Combo Packs Reviews

I have owned this pack for a few years. The compressor and nailer have worked without problems. When considering this combo, be sure that this is the right nailer for the task you have in mind. This combo pack is great for a beginner pack. I have added several other nailers to my collection.

This combo pack is ideal! I had never owned a Porter Cable product until my father gave this to me as a Christmas gift. My initial attempt at installing crown molding was daunting. Well, after the first piece I was a pro. I have never experienced a tool that has allowed me to raise my DIY skills to such a high level. I feel like a professional. I am now removing the original crown molding that was poorly installed when I bought my house. I plan on replacing all of the crown molding utilizing my Porter Cable Finish Nailer and Pancake Compressor combo and my DeWalt 12" Combo miter Saw. Two indispensible tools for anyone. Spend the money and finally enjoy projects rather than dreading them. This unit will save you an incredible amount of time. You may want to keep a nail set and a hammer around though as I have had occasional nail heads stick up. However, this only happens about 1 in 50 nails that I've driven.

I remodeled my basement a while back and this is the compressor I used to do the framing. It kept up ok with the framing nailer that I borrowed. I also used the finish nailer to put up my trim boards. The compressor wasn't able to keep up with my die grinder though. I used the die grinder to prepare my gutters on my house for painting, and I would have to stop quite often to let the compressor catch up. For little jobs like what I used mine for, however, this compressor will work just fine.

Yeah, yeah. Everybody buys these Mini Maglites. Everybody says they're the benchmark, but I disagree, having owned one a number of years and having had time to document it's failings. For one thing, mine simply quit working recently, and when I visited the Maglite website, I learned that returning it under the warranty would cost more in shipping than it would cost to buy a new flashlight. How irritating. My solution was to toss the thing in the trash, and what a pity, as the quality of construction is quite good, notwithstanding the broken switch. But that brings me to my second point: the switch. This is the twist-on/off kind. Do you tend to carry a flashlight in your pack? In your pocket? Then avoid this model. The jostling that occurs during routine movement tend to turn the light on, a bit of a hassle when you're in the middle of nowhere only to find your light has turned itself on and exhausted the batteries. Now if only the manufacturer would adopt the same kind of push-button switch as on the larger models, and perhaps change the bulb to LEDs, then this model would be perfect rather than merely dated. A better bet is to pick up one or two cheap plastic Rayovacs at the hardware or discount store--better switch, comparable durability.

To start, I'm a tradesmen who has to carry his lifelines on his belt. Not only on the job, but I'm also the unnofficial handyman of this apartment complex. Every time I even move to take my workbelt off, it seems to be a signal for a neighbor to bang on the wall saying something is on fire or won't open all the way. And the Mini Mag is the universal flashlight. It's sold everywhere, including this fine site and even family stores, and despite its legendary quality and design, is at the most ten dollars with included holster. I prefer the classic AA design, where CAN'T you find AAs? I've used one of these on my belt for about four years. It's an excellent tool, and I've never had one wear out on me. The bulbs, however, are the Achilles heel. The rest of the flashlight is military, police and trade quality, for civilian price. But these dang bulbs go orange after a couple weeks and last a couple months of casual use. I was considering shelling out forty bucks for a small LED, just to save the money on bulbs.
Then, walking through a sports outlet, I passed the flashlight section. And next to the usual Mini Mag with holster, which I own close to six of, was a Nite Ize accessory designed for this same flashlight. An LED bulb. Now, I've seen these online for about twenty to thirty bucks, and this is a ten dollar flashlight! But this one just sitting around on a shelf was eight bucks, about a buck less than the flashlight's shelf price. What the heck, I got one. To quote another review, my trusty old Mag is now a state-of-the-art torch, with nearly triple battery life of the old bulb. And LEDs, as all Mag-haters know, don't burn out or even go out when bumped.
So, for a total of twenty bucks, you get an American-quality LED beam that competes and plain out whips fifty-dollar imports with plastic casings. I wouldn't recomend this flashlight if there wasn't there was a way to fix its biggest flaw. Just get your hands on this LED adapter, and put it in like you would the standard bulb. Replace the mirror reflector, and stomp the old bulbs into powder. You won't be needing them, ever again. There's also a combo pack availiable, for the same price, that includes a push-button adapter if you've ever wished you could tap a red button on the end instead of twisting it on and off. I haven't tried it, but it comes with the LED, and for eight bucks?
And hey, the flashlight itself comes in six different colors. These things are easily replaced if one gets banged up or your room-mate/girlfriend draws all over it with Sharpie while she's on the phone. I've had these work perfectly even they have been through Hades and back, but some prefer a more formal-looking flashlight. Just take the LED out and put it in the new one, those bulbs last forever. And now, so will this flashlight.

