There's an art to using the thing and once you acquire it, you can do pretty good work with it. Until you catch on, you'll burn holes through one spot on your sandpaper and leave black rubber residue on your work in a heartbeat if you're using the rubber profile attachments. If you're using the diamond pad with hook and loop, you definitely want to have the dust wand and vac hose accessories. If you don't this thing will keep your face full of dust. They should be included as standard since they're almost a requirement, but they weren't on mine.pOther than bad balance, lousy dust control, too much noise, and some serious reservations about the quality outside the motor housing, I like it. It lets me do a lot of things that I previously either couldn't do or had to do by hand.pJust make sure you're adept at power tool repair, that you have a handly online source for parts for the thing (Sears.com is best I've found so far), and be prepared to accept the fact that the pad attachment brackets will be self-destructing on a regular basis, and you'll like this thing after you get used to it. If you can't handle those little problems, don't buy this thing. pWould I recommend it? Not without making you aware that you're going to be constantly replacing pads, pad parts and bracket housings IF you can find them to replace them. Porter Cable's parts distribution system is still operating in the 1950's. Thank goodness for Sears.com and another outfit that has a good parts website in Canada or we'd have thrown this thing away long ago.pThe attachment system is a real disappointment. I could see somebody like Wagner making junk like this. I haven't found this to be typical of Porter Cable in other tools I own. Seems like I've got to overhaul it just about every time I get about halfway through a restoration job. It could have been better designed and Porter Cable could make parts for the thing more readily accessible like all their major competitors have done.pI'd give it five stars on workability (once I found and bought the attachments that were needed to make it workable for anything other than hobby use) and NO stars on durability and less than that on manufacturer backup. Wish it were different but that's what I've experienced.

I bought one yesterday, and today I took it back to the store where I bought it. I agree with previous comments: br1 The attachments fall-off.br2 The PSA sandpaper does not hold. br3 You spend lots of time removing the black stuff from the attachments.br4 More time spent replacing sandpaper than sanding.br5. If it costs 10 bucks, I'd still be disappointed !

This tool is great for sanding detail work like painted window and door molding in an old home. I just started working with it and my first impression is that this will allow me to work much faster than if I tried to do this by hand. I was able to remove paint from the molding of 2 doorways and 3 windows in about 2 hours. Not bad for using it for the first time.It does take a little getting used to using this tool. This is not an orbital or finish sander. The inline action seems awkward at first, in my case only because the paint would gum up in the paper and cause the tool to kick back. If you move the tool constantly in a slow motion across paint (as the manual states) it works very well for paint removal. I would agree that this tool is loud, but it is not unbearable. It is a little louder than my PC orbital sander, but not nearly as load as most shop vacs or compressors. Ear protection doesn't seem necessary for this tool.The profiles stay on the tool without any problems. The sandpaper stays put too without any problems. The paper does wear quickly, but I sort of expected this with sanding paint. The sanding motion is very agressive. This can be a great thing for removing paint. However, you do have to change the paper often. The sand paper rolls are pretty cheap. I bought my tool factory refurbished for about half of what I have seen it sell for new. I have no complaints about its performance or quality. This is another PC tool that I would recommend. Good luck.

