Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 330 Speed-Bloc 1.2 Amp 1/4 Sheet Sander

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Listen... I have finished furniture for a living, and I have seen so many folks browsing the sanders in home improvement stores, and I am sorry to say this sander is not frequently stocked. Forget about dust collection, the others don't work that well anyway.If you want dust collection, buy a shop-vac. I have been through two of these over the years of VERY heavy use and I have to say they ARE the best. There is NO comparison. These are the ONLY comfortable sander you'll find. Take a look at the others and you'll see... there are no others designed like this one and when you use it for twenty minutes you'll understand why it is so much better. JUST BUY IT! The key to this baby is the way you hold it. All other sanders have to be held from the top and they cramp your hand in a matter of minutes. This sander is so comfortable I guarantee you'll love it. Porter cable has got everyone hands down on this one. It has all replacable parts , and it allows much more control by the grip design than any other, allowing you to NOT mess up your work. The motor brushes are really long allowing a long time of use, and cheap to replace. There aren't any stupid wire retainers that you'll curse at trying to put new paper on. Some guy here was complaining about the little tool that is required to change the paper, and that you'll lose it or something, but actually, all it is, is a screw driver... you've got a spare one of those already, now don't you. This is the only 1/4 sheet sander you should even consider buying. This is the one you want. JUST BUY IT!!!!

I bought my Porter Cable 330 Block Sander in 1970 and it has performed flawlessly for 30 years. I am only now replacing the four small rubber posts that insulate the upper housing from the vibration of the pad. This sander uses only 1/4 of a sheet of sandpaper, but is, nevertheless, a high quality, durable machine that can be operated continuously without failure. It is an orbital sander, not a random orbital or vibrating sander, and uses three separate sealed roller bearings - two on the armature and one on the pad. It is a tough machine, built to handle sanding chores in areas where larger sanders either won't fit or are too cumbersome and akward to use, such as sanding on the sides and bottoms of drawers.

I purchased one of these a couple of years ago to finish sand the maple cabinets I was making for my wife's kitchen. They are pretty much one-of-a-kind in that the raised panels are made from Eastern Curly Maple and the stiles and rails are Birdseye Maple. The point is, of course, this is a super hard wood, that is difficult to work with, and takes a while to sand. This sander worked flawlessly, efficiently, and more importantly, comfortably through twenty-five of these doors. I think that is what really sets this little sander apart from all in its class. It is quiet, and its ergonomics make it a pleasure to use. It does use slightly more than one-quarter sheet of sandpaper, though, to cover its base and fit in the clamps. I readily recommend this sander for finish applications.

Handy Dan

I have been doing cabinetry and custom woodowrking for many years and have owned and used many, many pad sanders. For a 1/4 sheet model, this one is the absolute best. I bought my first one 27 years ago and it was still going strong when it was stolen about 4 years ago. Fortunately I bought a second one about 10 yrs ago which is getting plenty of extra use now.

I've melted down a few Makita's and Black & Deckers (they made my hand go numb after 5 minutes use anyway) but this model just keeps on going. Not only smooth, it's extremely durable and easy to do maintenance on (and it lasts the years so you get the chance to).

About that key: I switched my old 330 out years ago to take adhesive backed abrasives and my newer one already has that capability. I never used that key anyway... a screwdriver did a fine job if I did want to used standard sandpaper. That is such a minor thing compared to the superior performance, life, and smoothness you get out of this sander.

After two sanders owned and a handful other 330's used... this is the champ. If you want a bigger sander, blow some pennies on a Porter-Cable 505... it'll last longer than you will!

I own quite a few sanders, and in my opinion this is one of the best, although not _the best_.

Other reviewers have done an excellent job on focusing on all the positives, so I won't waste time restating what they wrote.

For the price there are a few things that could be improved on:

1.) The old 330 has a metal housing, where as this one is plastic. Granted, on a cold day the plastic is probably more friendly, but I like the feel of the metal housing better.

2.) The new 330 isn't made in the U.S.A., where as the old one is. For the price, it should be made here.

3.) The new 330 is rated at 14,000 RPM, where as the old one is 15,000. This probably makes the brushes and bearings last longer, although the brushes don't seem to be the same quality as on the older unit. Either way, the extra 1,000 RPM helped a lot when trying to avoid swirl marks with a course grit. The 340 is also 14,000 RPM, but 1/2 the price.

4.) The new 330 isn't counter-balanced as well as the old, perhaps because of the lighter plastic case.

5.) The 330 doesn't have a dust collection system, unlike the 340. Granted, if you buy a 330 you probably have a downdraft table and don't want the drag of the vacuum hose to interfere with the feedback of the sander, but it would still be nice.

6.) You pretty much need the tool to install the sandpaper. Everyone I know (including me) who has a 330 uses PSA paper because of this. Bosch has an ideal setup on their 1297DK, which is also a nice sander, but 12,000 RPM.

With that said, this is still the best unit available for purchase that I've found. The hand grip is very comfortable, it's fairly quiet, and the vibration is low enough to not cause numbness after extended periods of sanding. Because of the price I'm giving the new 330 4 stars, although I'd have given it 5 if they kept everything the same from the old 330.

When I was apprenticing in a cabinet shop, we used the #330, My dad gave me one for Christmas in 1987, I still use it daily. It fits my hand comfortably, the switch is right under my thumb, it is smooth, quiet and effective. You can sand flush to inside corners. I have used 1/4 sheet pad sanders by Makita, Dewalt and Black & Decker.I can't understand why anyone would want one, they are noisy, uncomfortable and vibrate. The #330 is a truly pleasant tool to work with and one that will last for years of constant service.

The Speed-bloc is very well built and much quieter than ordinary palm sanders. It does an excellent job and due to it's lower than normal vibration, doesn't put your hand to sleep in the process. This machine is comfortable to grip and the on/off switch is conveniently located. Changing paper is quick and easy (with or without the little tool they provide). The Speed-bloc is an excellent old design that Porter-Cable was smart enough to leave alone.

I just wanted to take a second to tel folks how impressed I really was with this little fellow. Its ofcourse simple to use and is everything it bosts to be. you can get right up flush on your work and youll never leave a swirl, One note after some heavy usage its a good idea to let it cool down sparatically.

When I was working as a cabinet maker in college, we used to use noisy Makita sanders that required a rest from the sander after you've been sufficiently shaken from your shoes from the vibration.

This Porter Cable 330 finish sander is outstanding. For one, it's extremely quiet, and from the two projects I've used it for so far, I come away from using it in complete amazement that my arm isn't numb. It's extremely comfortable to use, as well as being a bit weighty, which is a good thing. The weight of the sander is perfect for finish sanding. You don't need to add much pressure if at all.

It's solidly built...I'm just plain impressed. At first, I was a bit disappointed that this unit is made in Mexico, not USA as the Amazon Technical Info states. Seems I try so hard to purchase as much made in US products as I can these days, but they're diminishing. From the unit I received, I'm certain they build their tools to tight specs and have good quality control.

At any rate, this is an excellent quality tool. You'll love it's smoothness, quietness and usability. The Stikit pad is awesome.

I loved this sander. then one day it randomly stopped working. I am sending it back to porter-cable... hopefully they will get it back to me quickly. The sander was used in-frequently at best. I guess i just got a lemon
***Update: Turns out it was my fault. i used the sander on drywall and this caused the problem..? I didn't know. Live and learn. Don't use this sander on drywall... apparently that voids the warranty, but they fixed it anyway.