Automotive Reviews

After the second day the nailer became inoperable. The trigger cover would not depress the trigger. I fiddled around with it for a couple of hours becoming more and more frustrated. I remembered a review here about the safety. I noticed a small metal flap under the trigger. I don't know if this is a safety but this metal flap was not pushing the trigger cover. I took a piece a wire and tied the flap to the cover. This solved my problem. My question...why should I have to do this on a tool I've had two days?

My other problem. In the box is a piece of paper that states call this phone number for problems before you call Amazon. I called the number(before I solved the problem). The only thing the Porter Cable person said was "why don't you return it to Amazon. What do you want me to do?" That's it. Why have that flyer in the box.

I will think long and hard before I ever buy another Porter-Cable tool.

After ordering this I received the Sears flyer in the Sunday paper. Significantly better deals with greater capabilities and additional tools included for near half the price.

I bought this compresser and gun about a year ago. The compresser and hose is good, but watch out for the nail gun. Mine broke last week. It wont drive any nails to the surface, even after I adjusted the depth gauge. I wonder if it had to do anything with when it accidently slipped off a piece of wood, and I accidently fired at concrete, and then that little piece came rolling out when I got the jammed nail out. Get the compressor, question the nail gun.

I just received the 4000XL, ordered from Amazon and delivered by UPS. I didn't notice any damage until after assembly and adding oil and gas. Upon trying to start the unit, the recoil starter was difficult and didn't retract. I then noticed the housing was severly bent due to a sharp blow from the bottom in shipping. Amazon clearly states the unit can't be returned, and a good quick email from them provided me with a phone number for spport and a local service center. Unfortunately, I had been trying that number for 2 days, without success. The eService web site given in a recorded message goes to a page that says their registration expired 6/10. I left a voicemail and a day later got a curt call from a lady who explained they (Briggs & Stratton) made the generator and were responsible for everything EXCEPT the engine, which is made by Generac and they couldn't help me with my questions. (Perhaps if the shipping damage had been to the part they did make they would help?) She said Generac in Florida was handled by Dixie Sales and gave me their number. The gentleman at Dixie was the most helpful person so far, but explained they sell parts and don't get involved in warranty or shipping issues. Generac is impossible to get ahold of, and no one - Amazon, B&S, or Generac - seems willing to help with shipping damage claims. The B&S rep told me to get it fixed myself (hauling the 149 lb. unit to a repair center 15 miles away) and file a claim for damages with UPS. The UPS claims form on their website requires shipper information I do not have.

So, with much frustration, I went home and pulled the recoil starter off the side of the generator. I put it on a bench and pounded it out with a hammer to the point where the recoil starter would retract easily. I bolted it back on, and the generator started on the second pull. I am very fortunate the spindle wasn't damaged. I may update this after using the generator for a while, but now I am too frustrated by a lack of support from anyone to ever recommend buying a Generac unit. Any later maintence support will be no better handled, I'm sure.

The unit does come with a spare spark plug and oil filter, as well as a storage cover. The 12 volt outlet is nice to have, and the regulation was good. It is fairly noisy, but not more so than my B&S power washer. We have a hurricane entering the Gulf in a few days. I'm glad to have it running, but hope it isn't needed.

Met all expectations - a terrific value - order and delivery
processed without a hitch - would definitely recommend for
purchase.

This is one of the longest lived generators on the market, having been produced in pretty much the same form for at least 10-12 years, and sold by several other companies with different badging. Good reason. It works very well and it is a great value.

Don't waste your money on the 4000EXL version offered by HD for much more $$$. My manual start version(4000XL) has always started in 2 pulls or less. It is not quiet, but is quieter than most, and far quiteter than all but Honda or Yamaha units costing 3X as much. Unit specs seem to be slightly conservative. I have found this unit to perform equally with 2 other generators I own, both of which are rated at 5000 watts continuous/6800 surge. The Generac has a longer run time than either of them, has much more stable voltage output(!!!), and has automatic idle control. It is the better generator but it cost a lot less. I'm very happy.

I have to wonder about the reviewers that talked about immediate, massive failures. Briggs & Stratton have been making small engines for years and you would be hard pressed to find more proven technology or experience. I have had no problems at all with engine or generator head.

This set of tools are pretty complete collections. But they are not for heavy-duty jobs.

Anyway, for this price, you can't get more.

I am constantly working on cars so I bought a set to put in all of my vehicles. Great for this purpose!

This is a great tool set for the price. It is not designed for the repair shop mechanic in an everyday use situation, but is great for the casual user. The Companion line at Sears gives you much less for a lot more money. If you plan to use tools everyday at a repair shop, buy something with a lifetime guarantee like the Craftsman line.

Package arrived in good condition. As I opened the box one thing was apparent and that was "sure is bigger than I thought it would be". Truly "Heavy Duty". I had throughly checked it out on the internet prior to purchase, even went as far as making a copy of the instructions. This morning when I took it out of the box I just set the boxed instructions aside, I had a copy and didn't think I would need them. About the first line of the assembly instructions reads "Remove both end caps" while all the time showing a picture of the axle and wheels. Well the end caps are already off the axle, so after a couple more steps I decide to look at the new instructions, what a difference.

