Black & Decker 120G MOUSE Sandpaper, 5-Pack

A detail sander is only as effective as the paper you put on it, and these 120‑grit Mouse sheets have become my go‑to for general prep and trim work. I ran the 5‑pack through a mix of tasks—door jambs, cabinet face frames, window sashes, and a couple of paint touch‑ups—and came away impressed by the balance of cut, control, and lifespan for a mid‑grit abrasive.

What I used and how it fit

This is a 120‑grit pack built for Black & Decker Mouse‑style detail sanders with the teardrop pad. The sheets landed on the pad cleanly and stayed put without curling at the edges. The perforations lined up with my sander’s dust holes, which sounds minor but matters a lot: alignment keeps extraction effective and prevents the pad from grinding dust into the work.

Each sheet has a replaceable tip—the small triangular nose you press into corners—that you can peel off and swap when it wears out. That’s a clever way to extend life, since the tip sees the most abuse.

The pack also includes contour sheets compatible with the Mouse’s contour attachment. If you have that accessory, these pre‑cut sheets save time when you’re hitting profiles like stair spindles or crown moldings. If you don’t use the contour attachment, the standard sheets cover most flat and corner work just fine.

Cutting performance

At 120 grit, these are meant for smoothing and surface prep, not aggressive stock removal. Used properly, they leave a consistent, paint‑ready surface with a scratch pattern that disappears under primer. On softwoods like pine and poplar trim, they knocked down mill marks and eased edges without rounding details. On oak and maple cabinet parts, they cleaned up planer tracks and glue smudges with predictable bite.

Where these stood out was restraint under light pressure. The abrasive doesn’t reward heavy hand pressure—push hard and you’re more likely to heat the surface and load the paper. Keep a light touch and let the sander do the work, and the cut remains even and the sheet lasts longer. The aluminum oxide grain feels sharp out of the pack and holds its edge long enough to finish a small room’s worth of trim without constant changes.

On painted surfaces, especially older latex, loading can be a problem with generic papers. Here, the combination of the open coat and dust perforations kept load‑up manageable. I could scuff a painted door for recoat and still have usable life left for a second panel.

Dust collection and surface quality

The hole pattern in the sheets matches the Mouse pad, and that alignment pays off. With my sander’s dust canister in place (and better still when I hook to a vac), dust extraction noticeably improved compared to unperforated triangles. Less airborne dust means better visibility and fewer nibs getting trapped under your next coat.

There’s also a performance upside: good extraction keeps the abrasive cooler. Cooler paper tends to clog less and cut more consistently, which I saw especially when sanding pine knots and spot‑primed patches that usually gum up.

Corners, details, and the replaceable tip

The replaceable tip is the feature I appreciate most. Corners chew through paper fast because the nose carries all the pressure and heat. With these sheets, once the nose starts to glaze, I peel it off, stick on the fresh tip, and keep going without swapping the whole sheet. That easily doubles the useful life in corner‑heavy work like window sash rails or inside cabinet corners.

A few practical notes:
- Don’t lever the sander hard into corners; that’s how you prematurely tear the tip.
- Keep the machine moving as you enter and leave a corner to avoid digging a trough.
- If the tip starts to lift, it’s usually a sign of too much pressure or a snagged edge—back off and reset.

Contour work

If you own the Mouse contour attachment, the contour sheets in the pack are genuinely handy. They wrap the rubber nibs well and give you control over coves, beads, and flutes that are hard to address with a flat pad. I used them on a set of stair balusters and some ogee window trim. The 120 grit was ideal for knocking down dust nibs and smoothing filler without flattening the profiles.

Without the contour attachment, you won’t get much out of those specific sheets—consider them a bonus for users who do a lot of profile work. The standard sheets still reach into tight spots thanks to the Mouse’s pointed shape.

Durability and consistency

Across the pack, quality control looked tight: no thin spots in the abrasive, no mis‑punching of holes, and backing that didn’t shed grit under heat. I didn’t experience premature adhesive failure at the tip under normal, light‑pressure use. The sheets wore evenly on flat surfaces and predictably faster at the tip while edging and cornering, which is exactly where the replaceable tip pays dividends.

On resinous pine or over spackled patches, I could clear light loading with a quick tap or by rubbing the sheet with a dedicated abrasive cleaner block. That extended life noticeably.

Where 120 grit shines

If you’re planning a full sanding workflow, 120 is a sweet middle step:
- Pre‑finish smoothing of bare wood before primer or a first coat.
- Easing sharp edges on cabinet doors and shelves.
- Scuff sanding between coats of paint or polyurethane to knock down dust nibs.
- Leveling light wood filler or putty without overshooting into the surrounding surface.
- Prepping trim and doors for repaint after a thorough cleaning/deglossing.

For heavy paint removal or flattening uneven joints, start coarser (80 or 100) and return to 120 to refine the surface. For a finer finish before topcoat, follow with 180–220.

Tips for best results

• Use light pressure and keep the pad flat to avoid swirls.
• Let the dust holes do their job—tap out the canister or use a vac port when possible.
• Swap the tip before it’s dead; a sharp nose keeps corner cuts clean.
• Mark the surface with a pencil squiggle pattern; when the marks disappear evenly, you’re done with that grit.
• Avoid catching the tip on protruding fasteners; 120 tears fast if it meets a drywall screw head.

Limitations

A few minor drawbacks are worth noting:
- This pack is single‑grit. If you’re building a full sanding sequence, you’ll need to buy additional grits.
- The contour sheets require the separate contour attachment; they aren’t a standalone solution for profiles.
- Like any 120‑grit paper, the sheets won’t replace a coarser abrasive for heavy material removal.
- If you bear down hard or run the sander in one spot, the tip can heat up and peel earlier than you’d like—technique matters.

None of these are deal‑breakers; they’re more about using the paper in the right context.

Value

For a five‑pack, the usable life feels fair, and the replaceable tip effectively stretches how far each sheet goes. I’ve tried off‑brand triangles that seem cheaper on paper, but they load faster, the hole patterns don’t always line up, and they tend to shed grit under heat. These strike a better balance of cut quality, dust control, and longevity for everyday prep.

Recommendation

I recommend the Mouse 120‑grit pack to anyone using a Mouse detail sander for trim, cabinetry, and general paint prep. The hole alignment improves dust collection, the aluminum oxide stays sharp longer than bargain alternatives, and the replaceable tip meaningfully extends life where you need it most. If your workflow includes the Mouse contour attachment, the included contour sheets are a useful bonus for profiles and tight curves. You’ll still want complementary grits for heavy removal and final finish, but as a workhorse mid‑grit in a detail sander, these sheets deliver consistent, predictable results with minimal fuss.