Although I primarily use a variety of random orbit belt sanders as a weekend woodworker, I've found that 1/4 and 1/2 sheet sanders have an important place in every serious woodworker's shop. The pre-stain wood preparation from these sanders is flawless. I also use the sheet sanders with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper between polyurethane coats.
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br /I own the Porter-Cable 303 Speed-Bloc and the 505 sanders. Recently, my 20-year old 303 1/4 sheet sander stopped working. Rather that purchase a replacement 303, I opted for a sheet sander with variable speed, a dust control vacuum port, and an easy way to attach and remove sandpaper. The sander I chose, after evaluating the Bosch, DeWalt, and other name brands was the P-C 342K.
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br /Since purchasing the 342 a couple of months ago I've used it on a large table I'm refinishing. The sander fits well in my hand and the vibration is not excessive. I can use the 342 for hours without tiring. It's especially effective when doing horizontal or overhead sanding. Dust collection with the attached cannister is OK but I almost always connect to a shop vacuum. Sandpaper attaches easily and the pad clamps work well.
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br /This is a high quality and very capable sander. I own several Porter Cable sanders and the overall quality of these tools is excellent. I'm very pleased that I purchased the P-C 342 and would recommend the 342 to anyone considering a compact and efficient 1/4 sheet palm sander.
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There are many palm sanders on the market today. As a company we have tried almost all of them. We had purchased many of the higher end units and for the price these porter cable 1/4 sheet sanders hold up the best to the abuse that we put them through. These are used to sand epoxy and fiberglass for about 7 straight hours a day and they last about a month. Most of the less expensive models do not even last a week. The only thing that I would recommend to the manufacturers of this type of unit is to either come up with another way to secure the pad to the orbitor or change the material of the feet. That is predominately the failure point. For the homeowner this could be a sander that would last a lifetime.

I bought this sander for smoothing out drywall during a renovation project. Boy does it make quick work of any surface you want sanded! The size is pretty comfortable in my hand and it isn't too heavy. Of course, holding it over my head while sanding the ceiling was pretty tiring after about five minutes, but most other sanders would probably wear me out after two minutes. I really liked the fact that I could just go to the hardware store and buy standard sheets of sandpaper and cut them into four equal pieces for use with this unit. You can lock the paper onto the machine quite easily, then use the plastic square to punch holes in the paper to allow the dust to be sucked away. Very quick. The only beef is that it isn't very effective at pulling the dust into its included dust-collection-cup. When doing drywall sanding, after about fifteen minutes of sanding, I ended up with about two tablespoons of dust in the cup and about two gallons of dust all over the house (slight exaggeration). All in all, I'd say it's only collecting about 15% of the dust produced. Not good. You really have to hook a vacuum cleaner up to it for effective dust collection. Of course, having a vacuum hose attached to the back really weighs it down when working above your head.

The best finishing sander I've owned. Through BD, Milwaukee, Makita, Craftsman etc. over the years this is the best balanced finishing sander I've owned. Stout impact resistant exterior with easy to clean and service access. Powerful sanding motion with low vibration. Moderate noise levels. Finish results are predictable and repeatable.

No complaints here at all. It did a superb job on finishing a large hardwood dining room table. Easy to load use. Highly recommended!

Great palm sander that was exactly what I needed to finish a kitchen overhaul I started. Does the job well with little or no mess. Highly recommend.

pretty good price for something that seems so well made. the thing is solid, works well, powerful, etc. the only thing that I could say that's negative is just that the paper holder is a little primitive seeming. It's not HARD to put the paper in, but it doesn't pull the paper taught (should it? i dont know) and Im sure it could be designed to be easier. That said, i dont think the mechanism will ever break, so that might be the tradeoff. The dust collection seems to work ok - obviously it wont get everything, but i also havent hooked it up to the shop vac either. Anyway, this seems like a really good value - powerful enough for heavy duty use, yet smooth enough for the finesse needed for fine woodworking. I am using it for both...

My trusty old BD palm sander died on a Saturday afternoon, and I use it often. The next afternoon, I ordered the Porter Cable 1/4 sheet palm sander from Amazon, with free 2-3 day shipping. It shipped at 3:00AM Monday and arrived before lunch on Tuesday! And the sander is terrific. It's quieter than my old one, sturdier, and holds the sandpaper better than the BD. I don't miss the old one at all. Mike

I had done some "resarch" on line and looked at a few other sanders in my local hardware stores and decided on the Porter-Cable. To do more than finish sand wooden SUP paddles this sander fits the bill. It does wonders from shaping the handle and shaft all the way down to the blade, really "finish sanding". Grits from 120 to 300 work beautifully on both hard woods and soft, resulting in great comments on the finished paddle.

I love this product. It is easy to use and the results are great. Would purchase this item again in the future.

I am a firm believer in buying the best quality, especially in tools. Most of my power tools are 18 volt DeWalt. I need a sander for my deck handrail, (counting all three rails on it, we are talking close to 300 ft!) I needed a corded sander and this fill the bill. Only fault I can see, this represents something I don't want to do!! But it will sure get the job done. Great quality!!