This is the new Porter Cable Restorer, described as a multi-surface restoration tool.
It’s kind of like a belt sander, if you shortened the tool and only had one roller. Or you could think of it as a horizontal belt sander.
But it’s not just a sander. All kinds of accessories are planned for this tool, such as wire wheels, flap wheels, felt polishing wheels, and different styles of sanding drums.
The Restorer seems to have been borne from a collaboration between an inventor at Wellington Tool, and Stanley Black & Decker. Formerly, the tool was called the Rolabrader.
Above is the Porter Cable Restorer, but the Wellington Tool website shows that there will (might?) also be a Black & Decker Restorer.
There’s not much information out there about the Porter Cable Restorer restoration tool, so I’m actively trying to find out more.
One thing I’m glad to see is that Porter Cable built a dust collection port into the Restorer tool. Even if it doesn’t collect everything, some dust pickup is better than nothing.
Here is an early promo videos by the inventor, showing some quick sanding drum abusive testing:
There are many numerous sanding, finishing, and refinishing tools out there. Will this one be special?
I think the beauty is in how ergonomic the saw looks to be, not to mention easy to use.
We don’t know the price yet, but if I had to guess, I’d say we’re looking at a sub-$99 price. Maybe the Black & Decker will be positioned at a slightly lower price, perhaps with slightly lower speeds or features.
I’ve seen some Porter Cable Restorer accessories at online retailers, mainly sanding sleeves, which indicates that it’s definitely hitting the market, and probably quite soon.
Thanks to mizzourob for the heads-up about this new tool!