Two complaints; no handle and small wheels. Let's face it, you aren't gonna roll it around on gravel or in the dirt. One other thing - More written instructions instead of just pictures would help for those of us who are impaired in that direction.

I would highly recommend this workstation.

Purchased this saw bench from Amazon almost 2 years ago. Along with the work station I purchased a 15" hitachi chop saw. I invistigated extensivly both products and this station was the only one that would marry up to a saw that size. I am a commerical contract Glazier and my material comes in 24' lenghts. Some of these extrusions can weigh up to 200 lbs. Fabricating in the feild has never been easier.

As far as putting this thing together if you follow the instructions to a tee you should spend no more than 2 hours putting it together. Would recomend this product to the novice home owner to the heaviest commericial contractor.

I would like a handle to but can do with out one . The assembly took about two hours a little longer than I would have liked but that OK .I got it for my bosch 4412 slider and it works perfect .I would recommend it for any pro .I think I'm going to buy their vice and router table next.

JUNE 04,2006
I PURCHASED THIS RADIO FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES, HOWEVER IT SEEMS TO BE VERY WEEK. I AM A DOUBLE AMPUTEE AND AM CONFINED TO A WHEEL CHAIR. I DEPEND ON MY RADIO TO RAISE HELP. BUT, I AM AFRAID THIS ONE WILL NOT BE DEPENDABLE. I AM NOT ASKING FOR THEM TO BE RETURNED OR FOR A REFUND JUST LETTING YOU AND YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW OF A VERY WEAK PRODUCT AND I COULD NOT RECCOMEND THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE. COBRA WAS THE TOPS IN RADIOS BUT SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED TO THE QUALITY.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING;

WILLIAM HEMBREE
WmHembree@aol.com

I "sort of love" this Cobra Roadtrip CB gadget, but only when I'm home and when I can use my both hands on it. It's a bit cumbersome to use while driving and it's too heavy to handle, especially if you have batteries installed in it, so for that purpose I recommend buying the external microphone. I bought a BNC to standard VHF antenna adapter so I can attach my "real" home and car CB antennas to it.

The major flaw of this radio when I compare it to my low end Midland CB is the way its squelch feature works (or does not). I don't know whether it's just my particular radio or whether this is a flaw of the entire series, but you have to set your squelch level unreasonably high, which makes you miss a lot of conversations further away from you. When you set your squelch level a bit lower, or whenever someone is right on the edge of squelch threshold, you will hear a lot of unusual noise coming from the radio, almost as it is undecided and it keeps oscilating back and forth from passing and blocking the signal. This sounds like a driver next to you is pressing and releasing the PTT button 4-5 times a second and it is much louder than the rest of the sounds you can hear on this radio, so it can be very disturbing, especially when you are driving and your loved one is asleep next to you.

NiMh batteries last forever and I don't ever connect it to my car's 12 V lighter output any more. However, another downside is that it requires two different external sources, one for charging the batteries and the other for just using the car power. The provided cable is good only for using the car power and it doesn't charge the batteries. Why not use the same connection for both?

The manufacturer claims that Soundtracker "...dramatically improves the sound quality of the transmission and reception of CB radio signals." I can't see a big difference.

All in all, it's pretty cool to have a hand held CB, but that's all what it is. I don't recommend it for drivers.

I bought a pair of these and am very happy with my purchase. Your voice comes through loud and clear, and they are very easy to use for the novice. The only thing that could be improved is the antenna. The reception is great for communicating to nearby cb'ers but if you are out of line of sight they lose their clarity, and things get garbled. Also, you can't hear truckers any real distance away. This is an easy fix. I simply bought a 3 foot 1500 watt antenna to screw into the magnetic base for 10 bucks, and now I can hear cb'ers for miles and miles, and the airwaves are no longer silent!

I may have bought this scanner but was mis lead. The scanner I need is the one for the the cable kit I bought.
I don't have any way of contect for the phone # I have no answer has been made yet

However does not work with European and Asian(ISO and KWP protocols)cars

I purchased this for my husband's birthday. He was delighted with it and it helped him diagnose the problem with my son's car.

I live in a desert climate and I've been using this for 5 years on my Corvette and it works great. I use it daily which allows me to avoid the carwash up to 2 weeks in a good stretch.

Highly recommended.

I just purchase a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and this is the best product to keep the dust off of it. I live in the middle of the desert (Ft. Irwin) and I always receive comments on how clean my motorcycle is kept in this enviornment.
I highly recommend this product to anyone who ride a bike and takes pride in the look of his bike!

I first got one of these as a gift back in the late '80s when I bought my first new car. It worked exactly as advertised and in the intervening years, I have replaced it only two or three times...