This flashlight is the perfect blend of power,performence, and toughness. My Maglite took a couple hard falls-the diffrence-nothing. The holster is very handy and tough and wont rip easily. The spare bulb in the end of the flashlight just adds to its brilliance.The light of this flashlight is more powerful than some flashlights twice its size. I have tried other Brand-Named flashlights but none equaled this Maglite . You'd buy it if your smart.

I had this kit for less than 1 month and cannot tell you how many times I have used it..I just built some shelves for my mom and it was a breeze having the cordless conveinence but furthormore the circular saw does not stop..I ripped down some boards with no problem and it has plenty of power. I did look at dewalt circular saw and the milwaukee is built 10 TIMES BETTER..
Dewalts cordless drills seem fine but I think milwaukee is built with tough standards..Buy this combo you will not be dissapointed...I know this was the best purchase I made!!! Hope this helps...

I tried an entry-level Ryobi quad-pack (at the Orange store) with circular saw, sawzall, 1/2 drill, and flashlight. Not all that bad for $199.00, but I needed a hammerdrill and wanted longer battery life as well as more precision tools. I bought the Dewalt saw and hammer/drill and found it was physically impossible to make one-handed 45's with the saw. Very clumsy "safety" switch, probably ends up being somewhat dangerous considering what you have to do to be able to finally pull the trigger switch.

I then discovered Milwakee's saw/hammerdrill combo on Amazon, all I cold find was the higher item count sets at the Orange store. I am extremely happy with my choice. Some of my oldest tools are Milwakee and I have no reason to get new as they are tough and capable ene though 25 years old (sawzall and 1/2" angle drill, both have lot of miles on them).

One thing no one has mentioned is the brake on the saw. Let go of the switch and it stops instantly, something my wormdrive and other circulars don't do. When it comes to safety, that is right up there as far as effective. A coasting cirluar can do a lot of damage, if it gets away from you. Safety switches and blade gaurds are questionable in the final analysis, but without them, the lawyers would be driving bigger cars, I suppose.

Another reason I bought this saw was, aside from the incredible conveinece, is it is light and well balanced and at 60, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. This saw is light comparatively speaking.

I am a homeowner and hobby woodworker. I purchased this set of cordless tools after using a friend's DeWalt set. Milwaukee sends DeWalt to the back of the line in quality, ruggedness, power, you name the category. You want to see a friend cringe with envy, pull this set out while he is using his DeWalt. I chose this set from shopping in the local stores and using Amazon's reviews. Thanks everyone who posted five stars, you all were right. This is one of my first reviews on anything, I usually don't take the time, but I just had to tell the world about this set of Milwaukee tools. Simply, these tools ROCK!

I just returned from building for a week with Bayou area Habitat for Humanity in Gray, La. I took my Shark saw with me to the job site because I thought I might be doing flooring. I pulled out the Shark saw and the "boss" who had over 100 volunteers wanted to know how we got such a great smooth cut on the bottom of the door jambs. I showed him my Shark saw and he was very impressed. I used it all week and felt so badly taking it away with me that I left it on the job site and he is guarding it with his life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is locked up in the "dog house" (tool shed) and only he will personally release it. He loves it so much that I am buying two more and will send a new one to him and of course I must replace mine, as I feel that my tool bag is not complete without your wonderful saw. It is SO easy to use and makes beautiful cuts. No tearing......great control!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for such a great product.

I bought because of other reviews. I have other regular types of handsaws. This is the first time I purchased something like this Japanese style.

It cuts faster, better,and more accurate than any other hand saw I have ever used. The blade is flimsy and takes some getting used to but it works great. Flush cutting with ease and went through a whole 2x4 in about 12 seconds from start to finish!

I ma impressed.

I bought these items because of the good reviews and I needed another $30 to get the $25 discount on tools over $200 deal. I also needed a better tool to get molding off without destroying it. So far I really like both these tools. The saw is razor sharp and flexible. The pry bar fits nicely behind molding and the cats paw grabs buried nails easily. What I don't like is the pry bar is too short. The sharp molding tool end digs into your hand when you are trying to pull a nail out. I suppose you could just wear a thick glove. It still gets 5 stars because it is what it is. Nobody in their right mind would think that a tiny 8" cats paw would really work without any issues. I think it is a small, handy tool that you could carry easily on a tool belt for occasional use. If you really need to pull out lots of nails, I would get one of Shark's larger purpose built nail pullers.

i needed to buy anotherone cause mine was stollen.....so i knew i couldn't go out without one of this....is very usefull and by the way is very practical to have one in the purse, in your car, in your kitchen cabinet.....any place, cause you never know....!!!

