Porter Cable 380 Orbital Sander Review

My short experience with the Porter Cable 380 Orbital Sander was an absolutely fantastic time. I can’t express in words how much I adore this sander. It has enough power to simply glide through all tasks, leaving a beautiful finish behind. However, one thing that I believe needs to be improved is the ergonomics, it’s quite a large, flat grip area, which is fine for short use; after a while, it tends to leave your hands a little stiff.

In a rush? Click Here to get Porter Cable 380 at the Lowest Price online at Amazon

Motor

Inside this wonderful sander is a 2.0-amp motor, which moves at a maximum of 13,500OPM. The motor has plenty of power for even the hardest of sanding tasks. I guarantee that you will have no significant power problems with this sander; it just keeps going. Also, even when the motor heats up, it doesn’t give off too much heat, and it also doesn’t slow down, meaning your surface will have a great even finish.

Dual plane Vibration Design

The majority of sanders include some variation of dual-plane vibration design. However – Porter Cable are experts at doing this while using the sander (at 13,500 OPM) – you can still only just feel a slight vibration. This helps reduce muscle fatigue.

Sealed Switch

This is another common feature, although it is performed excellently by Porter Cable, throughout my experiences, I noticed no dust within the switch mechanism, and the switch still easily and effortlessly flicked between the on and off position.

Sealed Ball Bearing Construction

Not much to say about this, however, I can assure you that I noticed no dust within the inside of my Porter-Cable 380, it is one of the best sealed on the market currently. This stops the tool ingesting the dust, which can play havoc with the circuitry, and the physical mechanisms such as the switch.

Dust Bag

The dust bag on the Porter-Cable is perfectly fine. I noticed no problems when sanding with it, and it doesn’t clear up all dust. However, it works as expected and dramatically reduces the amount of dust left in your work area.

Overall Build Quality

In my opinion, the build quality is superb, especially at the current price on Amazon!. However, you may find this tool not as aggressive compared to other, more premium brand sanders. However, I noticed that the punch plate included with this sander is superb and much more durable and robust than others.

Porter Cable 380 Features and Specifications

• Amps – 2.0
• Pad Size – 4-1/4” x 4-1/2”
• Weight – 2.3 lbs
• Sealed Switch
• 100% Sealed Tool
• Dust Bag

Porter Cable 380 Orbital Sander Customer Reviews

This product has so many great features. Apart from superior construction, it can easily fit in your palm.  Customers liked it for its power. It works very well and can double as a polisher with a fleece insert instead of sandpaper.

Click Here to get Porter Cable 380 at the Lowest Price online at Amazon

Conclusion

At its extremely low price point, you cannot fault the Porter-Cable 380. It is superb, not as good as the premium-brand sanders. However, one thing I noticed this sander was excellent at was sanding into corners. Most sanders struggle with corners, as they are quite hard to get into, but due to the squarer shape of this sander, it fits straight in! Making corner’s as easy as sanding a regular surface. Overall, I highly recommend this tool to all new DIY enthusiasts, it is much better than its competitors in the same price range, and a thousand times better than the cheaper unbranded sanders you can pick up for around the same price.

Jay

Hi, I am Jay. I am the creator of Knife Guides, your one-stop site for everything related to knives. I am a computer engineer by profession, knife aficionado by passion. Here I work with a group of people who’ve always had a passion for knives and blades. Over the years we’ve kind of become experts and decided to share our knowledge and ideas. I am also an avid hiker and enjoy offshore gamefishing.