oww-is-that-hot?

I used to own dewalt but my tool box on my truck was broken into and there was nothing I could do but go and get some new tools. Work was slow so I was on a tight budget. I decided to go with porter cable. I figured, at least it's not from china(harbor) freight. I went to Lowes to pick up an 18v combo kit that had an impact driver, drill, flashlight, and 2 lithium-ion batteries for $200 with a nice little bag. I've been using them HEAVILY since december and they haven't lost a step. Batteries still act like new. The drill didn't have much power to it but I bought an 18v hammerdrill with charger and two nIcD batteries for $115. Now I just use the 2 L.I. batts for the impact and the nIcD for the drill which fixes its power problem. I gotta say I couldn't be happier. I've had my doubts about these drills for awhile but all my fears of them being "lemons" have vanished. I dropped my impact 14 ft last week onto concrete. The battery popped off and bounced back up to where I could almost catch it but I didn't even try because I thought for sure it was a gonner after how hard it hit. So I went down and discovered there was not a damn thing wrong with it. Even still holds the battery. I'm sold for sure now. Guess I was wondering does anybody else have any cordless tools from P.C.? I got the sawzall for about $50 but burnt it up within twenty uses. Paid $5 for one year replacement no questions asked though and this second one has fared better. Anybody use the rotozip, or vacuum? Or even the circular saw?

B4T

I have the 19.2V PC drill and circular saw and am very happy with them..

IMO.. battery operated tools are one of those "luck of the draw" kind of things where some get lemons and some get apples that shine brightly..

Biggest drawback of battery powered tools is the price of new batteries.. almost 2/3 of a brand new tool..

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The Associated Press wants to stop using the term "Illegal Aliens".. they say it is demeaning.. .. instead they want us to use Undocumented Democrats... Jay Leno..

oww-is-that-hot?

Yeah I've noticed, your almost better off buying a toolkit that comes with a couple of batteries instead of batteries alone. Circular saw is good though huh? Well I kinda need one and that's good enough for me to go ahead and get one. I imagine they're pretty similar volts aside.

HARRY304E

The battery prices are through the roof..

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ES2 Flat Rate , The best $99 I've ever spent ..

michael3

I run all porter cable for my power tools. Spent about $350 for 5 tools 2 chargers and 4 batteries. everything works great. the impact is small and strong. i have been running these tools for 18 months. about a year ago had to run the hammer drill for 3 months strait making 1/4 inch holes in various masonry. about 125 holes a day. using only 2 batteries a day.

oww-is-that-hot?

ok then I'm glad to know I'm not the only one standing by these tools. I've used dewalt impact, hitachi impact, and makita impact. And I just don't see a difference between those and my porter cable except for the price and the fact that my batteries far outperform my old dewalt set. And the hammerdrill I got has got some BALLS. You don't find many brands like this, QUALITY and AFFORDABILITY.

MDShunk

My Milwaukee dealer also sells Porter-Cable. From that, I conclude that they don't suck. The only thing I own from P-C is a router, but they're famous for their routers.

__________________
One reason not to give DIY advice:
Catch a man a fish and you can sell it to him.
Teach a man to fish and you’ve ruined a good business opportunity.

kennydmeek

Been wondering about this...Lowes has been having awesome prices on PC...batteries included. Like 2 18v for less than a Dewalt 14.4. Prices on all tools just seemed too good to be true.
Always thought their corded circular saws were awesome...

MDShunk

This I know for sure... Tools sold at the box stores are made to a different quality level/price point than those sold at tool stores. Completely different part number.

__________________
One reason not to give DIY advice:
Catch a man a fish and you can sell it to him.
Teach a man to fish and you’ve ruined a good business opportunity.

kennydmeek

Hmm..didn't know that. You'd think they wouldn't want to lose their rep hawking cheap stuff...

B4T

Or it could be their way of checking where their tools are purchased and what kind of deals they give big box stores..

IMO.. selling a cheaper product does not do the manufacture anything good..

__________________
The Associated Press wants to stop using the term "Illegal Aliens".. they say it is demeaning.. .. instead they want us to use Undocumented Democrats... Jay Leno..

B4T

I just sent Porter Cable an e-mail question with a link to this page.. I asked them to stop by and see what is being posted about their tools..

Your question has been received. You should expect a response from us within 24 hours.

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The Associated Press wants to stop using the term "Illegal Aliens".. they say it is demeaning.. .. instead they want us to use Undocumented Democrats... Jay Leno..

oww-is-that-hot?

Do you mean tools sold at a store like lowes? Because I bought mine at lowes thinking the whole time I was making a stupid move because they were so cheap. But these are some down and dirty rugged power tools. Caught me by surprise

oww-is-that-hot?

Cool. I do hope that they improve they're reciprocating saw though. It performs wonderfully with great control/nice design. But my first one burned up within twenty uses and that wasn't all at one time and mostly just cutting 1/2" emt and a few bolts. Those cuts were hardly two seconds in duration. My new one has lasted longer but it smelled like it was burning a few days ago after light use.

HARRY304E

That is what i understand as well.

__________________

ES2 Flat Rate , The best $99 I've ever spent ..