Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1160 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Porter-Cable
• Model: 342K
• Dimensions: 7.25" h x 9.25" w x 15.38" l, 7.30 pounds

Features

• Lightweight, handheld frame
• Powerful 2.4 Amp motor
• Efficient dust collection with POREX dust canister and dual dust ports
• Soft rubber grip comfortable for hours of use
• Includes sander, paper punch, instruction manual and kit box.

Amazon.com Product Description
This is the sander you've been searching for. The Porter Cable 342K features a powerful 2.4 Amp motor and lightweight, compact frame that you can hold comfortably in your hand. Anyone serious about woodworking will appreciate the luxury of its soft rubber grip that lets you work for hours without the discomfort of excessive vibration. Plus, you can enjoy the convenience of effortless cleaning with the handy removable top cap and efficient dust collection with the exclusive POREX dust canister and dual dust ports with 1-inch and 1-1/2-inch vacuum hose accommodation. Backed by a 1-year warranty, this sander comes complete with sandpaper and a kit box.

Customer Reviews

Compact Finishing Sander
Although I primarily use a variety of random orbit & belt sanders as a weekend woodworker, I've found that 1/4 and 1/2 sheet sanders have an important place in every serious woodworker's shop. The pre-stain wood preparation from these sanders is flawless. I also use the sheet sanders with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper between polyurethane coats.

I own the Porter-Cable 303 Speed-Bloc and the 505 sanders. Recently, my 20-year old 303 1/4 sheet sander stopped working. Rather that purchase a replacement 303, I opted for a sheet sander with variable speed, a dust control vacuum port, and an easy way to attach and remove sandpaper. The sander I chose, after evaluating the Bosch, DeWalt, and other name brands was the P-C 342K.

Since purchasing the 342 a couple of months ago I've used it on a large table I'm refinishing. The sander fits well in my hand and the vibration is not excessive. I can use the 342 for hours without tiring. It's especially effective when doing horizontal or overhead sanding. Dust collection with the attached cannister is OK but I almost always connect to a shop vacuum. Sandpaper attaches easily and the pad clamps work well.

This is a high quality and very capable sander. I own several Porter Cable sanders and the overall quality of these tools is excellent. I'm very pleased that I purchased the P-C 342 and would recommend the 342 to anyone considering a compact and efficient 1/4 sheet palm sander.

Porter Cable Palm Sanders
There are many palm sanders on the market today. As a company we have tried almost all of them. We had purchased many of the higher end units and for the price these porter cable 1/4 sheet sanders hold up the best to the abuse that we put them through. These are used to sand epoxy and fiberglass for about 7 straight hours a day and they last about a month. Most of the less expensive models do not even last a week. The only thing that I would recommend to the manufacturers of this type of unit is to either come up with another way to secure the pad to the orbitor or change the material of the feet. That is predominately the failure point. For the homeowner this could be a sander that would last a lifetime.

Really cuts through wood!
I bought this sander for smoothing out drywall during a renovation project. Boy does it make quick work of any surface you want sanded! The size is pretty comfortable in my hand and it isn't too heavy. Of course, holding it over my head while sanding the ceiling was pretty tiring after about five minutes, but most other sanders would probably wear me out after two minutes. I really liked the fact that I could just go to the hardware store and buy standard sheets of sandpaper and cut them into four equal pieces for use with this unit. You can lock the paper onto the machine quite easily, then use the plastic square to punch holes in the paper to allow the dust to be sucked away. Very quick. The only beef is that it isn't very effective at pulling the dust into its included dust-collection-cup. When doing drywall sanding, after about fifteen minutes of sanding, I ended up with about two tablespoons of dust in the cup and about two gallons of dust all over the house (slight exaggeration). All in all, I'd say it's only collecting about 15% of the dust produced. Not good. You really have to hook a vacuum cleaner up to it for effective dust collection. Of course, having a vacuum hose attached to the back really weighs it down when working above your head.