set of stairs, you’ll burn through them quickly; coarse sanding is consumable‑intensive by nature. Given the performance and the life extension from the reinforced tip, the per‑sheet value feels fair. If you know you’ve got a big removal job on tap, consider buying multiple packs so you can rotate a few sheets and let a loaded one cool while you work.

Limitations and compatibility caveats

• The shape and hole pattern are tuned to Mouse‑style sanders. On other detail sanders, you may lose dust extraction or encounter edge overhang.
• Fifty‑grit scratches are deep. Treat these purely as a first‑pass removal tool, not a finish sander.
• On gummy finishes and resinous softwoods, loading happens fast without suction and periodic cleaning.
• The reinforced tip helps, but it can’t rescue a sheet that’s been overheated or run into hardware.

Tips for best results

• Align holes precisely and press the sheet firmly to seat the hook‑and‑loop across the entire pad.
• Use light pressure. Let the grit cut; pushing harder only heats the paper and dulls the grains sooner.
• Keep the sander moving and overlap passes to avoid gouges.
• Connect a vacuum for better dust control and longer sheet life.
• Clean with a crepe rubber block when you notice loading.
• Rotate or replace the tip section at the first sign of rounding to preserve sharp corner performance.
• Step through finer grits after the heavy removal pass to erase the 50‑grit scratch pattern.

What I’d change

I’d like clearer, larger markings on the sheet backer for hole orientation; the perforations are obvious enough, but a simple printed “nose” arrow would speed alignment. A mixed pack option that pairs a few 50‑grit sheets with 80 and 120 would also fit how most people actually work through a small project.

Who these sheets suit

• DIYers and pros who need targeted, aggressive removal in tight spaces: window muntins, inside cabinet corners, stair stringer edges, trim repairs.
• Users who already own a Mouse‑pattern sander and want better dust extraction than generic, non‑perforated papers.
• Anyone who appreciates the ability to refresh the tip without sacrificing the whole sheet.

If your work is primarily finish sanding, these are the wrong tool—jump straight to 120 or 150. If your detail sander uses a different triangle profile, choose a paper matched to that pad.

Recommendation

I recommend the Mouse 50‑grit sheets for aggressive, corner‑friendly material removal on Mouse‑pattern detail sanders. They cut quickly, the perforations noticeably improve dust control when aligned and used with suction, and the reinforced tip extends real‑world life in the spots that wear first. The main caveat is fit: they’re optimized for true Mouse pads, and performance drops if you force them onto mismatched shapes.

Used as intended—first pass, tight spaces, followed by progressively finer grits—they’re a dependable consumable that makes short work of paint, proud edges, and shaping tasks where a larger sander can’t reach.