To start, I'm a tradesmen who has to carry his lifelines on his belt. Not only on the job, but I'm also the unnofficial handyman of this apartment complex. Every time I even move to take my workbelt off, it seems to be a signal for a neighbor to bang on the wall saying something is on fire or won't open all the way. And the Mini Mag is the universal flashlight. It's sold everywhere, including this fine site and even family stores, and despite its legendary quality and design, is at the most ten dollars with included holster. I prefer the classic AA design, where CAN'T you find AAs? I've used one of these on my belt for about four years. It's an excellent tool, and I've never had one wear out on me. The bulbs, however, are the Achilles heel. The rest of the flashlight is military, police and trade quality, for civilian price. But these dang bulbs go orange after a couple weeks and last a couple months of casual use. I was considering shelling out forty bucks for a small LED, just to save the money on bulbs.
Then, walking through a sports outlet, I passed the flashlight section. And next to the usual Mini Mag with holster, which I own close to six of, was a Nite Ize accessory designed for this same flashlight. An LED bulb. Now, I've seen these online for about twenty to thirty bucks, and this is a ten dollar flashlight! But this one just sitting around on a shelf was eight bucks, about a buck less than the flashlight's shelf price. What the heck, I got one. To quote another review, my trusty old Mag is now a state-of-the-art torch, with nearly triple battery life of the old bulb. And LEDs, as all Mag-haters know, don't burn out or even go out when bumped.
So, for a total of twenty bucks, you get an American-quality LED beam that competes and plain out whips fifty-dollar imports with plastic casings. I wouldn't recomend this flashlight if there wasn't there was a way to fix its biggest flaw. Just get your hands on this LED adapter, and put it in like you would the standard bulb. Replace the mirror reflector, and stomp the old bulbs into powder. You won't be needing them, ever again. There's also a combo pack availiable, for the same price, that includes a push-button adapter if you've ever wished you could tap a red button on the end instead of twisting it on and off. I haven't tried it, but it comes with the LED, and for eight bucks?
And hey, the flashlight itself comes in six different colors. These things are easily replaced if one gets banged up or your room-mate/girlfriend draws all over it with Sharpie while she's on the phone. I've had these work perfectly even they have been through Hades and back, but some prefer a more formal-looking flashlight. Just take the LED out and put it in the new one, those bulbs last forever. And now, so will this flashlight.

The AA Maglite is very bright for its size. With fresh batteries, it has the potential to lighten up a moderate sized room under very dark conditions. Mine has been 100 percent reliable, even when DROPPED several times. Accidents happen, and my Mini AA is all scratched up and beaten up (the black finish has partially come off from being dropped so often), yet it continues to work (even when dropped on cement from 5 feet up on multiple occasions). The only part I've had to replace are the bulbs. While not as bright as higher tech Surefires and similar flashlights, the Maglite AA is the MOST reliable and toughest flashlight I have owneed.

I'm glad I didn't buy the Porter-Cable 18 gage brad nailer kit from Home Depot.

Instead, I spent the additional $$$ at The Building Box in Mississauga, Ontario for this well-rounded kit to install our primed MDF 4-1/2" crown moulding project this Spring. This kit cost me $$$ plus 15% taxes. I guess to keep the price low, Porter-Cable outfitted this kit with their 135 psi pancake compressor, rather than their 150 psi compressor which is sold with their 18 gage brad nailer kit.

The positives of the kit are;

1) The 17 piece accessory kit with the pistol grip blower,
2) The gun has a balanced and quality feel,
3) Easy to load gun,
4) Easy to clear jammed nails,
5) Shorter and more streamlined design of gun,
6) Enough power to countersink a 2-1/2" nail into red oak,
7) Portable and reasonably light-weight compressor,
8) Very good sight line of nailing surface,
9) Value purchase.

The negatives of this kit are;

1) Noisy compressor,
2) Gun does not warn user when it runs out of nails,
3) Should have provided 2-1/2" nails, rather than the 2" nails,
4) Compressor's auto on/off lever can dislodge from the switch assembly when the lever is pushed/pulled at the wrong angle,
5) Must order the free black coloured trigger separately,
6) The gun will at the odd time spall the MDF moulding surface at the nail's point of entry (which means more caulking).

