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I've gone through two of these units and two of the previous model (333). Each time the bearings failed after three to six months of use. I talked to my finish carpenter and my stair builder and they both recommended a different brand (Milwaukee). I'm buying that next.
Now I find that the "NEW" Porter Cable is just like the Black and Decker products. 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. 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.
I like the way the sander performs. It replaced a 343 orbital with a PSA pad so I had to remove the old PSA pad from the 343 and put it on the new sander. The sander works well but it is slightly clumsy compared to the old. Probably because it is taller.
Basically, you get what you pay for with the PC - an affordable sander that will work reasonably well until the switch fails or you wear out the velcro pad. Dust collection works pretty well, and I appreciate the change to an 8 hole pattern.
Between the two, I owned a Dewalt 423 sander and I have operated them back to back. This is my second PC 5" orbital and it performs pretty much like the first one.
Its power switch does not have a dust boot, so it will likely fail earlier than other parts (as happened with my first PC sander). Without a doubt, the Dewalt performs better in several ways.
The Porter Cable is less aggressive and vibrates less, but has a tendency to "grab" and get away from you. Also, the vacuum port hooks right up to my Fein hose without any need for additional adapters - much like the Dewalt.
Though the Dewalt vibrates and costs a bit more, I definitely prefer it to this.
I have only used the sander for about a month on several occasions but it appears to work well. My only complaint is the inadequacy of the dust collection attachment. It captures some of the dust but the fines are airborne and will cover the surrounding work area. Overall, I would recommend this random orbit sander
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