Accessories

Very flexible and productive, needs some refinement
I like this tool, because it has accomplished every task I have tried to do with it. The various attachments give you great flexibility to sand round parts, grooved parts, odd profiles, etc. Unlike other reviewers, nothing on this tool has broken or worn out for me in the light use I have given it for several years. For this it gets 4 stars.

The missing star is for lack of refinement. It's a bit too heavy, it's a bit unbalanced, it's a bit awkward to use. The awkwardness goes away once you grow accustomed to its weight and use, but quality results virtually demand two-handed operation. This is not one of those tools that feels great in your hand the first time you pick it up.

But it's a solid performer that does things well that no other tool in my shop can do at all.

Skip this tool!
I thouhgt this tool would solve many sanding problems, but the tool itself is the bigest problem. The power switch doesn't work all the time. I have to hit the tool to get it to turn on with the switch in the ON position. The tool also gets very hot and I had to shut it off to let it cool down.

Update . . .
I've had this thing a couple of years now. I still haven't found anything else that can do all the things that this tool can do as well as it does it. The profiles will let you restore practically anything once you learn to use them. The Fein may be preferable for doing jobs that the diamond pad does, but it just can't do jobs that can be done with the Porter profile kit.

I stand by my previous criticism of the pad attaching system. It's rather "mickey mouse" and not up to Porter Cable standards I'm used to in my other tools. But, we've got periodic replacement of the parts that self-destruct pretty much down pat now so it's not a big problem, when you consider what all this tool does that nothing else we've found can do. Also, I was told recently that Porter Cable is addressing the pad mount system problems in an update of the tool that is planned for release soon. I hope so and if they do, I'll be the first to buy one.

We've adapted the Profile Mounting Pad to dust collection by boring a couple of holes on each side of the holder and using the vac wand with it. Works great. Porter should have thought of it.

It's a tool we consider essential for restoration of detailed woodwork, both inside and out

Love-Hate Relationship
There's an art to using the thing and once you acquire it, you can do pretty good work with it. Until you catch on, you'll burn holes through one spot on your sandpaper and leave black rubber residue on your work in a heartbeat if you're using the rubber profile attachments. If you're using the diamond pad with hook and loop, you definitely want to have the dust wand and vac hose accessories. If you don't this thing will keep your face full of dust. They should be included as standard since they're almost a requirement, but they weren't on mine.

Other than bad balance, lousy dust control, too much noise, and some serious reservations about the quality outside the motor housing, I like it. It lets me do a lot of things that I previously either couldn't do or had to do by hand.

Just make sure you're adept at power tool repair, that you have a handly online source for parts for the thing (Sears.com is best I've found so far), and be prepared to accept the fact that the pad attachment brackets will be self-destructing on a regular basis, and you'll like this thing after you get used to it. If you can't handle those little problems, don't buy this thing.

Would I recommend it? Not without making you aware that you're going to be constantly replacing pads, pad parts and bracket housings IF you can find them to replace them. Porter Cable's parts distribution system is still operating in the 1950's. Thank goodness for Sears.com and another outfit that has a good parts website in Canada or we'd have thrown this thing away long ago.

The attachment system is a real disappointment. I could see somebody like Wagner making junk like this. I haven't found this to be typical of Porter Cable in other tools I own. Seems like I've got to overhaul it just about every time I get about halfway through a restoration job. It could have been better designed and Porter Cable could make parts for the thing more readily accessible like all their major competitors have done.

I'd give it five stars on workability (once I found and bought the attachments that were needed to make it workable for anything other than hobby use) and NO stars on durability and less than that on manufacturer backup. Wish it were different but that's what I've experienced.

Single Speed Piece of Junk
I bought one yesterday, and today I took it back to the store where I bought it. I agree with previous comments:
1> The attachments fall-off.
2> The PSA sandpaper does not hold.
3> You spend lots of time removing the black stuff from the attachments.
4> More time spent replacing sandpaper than sanding.
5. If it costs 10 bucks, I'd still be disappointed !