Porter-Cable Reviews

This is about the most common brad size I use in my shop. These are fairly soft, so deflection can be a problem if you are not careful about the material you are nailing. Avoid knots and obtuse angles on plywood. They hold well and can be difficult to remove once driven.

Excellent is every respect.

Allan Musterer

I have used these nails extensively in my Bostich BT-50 (on my 3rd box of 5000) with no problem at all. Possibly other manufacturers have lower tolerances or are not up to par with the Bostich, but the nails work just great.....

Use to polish my aluminum airplane. Works good with the "Nuvite" products and with the Porter Cable random orbit sander, gets into tight places

I had a body shop for 20 years. Did a lot of high end cars, and spent a lot of time behind a polisher. Now I am doing woodwork and need to get the same kind of results. The problem is that with woodwork, most of the time, you are working on smaller, intricate surfaces, as compared to the big flat panels on a car. Consquently a 2400 RMP polisher is not what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately 2400 RPMs is where mile deep gloss arrives. So what to do. I just ordered the Milwaukee variable speed 11 amp polisher. The speed range is 0-2800 with a pre set dial for fixing a setting, so I can slow it down for the delicate areas, and still maintain the option of cranking it up for the larger flat surfaces. I also purchased the hook and loop backing pad. That is where this Porter Cable wool pad comes in. It is difficult to tell just how much nap their is on a pad when ordering from a picture online. My old favorite is a super plush 7 inch tie on lambswool bonnet. By the time you wrap it around a backing pad, it makes for a larger edge than you would normally need for the intracacies of wood projects. That is where these Porter Cable hook and loop pads come in. The texture is very fine and smooth. Very thick and dense as well. The nap is only about 1/2" deep. That makes it very manageable for tight spaces. It is good for getting a lot of control when working up close to an ajoining surface. Using this pad on a random orbit sander is ok for a gentle rubbing effect. If you are planning on building a solid layer of finish, and polishing it to a deep gloss that is glasslike by using compounds, you will need a regular polisher. The nice thing about these Porter Cable polishing pads, is that they work with either type of machine, as long as they have a hook and loop backing pad.
All in all these Porter Cable pads, with their tight yet silky smooth nap, fill a niche for polishing that is very helpful. Hope this helps.

Have used the PC 7636 for 11 years with the 18807 pad and nothing surpasses the results IF (EMPHASIZE "IF")you make certain the surface is clean and less than 90 degrees ambient shaded temperature. The other secret to a vibrant shine is don't use the whole bottle for 1 application. I use Glare polish. It is a 2 step process (1 to clean, the other to maximize). Using a terry cloth pad or applicator, use a dab (the size of a pea) to clean, remove excess with Autopia CTB polish cloth, and then put another pea size application over the freshly cleaned surface. Wait 10 FULL minutes. it takes that long for the polish to adhere and dry. Then with the PC set on the lowest setting (1), and using overlapping, 360 degress, with no pressure other than the weight of the PC, remove the polish. There is nothing that out works the PC pad. It does have to be washed every 2 full car applications. Using a non bleach non softening laundry product, with the washing machine on warm/warm, wash the pad. After washing, throw the pad in the drier on "no-heat" and tumble for an hour. If still damp, lay on flat surface (no sun) until dry (overnight works perfectly). This pad is a quality product and can be used on either a clear coat or lacquer coat surfaces (as long as you use the PC orbital buffer). Have no worries about using the 18007 for all your car polishing needs.

I think it's criminal that Porter Cable has chosen not to include both the 1/4 inch and the 1/2 inch collet with this $300 plus router. This collet can't cost more than fifty cents; yet it's retailing for around $12. This is especially true since Porter Cable has joined the ranks of other companies, manufactoring their blades and bits in China. I have a number of Porter Cable tools, and they've always been first rate. I was really surprised when I received my new 7518, and it only had one collet. If they're going to rip you off on a collet, who knows what corners they're going to cut inside the case.

I have no idea why Porter-Cable doesn't include one of these with the their 75xx series routers. I admit that the big routers would overpower most really delicate bits, but there are too many bits that are almost impossible to find in 1/2" size. Since my 7518 is the router in my router table, this collet is an absolute requirement.

Enough complaining. The good news is that the 1/4" collet is inexpensive and easily available. It works perfectly, of course, and is as solidly built as you would expect from a Porter-Cable professional tool. It also fits the 6xx series routers, in case you misplace one. So if you are like me and have four routers, you need one for backup in any case

Works great, if you need it, get it, no problems. Works in all of the Porter Cable Routers that I have. Zero complaints and I always find every little design flaw.

