PORTER-CABLE Random Orbit Sander, 5-Inch (382)

Durable, consistent power, used it to sand wooden deck

I checked many revues on this item, some were great and others not so. I am a professional painter and usually use air tools in my shop, but sometimes I"m not at the shop. I have burned out several electric sanders including my last SKIL brand. This sander is powerful regardless of the amp rating. it has a great feel in the hand and gets it done for sure. Price was right for what it is and I like porter cable tools, even if they are not the same as they used to be.

nice little sander. the dust catcher falls off immediately. Probably use a short sheet metal screw through it to hold it on. This is a product flaw never corrected by Porter Cable. foolish approach from them. I have owned several of these models so other than the stupid dust catcher pretty flawless. I have several other sanders costing more but they all seem to have missed the mark on dust management.

I had an original 333 model that I have had for thirty years. Always a great sander, but the one flaw on it was the dust catcher never worked. Thought it might work on the newer model, but no, so I drilled a hole and put a screw through it with a lock nut so it would not vibrate off.

The dust collector keeps falling off

I'm a retired craftsman with over 35-years in many trades. I have used an extensive variety of Porter-Cable products. I used to utilize this 5-inch palm finishing sander in my shop and out on the many job-sites. This little powerhouse is a great product that outperforms many other brands. I haven't had one in a while now but when I did need one, I purchased this one and was once again, reunited with a loyal and dependable friend!

Work horse! Have used this as part of several large sanding jobs and it just keeps going. Quality tool!Helpful Hint!If you want to really control the dust, I would recommend hooking up a shop vac to the dust collection attachment on the sander.I am using a cheap Home Depot "Bucket Head Shop Vac" snapped onto a 5 gallon bucket. Remove the dust collection bag from the sander and set aside. The Bucket Head hose slides onto dust outlet, secure with a little tape. Run the vacuum at the same time you are sanding. This GREATLY reduces the amount of dust created.

I was all ready to use my new sander, but as soon as I turned it on the dust collector flew off. I put it on again and made sure it was all the way in place. I restarted the sander again and the dust collector stayed on for a minute before coming for the third time spilling all the power over my new work.After cleaning up, I put blue tape around the part that collector fits to. That seemed solve a manufacturing problem.