Here's the deal ...

Do you want a small, safe, easy to use, out of the box compressor / finisher kit. Do you plan on spending the [money] it would cost to piece meal this deal together? Drop the [money] and pick one of these up.

Setup - 5 stars
Ease of use - 5 stars
Noise - 3 Stars
Standard Equipment - 5 stars
Nailing in 20 minutes from opening the box - 5 stars

In a nutshell, if your a homowner with a gift for home improvement, you'll use this unit. Fill up your car tires, the kids bikes, blow out the garage, and of course nailing stuff to the wall...

I'm puting in a harwood floor this weekend and It'll go in like cake. Tested it out on some 1/4 round ... no splitting. goes straight through a 2x4 no problem. Noisy? Stick the compressor outside and use the 25 foot cord to maneuver around. It's the icing on the cake. Right up there with the table saw and the 12 inch Dewalt miter saw ...

Save your shopping time for fishing lures and just get this.

Purchased [online]. The compressor is light enough to move easily, but stays in place unless the floor has some kind of gloss finish. The nailer is light-wieght, easy to hold overhead, the exhaust duct is easy to direct and the nail depth is simple and stays in place. The DeWalt guns are nicer (more substantial feeling and heavier guage nails), but a DeWalt 15g costs as much as the whole PC kit. Trigger trip point fluctuates a little, and it's pretty easy to double nail a spot if you pull too slowly. But other than that it's a wonderful tool and a great value.

I scored the 18v. set (CircSaw, JigSaw, RecipSaw, Hammer drill, Hand Planer, Flashlight, 2 batts and standard 1-hour charger...$515) and feel extremely fortunate to have done so. (I notice there's no such deal available now, so I'm guessing the weak GOP dollar is digging in.) Haven't used the planer much, but everything else works dandy. The jigsaw in particular, is a fabulous tool. That's a healthy pile of tools for $515, and they threw in a very nice tool bag that holds everything!

My ONLY complaint is the circular saw can seem just a wee bit underpowered cutting 3/4" ply, so if you're buying one piece at a time, that would get my 24v. recommendation. Everything else has power to spare for my dinkin' around purposes.

As an added bonus, Bosch had a free rebate for their fast charger last winter (1-'04), 15 minutes from total exhaustion to full charge. I was a little worried that it might stress the batteries, but it seems to work perfectly. There's no extra heat or anything. Put it all together, it's an exceedingly slick set-up. Very happy customer.

I purchased this kit with the bonus jigsaw which made this an even more incredible value. I work construction/remodeling with about 10 other guys and this is by far the most used and abused tool kit on any job we do. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more show up on site after the compliments I've received. I would recommend an extra battery (if you can find one). Every tool performs flawlessly and up to the Bosch standard.

I have the 18 volt Bosch set that also included the Jig saw and the hammer drill. I can't seem to find that set in the tool listing, but its in the catalog Amazon sends me. I couldn't be more pleased with these tools. All of the tools had plenty of power and features such as quick release blades and vacuum port on the circ saw. Also, the blade for the circ saw is a standard size, unlike the Porter Cable saw I had before. I returned a porter cable set and bought these. Bosch's tools are quite superior than other rechargables I have used.

One feature I like is the bag. Other tool sets have large and heavy plastic boxes which are so tight you can hardly get the things back in there and the lid closed. My Bosch set came with a contractor's bag which is much easlier to carry in a house without bunping the walls. Additionally, the bag will hold additional accessories unlike some cases I have used.

The only weakness is the charger. I would like a charger that indicates battery condition, charge status, etc. Bosch's 1 hour charger has only one light and only tells you if its charging or not.

I agree with the last reviewer from Centreville - this is one heck of a bargain, and let's face it, this grade of tool is pricey enough for the home handyman. Like a lot of people I did my research on cordless 14.4V drills and decided that any of the recent ones - Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Milwaukee etc. would have been OK for what I wanted - a deck building tool. At one local store I was advised to get a Makita 12V impact driver for about $220, but then the additional chuck for drilling would have put the price over what I wanted to pay. I'm glad I resisted and got a drill / driver. Anyway, more research on this particular out-of-production-combination (the 3660CK) reveals that the drill has been replaced by the 2 new tough series (Brute and Compact). If one does the detailed comparison, the 3660K drill in this set has almost identical specs to the new Brute tough - except for some metal casing - which alone is about $190. The newer drills don't add any useful features to what the 3660K has. The saw is still being sold as a combo with the new Compact tough 14.4V drill and retails also for $190. With the Amazon discount I paid $195 for both - with free shipping - which can't be beat I think.

