Porter-Cable's 3-by-21-inch belt sander features an all-metal housing that gives the tool a solid feel, makes it tough to damage, and lets you sand effectively without having to press down. This sander also does a great job of keeping belts centered, a terrific bonus because there's nothing more frustrating that having to constantly re-center a belt. According to Porter-Cable, the all-metal housing accounts for the centered placement of the belts. The sander remains rigid, even during heavy use, and the metal helps dissipate heat, keeping the belt relatively cool and in place.
This sander also has a variable-speed dial that lets you match the speed of the belt with the application, so you can speed up for aggressive removal or dial down for more precision. We really like the 360-degree adjustable top dust nozzle--a feature you won't find on many belt sanders--because it lets you pivot the dust bag (or hose if you're hooked up to a dust vac), a huge convenience when sanding in corners or along edges. And, lastly, this is a quiet sander, thanks both to Porter-Cable's newly designed gear system, which meshes more accurately, and to the sander's serpentine drive belt, which makes considerably less noise than a more common cog system. For a belt sander, this tool is surprisingly easy on the ears, and that's a very good thing. --Jon Groebner
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Poor Dust Collection:
The good news is that I owned a PC352VS for 14 years and it served me well. I bought another one last week after the bearings on the front pulley failed on old faithful...not bad after 14 years. The bad news is that the new model DOES NOT provide a connection to a shop vacuum as did the old model. The dust collection bag is absolutely worthless. My shop and lungs were rife with dust after 10 minutes of use. The port happens to be exactly the same size 1 3/8" OD as your typical shop vac...1 3/8" OD. This is,... more info
Belt Sander:
Love this belt sander--heavy enough to do a lot of rough sanding but easy enough to manage for smaller and lighter projects too. Dust collector is well positioned.
Good Sander:
This sander has plenty of power and gets the job done. It is heavy, but has to be to produce, or you'd wear yourself out pushing on it. I have used it to sand a deck, and for some other interior finish work, and it's earned it's keep. I read where one guy complained of getting burnt by the metal part, well, I guess you would, if you touched the metal case, but why would you anyhow? That's why it has insulated handles on it. The tracking system is great, never lost a belt. Never even came close, it... more info
aggressive stock removal:
nice and solid to keep it from wandering too much. feels like it should last a while. i use mine only occasionally so i can't speak to its longevity. variable speed is a nice feature. before this, i had only used my dad's old black and decker....needless to say this one blows that one away!
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