I bought this somewhere else on impulse but I had read the reviews for it and the variable speed model here.If I had not read the reviews here I might not have bought it. I have found it to be a very useful tool. I have used the diamond shaped profile foot the most.I used it with the the dust collection wand hooked up to my shop vac spot sanded painted (with latex)narrow baseboards where ever there were chipped areas to be feathered out. Almost no latex dust in the house was the result and no chance of hitting the hardwood floor by mistake. The sand paper for the detail pad is not cheap but it is (I believe) 3m's best grade and is very durable. The paper can of course be reversed if it wears more on the leading point. I can see that if I use it extensively that foot will have to be replaced from time to time but since it too can be reversed it won't be as aften as if it were fixed.... I bought the attachment for doing shutters to get into some odd otherwise inaccessable spots and it worked well with the the rolled self adhesive paper. I used a couple of the profiles to spot sand coves on some door trim. If you have read the reviews on the variable speed model you will have seen the complaints about the profiles; paper not adhereing and when falling off the profile leaving marks etc. I experienced none of these but I did not use the rolled adhesive backed sandpaper. My machine came with a selection of squares of of black cloth backed sandpaper sized for the profiles. I made sure that a profile to be used was clean and applied the paper. It loads quickly with paint but the paint can be easily knocked off with a small wire brush.On bare would it lasts a very long time. The paper never came off and the profile never ejected from the profile holder. If you get Porter Cable's own product catalog you will find this paper on page 28 described as 20 packs of cloth sheets. I found them on the shelf at a contractor type hardware store.... I would say that each square was the equivalent in durability of a half to full sheet of standard sandpaper. Looked at that way they are not so high priced.... Otherwise find a local supplier who carries or who can order them. I also used this machine to sand details and profiles on some furniture that had been previously stripped. On bare wood both the detail pad and the profiles worked very well for me. Dust collection was again a plus. Some reviewers on the variable speed model complained a little about the tool being hard to handle. I have what I consider to be medium sized hands for a 5'11" man and had no problem holding the tool for extended periods. And it vibrates considerably less than many other types of sander. This could be quite helpful for those who are suffering from any type of hand or wrist troubles . At least worth a try. One thing to consider when using the tool is the inline rather than orbital motion. I used the detail pad to sand into the corners of some unfinished birch plywood cabinets. There was no bouncing off the sides of a corner which was for me perhaps the most pleasurable moment I have had using this tool. I have waited for years for that experience. But the inline motion left definite cross grain scratches. These cabinets were to be painted so 120 grit cross grain scratches were no problem. If they were going to be stained I would have sanded to a finer (220+) grit and then hand sanded with a block and paper with the grain on the last grit. To conclude : I was looking for a detail sander with dust collection. I paid more for this tool than Toolcrib/Amazons current sale price on the single speed model, which I think is a great deal. If this price is so low because the single speed model is going to be discontinued that is unfortunate. If I didn't have one I would be willing to pay the price for the variable speed model. My only concern would be the longer stroke on the variable speed model. Could it cause the tool to bounce off adjacent surfaces or could it be the reason some have had with the profiles ejecting ? Maybe. But worth finding out. I gave this tool 4 stars but not 5 only because I like to think there is always room for improvements. I am glad I don't have to be the one to come up with them.

I refinish furniture for a living and was looking for a tool to save time on sanding. At first look the Porter-Cable Profile sander looked like it would fit the bill. After 4 months the sander died. I sent it off to be repaired but had to have a replacement quick. I stepped up to the plate and bought a Fein detail sander. What a difference!! The guy at my local tool shop (and repair shop) said they do not sell the Porter-Cable anymore due to all the problems they were having!! I will keep mine for a backup but I love the Fein. Another problem I had with the Porter-Cable is that the pad that holds the sanding paper on wears out quickly. I realize I may use mine more than a weekend sawdust maker but I have found it is worth buying the best...and for a detail sander..in my openion, isn't the Porter-Cable!!

I thouhgt this tool would solve many sanding problems, but the tool itself is the bigest problem. The power switch doesn't work all the time. I have to hit the tool to get it to turn on with the switch in the ON position. The tool also gets very hot and I had to shut it off to let it cool down.

I like this tool, because it has accomplished every task I have tried to do with it. The various attachments give you great flexibility to sand round parts, grooved parts, odd profiles, etc. Unlike other reviewers, nothing on this tool has broken or worn out for me in the light use I have given it for several years. For this it gets 4 stars.
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br /The missing star is for lack of refinement. It's a bit too heavy, it's a bit unbalanced, it's a bit awkward to use. The awkwardness goes away once you grow accustomed to its weight and use, but quality results virtually demand two-handed operation. This is not one of those tools that feels great in your hand the first time you pick it up.
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br /But it's a solid performer that does things well that no other tool in my shop can do at all.

I have been using this sander for the last eight months. It has been a tremendous tool in many ways. The many different fittings for spindles, corners, tight spaces etc.. have been great. My only wish would be for a small piece of maybe an inch wide and three or four inches long was available for the real tight spaces.