As far as performance etc., I find the 5.3 lb drill to be the heavy end of what is comfortable for me as a handyman, but it is very well balanced. One thing that surprised me was that the variable speed trigger gives you a lot of control over slow drilling - you don't have to run it with a lot of torque if you don't want (the clutch setting notwithstanding). The saw was an added bonus, but already I have been impressed with how smooth and easy it is to use.

In short, this deal won't last forever, and there's little reason to prefer the two newer Bosch models that don't come with the saw (unless you plan on frequently dropping them from the roof). Like the other reviewer, I find the case is too big for everyday use, and I suppose I'll now get the flashlight as well for $20. Would I buy this again - you bet!

I needed to replace my 8 or so year old Bosch 12v drill, and naturally considered Bosch again due to the fantastic experience I had with the 12v. I considered DeWalt and Makita, which I'm sure would have been good, but ultimately went with this Bosch kit for the amazing price. Just the saw alone is $180, the new Compact Tough 14.4v drill is about $140, so for $200 ($220 minus $20 rebate) this kit was a steal!! The drill isn't much heavier than my 12v, and it is significantly more powerful, I from 250 to 425 inlb of torque. I drilled a 1/2" speed bore longways (the 5-1/2" way) through a 2x6 on high speed setting and it flew through, probably just as fast as my 6 amp DeWalt electric. I then cut the 2x6 with the fantastic 14.4v saw, and it went through just as easily as my 12 amp Skil electric. Both the drill and the saw have a fantastic feel to them, they fit my hands well and feel top-notch quality. I can't get over the saw, everything about it says quality - including the very nice flip-up exhaust port for your shop vac.

The good? Price, performance, feel, quality, reliability if its even close to my previous 12v. Which still works fine, by the way, but one of the batteries is bad.

Bad? The case is too big. It is designed to hold drill, saw, charger, rip fence, drill handle, owners manual, and cordless light (guess I will have to get one of those now.) I wish it had a separate case for the drill and saw, since I rarely need to carry the saw anywhere.

This set is one HEavy-Duty drill and saw. Not for a weak person to use. Gets the job done without a hassle. I love the carbide tipped blade.

I was looking for replacement batteries after the originals failed to perform. I looked around and found a another brand that has a direct replacement. Then I found this offer for two DeWalt replacement batteries at the super low price, I had to purchase these.

So far, the batteries have performed as I expected. In my case, the batteries were delivered before the estimated delivery date.

THESE ARE A EXCELLENT VALUE. AFTER A LOT OF SEARCHING LOCALLY AND ON THE INTERNET SINGLE 18 VOLT BATTERIES WERE RUNNING REAL CLOSE TO $80 DOLLARS. WHEN YOU CAN BUY TWO FOR $55 DOLLARS WHY SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE AND SPEND MORE FOR QENUINE 18 VOLT DEWALT BATTERIES.

Presumably, each DW9096 in the pack works as well as the single item (see reviews on DW9096). This is a great price for a pair. I was looking for cheap batteries for my DeWalt equipment and found a 1.4 Amp hour battery for $54, but at only a buck or two more (per battery) for these, I will get the genuine, high-capacity thing! As soon, that is, as I scrape the money together.

These saw blades will be all you need, this is a great package deal.

I have owned a Delta unisaw for 3 years. Hard maple is one of my main wood choices. After recieving these blades, I now understand how a rip blade differs from a cutoff blade. I used to get great cuts from my first Freud blade, but now, ripping butcherblock is effortless, and clean. I suspect during cabinet building with some of my cherry stock, the combination blade will be more a fixture in the saw, however, this weekend is time for prefinished oak flooring, where the 80 tooth finecut blade makes cuts as clean as...as it should be.

The Freud R-Bladepack is one of the gifts I will be waiting for under the tree for Christmas. Whoever thought of making Teflon coated saw blades had a great idea. Personally, I think that this package is a great Christmas gift to give to anybody who has a 10" powered saw, whether it is at home or at work. The Teflon coating makes the cuts a lot smoother and more accurate. Most of the carpenters I know have recommended the Freud Teflon coated blades.

The Freud R-Bladepack will last you a looooong time.