Power Supplies Reviews

Very comfortable could not bog it down with pressure when grinding. have owned several other top brand grinders and really liked the Dewalt. This has much more power and can be used for longer periods of time without hand fatigue. The power is impressive. It doesn't rev as quickly as the others though.

I like to take on projects as a reason to purchase a tool and have been wanting a grinder for a long time.

The reason I went with the Milwaukee (besides the reputation) is this had a lot of power and variable speed, not found in most grinders.

I was able to rig a hose and a table to this grinder and use it for wet polishing of granite with the harbor freight diamond wet polishing pads. worked great and did a good clean edge on our granite countertops. However since this is not designed for this task, it only worked well in the jig I had created (would not work for a regular polishing application since there is no way to deliver the water through the shaft ...)

but anyhow I got the grinder I wanted and its performed flawlessly, although with a tool like this be sure you always use hearing protection as it can be loud ...

The offroad club that I lead (Longhorn Offroad), has been building an RTI ramp recently out of 1/4" box steel. For the uninitiated, an RTI, or Rate of Travel Index ramp, measures how much wheel travel a particular vehicle has. We've been using a stick welder, chop saw, and two angle grinders to build this beast.

I'd been eyeing this grinder for quite awhile, and when we got sick of having to switch from grinding to polishing wheels on my friend's DeWalt, I picked one up. Milwaukee has a great tool in this little grinder. It can flatten down a weld in about half the time of the DeWalt. With the cutting wheel, I can cut through steel faster than the chop saw. It can also cut through automotive frame rails without a second thought.

My favorite thing about this grinder is the trigger action. The DeWalt's was slightly awkward and located a bit too near the wheel for my taste. The Milwaukee's is larger and easier to work with gloves. It also allowed for better balance and thus easier operation of the tool.

If you're doing woodwork or anything delicate, I'd steer clear of this machine. If you do regular automotive modification or any heavy metalwork, however, pick up one of these. It is a wonderful tool for everything from cutting off bolts, to grinding welds, to even cutting through fully boxed steel.

after going through three IR air shears lasting 5 min each topps this thing is almost indestructable and have chewwed through many feet of metal w/out a hitch!!!!!

We use several of these in an industrial manufacturing plant. They are tough, and do the job, year after year. Hey Vicky, to swivel the head, you simply loosen ONE bolt, swivel or rotate the shear head to the desired position, and retighten.

There are three bolts on the shear head. The bolt to loosen is the one that is closest to where the silver colored shear head attaches to the gray body. The wrench should be in the box. Enjoy!

I picked up this tool when I decided it was time to add some metal roofing to my home. It was an obvious choice for the job, and Milwaukee is one of my key brands. This little wonder will mow through sheet metal like nobody's business. It made short work of custom cutting edge trim and holes for vent piping. I'd still be working on that roof job if I was using hand snips. Milwaukee designed this tool right by building it on a drill body. The ergonomics are great. The head can be made to swivel to any desired position by loosening the set screw on the side of the head with the hex key that comes with the tool. Way to go Milwaukee !!

Recently, while in the middle of a hardwood flooring project, I purchased this model sander at a local supplier. After considerable use, here's my assessment.
Positive observations:
- It's build like a tank and will probably run forever.
- It's well-balanced and offers smooth sanding capabilities
Negative observations:
- The metal baseplate or "shoe" that came with the unit started warping after 1-2 hours of hard use, due to excessive heat. Fortunately, I had taken the advice of another reviewer and purchased the graphite impregnated shoe and was able to replace the original shoe without losing time on the job.
- At 12.0 amps, it's still significanly underpowered. It almost stalls with a 50 grit belt and heavy pressure.
- It's dust collection capabilities are mediocre, at best. Even when connected to a large shop vac, it clogs continuously during heavy sanding. Repeated clearing with an air hose is necessary.
- The machining on the housing is poor, especially in the area around the dust collection opening near the back of the belt. The mating surfaces don't align, which adds to the dust collection problems since the dust collects in the misaligned joint. I was able to improve this some with a small file but access is limited unless you remove the rear roller.
- The label on this machine says "Whisper Seriers". I don't know what Porter Cable's definition of "whisper" is, but it's obviously much different than mine. Ear plugs are absolutely essential for the operator and anyone else within "whisper" distance.
Overall, I would have to say that there are better choices than this sander. I own numerous Porter Cable tools and have been satisfied with most but this one leaves me disappointed.

