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Read more Porter-Cable 7800 4.7 Amp Drywall Sander with 13-Foot Hose
I do wallpaper and painting for a living, which often involves wall repairs. I had no trouble learning how to use the sander, the swirl marks others talked about are easy to avoid, but even if you did leave the swirl marks, they would be undetectable through wallpaper or flat paint. Virtually dust free, I could not notice any dust at all. This thing is going to save me a lot of labor in sanding and dust control. So far, I've only used it on two jobs, so my only concern is that it doesn't break on me.
As a remodeling contractor, I usually sub out drywall finishing, but sometimes a small job or timing make subbing impractical and I'm stuck with the task. Recently I raised a 25'x 30' ceiling from flat to half-cathedral and I did the drywall finish--smooth/no texture. I've always been curious about this sander, but the reviews left me reluctant to buy one for as little as I'd use it. Then I saw that my local rental center had one and this was my chance to try it. I found it to be a life-saver.
Yes, it gets heavy and tiring while sanding a ceiling, but anyone who's ever used a pole sander or hand sander on a ceiling can tell you that it's extremely tiring and messy no matter the tool. At least this power sander eliminates most of the messy part with its effective dust collection, and I was able to sand the entire ceiling in under 30 minutes. Furthermore, I found that it could do aggressive sanding with little more work than light sanding depending on the sandpaper grit and speed I moved the machine, as well as RPM setting. Frankly, I'm mediocre at mudding/taping, but with this sander I found that I could really cake the mud on and still end up with a nice finish.
If I finished drywall full-time, I'd probably get so good at it that this machine might not be worth the hassle, but for a guy like me, it's well worth it. Rent one and try it...you'll either love it or hate it by the end of the day. It's on my wish list.
while this product looks like the cats meow it is more like the cats litter box. After 30 minutes of use the motor stopped working completely. Controlling the product even with the 150 grit porter cable sanding disks is not at all easy. The dust collection control ring brush is way too long. you have to press fairly hard to get the sanding disk to even engage the wall. then with this much preasure it is hard to contol. You have to be very carefull at this point not to exert even the sligthtest amount of excess preassure or else you can hear the motor start to load down. Trying to send mine back now after the 30 minute motor waranty ran out.
This product does exactly what it says it will, and does it extremely well. This is a powerful sander which produces very little dust.
However, after two days of experimentation, I could not control the device to the point that I wasn't dinging, gouging, and scraping too much mud (or the paper) off the drywall. This thing cost me way more time than it saved me. If I were a professional I might consider investing in this, as then I might be able to figure out how to use it effectively. As a do-it-yourselfer I have been having far better results and just as little dust with hand tools. The Hyde Dust Dog Pole Sander Kit for Dustless Drywall Sanding and the Marshalltown DuraSoft® Dustless Drywall Vacuum Sander cost far, far less and give more predictable results. Yes, it takes a little more elbow grease, but it gives far better results and ends up taking a heck of a lot less time than going back and fixing the scrapes again and again.
It does do a great job on floors. I know it isn't a floor sander, but I was helping my brother in law work on an addition at their house, and needed to level out some tongue and groove pine flooring. I had the drywall sander with me; it was Sunday, and the rental places were closed, so I decided to give it a try. The drywall sander with it's gimballed floating head let me do it in short order. Actually it took a few hours to work my way through the grits from 80 to 220, but when I was done, we just vacuumed and sealed the floor.
Basically if you have a wide flat surface you need to smooth up the PC 7800 will do a good job. (I have also used it to sand several layers of paint off old doors.) Be sure to get drywall filter bags for your shop vacuume, they catch almost all of the dust.
I read a lot of reviews before buying the PC drywall sander. Needless to say, this is the best drywall tool purchase I've ever made, and the bursitis in my arms and shoulders think so, too. Being a remodeler and also doing repairs for several property managers, this makes for quick,easy, and clean work. I just attach it to my 8-gal. shop-vac equipped with a drywall dust bag, and a cleanstream filter as a secondary backup, there's almost no dust at all. It took some getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it leaves very little swirl marks. Like some of the other reviewers said, don't push it and let the machine do the work. Since I haven't hung more than 40 4x12's in any one job, I've been using No-Coat to tape the inside corners and while it costs a bit more, it saves time because I can stay away from the corners, for the most part. What little hand sanding I do after the final coat, I use a hand or pole sander that attaches to a vac; found them at the local Grabber dealer. All in all, this is one tool that is worth every penny.
...before I bought this machine was this: Will it work with my inexpensive Ridgid shop vac? The answer is yes -- I bought a HEPA filter at Home Depot for the shop vac, hooked it up to the Porter-Cable sander, and voila! Dustless drywall sanding! (Or nearly so -- I still wear a particulate filter to catch those tiny bits that you can't see.) The sander works well and the vacuum hook-up means that what has traditionally been a very dusty job can be done with relative ease and comfort. We're quite pleased with the sander and once we're done with our big project we will sell it, either via Amazon or eBay. It sure beats renting a tool like this!
I still don't know what to think about this sander. I tried it several times and here are my thoughts. If you are doing the job from start to finish this sander will get heavy after about 10 minutes. It weighs too much, especially if you are doing a ceiling. I like the idea but it's an expensive piece of equipment. I felt as though I had to push down on the unit to get it to sand. This is where it starts to get heavy. I think I'm going to try the Fiba-Tape dustless pole sander next. As for my Porter Cable 7800, well eBay it is.
Update: I tried the Wilco Dustless pole sander and I think it's a better alternative.
I never write online reviews, but this thing made such an impression on me, I felt like I needed to share my experience with those of you that may be thinking of spending this kind of $$$$. If you have ever done any drywall sanding you know what a pain and mess it is besides the general exhaustion. This tool is awesome!!!!! I sanded 6 rooms, including the ceiling (not corners, only joints and screw heads) in the time it takes to do one. I am totally impressed, I was even able to get inside closets. The sanding head will essentially rotate to any position w/o causing you to substantially change your position. Use your own shop vac, I did and hardly ever saw any dust.........I didnt even wear a mask, thats how little dust is generated.I believe the claim to do do higher than 9' ceilings is a little bit of a stretch. I found my 9' ceiling sanding to be more comfortable if I was on Werners 4' portable/folding scaffolding (another high recommendation.) I would recommend this sander to anyone who is going to do more than one room (only because of cost) of sanding. It is very easy to use and I feel confident with a little more use of it, you can do final sanding with a 220 grit pad. It wont wear you out doing walls, but gets a little heavy doing ceilings. I recommend splitting your work and doing part ceiling and part walls giving yourself a rest. Ive just started my drywall in my basement, but will back online soon to write a final review when Im finished.
I purchased this tool because I had a drywall contractor repair and plaster my 1940's style home. The contractor did a horrable job, thus I purchased this tool because of the large volume of sanding. After a few lessions on pressure and speed I got the hang of it. TAKE YOUR TIME - GO SLOW when using this product and the results are great. The dust collection is good. Overall, I like this tool very much.
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