Porter-Cable Reviews

I bought a new Bostitch N80CB framing nailer from Amazon, then had difficulty finding a local source of coil nails here in Silicon Valley. So I ordered these nails in the 400-pack from Amazon also.

The nails came in two coils of 200 nails each, in a corrugated cardboard box; I expect the 2500-pack to be similar. There was no other packaging, and my coils were a bit squashed after shipping. I had to unwind the full 200 nail coil and rewind it to fit smoothly around the spindle of my nailer.

How did the nails work? Very well, after recoiling. I had no jams; no problems at all. A few cardboard cores to keep the coils from getting squashed in transit would help a bunch. I might well have had some feed problems if I hadn't straightened out the connecting wires before loading, so I deducted one star. But the price is decent, and Amazon's free shipping can't be topped.

REALLY LIKED THEM . THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE WAY THEY ARE SHIPPED. YOU HAVE TO STRAIGHTEN THEM OUT WHEN YOU GET THEM

worked fine installing 1/2" plywood in attic space. make sure you wear eye protection as plastic collating does fly in all directions
and is sharp (as you will find out when you inadvertently kneel on a piece). gave it four stars instead of five because of price. a 5,000 pack of similar nails is around $44.00 at home depot.

Just went through my first box of 500, without a misfire using a Porter Cable FR350. I am now ordering more for next project. :-)

These are fairly soft as brads go, but at this length, deflection is not a major problem. You do still have to be careful, though. These are fine for smaller chores, like fastening thin shelves in dadoes or applying trim moldings. They hold well, but are tough to remove if you misfire.

Wow! Age of wonders this is a fantastic product.

It wasn't clear by the description that you were unable to use the inflator while plugged in. However, it performed more than adequately with a full charge. Note: You can use the car adaptor in a power emergency - when the battery is almost fully discharged.

I was most pleased at the quality of this little gem. It is quiet performs flawlessly. I use it to blow out my sprinkler system. It's made by Porter Cable so quality is assured.
Don Oliason

After trying several belt sanders on the market, I was extremely happy to come across this one. For starters, it never bogs down. No matter how much pressure is put on the platen or how long it runs, the motor never bogs. That was the main problem with other belt sanders I have used.

The sander also has some heft to it. It is not a light weight machine. This is good because it doesn't need a lot of extra force to remove a lot of stock, and the weight helps to keep it on track. If weight is a concern for you, you need to look elsewhere. Although the "elsewhere" sanders won't work as well!

This sander is tough. I was sanding a faceframe one day when my partner accidentally unplugged the machine. I set the machine down (this part is embarrassing) forgetting to turn the trigger off. When I plugged it back in, it pulled itself across the bench and onto the floor before I realized what was happening. It bounced a couple of times and continued across the floor before pulling the plug from the outlet. It purrs like a lion to this day. There has been other times when it has been dropped or stepped on and has never had any problems.

The only drawback, and the reason I gave it only 4 stars, is the dust bag. It gets in the way sometimes when working on other than horizontal surfaces. It can be swung around, though, to the left or right out of the way. Also, the dust bag forms a rub hole, right at the top where the aluminum tube ends inside the bag. I've sealed it with clear silicone which works fine.

Plenty of power- doesn't bog down. Long lived ....... in shops I've worked in PC was the sander of choice.Belt tracks very well. The variable speed is handy and is a separate wheel control as it should be. At this price and the full warranty it's a no brainer. You could pay more and get a lot less sander.

This is better than the "other guys" sandpaper. It is very durable and 1 sheet alone will last and last.

I've just sanded down my front door which had layer upon layer of varnish covering it. I only used one disc which tackled the door effortlessly when it was combined with the Porter Cable 333VS. This is the best sanding disk I've used so far and I doubt I'll ever use another brand. If you're looking for quality, buy these!

If you are a finish carpenter, door/hardware installer, or door shop that does a lot of mortise lock prep, this is THE tool! Together with the PC 517 Lock Face Template, this stuff preps wood doors for mortise locks quickly and accurately.

Why only 4 stars?

One: Price; it's pretty spendy. Purchase both tools and you spent something like $.... The occasional mortise lock installer should stay away from this equipment unless you think it might grow into a Specialty Skill.

Two: Adjustability; Adjusting back and forth between different lock configurations can be a hassle until you figure out the learning curve. The markings on the frame for mortise height, and the stop rod for mortise depth, are "not that accurate;" takes a bit of time and practice to figure this thing out.

