: Tested it.

: 220 grit by DA sander feels like 400 grit by hand.

: 80 grit by DA sander feels like 150 grit by hand.

: 80 grit by DA sander feels smoother than 80 grit by hand.

: Try it. I did side by side comparisons on a peice of red oak...took 15
: minutes mostly scrounging for sand paper.

Well....not a real scientific test. Depends on how fast the sander is moving and how much pressure you apply, both to the DA and by hand. Can't expect one to equal the other if one is slowly sanding with alot of pressure by hand and the other has little pressure and is moving very fast by DA. Comparing apples to oranges.

Bill H.