It does actually work better once it gets dirtier - I can absolutely attest to this as I got a new one about a year ago, and the older one worked better at first... After a couple weeks (I dust the car about about four times a day), it started to work as well as the older one. I took the old one and tried washing it by hand with cold ater and Woolite, as recommended on the makers website, and it definitely was cleaner and still worked just as well.

If you love your car even half as much as I do, this product is worth EVERY cent!

My first CB radio. Works very well for on highway use and NOAA weather anywhere...really anywhere. Not the top model but good for a first CB radio, for someone who doesnt want to pay over $100 but still get a decent radio. I would recommend this item to anyone, except professional truck drivers. I run a firestick I antenna and it works well. Good for highway info and directions. Be sure to purchase an SWR meter, or get it tuned by a professional, to ensure that your radio is tuned correctly, else you could burn it up. CB radios are NOT plug and play devices.

Good mid range cb for intermediate user--- great features and speaker placement.

This CB radio is a great radio, especially for the price. I'm sold on it--feature for feature, it's a much better deal than the more expensive models. It arrived in great shape, much earlier than I expected. Shopping Amazon is so easy, just a click and it's done!

Recovery time was very good when using a framing nailer. Using a blowgun for cleaning was ok. Acceptable noise level. Used on a 100' extention cord off a 15 amp circuit, with no problems. I'm very pleased with it. Looking forward to many years of use in my shop.

Bought this and use it daily. Has worked out fine, no problems. Low noise levels and short run time with good useable capacity. Very well built.

I use this with my Paslode; 16 Gauge and Framing nailers, I hang then trim doors, sometimes rebuild sills and headers. I also do various trim/frame carpentry on other projects.

If you are worried about changing the oil its only once a year!
If you are worried about operating on a slope, i have always found a flat spot to locate it in, even roofers leave theirs on the ground, just put on more hose. Who wants to carry this up a ladder anyway?!

I would never buy an air compressor without a user serviceable airfilter!
I would never buy one of those oil less types

The compressor is very easy to set up and use. The instructions are very clear. I am very pleased with the purchase. From my research, everyone told me that bigger is better. However, I don't have much space so a dedicated unit was out of the question. The space-saving vertical design and wheels works great for me. The 5.1 SCFM at 90 PSI should be sufficient for my needs; although a little more power would have been welcome. The compressor has a very solid feel and is very heavy. There is no way I could load it into the back of my truck by myself. The wheels are a little small and appear to be made of a hard plastic. They are adequate for moving the compressor around the garage, but would not work well on stairs or outside. Another small gripe is that the drain plug is only 3/4" off the floor. Therefore, you have to get on your belly to open and close it. It is rather awkward, especially if you have a container underneath to catch the water. Obviously the container has to be very flat. In my opinion the compressor is loud, particularly if you are in a closed room. However the rumble of the motor is much more tolerable than the high pitched whine of some of the other compressors I checked out. I have not experienced any electrical problems with breakers in my old house. In addition, buying from Amazon, instead of Grizzly is great because of the free shipping. It was delivered to my house by a freight company and I saw the invoice to Amazon was over $100. I don't think I would trust the shipment to UPS because the unit is heavy and some parts could be easily damaged. Unfortunately, it looks like Amazon has increased the price by $85 since I bought it.

I recently bought one of these, and have been quite pleased so far. The two-stage compressor means that it is quieter than a single-stage unit, and should mean better reliability as well.

The owner's manual suggests that it should be the only thing operating on a 15 amp circuit. They warn that it could trip the breakers if you turn on anything else, because it pulls close to 15 amps all by itself. I use it on a 20 amp circuit, and have had no trouble.

I've used some fairly demanding air tools with it, such as air drills and die grinders. The motor comes on early and stays on under continuous air drill usage, but it manages to keep up.

You can probably get this cheaper at a local store if it is available and if you have a vehicle that can haul it around, because Amazon has to cover the cost of shipping. However, if you live somewhere remote then it is probably worth it to have Amazon ship it to you. It definitely takes two people to lift it up into a truck bed.

It comes with a universal-style female quick disconnect.

The only thing I don't like about it is the process for depressurizing the tank. You have to pull open the spring-loaded safety valve. This is very loud. Also, since the spring must be set for 175 psi, it becomes very hard to keep open as the pressure drops down below 100 psi or so. And the drain valve is hard to open and hard to seal. It is also easy to damage if it is over-tightened.

The good news is that the drain valve can be removed. I replaced it with some tubing and a manual ball valve. For about $20 of hardware, this is a big improvement.

I PURCHASED THIS COMPRESSOR ABOUT TO WEEKS AGO AND HAVE USED IT A LOT IN MY ONE MAN WOODWORKING, IT WORKS MY AIR TOOLS LIKE A DREAM. IT REPLACED,A SMALL PANCAKE COMPRESSER THAT I WAS USEING TO RUN MY NAIL GUNS I WOOD RECOMMEND THIS COMPRESSOR TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS A COMPRESSOR THAT WILL GIVE YOU ALOT OF BANG FOR YOU BUCK.