Porter-Cable 343K 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander Kit - Hook & Loop Pad
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Porter-Cable 343K 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander Kit - Hook & Loop Pad
Customer Review: Better than nothing, but very disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this sander to replace an old Makita. I recognize now that this was a mistake. To be fair, I will admit that the Porter Cable has a few positive aspects:
- It feels robust and appears to be well-assembled from parts that fit together nicely.
- The carrying case is well-designed and has enough space to hold a few boxes of hook-and-loop sanding discs.
Unfortunately, the negatives far outweigh and outnumber the positives.
- The dust collection is useless. The can falls off by itself all of the time, requiring me to devise cheezy electric-tape and rubber-band contraptions to try to hold it on.
- Even when the can is on, it doesn't seem to filter fine dust as effectively as a cloth bag, like the one found on my old Makita.
- This unit seems to chew through sanding discs much faster than I'd expected.
- This sander seems very difficult to control; it wants to wander around on its own accord, and is thus rather fatiguing to operate.
- The finish quality produced with this tool is poor. It seems to produce many visible swirls and marks, the elimination of which is the primary benefit of a random-orbit sander in the first place.
Considering all of these points (along with an absolutely terrible experience I had recently with a Porter-Cable router) I have basically given up on Porter-Cable as a maker of quality tools. From now on, I will be sticking with DeWalt, Bosch, and Hitachi.
Customer Review: Can be a pain!
Summary: 3 Stars
I own several Porter Cable tools, and this one leaves me wondering who did the R&D. Its not as comfortable to use as previous models. On the bright side, the dust collector is easy to empty..actually it never gets much in it as it always falls off and blows clouds of dust in your face!
If you like the look of duct tape on your new tools... go for it.
I do hope someone at PC looks at these reviews for feed back.
Customer Review: Can work with 5-hole pad
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this after my old 5-hole model 333 finally gave out. I have a fairly large inventory of 5-hole sandpaper disks, which I hoped to be able to use with this 8-hole hook & loop pad model. Sure enough, both the 5-hole and 8-hole pads are the same size, with mounting holes in the same position. Thus, I was able to replace the 8-hold pad with a 5-hole one and use my 5-hole paper.Customer Review: DO NOT BUY!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
So, I have two old porter cable routers , two old porter cable sanders and I just bought a new porter cable sander, which I imagine was made after it was sold to Black and Decker. I haven't bought a Black and Decker product in ten years because the quality reeks. Now I find that the "NEW" Porter Cable is just like the Black and Decker products. I guess I'll never buy another one. The new random orbital is biggger, bulky, harder to handle, harder to control than the good ol Porter Cables.Customer Review: Decent sander, bad dust collector
Summary: 3 Stars
In my experience, which is probably not as extensive as others here who work on hundreds of cabinets a year, this is a decent sander that is powerful and controllable enough for common woodworking jobs around the house. I'm on my third piece of furniture now and it would have been painful without the P-C.
However, like many of the others, I have to also report that the dust collector will no longer stay attached... Good thing I have duct tape.