This has to be be the best power tool I have bought in recent years. I had bought a power planer for quickly reducing thickness of rough cut wood. However the planer is not really suitable for final finishing as it tends to leave deep gouges in the material.. I had a conventional palm sander, but that took too long to achieve results. So taking up the 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and checking out other manufacturers, I opted for the PC 362.

It was absolute charm to setup and use. You change belts by flipping a lever. You adjust the "trim" of the belt with a small wheel while the machine is turned on. With 50 grit, it quickly removes 1/16 inch in a couple of passes. So start with 80 and don't apply any pressure - let the tool just glide. Its 15lb and far more sturdy than bosch or dewalt competitors. However the weight is actually a plus, because it means you don't have to force it down to remove material. The dust bag actually works very well at removing the sawdust.

The main consideration was the price. However, don't think you'll get good results if you go for a sub- [$] unit. This is a tool any professional will use again and again.

I was facing the daunting task of sanding a 34 X 72 quarter-sawn white oak table top I had glued up, and knew using my Makita 3 X 21 would challenge my somewhat fragile emotional state. I looked at the Bosch and liked it, but am somewhat partial to PC, and also saw the extra weight as an advantage, not a negative. I started out with 80-grit, but just was taking too long, so I switched to 50-grit, then graduated to 80, then 120. What a beautiful job this tool does: smooth, powerful, and well balanced. The key to using a belt-sander is to use a light touch, letting the machine do the work, and to make your transitions in direction (fore & aft) as imperceptively as possible. Try not to concentrate on "problem areas" and sand the entire piece uniformly & methodically. Think of the machine as "floating" over the work. This is a big unit that prduces first rate results. Oh, by the way, don't bother with variable speed, it just is not neccessary...

I live in Brooklyn, MI and recently purchased a "reconditioned" Porter Cable RN175A roofing nailgun. It shipped quickly, looked brand-new and worked perfect. I needed it right away to roof a 16 square house and it did the job great! No jams-- I mean zero.Maybe 2 nails out of the whole roof needed to be hit down. However, I agree that a case would be nice.

I own 5 different types of air nailers from Bostich, Porter Cable, and Senco and this nailer is by far the best. It is easy to load and use, never jams, reasonably priced, and is not too heavy. In other words it is perfect. It makes those dreadful roofing projects just a little more tolerable.

Executive Summary: Just buy it. It works very well!

Story: I started a small project over the Holiday weekend and got way in over my head. I only had a small 160 square foot edition to re-roof. After a three layer tear off, rotted decking and two days of prep work I was ready to give up. I went to Home Depot and purchased the least expensive gun they had (this Porter Cable for $228). I was able to nail 2/3 of the roof in two hours with no issues.

Tech Specs: I used a Porter Cable Dual Stack compressor set at 105 PSI and 100 feet of hose. I set the gun to the shallowest depth drive and it had more than enough force.

I received this product for Christmas and was disappointed. The product description provided is wrong. The ruler is regular steel colored with black etched markings, not "Unique high visibility black blade with deep etchings filled with yellow paint". At first I thought they might have just shipped the wrong version, but it came with clear marked package labeled with the model #46-123.

Yes, the square works but it isn't nearly as easy to read as I had anticipated. I'm very disappointed.

You would have to spend at least $40 more to get a better square. this is great. at the current price you canafford to buy an extra for your other tool box.



