Peter,

Thanks for posting the results of your research. The UPS man just delivered my new PC 333VS today. I had been reading various product literature and was wondering about that feature. Now I know...

-John D.

: I've called Porter Cable twice today, and am convinced now that the product
: description at Amazon.com - both from Amazon's own reviewer, and also from
: the Manufacturer - is wrong. Here are two quotes from Amazon -

: from the official Amazon review: "...but here's the smartest thing
: Porter-Cable did with this little gem: a pad brake will immediately slow
: the revolutions to 400 per minute when the unit is lifted off the work
: surface."

: ...and from the Manufacturer's description also at Amazon: "The pad does
: not start to spin at full speed until after it contacts the work surface,
: preventing gouging and swirl marks."

: But, looking at Porter Cable's website product description, there is mention
: of "pad control" only in that it prevents spin-up, but nothing
: suggesting that the sander's RPM's cut back when lifted off the work
: surface. To quote directly, "Pad control feature prevents pad spin-up
: when tool is lifted off work".

: And the final authority, I suppose, is Tim, who works in P.C.'s repair
: department, and has worked in these sanders for a year and a half. He says
: he's never heard of such a feature on any of their sanders, and says
: Amazon must have been mixing up products when they wrote their review.

: So, Mark and Timothy are correct - "pad control" simply means that
: spinup is prevented; that feature works as advertised. It still seems like
: a fine little sander even without the imaginary feature described on
: Amazon. I'm keeping it!