I picked up a Porter Cable Restorer at Lowes and got to try it this weekend. I am prepping the eaves on my house to paint them, so I was working high on a ladder. I wanted to test the vacuum attachment to minimize the paint chips coming down. The vacuum hose won’t reach that high so I put the vacuum in a back pack and strapped it on (see picture). Now I have the vacuum wherever I go. I’m really happy with the tool, fast and a lot easier to control than I thought it would be. Very well made, I left it running for a long time and the motor stayed nice and cool.

I opened the box without reading instructions and found it as easy to assemble as it was to use. The design is intuitive, probably brilliant, but simple. It made me ask, “…why didn’t anyone think of this before?” It did not require great effort or force to use and I didn’t damage anything while I was getting familiar with the tool.

I really like the compact design of the Restorer and for the price I am amazed by what it can do. The Restorer can remove old paint and bondo without damage to the metal and it leaves it with a killer finish!

Eric Wilson Racing is a third generation dirt track race team with deeply embeded roots in the motor sport. On a new tire we use the Restorer with an aggressive 60 grit roller at a low RPM to remove the mold-release agent and open the pores on the surface. We’ve found that 80 grit works well to remove the glaze and “restore” the bite to used tires. This practice enables the tire to “fire” with instant traction !

I love this new tool the Porter-Cable Restorer. Perfect tool for preparing the metal for epoxy primer.

I am a novice with DIY, and quite honestly intimidated by tools. I was comfortable with the Restorer from the get go- easy to change rollers, very comfortable in my hand, and no struggling with operation- even on 5 layers of 70 year old paint. I’m thrilled with the results and am proud of myself, to boot. Currently working my outdoor deck steps!

If you are looking for the perfect sanding tool, the Restorer is it! When sanding wood, the removal rate is exceptional. The balance and feel when you pick it up is so natural you just know that they really spent time in development. I can’t wait for the other options to be available. It is so light, I can use it with one hand. I think I’ll buy another, just to have a spare.

As owner and builder at Tattered Timber, I aim to use mostly recycled and reclaimed wood in hopes to create one-of-a-kind pieces that cut down on the amount of waste found in American consumerism culture. Reclaimed wood has a history that I hope to protect and highlight through my work, and the restorer is the perfect product to do that. The roller brush eliminates the harsh textures found in reclaimed woods without taking away the character like a typical sander or planer would. It is light enough to use with one hand, delicate enough for live edge slabs, and quick enough to restore an entire slab within seconds.

The restorer is ideal for cleaning up live edge furniture, it’s easy to control, leaves a great finish and the dust collection is fantastic. I’m sure I’ll be using the restorer on a daily basis in my fine woodworking shop.

I have been waiting a few month for this tool to come out, So when I saw that it was in stock at my local Lowes this morning, I got dressed and went up and bought it and a bunch of sanding and stripping drums. Been using it all morning and absolutely love it! strips rust and paint leaving a great surface for finishes… I have finally found my new favorite tool for my custom car business!

Best surface cleaning and surface prepping tool I have ever used, easily removes paint and rust from metal without warping, also allows for easy switch to sanding roll for smoothing wood surfaces.

This thing is super handy! I’ve used it to sand both flat and contoured wood pieces. I’ve also used it to remove rust from tools and auto body parts, and to give metal that smooth brushed look! I’ve even used it for shaping plastics. Heck, it even comes in handy to quickly (and carefully) sharpen a pencil or two! Thank you for this super handy addition to my shop!

We build custom wood crafts ranging from Dining Tables to decorative wall art and hands down the hardest part of working with reclaimed material is cleaning it up while keeping that nice patina. I’m blown away every time I use the Restorer because it looks like it could rip the bark off a live tree! What I find though is that it gently removes the dirt and grime and leaves all that awesome aged patina behind. I’m blown away with this tool and have really enjoyed having it in the arsenal I love it when a tool surprises you!

I cannot express the excitement and the gratitude! It’s like Christmas! Thank u Kevin Tetz for the introduction and leg work and thank you so much Robert Kundel Jr. for introducing the world to this fantastic tool! And making it available to me! can’t wait to use it! Greatly appreciate it!

Urbn Timer is an urban sawmill specializing in wood slabs and custom furniture. The Restorer is a great tool that allows us to prep the live edges on our furniture while still retaining the natural character.

The Restorer is pretty cool. It does a good job. I was amazed at how well it worked.- Hunter Teague. The Restorer brought life back to what I originally thought was a lost cause. The West end of a 1956 horse barn practically looks new after years of neglect. The pictures tell the story. If I had had to replace the wood or reside it would have cost 1000’s more. My 12 year old did the bulk of the sanding. I did the higher areas. I couldn’t be more pleased.

The new Restorer is a game changer. It performs the functions of several other tools, but does things that no other tool can! A revolutionary new design and a surprisingly low price equals a home run!

The restorer did a wonderful job and helped me save at least $500 on a new entry door. My team was able to restore an old wood door using the restorer, it was fast and easy! I will be using it more on my future projects to come.

Restoring old bourbon barrels is what we do! We are a veteran owned business that handcrafts American flags out of bourbon barrels. The Restorer does exactly what its names says. We have been using one for over a year and we have recently purchased another one. It has saved us so much time in cleaning up the old barrels to be works of art.

From the first time I saw the Restorer I knew that I had to have it. Now I look for project to use it on!

The Restorer is a great tool. I can use it on both wood and metal with ease. I use it everyday in my shop! In fact the Restorer is so easy to use my daughter is able to use it no problem.

The restorer is completely changed the game for us in our shop. It now takes us about 1/5 the time it use to take us to clean barrel staves and other reclaimed lumber. Plus, it the results are much better than we were able to get before. I can’t imagine our shop without one now! The vacuum connector fits our shop vac perfectly and almost completely eliminates the dust while cleaning and leaves the pieces dust free. I can’t recommend it enough!

The Porter Cable Restorer is a versatile stripper/sander and Mrs. Brunet is very exicted about using it.

Lakeside Woodworks creates custom hand-built furniture using passion and skill of a few good men. We exclusively use our Restorer on whiskey barrel and live edge slab projects.