Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 340K 2 Amp 1/4 Sheet Palm Grip Sander

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you've ever been in a sanding position where you can't feasibly get your head out of the way (like ceilings for example) this is a great purchase. The dust collector saves a lot of clean-up, and eliminates the inhalation of saw dust or paint flakes.

One thing that could be improved is the paper punch. It's easy to lose, and there's nowhere to put it when you're not using it. On the other hand, it's a great way to both measure the paper correctly and get the holes right, so maybe it's not that bad.

Another thing that I just thought of is the great way that the sander grips the paper. It has little wire clips that are very versatile. When I was running out of paper, it took a little ingenuity to fit the scraps of paper, but I got them on and it did a great job.

It's great for little jobs, I highly recommend it!

I bought this tool 6 months ago, and it is very useful. Ifind that the clips work very well. much better than the dewalt, whosclip snapped on me, and also the all ball bearing construction unlike the roller bearings found in most dewalt tools.It is very light and fits in your hand nicely.It has lasted me quite a few sandings so far, having no problems or bizzare noises so far.The dust collection also works great.It sucks up about 80 percent of the saw dust and the rest is scatted away from the work space.

In retrospect, I'm not sure why I bought this sander. It is meant to be used as a finish sander to sand between coats of paint, varnish, etc. or in preparation of painting. For large areas it works well in this regard. However, for smaller jobs, it is easier to simply sand by hand rather than get this tool out, load it with paper, and punch dust collection holes in it. I prefer my 6 inch random orbit sander because it can be used for more aggressive sanding as well as finish sanding. The only advantages of this tool are its lighter weight and ability to sand in corners. If you wish to own just one sander, then I would get a random orbit type.

I am a home hobby woodworker, and this is my only hand power sander. I've had this about a year and a half and finished over a dozen pieces of furniture with it. I originally got it after trying various orbital sanders, all of which left visiable swirls with 100 grit. This is so smooth, no scratch marks or swirls are left with 100 grit. This saves a lot of time and sand paper, not having to go to a higher grit just to remove the swirls from the lower grit.

This machine holds 1/4 sheet sand paper with little clamps on the front and back. My only complaint is the clamps can bang against the wood in a tight corner and dent the wood, but that is probably the nature of the design. However, the little clamps is one of the major advantages of this machine, besides the smooth finish. I can buy a sheet of sandpaper anywhere and it works on this machine. I don't have to search out a particular size or hole configuration, and pay higher prices. It comes with a hole puncher that fits over the sanding head, so any paper will work. I've fitted those synthetic steel wool sheets into the clamps, for fine finishing, and it works great with them too.

I've used this an hour or more at a time, and I've had no problems at all. After a while it gets a little hot, and my hand is left buzzing somewhat after extended use. I'm sure any small hand held sander would have the same results after an hour or more. I'm about ready to change the pad, otherwise it is holding up fine.

The dust collector does work, I can tell right away if I forget to punch the holes in the paper, because the work surface gets covered with dust. You just have to remember to empty it regularly. If you turn the sander with the dust collector sticking up in the air, the dust can fall back down into the sander and create a cloud in your face. An understanding of gravity makes this obvious.

I've owned this sander for a couple years now. It's not too bad. In my experience, it clips the sandpaper very well. The dust collector is ok...but not all that. Just a guess, but I'll say, it collects about half of the dust it sands off. That was one of the main reasons why I purchased it. I don't like the hard plastic collector either, since it tends to get in the way sometimes. It's definately great for drywall, since drywall sands easy.
The case that comes with the sander [could be better] IMO. It leaves little room for the cord and I find myself having to force it close most of the time. Maybe I'm rushing, but that's what I noticed. Great price on this little sander though. It's very dependable and has served me well.

I, like the other guy noted, prefer a random orbital sander for most of my sanding needs. It just takes off a lot more, a lot quicker (I have the DeWalt DW421 for that).

I purchased this sander after much looking around at various sanders. This one caught my eye because of the dust collection system and the fact that you don't have to buy special adhesive sandpaper to use with it (which can get to be quite expensive). I also bought it because it's a Porter-Cable. I have used it to sand a desk for refinishing and used it to sand joint compound in my kitchen. My reaction so far is this... The dust collection system works fairly well, but the collection tank is way to small and is hard to get clean. The clips that hold the paper onto the sander are fantastic. I have not had any of the sandpaper sheets work loose at all. Also, the holes that you are supposed to punch into the paper before sanding do keep the paper from clogging. It does not make quick work for sanding off a finish. If you're patient, it will work. Now, this thing worked fantastic for sanding joint compound except that it made the biggest mess of the dust that I have ever, EVER seen. It blew dust in a radial pattern all over the place. That said, I sanded 2 walls in about 5 minutes. I have mixed feelings about this sander, but do enjoy using it most of the time.

As noted in the Amazon description, this sander is intended for hobbyists and home users. This is seen in it's less than robust construction, in particular, the somewhat flimsy sandpaper retention springs and plastic pad holder. In light comercial shop use, the holder lasted about 4 months before breaking at the spring hinge. We should have bought the speed-bloc...

I'm a home hobbyist woodworker. I've had this sander for about 3-4 years. I like the clips that hold the paper in place. I've never had a problem with the paper sheets coming loose. I like the fact that you can buy cheaper full sheets of paper and cut them into quarters to use. The stand/hole punching device it pretty useful, you just need to keep track of where you put it last. The built-in dust collection doesn't work, so I took mine off and just let the dust blow all over the place. At least the sander pulls the dust away from the sheet, so the paper doesn't clog as quickly as it would without the dust collection. The sander is not very aggressive, so it takes a while to sand anything well. It still runs well after a few years of relatively light use. The price is good, and it's an ok sander for the price, it's just not professional grade.

I bought this sander because of the "dustless" feature to replace my 1/4 sheet Makita that is over 10 years old. Unfortunatly, the feature I bought it for seems to cause swirls on the wood. I'm doing a reproduction corner shelf of cherry and noticed them before I applied the oil finish. I believe the cause is probably the ragged edges produced by the paper punch supplied with the machine. I suppose you could buy factory punched paper which would have a tapered edge on the abrasive but that would be more costly. For a painted finish the sander does produce a nice finish, my work is custom furniture and I use a trademark, hand rubbed oil finish so this is unacceptable to my level of quality.

I've had this sander for at least 5 years, and used it a great deal in that time (mostly sanding wood).
Pros:
o lightweight, well balanced.
o rugged
o excellent for rounding over edges and smoothing wood
o reasonably aggressive sanding considering it's size and weight
o fairly easy to install and remove sandpaper using metal spring-clips
o comes with hole punch
o reasonably good dust collection

Cons:
o noisy
o short cord

Overall this is model 340 sander is a very nice machine.
Recommended.