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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    San Antonio, Texas, USA
    Posts
    3,070

    Default Old vs. New Porter Cable Random Orbit Sanders

    I've had a Porter Cable model 333 random orbit sander for some years now.

    PC 333 sander.jpg


    The machine works well but I didn't get the dust bag with it as I bought it used. A while back my daughter in law borrowed it. The day she returned it I was in a big hurry to leave the house so I took it from her and carelessly dropped it in a place that I usually wouldn't have.
    After a month or so I started another job that required it. Of course at this point I'd forgotten where I put it and because I needed to do some sanding for the project I was working on I decided to buy another. I went looking for another 333 and found that they've been obsoleted and replaced with the model 382.

    PC 382 sander.jpg


    Since the price was right ($40 shipped) I placed an order. When it arrived it appeared to be just a bit smaller and lighter than the model 333, it also had the advantage of a dust bag.
    I used the sander for the small bit I needed at the time and put it up. I also found the stray model 333.

    As the project has progressed I found myself needing to sand a set of hard maple shelves so I got the 382 out and started using it. After about 15 minutes I noticed that the housing was unpleasantly warm. The sander was still working fine, no burning smells and such so I switched off to let it cool. I grabbed the model 333 to continue working. Again, after about 15 minutes I noticed that the 333 sander was not getting hot, warm but not hot.
    I decided to measure the temperatures of the two machines to see how much hotter the 385 was running.
    The hottest areas of the 385 were the ventilation slots in the motor housing just above the sanding pad mount and the top cap over the upper shaft bearing and brushes.

    Both machines are 12k rpm. The 333 is rated at 2.4A and the 382 at 1.9A.

    These are the readings. I also removed the dust bag to test the machines under equivalent conditions. Ambient temperature 35.3 oC. Is it this unit or have others had hot 385's?

    Model Vent Top cap center
    333 45.0 38.9
    382 bag on 58.9 50.0
    382 bag off 56.1 53.3
    Innovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    US
    Posts
    3,075

    Default

    Well, the owner considers PC to be a mid-line tool now, like the mid-level craftsman power tools of old. I would expect that they're making them for at-home people and are going to save the well-thought-out designs for dewalt.

    58.9 is unacceptably hot.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    San Antonio, Texas, USA
    Posts
    3,070

    Default

    I had a look on eBay and a good condition 333 goes for near or more than a new 385. I've used the Dewalt ROS and it wasn't impressive. For field work I'll stick with the 333 and use the 385 in the winter.
    Innovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.

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