<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by jimwh [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>not necessarily true. You'll need to use a 6" counter-weight if you're using 6" pads & backing plate. I believe that the unit comes standard with a 5.5" counter-weight.
At slower RPM's you will feel a slight vibration, but at higher speeds it will get much worse. You don't want that to happen as you'll void the warranty.
The size of the counter-weight should be marked on the weight itself. You may need to remove it to see.
Did Lowe's include a case and accessories with the 7336 that you got? Or just the unit itself? [/b]</blockquote>
It depends on how much the back up pad weighs.
The unit Griot's Garage sells is the Porter Cable 7336, and the according to the Griot's rep, the box says "Orbital Sander". The backup pad is a 6 inch rubber and metal design (the pad is Porter Cable part number 18001).
The CMA supplied hook & loop back up pad is plastic and rubber and is similar to the pad that Meguiars has on their private-labled Porter Cable polisher. If you ask Meguiars what's the difference between their unit and the Griot's unit, they'll tell you "We have a 5" counter weight". Again, the difference between the two units is the composition and weight of the back-up pads.
Porter Cable's rubber & metal design five inch back up pad is part number 15001.
Both Griot's and Meguiar's pads are the same size, yet Meguiar's lists theirs as 6-1/2 inches, and Griots and everyone else, including CMA say 6 inches.