here are some of my jobs, When i started my business i never inteneded to do industrial blasting so i honed my skills on specialty stuff like cars, boats, houses ect.

i originally started out as just a soda blaster but soda has its limitations, so i spend a couple years trying every media i could get my hands on. I am to the point now where i mainly use. soda, walnut, 3 grades of glass, (50, 100 and 200 grit) aluminum oxide and garnet. different medias for different jobs.

my main media now is glass. i have the confidence and experience to blast almost everything with glass but there are some exceptions. so i will use soda or walnuts if i feel they are too delicate or if the customer wants a finish thats smooth.

the vette in the pic is 200 grit glass, boat was soda, chevy panel was walnut/100 grit glass, caddy was 100 grit, chevelle was soda blasted, cuda walnut

like challenger says a good compressor is a must. buy good media, it will pay off in the long run. i would go with a 100 grit glass for a new guy as its a little more forgiving than the coarser stuff, stay away from sand. sand belongs at the beach, not your car. maybe floor suspension stuff but no panels. so to answer you question with my long winded response. 100 grit glass, cheap and user friendly