Accessories

seems very good
pretty good price for something that seems so well made. the thing is solid, works well, powerful, etc. the only thing that I could say that's negative is just that the paper holder is a little primitive seeming. It's not HARD to put the paper in, but it doesn't pull the paper taught (should it? i dont know) and Im sure it could be designed to be easier. That said, i dont think the mechanism will ever break, so that might be the tradeoff. The dust collection seems to work ok - obviously it wont get everything, but i also havent hooked it up to the shop vac either. Anyway, this seems like a really good value - powerful enough for heavy duty use, yet smooth enough for the finesse needed for fine woodworking. I am using it for both...

Tough Sander Gets the Job Done!
The best finishing sander I've owned. Through B&D, Milwaukee, Makita, Craftsman etc. over the years this is the best balanced finishing sander I've owned. Stout impact resistant exterior with easy to clean and service access. Powerful sanding motion with low vibration. Moderate noise levels. Finish results are predictable and repeatable.

great snder
I had done some "resarch" on line and looked at a few other sanders in my local hardware stores and decided on the Porter-Cable. To do more than finish sand wooden SUP paddles this sander fits the bill. It does wonders from shaping the handle and shaft all the way down to the blade, really "finish sanding". Grits from 120 to 300 work beautifully on both hard woods and soft, resulting in great comments on the finished paddle.

Porter-Cable Sander Kit
I love this product. It is easy to use and the results are great. Would purchase this item again in the future.

Really cuts through wood!
I bought this sander for smoothing out drywall during a renovation project. Boy does it make quick work of any surface you want sanded! The size is pretty comfortable in my hand and it isn't too heavy. Of course, holding it over my head while sanding the ceiling was pretty tiring after about five minutes, but most other sanders would probably wear me out after two minutes. I really liked the fact that I could just go to the hardware store and buy standard sheets of sandpaper and cut them into four equal pieces for use with this unit. You can lock the paper onto the machine quite easily, then use the plastic square to punch holes in the paper to allow the dust to be sucked away. Very quick. The only beef is that it isn't very effective at pulling the dust into its included dust-collection-cup. When doing drywall sanding, after about fifteen minutes of sanding, I ended up with about two tablespoons of dust in the cup and about two gallons of dust all over the house (slight exaggeration). All in all, I'd say it's only collecting about 15% of the dust produced. Not good. You really have to hook a vacuum cleaner up to it for effective dust collection. Of course, having a vacuum hose attached to the back really weighs it down when working above your head.