Porter-Cable 390K 5-Inch Low Profile Random Orbit Sander Kit with Hook & Loop Pad and Dust Collection best price

Porter-Cable 390K 5-Inch Low Profile Random Orbit Sander Kit with Hook & Loop Pad and Dust Collection best price

Porter-Cable 390K 5-Inch Low Profile Random Orbit Sander Kit with Hook & Loop Pad and Dust Colle

Intrigued by the design, I purchased this sander. Overall, I am very pleased with it. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros: Lower center of gravity makes it a delight to use. Feels more natural, like a sanding block. This is a very, very powerful sander, and the constant response motor prevents the sander from bogging down with pressure--no matter how hard or soft you apply pressure to the workpiece, the power is always there. The quick stop feature is a great innovation--you don't need to wait for it to stop or use a "sander sitter". The benefit of all of this is that you get A LOT of sanding done in much less time, compared to other 5 inch orbital units (e.g. Bosch).

Cons: (reason for 4 stars and not 5) Two, that are greatly overshadowed by the PRO's above, but issues nonetheless. The biggest problem is the receptacle for dust collection. It only takes that stupid Porter Cable dust hose that is horribly inefficient due to the small size of the hose. The hose is functional and does suck up dust, but could be better. I had one of these hoses laying around from my biscuit cutter, but it is still a lousy design. Maybe I can Jimmy up some type of setup for a better hose with an adapter.

The next con is that the top of the unit is somewhat broad and a little difficult to "palm" without some hand fatigue, but I am getting used to it. This ergonomic shortcoming is somewhat compensated by less fatigue by the lower center of gravity, but not entirely. The more standard units have a smaller top that is easier to get your hand around.

I would definitely buy the item again. It is a very useful tool.

I just received my orbital sander (Porter-Cable 390K) a few weeks ago. I bought this sander based on a review in one of the recent wood magazines. Removed it from the box, put some sandpaper on it and away I went. I sanded Oak, Pine and Popular. I used 80, 120, 150 and 220 grit sandpaper and was pleasantly pleased with the results. My biggest concern having my shop in the basement was dust. I've got three other orbital sanders and had to do all my sanding outside. But that is not the case any more. I tried the sander with the dust collector on and then with my Shop-Vac. The dust collection in the on board collector was very good just a small amount of dust left on the bench. For very small, short jobs I would use this method. For larger, longer jobs my Shop-Vac will be used, from what I could tell there was no dust left behind (in both cases if I wiped my hand a crossed the board and there was wood dust. The dust I was talking about was on the bench and in the air, boards have to be whipped clean with a tack cloth. This is one of the few electric tools that I can use the Shop-Vac 1 "hose with no adapters and it works like a champ. The noise is very low and the vibration was low also. I wear a medium glove (my fingers are a bit short of the ends) and I found this very comfortable to use. I had complete control and the low center of gravity made it very maneuverable. On high speed this was very aggressive, thus the advantages of speed control and a light touch. I would recommend this sander to all. Overall the only problems I see is the little dust left behind with the on board collection system and price (time will tell if the price was worth it). By the way my other sanders are in storage until I need to do sanding outside.

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