Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 97366 6-Inch Variable Speed Sander Kit with Dust Collection Hood

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike some other users, I've replaced my belt sander with this one.

The good points of this sander have to do with it being very powerful and a random orbit sander. Powerful is good for smoothing large surfaces quickly. Quickly is good for me because I hate sanding so much (I own at least seven electric sanders -- I must hate it). Random orbit is good, frankly, because you never get the surprises that an instant of inattention with a belt sander gets you (I am in awe of those of you who get perfect results every time with a belt sander -- you are better than me). This machine is nearly as aggressive as my P-C belt sander, and much less likely to carve low spots or dig in an edge.

The bad part is that it is much harder to handle than a smaller, less powerful random orbit sander. It took me a while to develop a smooth technique with it, and it still sometimes wants to "walk" off the work piece. I use it for preliminary sanding on flat surfaces before assembly. I think it would be a poor choice for sanding small parts of an assembled piece, and a disastrous choice for something with a lot of different surface levels close to each other (a rolltop desk, small table, chair, etc.)

I use it where I used to use my belt sander, and finish sand by hand or with my small random orbit sander.

By the way, it sands like mad. It's fast. It's aggressive. I love it.

Recommended.

There is no such thing as a tool that's perfect for every task and this PC is no exception. I build kitchen cabinets and use it to smooth whole sheets of plywood before cutting and smoothing dovetail joints on drawer boxes. The 120 grit works great. Saves a ton of time on drawer boxes and the insides of the cases. The dust collection is fantastic, no more cloud of dust from my palm model with the silly catch canister. Quiet, smooth running, quality construction. Be careful with coarse grits, eats wood fast! The pad is very firm so it won't round over the edges of the wood. It may not be the best for small or narrow parts, but it's great on the big stuff. Nice Tool!

Porter Cable's 6" sander does a very good job of rough sanding and stock removal. It is a bit too heavy and cumbersome for fine/final sanding of a project. The included velcro straps are a nice touch for holding the vacuum hose in place.

If you are looking for a dustless sander though, look elsewhere. The dust collector is an after thought which barely functions. I have to use my Dewalt DW421 (which has excellent dust collection) for final sanding and dust cleanup.

The Porter Cable 6" sander is a good, well built sander but save a few bucks and buy it without dust collection.

I have my own furniture business and the PC 97366 is a great sander. It is much more aggressive than my DW421. Dust collection is great, variable speed is very handy for fine work, after 2 months pad brake still working and all this with no swirl marks. A great sander for most work, but still not the only sander I need and use.

I recently purchased the PC 97366 6" Variable Speed Sander Kit with Dust Collection Hood. I read a review at Amazon indicating the dust collection was inadequate. In my experience the dust collection, while not perfect, is very good. I sanded the parts to make a cherry bookcase with my Ryobi RS-115 just before ordering the 97366. Even though the RS-115 has built in dust collection, as usual, I had dust all over the shop. I just finished sanding an identical bookcase with the 97366. There is very little dust in my shop from this job. The dust hood is definitely worthwhile. I suspect the variation in dust collection with the 97366 is due to the shop vacuum attached to it. If you have a good shop vacuum with a clean filter, you should collect almost all the dust. I did note, however, that I get better dust collection with sanding pads that have the holes, rather than those without holes. Porter Cable says you can use pads without holes, and you can. But, I dont think dust collection is as good.

While it certainly is not as aggressive as my large Porter Cable belt sander, it is very fast. I did not find control to be a problem although it is a little more difficult to use than the RS-115. It is bigger, heavier, and supplies much more torque.

To change pads you invert the sander and peel off the old pad. This would be much easier if the manufacturer would put a flat base on the top so the sander would remain steady when inverted. (Are you reading this Porter Cable?) But, then, that also goes for any sander I have ever used or seen.

This ia a remarkably versatile sander, equally adept at finish sanding and rapid stock removal. As such, it replaces both a half-sheet finish sander and a belt sander for most people. It's aggressive, but more easily controlled than a belt sander, and with fine grits (150 and above) and at slower speeds its aggressiveness can be well moderated. Because it is a random orbital sander, it never leaves sanding marks, and sandpaper lasts considerably longer than with a finish or palm sander (at least for me).

As with all Porter-Cable tools, it is no-nonsense and well-made. On the down side, it's a bit fatiguing to grip with my medium-sized hands, the dust-collection hood is only moderately effective (although all remaining dust is directed downward), and extended use causes my hands to tingle for several hours afterwards. These criticisms are only minor, and do not diminish the sander's utility; moreover, they may apply in varying degrees to all random-orbit right-angle sanders. I do suggest the use of shock-absorbing gloves and breathing protection with it, however.

In summation, I recommend this sander highly. I have used it daily in the restoration of our 1888 Victorian, and have found it perfect for nearly every situation.

This is the exact same package as Griots Garage sells for $50 more. All you need is a couple of foam polishing pads from Meguiars or any auto detailing site and you are ready to polish your car to perfection. Just check out this link for complete directions on how to use one of these things and you will be polishing like a pro in a day! There is NO COMPARISON to the job this tool will do and hand work. Not even close.

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/forum.php?postid=1430487&page=1

I recently purchased this sander and must say it is the most aggressive sander I have ever seen. It puts my pneumatic sanders to shame in sanding. I will say that it is kind of heavy and awkward to hold. After sanding two hours with it my right hand was quite sore and tired. Other than that, it is an excellent tool.

I won a Dewalt DW421 in a contest about 5 years ago. I traded it in and paid the difference to upgrade to this sander. The first 2 or 3 failed out of the box with motor and/or gear problems. After finding one that performed properly I put it to the test. I have used the 97366 with the dust collection system to sand cultured marble sinks and smooth walls that I had recently plastered. The dust was minimal while using my shop vacuum. It performs very good to excellent in sanding both soft and extreemly hard surfaces. This is one of the best investments I have made in my shop!

I use this sander primarily to strip paint of the bottom of my sailboat and it works great. Vacuum dust collection is required by the marina and this works fine as well. However, there will still be dust in the air and the combination of sander and vacuum is noisy so a good dust mask and ear plugs should be used. I have been using the sander for 3 years and it has not given me any problems. I use mostly 60 and 80 grit disks which make the tool moderately aggressive at removing paint, but not enough to mar the surface. I also keep the variable speed setting at the highest level, so I have not found this feature very useful. The only drawbacks are that it is a little heavy for overhead use and the cord/vacuum hose makes it a little cumbersome to maneuver. If you are going to own just one sander, then this is the one to get. It is more aggressive than the pad type sander so that it can be used for moderate paint removal, but can also be used for delicate finish work as well.