OK, it works and works well, other than the sloppy stops the Omnijig employees.

But this price for a piece of machined aluminum? What does it cost Porter Cable to make this accessory? $2?

PC does have to cover the development costs and should charge a premium for a jig that is somewhat of a standard in woodworking. Check out the price of the Omnijig. Trust me, you've already paid for this accomplishment when you purchased the original jig. And the design of this jig hasn't changed in years and years. PC is way behind the times.

I'm thinking (hoping) that there is a special place in hell for those individuals in companies, like Porter Cable, who decide to rape their customers, who have already paid a hefty tab for the jig, when they want to purchase an accessory for that jig.

Shame on Porter Cable. If had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy a PC dovetail jig.

This is a good piece of hardware. But a couple of things to be aware of: 1) This is a "tapered" jig. So if you look carefully on the front right side of the male slot, you'll see it's about 1/8" narrower than the left side. This is how it gets one side tighter than the other. One side slides in easily and eventually gets tighter as the male part gets increasingly wider. 2) Pay particular attention to making sure your M and F pieces align on the left side and that your boards are the same width. This important for achieving the tight fit at the other end of your boards. (I first did a test cut using 2 different widths of boards, and they didn't fit, and I freaked...at first)I agree with other writers that the whole OmniJig could use a major upgrade, putting precision adjustment knobs instead of trial and error stop blocks for example, would really help....Tom O'Brien...All Quality Woodworking

Sustantially made and very easy to set up and operate. I'm very pleased with it but initially, I was having trouble with an obvious gap between the male and female board when they slid together. I was baffled because the joint itself fit well. Then came the ah-hah moment. Be sure that when cutting the male board, you leave the female board in the top clamp at least far enough under the rear of the template to support it but leaving enough room for the bit to move freely in the front slot. Doing this supports the back of the template which otherwise can tip slightly backwards under router and hand pressure causing an irregular cut on one edge of the male board. When I made that change, they fit like a glove. My days of dados have been drasticaly reduced.

I am in the process of priming/painting moulding in my garage to be nailed up in the house I just built. Had a similar Craftsman that lasted me about 8 yrs and just broke. So, this time I ordered this one from Tool Crib. It lasted a total of 4 months before breaking down yesterday. It is still under the warranty so I phoned Porter Cable. They said I have to take it to a certain nearest service center which happens to be a 4 hr drive from where I live. Or, I can ship it to them if I pay the shipping. So, I ended up driving to the nearest town today to buy a new compressor of a different brand. Pretty darn poor service. What do I expect you might ask? I expect them to let me take the brand new thing to any near by place that can fix it and have the bill sent to them! I have purchased a lot of Porter Cable tools while building this house but that compressor was the last one!

I just bought one of these units. When I unpacked it and bolted the wheels on, I discovered that the bracket which holds the wheels on had been welded onto the tank crooked. As a result it stood at an angle, resting on only one of the rubber feet. The other one was about a half inch off of the ground. I was able to correct the problem by re-drilling one of the wheel mounting holes. Hopefully rest of the tank was welded with a bit more care.

Be warned, the Porter Cable service policy as stated in the manual is essentially: Don't return a defective unit to the retailer. Call Porter Cable to find the nearest service center. You pay the shipping(not cheap on a 130 pound compressor).

The SCFM spec is impressive, more so than similarly priced units. I have not used the unit much yet but expect it to serve well in the light-duty role for which I bought it.

great compressor, easy to move around and use. ....

If zero stars was available, I would give it to Porter Cable this time. Honda though, deserves 5 stars.

I had trouble getting the powerwasher to work. I called Porter Cable's "customer service". Better bring a book with you. After an unreasonable length of time, I was finally able to talk to a living customer representative. She could offer me no technical support, but said i had to take the unit to a warranty service center. I called the center she recommended. They said they could fix the pump, but if there was a problem with the engine, I would have to pay for it. I explained to them that the unit wasn't working, so i didn't know if it was the engine or the pump causing the trouble. Once again I called Porter Cable customer service. I asked how it makes sense to have a warranty service center for powerwashers that support only the pump part of the powerwasher. No explanation was available, but the customer rep said I must contact another
warranty service center. I did. They said that 7 years ago, they used to support Porter Cable, but no longer do. I called back Porter Cable. They called the warranty center. The Porter Cable rep told me the warranty center had made a mistake, and i should call them back. I did. They said they could look at the powerwasher in two weeks. (Two weeks??!!) Another warranty center was recommended. This one was so far away, that the cost of travelling there and back (twice) would exceed the price of the powerwasher. I asked Porter Cable to pick the powerwasher up. I this point, I didn't want anything to do with it anymore. Porter Cable said i had to contact Amazon to return it. I did. Amazon said it couldn't be returned, because it might contain combustible fluids. Though it was perfectly ok for Amazon to send the unit to me, it was not ok for me to send the same unit back to them. For this I give Amazon a 1 star.

