Porter-Cable 330 Speed-Bloc 1.2 Amp 1/4 Sheet Sander

5 Reviews

1. I’ve owned five power hand sanders (two Craftsman, two PC, and a B&D) and used many more. The Speed Bloc is hands down the quietest and best balanced sander I have used. You can’t even believe how little noise and vibration this makes. If you use a sander extensively, this means a lot as it reduces your fatigue.

   As it is not a random orbit sander you will need to watch for swirl marks. I also own two random orbit sanders as there are many things they cannot do well – like detail sanding and rounding of edges.

   Despite a few quirks, I very solidly give it FIVE stars.

   Some tips and cautions:

   1) If it is COLD (below 35F) it has problems starting up due to the rubber isolators being very stiff. If you have a garage shop as I do, you’ll have to keep it in the house until you use it.

   2) No dust extraction – use a downdraft table, mask, etc.

   3) If you are not using PSA or hook-loop, you probably will want to put 3-4 pieces of sandpaper in at a time so you don’t spend so much time swapping new paper in.

   4) The paper changing tool is something you do NOT want to misplace. Zip tie it to your power cord.

   5) The paper changing tool works better if you put it in a vise and bend the top inch about ~10 degrees.

   6) The sander is taller than most 1/4 sheet sanders – this can make it harder to get into corners or small spaces.

   7) “Break” your paper to improve it’s life (run it across an edge to flex the grains) This also makes it easier to fold and tear

2. This is a very heavy constructed piece of equipment. It feels good in your hand,although it feels twice as heavy as my Bosch,which means that you don’t have to apply any pressure to sand as the weight of the machine does a good job of that. The vibration is substantially less than my Bosch,but it gets so hot that you can only use it a few minutes before you have to let it cool down for 20 minutes. I tried to use it longer, thinking that it would reach a peak and I could bear that,but that is not the case ,it just keeps getting hotter and hotter and hotter. It would be good for frying eggs,and making coffee.

3. Have been using the 330 for 15 years Yes the same one all this time. I borrowed a new Dewalt random orbit sander to repair the handrails and posts on an old deck. It took less than 15 minutes to return to my old 330 to finish the job. For shier cutting, power and sanding ability nothing I have used in over 30 years of carpentry can match the Porter Cable 330 palm sander when a palm sander is the tool of choice. On the downside the Sticky pad for this sander does not hold up well. The glue on paper tends to tear the pad when removing. I purchased a new pad when I started this rail and post job and a week later I trashed it. For this reason I buy the pads in multiples from Amazon. Hook and loop paper might be a better choice but the H&L paper in 4×4 sheets is not readily available.

   I have read many reviews of palm sanders in which the user complains that they have trouble with them when sanding drywall. Palm sanders are defiantly not made for sanding drywall. You would not use a hacksaw for cutting lumber, would you? If you insist on using this type of tool for sanding drywall then expect it to clog and possibly burn up. Use the proper tool for the proper job.

4. My Milwaukee palm sander finally died after years of faithful service, and I replaced it with this Porter-Cable model after reading the reviews. It is quieter than the Milwaukee and a lot easier on the hand because there’s not as much vibration transfered to the housing that you grip when you hold it. The placement of the ON/OFF switch is really nice since it’s located right where your fingers are as you hold the unit. You don’t have to fumble around or look for the switch at all. The only beef I have is the same mentioned by a couple of others. Some have stated this is kinda lame, but I don’t think so. Unless you want to spend $6 for 15 sanding sheets, you’re going to use a regular old sheet of sandpaper that you rip into four pieces, i.e., you’re not going to use adhesive-backed paper. In this case, you have to slip the paper under the clamping mechanism that holds the paper in place. I can’t imagine why Porter Cable didn’t incorporate the clamp tool mechanism into the sander itself rather than supplying a separate tool. Yeah, you can use a screwdriver, but hey for $100 can’t they design a metal arm or finger that can be pushed or pulled to open the jaws of the clamps (like my old Milwaukee)? That’s kinda lame.

5. The sander is very heavy, feels like an old time tool… when they built tools with metal! The outer housing is isolated from the metal frame with rubber mounts and trasmits very littel vibration to the hand. It takes some time to get used to the paper clamps but sands flush to a wall on all 4 sides. This is the best palm/finish sander I have ever seen, used, or owned; and I have owned a lot. Also, recieved quickly and as advritized froom tool-king