VSM KK114F Sanding Cloth: Is It Worth It?

Written by the team at CXS Tools, drawing on over 25 years of hands-on woodturning experience in our own workshop.

What Is the VSM KK114F Sanding Cloth?

The VSM KK114F is a densely woven, flexible cotton cloth abrasive coated with standard aluminium oxide grain. It uses a resin-over-resin bond system, meaning two layers of synthetic resin lock the abrasive grain firmly to the cloth backing. That double bond gives the KK114F better durability and heat resistance than single-bond abrasives, which tend to shed grain more quickly under pressure.

You'll recognise it by its distinctive red-brown colour. That's not just cosmetic; it signals the brown fabric grade, specifically engineered for high-stress hand sanding tasks. The KK114F is manufactured by VSM at their facility in Hanover, Germany. VSM was founded in 1864, giving them over 160 years of abrasives manufacturing heritage. They hold ISO 9001:2015 certification and are members of FEPA and the German Abrasives Association (VDS), so the quality credentials here are genuine, not marketing talk.

One thing to be upfront about: the KK114F is not VSM's premium tier product. It sits below the KK532F in their range. But that's precisely its strength for most woodworking and decorating users. It's a cost-effective, general-purpose cloth that performs reliably across a wide range of tasks.

Key Features That Make the KK114F Stand Out

F-Weight Flexibility

The "F" in the product name refers to the F-Cotton backing weight, classifying the cloth as "very flexible." Rather than bridging across contours and missing the low spots, the KK114F conforms to curved, contoured, and profiled surfaces. For woodturners working on bowls, spindles, and mouldings, this is critical. A stiff abrasive will only sand the high points, leaving scratches and an uneven finish. The KK114F wraps around the shape of your workpiece and sands the entire profile evenly.

Tear-by-Hand Convenience

This is a feature that rarely gets the attention it deserves. The KK114F has what's called "thread-ripping tear behaviour." You can tear it cleanly in the longitudinal direction to produce strips with neat, fraying-free edges. No scissors, no blade, no messing about. In a busy workshop, where you might be tearing strips between lathe passes or on a job site, this saves real time. The torn edges stay clean, so the strip performs just as well as a pre-cut piece.

Low Clogging Tendency

Wood dust is the primary cause of abrasive loading. When grit clogs, the abrasive stops cutting and starts burnishing, wasting your time and your material. The KK114F uses a slightly open grit pattern that resists clogging longer than many alternatives. Each sheet or strip stays productive for more passes before you need to replace it, which brings the cost per use down noticeably.

Oil and Petroleum Resistance

This is a genuinely useful property that almost nobody talks about. If you run a mixed-use workshop where cutting fluids, lubricants, or oily residues end up on your workpieces or machinery, the KK114F won't break down on contact. The resin bond system holds up where cheaper abrasives would soften and fail.

Grit Range: P40 to P400

The KK114F covers the full sanding workflow in a single product line. Here's how the grit range maps to real sanding stages:

• P40 to P80: Aggressive stock removal. Shaping blanks, removing tool marks, and taking off material quickly.
• P120 to P180: Smoothing and refining. This is where you remove the scratches left by the coarser grits and begin to define the final surface.
• P240 to P400: Fine finishing. Preparing surfaces for oil, wax, lacquer, or paint. At P400, you're producing a surface ready for a high-quality finish.

How Good Is It for Woodturning and Hand Sanding?

VSM explicitly lists woodturning as a primary application for the KK114F, and having used it extensively over more than 25 years at the lathe, I can confirm that's not a marketing claim. Flexibility is non-negotiable when you're sanding a spinning workpiece. The cloth must wrap and conform to the shape under your fingers. A stiff abrasive will skate across the high points, leave scratches in the valleys, and give you an inconsistent finish. The KK114F follows the contour and cuts evenly.

Most online content about the KK114F focuses on industrial applications such as crankshaft grinding, car body finishing, and aeronautics. That can make hobbyist woodturners and DIY users wonder whether it's really meant for them. It absolutely is. The same flexibility and durability that make it suitable for aerospace work make it excellent for turning bowls, pens, spindles, and furniture components in a home workshop.

The KK114F also works well on orbital sanders, so if you're a decorator or woodworker who switches between power sanding and hand sanding, you can standardise on one abrasive product across both techniques.

One gap I've noticed is that nobody publishes a sanding progression guide for this product. Here's a simple three-stage workflow that works well for woodturning:

1. Rough shaping (P60 to P80): Remove tool marks and refine the profile while the piece is still spinning at a moderate speed.
2. Smoothing (P120 to P180): Work through these grits sequentially. Each step removes the scratch pattern left by the previous grit.
3. Finishing (P240 to P400): Produce a surface smooth enough for oil, wax, or lacquer. At P320 to P400, the surface will have a soft sheen even before you apply any finish.

KK114F vs KK532F: Which VSM Cloth Should You Choose?

This is probably the most underexplored comparison in the abrasives market for hobbyist buyers, so let me break it down plainly.

The KK532F is VSM's premium sanding cloth. It features a stearate anti-clog coating and a tighter grit pattern. The KK114F uses a slightly more open pattern and does not have the stearate coating. That's the core difference, and it directly affects both performance and price.

For woodturning hobbyists and decorators sanding bare wood, the KK114F's natural low-clogging tendency is usually more than sufficient. The stearate coating on the KK532F adds the most value when you're sanding resinous woods (such as pine or yew), painted surfaces, or working at higher speeds where heat and loading become bigger factors. If that describes your typical workload, the KK532F is worth the premium.

For general-purpose use on hardwoods, softwoods, and mixed workshop tasks, the KK114F is the smart, cost-conscious choice. You get the same VSM build quality, the same German manufacturing, and the same ISO 9001:2015 certified production, without the specialist anti-clog coating.

We stock both the KK114F and KK532F at CXS Tools. If you're unsure which one suits your specific project, give us a call or drop us an email. We're happy to talk it through and help you pick the right option.

Available Formats: Rolls, Sheets, and Discs Explained

The KK114F comes in several formats, each suited to different tasks:

• Economy rolls (25mm and 50mm wide rolls): Narrow rolls are ideal for woodturning and detail work. The 115mm width covers larger flat surfaces efficiently.

For regular workshop users, buying in roll format and tearing strips by hand using the thread-ripping feature is the most economical approach. You only use what you need, and there's no waste from pre-cut sheets that are the wrong size for the job.

Is the VSM KK114F Worth Buying?

Straight answer: yes. For the vast majority of woodturning, woodworking, and decorating tasks, the KK114F is an excellent choice. It's flexible enough to conform to complex profiles, it tears cleanly by hand, it resists clogging well on bare wood, it handles oil and lubricant exposure without breaking down, and it covers the full grit range from P40 through to P400.

The one honest limitation: it lacks the stearate anti-clog coating of the KK532F. If you're regularly sanding very resinous timber or painted surfaces at high volume, the KK532F will outperform it in those specific conditions. For everything else, the KK114F delivers outstanding value.

This is not a budget brand cutting corners. VSM has been manufacturing abrasives for over 160 years, operates in more than 70 countries, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, and won the German Innovation Award in 2025 for their XELERION structured abrasive. The KK114F is a deliberate value-tier product from a world-class manufacturer.

If you'd like help choosing the right grit or format for your specific project, get in touch with us at CXS Tools by phone or email. We're always happy to give personal advice based on real workshop experience.