And this: You spend this much on a fine tool, you sure don't want to lug it around in the cardboard box it came in. Build a nice wood box, a place for everything and everything in it's place. Why PC has the nerve to sell this tool for so much money and not provide a decent storage box, even if it's blow-molded plastic, is a mystery to me. Sign of the times, I guess.

This is a door mortiser and thats all. It's a lot of money to pay for a tool with only one job but there is nothing else in the world that can do the job it does in the everyday world. Set up is a little slow but when all adjustments are complete it seldom runs over 20 seconds and its job is done.The depth adjustment came broke on my first one. Amazon leaned over backwards to get it swapped out and we went on with business.

I have to say that when doing a home full of custom doors with mortised hardware this tool was worth its weight in gold. I found the set up to be a bit frustrating because of finding the tools initial alignment but once it was established it was perfect. The only down side was that the tool has to be used in the vertical position which b/ of its weight makes it a bit awkward. The only problem I had with the tool was after about 3 doors the switch toggle stopped working and I had to unplug it to stop it. I played with the toggle and got it working again, but it was frustrating and potentially dangerous. Overall. I am happy and found it to be a real time saver. I highly recommend the face plate template too.

Purchased this Porter Cable (PC) Riptide 6" 40 tooth saw blade to replace the 18 tooth PC Riptide OEM blade that came with my PC cordless circular saw (14.4v). Although the OEM 18 tooth makes very capable, quick, rough cuts, the option to make good quality, splinter-free, finish cuts was also needed (i.e., when cut piece was too wieldy/large to single-handedly cut safely with a table saw).

The 40 tooth PC Riptide blade makes rough, hand cuts of S2S hardwoods and birch plywood satisfactorily. Some care must be taken to not rush the cut or the PC cordless saw will stall (much less of a concern with the 18 tooth OEM PC Riptid blade). Finish cuts with the PC Riptide 40 tooth can approach the quality of my 60 tooth, 10" Dewalt table saw blade if certain precautions are taken. Recommend (1) the use of a straight, well anchored edge guide, (2) taping off the wood surface that contacts the circular saw and blade to prevent finish scratches and tear-out, (3) a fully charged battery, and (4) a **slow**, steady cut.

Bottom line: The 40 tooth Porter Cable 6" Riptide blade is capable of near finish quality cuts if the proper precautions are taken when used with low powered, cordless circular saws.

The Porter Cable 6" 40 tooth riptide blade cuts with minimal splintering and leaves a satin smooth edge. We use it for cutting Baltic Birch plywood, 1/4" thru 3/4", and have been very pleased with both the cutting results and durability.

The standard base on the Porter Cable won't allow you to use the larger router bits. If you don't feel comfortable making your own base (using the orginal as a template), you might as well buy this sub-base right from the get go and save yourself the frustration of a "job stopper" when your bit doesn't fit. Regarding the see thru acrylic, it gets scratched up quickly and static electricity causes dust to stick, so it doesn't stay transparent for long.

I've owned one of these clear bases, that allow for larger bits, for years. Although I don't use it for production projects, I do use it frequently. The idea that I can see through it, has never been an issue; It's being able to see where the router bit is doing it's work that I find important. The only concern I 've had with this base is, that because of the wider mouth, one needs to excercise extra caution when turning corners (The wider mouth of the base has a tendency, along with the router's weight to "lean" over a corner.) I've found that using my "D-Handle", and maintaing strict caution and control, by keeping the "D-Handle" on the opposite side of the corner, helps me maintain safe control.

I recently purchased the box joint template specifically for a display cabinet I am currently working on. When I first attempted to use this template, I was incredibly frustrated with how tempermental the set up was. After multiple attempts and changes in set up, my joints were tight and lined up perfectly. The next problem was tear-out. The manual indicates the need to place a piece of scrap wood behind your material to prevent tear-out, however this did not prevent all splintering. Not only was there tear-out where the router bit exited the wood; but, in some places splintering also occurred where the bit entered the wood. After much consideration, I decided to try wrapping a piece of masking tape around the end of the board (prior to clamping it into the omnijig). The router bit passes through the tape, into the board, then exits the board, through the tape. The results were 100% better, with virtually no splintering. I am very pleased with what this template can do. I just finished the carcass to my display cabinet tonight and to say the least, I am quite jazzed up. Another tip....use MDF board for your backing, rather than a harder wood. (this will lengthen the life of your router bit) I hope this review was helpful.

Used the template to make a 22"X18"x44" chest; worked great. Very tight joints.