James Hatsis

James1@OconeeAirService.com

A combination square has to do three things: Be square, move when the nut is loosened and not move when it is tightened. This is the first low-priced square I have found that actually does all three. All of the others wouldn't move when they should have and did when they shouldn't. This one moves easily when loose and a light tightening keeps it in place. Less fighting the tool; more doing the job.

I recently picked this planer up for a small job that involved squaring some pine. It did a good job but the weaknesses of the tool were fairly obvious after only a little use.

Background: I compared this planer to the comparable Ryobi. The Ryobi had a few features the B&D didn't, mainly a "kickstand" to protect the blade when not being used and a dust port that can be switched from left to right. The Ryobi also had a loose front plate, which didn't seem like a good idea to me. So I chose the B&D.

First the good: It did a very good job on the pine I was planing (which involved 4 pieces glued together that needed to be flat on 2 edges). It was very easy to use and the depth adjustment has very positive indents so you know how much you are removing. In general, I was very impressed with the results I got out of the tool.

The bad: I use hand planes a lot, so I naturally wanted to use the front handle on this power planer. Unfortunately, that is also the depth adjustment, and on my second cut I managed to turn it halfway through, making it deeper. I also wanted to use the fence to square the face I was planing. I was successful in this, but the fence is incredibly flimsy (mostly plastic). It may last fine, but I guess I would prefer all metal or at least thicker plastic. Also, I noticed the motor sounded like it was struggling a bit when I went to the deeper cuts. Maybe this is normal, but it seemed like there could be trouble if you try to do the same thing in hardwood. Finally, I can see why other brands include the kickstand (basically a blade guard, so you're not setting the tool on it's blades all the time). I didn't much like the fact that I would be resting the planer on it's blades every time I set it down (you also have to make sure the blades aren't still spinning, although in my own use this was not an issue).

So, basically, this is a tool that works well, but could maybe use a bit of refining. I returned mine, and I'm not sure what I'll replace it with. FWIW, in this price range, I think there's always going to be a bit of compromise, and I think the B&D's weaknesses are easier to live with than the loose front plate on the Ryobi.

i bought this planer to trim down some exterior doors and it worked great. I've used it on several other projects since then and it has been excellent.

I used my friends Dewalt 680 planer for a couple of jobs and liked its small size/weight and features. I didn't like its $150 price. So I went looking for and alternative and found this Black and Decker at Sears for $69.99 w/case and extra blades. It looks and performs like the Dewalt but at half the price and w/case, extra blades and wrench(uses dewalt blades), edge guide, dust bag, and vacumn attachment accessories.

The only differences I noticed is the rear shoe is a steel plate instead of cast. The front plate (adjustable for plane depth like Dewalt's) is cast aluminum like dewalt. Also, Dewalt has a
guard lever on its rear shoe that drops down to protect blade when setting planer down on its shoe after use. I actually found
this lever to be a pain when using the Dewalt because it would not always drop down when done with a plane, and it was in the way when you wanted to begin a plane run in the middle of a piece.

I was very impressed with this find and satisfied with this planer and its accessories so far.

This is a nice drill and has plenty of power. It doesn't have the smoothness and quality of Makita products. The charger weights hardly anything(cheap?) so I hope it lasts. Porter Cable and Makita are much better in my opinion. I am a handyman so I know what works and lasts. This is the first Dewalt corless tool I have purchased so time will tell.........

I love the compact design with lots of power and smooth operation. I've only had the drill for a couple of months, it's replacing a similar one that has served me well for several years of hard use. So far I'm happy with this one especially the ability to get into tight spaces.

For the everyday around the house activity, this cordless drill is fantastic. Not good for contractors and carpenters but great for the average do-it-yourselfer homeowner.

I am in the trades and have owned the 1/2 inch magnum drills for years without to many problems except the notorious switch problem milwaukee has. The drills have lasted for years and have always had plenty of power and durability. I purchased a replacement drill with the new handle configuration and it just didn't hold up.The drill is now dangerous to use without a handle and it is such a hassle to get a replacement.I'm looking for a new brand.

