Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 333K 2.4 Amp 5-Inch Random Orbit Hook and Loop Sander

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I purchased this sander at Lowes at cheaper price than here (I had to pay sales tax so it was not much cheaper).

Sander worked fine and it was powerful, not as much vibration as Porter Cable palm sander. Hook and loop sandpaper although expensive is nice to use. I don't think I would like stick-on discs.

Now, the bad part (one would expect that part, isn't it?). Unfortunately, I ignored one of previous reviewers stating problematic pad. My sander was returned to Lowe's after nine days of heavy duty usage because belt that drives pad broke and sanding pad went bad too. New pad costs thirteen or fourteen dollars at HD. Dewalt pad is one dolar more expensive and is better made.

I purchased another Porter Cable random orbital sander because I invested quite a lot of money in Porter cable sandpaper discs (5 hole). Most of competitors use 8 hole sand paper so I could not buy Dewalt or Bosch because I had pile of 5 hole Porter Cable sandpaper discs. I would recommend Norton universal sandpaper discs sold at HD, which can be used on 5 and 8 hole random-orbit sanders. If you don't like PC sander you can return it and buy competitor's sander without worring about purchasing again sandpaper.

I don't think that dust was an issue because I hooked up my Ridgid shop vac to this sander. I could vacuum my hardwood floor with this sander when connected to shop vac. I had to use ear muffles to deal with noise though.

Dewalt and Bosch have metal backing plate in their sander pad but not Porter Cable, which uses plastic. This plastic wore out in place where pad is screwed to sender (3 torx screws).

I would love to find out if Dewalt pad would fit Porter Cable sander. I own 3 different PC sanders and this one is a real disappointment as far as reliability is concerned.

I would love to see Porter Cable stand behind their product and redesign their pad so it would not break so quickly. I think that pad recall should be done by Porter Cable.

EDIT: My second sander still works. Pad is fine too. Maybe washers I put in the pad made it last longer. Overall, I am pleased with this unit. I changed rating to 4. All my PC sanders are working fine till now.

I bought the sander about a year ago but hadn't used it much until recently. The motor is evidently seized up and I'm not sure if I have any time left on the warranty. I bought four boxes of sandpaper for this sander, but will not buy another Porter Cable tool. I only hope my PC biscuit jointer and nail guns don't suffer the fate of this poorly built tool.

If you read the Intermediate Woodworkers review, that's my story also. I agree with everything he said. I would add that this Porter Cable sander uses a rubber band as part of the random orbiting action. Also there is a gasket which is applied with basically a double sided tape. Once it comes loose it loses its adhesion. If you buy this sander you should expect to have to replace the pad, gasket and rubber band at one time or another. All and all, a poorly and cheaply designed sander. That being said - when the sander is working it does a very nice job.

I just purchased my third. My previous two lasted over two years each. I am a hobbyist woodworker but also refinish furniture and I estimate I've put 100+ hard hours on each of my previous two. I use dust collection about 80% of the time. I rate this sander's performance at 5 stars because it is agressive and powerful with little vibration and performs its intended duties well. In my experience it outperforms direct competitors' models and has better reliability. I am more than satisfied with the durability and rate it 5 stars as well because the operating cost relative to purchase price is quite cheap - beats hand sanding!

This sander has been in my shop for about a year and a half with minimal use - probably less than three hours of total sanding time. Even though I was diligent in blowing out the dust with an air hose and using the sander as recommended, the bearings seized-up last weekend. A real shame because when it worked, it worked very well with flawless results. It's definitely not up to the quality standards of the Porter Cable we used to know and trust.

I have generally been happy with my Porter Cable tools, but this sander is an exception. I bought mine shortly after they became available, thinking it would be an improvement over my older Model 333. Although it performed well for some time, it has now developed a significant vibration. I have to stop sanding periodically to push the dust canister back on, or it will vibrate off. The Porter Cable Service Center checked out the sander and said it was mechanically sound, but the housing was worn out! I've never had a tool that the housing wore out on! The cost of the replacement housing approached the cost of a new sander, so I chose not to spend the money. It's interesting to note that my old Model 333 has more hours on it and works fine. When Porter Cable incorporated the anti-spin pad into this sander, they apparently sacrificed some of the product's durability. You might be happy with this sander for occasional use, but I'd recommend ssomething else for frequent use.

I would not buy another one of these sanders. After about 3 hours of total use the lower bearing seized. Their web site sells the bearing for $12.60.

I have had several of these sanders over the past 2 years and every one of them stopped working in one way or another after very little use. They were never dropped and always kept clean and yet they still seized up. I treated the last one like an egg and it still stopped working within 3 weeks. They obviously have a problem with dust, which is kind of bad for a sander. I would recommend the DeWalt version instead.

Similar to others...I've been through 2 of these sanders. I'm kind of stuck as all of my dust collection is setup for the PC hookup(why can't we have universal connections on a tool where DC is so imperative, I will never know). Suppose we have to understand that a sander is a continuous use tool and expectations may need to be reduced for longevity. I do woodworking as a side job and I have had other sanders seize up as well.

I have used this sander for three years of occasional use. The hook and loop disks make changing grits so easy that I am never tempted to continue using the wrong grade "because it is on the sander". For example, I am using a 220 grit for final finish when I notice a missed bump or misfit. I simply peel off the 220 grit and substitiute the proper grit. When finished, I then reinstall the 220 grit to continue where I left off. No wasted disks. Unlike the peel and stick type where removal means gone.

The dust collector attachment isn't a favorite item among some reveiwers. I use a hose to my shop vac and can honestly say the air is dust free. I even sanded when I was recovering from sinusitus. The vacuum works so well that it picks up chips left in dados from a routing operarion as well as the sanding dust.