Porter Cable 330 - New or Old?

[gsea]

It's finally for me to buy a sheet sander. My Dad has an old (Rockwell) 330 that I watched him use professionally and home for years. I used it for many, many projects growing up. All the fancy new ones that look like Nike shoes with dust collectors on them at the big box stores just seem like toys to me. Even though I'm a younger guy, I grew up using older tools from 1980s and earlier and feel like they really "just don't make them like they used to".

I was a Porter Cable fan (have regular and plunge routers) until they sold to Black and Decker, so my question is: are the current production 330s as good as the older ones or have they cheapened out? I found an old rockwell version for sale used that is in excellent shape. Would new parts fit if I needed to replace anything?

Also, I've never used a finish sander with dust collect. Am I really missing out? I figured if I was really going to remove a lot of material, I'd be doing it with a Random Orbit and then dust collection makes more sense.

 

[woody 73]

Not a very easy question to answer, in some ways the newer technology is better then the older stuff, and then again more things are made out of plastics today then from long ago.

You can for the most part buy parts to keep your older stuff going:

http://www.portercable.com/ServiceAndSupport/OrderParts.aspx

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/porter-cable-sander-polisher-parts-c-129_1997.html

But for my two cents I would contact GJ member Monte and ask him for a good German sheet sander that will last a long time.

 

[skruft]

A very fine 1/4 sheet sander for the price is the Makita. I and others have had them last a long time in hard service like boat repair - and you see used ones for no money (test them and do not buy if they make a rattling "baaaa" noise). They are surely not as good as some German brands but those just cost too much for a normal person.

 

[Stuart in MN]

A very fine 1/4 sheet sander for the price is the Makita. I and others have had them last a long time in hard service like boat repair - and you see used ones for no money (test them and do not buy if they make a rattling "baaaa" noise). They are surely not as good as some German brands but those just cost too much for a normal person.

I have one of these, and it's stood up to a lot of hard use over the years. The dust collection bag works, too - it's not going to pick up 100% of the sawdust but it does get the majority of it.

 

[ricleh]

The best 1/4 sheet sander I have ever used. I have one that is 25 yrs. old and a new one that is about 3 yrs. old. They are both excellent machines.

 

[cheechi]

The 330 is the only sander I own (or would own) without dust collection holes, because of how good a sander it is.

That said, if you are considering a new one, I would get a RO 5" or 6" and keep the 330 for corners and fine sanding. If you do a lot of sanding you will be burning up (and possibly replacing parts, but definitely burning up) any sander under ~$200 anyway. Trust me I have a pile that are dead or dying. Dust collection helps lengthen the life by keeping dust out of the vents. Yes a bag can help too. But I wouldn't make a 330 my only or my main sander, if you are doing a lot of projects or ones that need a lot of sanding.