Porter Cable Profile Sander Opinions

[Scott Halverson]

Does anyone have one of the Porter Cable Profile sanders? If so, are they worth the investment? How well do they work?

I have a chance to buy a used one in good condition.

Thanks,
Scott

[Alister Orme]

I bought a fixed speed one ansd used it to sand flutes done on a router,
It did the job. I did end up plugging it into a speed control.

If it got stolen/broke I'd buy it again.

[Aaron Frank]

Scott,

I bought a VS one off FleaBay for $25 + $8 shipping a few months ago. It works well and it was a great deal!

Aaron

[Hoa Dinh]

I had one, buying from a garage sale.

It is built like a tank (good) and operates like one (bad). It is really clumsy and difficult to control. Also, it wastes PSA sanding strips because you can use only a small part of the sanding strip attached to the rubber profile. You can't re-position the sanding strip because then the glue doesn't stick after removal.

I ended up selling it on FleaBay and get a set of Tadpole blocks (http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-bin/6BB36CF5/mac/additmdtl.mac/showItemDetail?item=KL50000&qtyA=0&phsO=N&desc=COMPLETE%20SET%20OF%20TADPOLE%20SANDERS&drpshp=N&alOrd=Y&iQty=.000&oQty=.000&initQty=1&assortParent=K&itemForSale=Y&styleName=&fixD=&face=.00&gftc=&stck=Y&prefS=&calledFrom=DS&ordInfo1=&ordInfo2=&ordInfo3=&ordMan1=N&ordMan2=N&ordMan3=N&persCode=&persReqd=&persLink=%20&shipRemaining=0&daysBetween=0&daysBetweenFix=0&monthsBetween=0) instead.

[Dan Forman]

I have the Fein sander, but prefer these for sanding router profiles, very easy and much more controlable for detail work. Cheaper too! Lots of places will carry these, including Woodcraft, if you have one locally will save some time and postage.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20183&cat=1,42500

Dan

[Luciano Burtini]

Not too useful, IMHO, however when you do need it not too much else works. The "tadpole" blocks (is that what they're called?) work just as well. Actually, I use the profiles from my sander by hand at times.

Can't complain because I got my brand new from HD for about what others are paying used from ePay. Not sure why, I didn't ask and I didn't hesitate to buy it....

[Paul Johnstone]

I haven't actually used one, but it doesn't get good reviews at Amazon.

Hartville tool had a huge stack of reconditioned ones about a month ago for $20 or $25. They weren't selling well.

If deal is cheap enough where you won't be mad if it's a disappointment, go for it, but I have a feeling you will be disappointed based on the reviews I've seen.

[Scott Halverson]

Thanks to everyone who replied with all the great opinions.

I think I will hold off, since I don't have an imediate use for it. I noticed it on a classified ad thought it might be a nice addition.

Thanks again,

Scott

[Steve Clardy]

Had one of the first ones that came out about ten years ago.
I gave it away to get rid of it.
Then 5-6 years ago I bought another one on a closeout price, thinking they had been improved. :(

Nope. Same old sander. Used it once.
Its sat in its case for a couple of years now.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ever notice that all the used ones are in "new" condition? That is because they haven't been used. I had one that a friend borrowed. She died, but I didn't ask the family to return it. Guess why? Probably the absolute worst tool that PC ever made.

[Bruce Page]

It’s one of those tools that people either like or hate.
That said, I have one, I don’t use it very often but it’s very handy when I do need it.

[Per Swenson]

Bruce, you are so right,

I loved it,

I loved it when the guy down the street took it for ten bucks.

It's the black rub marks I miss most.

You know. When you burnt through the paper 20 seconds in.

On the other hand I did manage to find a true detail sander.

From the miniature model people. Proxxon.

This one works well for the small stuff.

http://www.minicrafttools.com/sanders.html

The first one on the page.

Per

[Bruce Page]

Per,
I never said that I loved the thing...:rolleyes:
I don't recall it being overly destructive toward sandpaper but then again, it’s been a few years since I last used it.

[Steve Schoene]

An attachment that accepts the "tadpole" sanding forms is available for the Fein multimaster. That makes the Fein do virtually the same job on that kind of sanding.

But the Fein does a whole host of other things. It's a very good detail sander that actually removes material and that can work right up against a vertical edge, it can remove grout or window glazing, it can cut door jambs to allow flooring to be slid in. The Fein is worth every penny--and its dramatically cheaper than it used to be.

I suspect you could even use it to remove a plaster cast from your arm. (Don't really try this--the similar tool orthopedists use probably costs a whole lot more than the Fein.)

[Doug Shepard]

Wanna buy mine?