I bought this drill based on a tool shootout of high amperage 1/2 inch drills in tools of the trade magazine. This drill came out head and shoulders above the offerings from hitatchi, makita, dewalt, portercable and bosch. The highlights of this drill are gobs of torque(It will twist your arm if you are not careful!) solid yet lightweight construction, a long, heavy gauge ruber 3 prong cord, a heavy duty keyed chuck. I picked this drill up at the home depot during a tool trade in promotion(traded in an old single speed metal bodied black and decker 3/8th drill.) I have been so impressed at the capabilities of this drill. It has driven 4 inch long 3/8ths lag screws without a problem. It will stir a paddle bit in drywall mud and drive up to a 2 and 9/16ths self feed bit. This is one incredible tool. I will be replacing the keyed chuck with a keyless though.

I bough tthis drill and it is great. The torque is enough for any job you will run into for a hand drill. It runs 2-1/2" forestner bits without any difficulty. It also offers very smooth easy to control variable speed trigger. The only thing I was disappionted in was that I like having cases for my tools and this one didn't come with one. Milwaukee will sell you one for ($$$) but I would rather make my own than pay that much for a box.

I actually have two of these saws at my disposal and one of them is great, the other i have had trouble with the quick change mechanism. Both saws have lots of power and can tackle any project they are assigned to. They have no problem cutting fiberglass or metal with the correct blades. My only gripe is that the quick change on one saw will not unlock sometimes and when you finally get the blade in it, it doesnt lock: it can be a little finicky. Power to spare and then some- however porter could also work on some better in-box blade storage for longer blades. The milwaukee sawzall seems to have it all down pat- after all they are the original manufacturer of reciprocating saws.

I had one of these for several years without the rotating handle. When it was stolen recently I replaced it with this one. It feels very well made and you can see the fit and finish quality when you hold the tool. It is powerful enough to use a 9 inch blade through 2x8 silt plates. The rotating handle snaps into position at 90-degree angles but can be used in-between angles as well. When I did not have a rotating handle, I did not ask for one, but now that I have it, I find that it is very comfortable. The orbital action is effective and it does not disengage under pressure. The no-tool blade changing mechanism works well. The only negative, which is not enough for me to give this saw a lesser score, is that when you stop cutting if the blade stops in a retracted position the blade changing ring may be too hard to reach. I find that pulling the trigger again solves this issue. If you are changing blades every few minutes you could find this annoying. Overall this is a great saw. If this one gets stolen, I would buy a third one.

UPDATED I purchased a PC drill a couple of months ago (see my reviews) and am so happy with that I purchased a PC tiger saw (reciprocating, whatever). I use this a lot at work when I install new heaters, I cut through a lot of PVC pipe and brass pipe. I really like how you can rotate the handle, makes things a little more comfortable. The only things I would change is the fact you only get one blade, $150 saw with one blade. I solved that quickly with the dewalt variety pack that came with a nice case. UPDATE I have put this thing through hell and it is just fine. A couple of things I would change is to have the blade change system more like the true Milwakee Sawzall and that the button to remove the shoe wasn't so stiff. I use my boss's Mil. Sawzall all of the time and it is great but I hve notice the PC cuts the bigger jobs a little easier.

This is not the exact item that I wanted. The one I had on the planer had the holes along the edges and was thinner.How would I go about returning this item and getting credit?

I installed these blades as replacements on my Delta 22-540 planer and was very pleased with how sharp they were and how easy it was to install them. Once installed these knives have done a great job for me on red oak, q/s white oak, pine, and poplar.

I have owned this planer for years now and I find that these double edged knives are a great value. By flipping them over when they get dull they last me a long time.

I was completely amazed that the knife set showed up on my front porch in such a short time. Now, if I can find some time to install and try them out I can let you all know how good they are.