I started using a product called "Black Diamond", it's made from the coal slag waste from power plants. Has no silicon in it which is great health wise and is very, very sharp. It cuts so nice that material usage is reduced and leaves a nice toothed surface for paint adhesion. Just a much nicer abrasive then sand, and total cost is roughly equal to sand on large pieces at home if one lays a tarp out to recycle the material. It's so sharp it can be reused.
And yes, I used sand for many, many years. Never going back to sand.