so, I contacted Honda. The call was answered by a knowledgable human being, who helped me get the powerwasher working. It took about 3 minutes of discussion with the Honda rep, and about 1/2 hour of my time to get the powerwasher running.

The box was severely damaged, it was dropped off upside down, parts inside were moving all about, part of the bracket to hang the hose on has protruded through the box and subsequently scraped up, parts inside caused several large scratches across the front plate of the handle, oil had leaked everywhere (even though there wasn't supposed to be any oil in the machine), some small parts were loose in the box and easily could have fallen out, and there is a miscellaneous plastic part that I have no idea what it's for and it's broken, and it looks like there's a screw missing near the oil port - but I'm not sure. I haven't tried starting the machine yet. This is un acceptable packaging and shipping for a $400 item. If I didn't mind scratches I would have bought a used one. And if I didn't need it this weekend I'd return it.

The washer is very good and easy to operate .
The only problem is with the shipping because the
shipping company plays very rough during transport and
damages the washer . This creates problem which take time to
resolve .
Helmut Kade

When I received this Router it looked like it had never been touched there was dirt & saw dust in the screw slots the router plate was chipped and scratched badly plus the 1/2 collect was missing and the thumb switch would not lock I excepted more from a factory reconditioned product. I sent it back and got a new Dewalt 618 router combo and have used it a lot and could not be happier

if your lookin to get a hard working 2 h.p. plunge router but are "ify" about spending alot of cash than you got to get this p.c. recon. has plenty of power and easy to handle works great as hand held and as an undermount...gulit free spending

This is the perfect router for fine woodworking inlay work, with the soft start woodworker's won't need to worry about moving jigs and guide plates on start-up, it is also nice for those of you that install Soss hinges, and of course Porter Cable is second to none when it comes to routers, I rate this as a top buy for all you woodworkers.

This would be an excellent item if only sandpaper was available for it!!

This is a great accessory. Hook & loop sandpaper is available for it from Klingspor's Woodworking Shop, www.woodworkingshop.com, 800-228-0000.

The pad saves time and cuts down on the aggrivation. Klingspor at woodworkingshop.com has a complete line of quality sandpaper for the Hook & Loop 340 Sander.

OK, it works and works well, other than the sloppy stops the Omnijig employees.

But this price for a 14" piece of machined aluminum? What does it cost Porter Cable to make this accessory? $2?

PC does have to cover the development costs and should charge a premium for a jig that is somewhat of a standard in woodworking. Check out the price of the Omnijig. Trust me, you've already paid for this accomplishment when you purchased the original jig. And the design of this jig hasn't changed in years and years. PC is way behind the times.

I'm thinking (hoping) that there is a special place in hell for those individuals in companies, like Porter Cable, who decide to rape their customers, who have already paid a hefty tab for the jig, when they want to purchase an accessory for that jig.

And the 24" jigs cost around $67?

Shame on Porter Cable. If had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy a PC dovetail jig.

As a weekend warrior in the woodshop , i use and abuse tools. This tool withstood the daily rigors and made me many a box.

After obtaining and being pleased with the 1/2" dovetail template, I deceided to purchase the 1/4". Just as the 1/2", it works well also. Great for the small peices. Constructed a "Cajun Craps Box" and used it. Easy to use and does a good job.

Porter Cable's 19.2 Volt line has major flaws. I bought the driver and saw kit and the hammer drill kit. In the first year I replaced the drill/drivers three times...while under warranty. The saw worked well and the flashlight was the best part of this kit. Now it is a couple years old and the batteries are dead and at $90 each I am not replacing them. I bought Hitachi this time with a five year warranty. I wasted $600 on the Porter Cable junk.

I've bought so called cordless tools in the past, but this combo pack is the first true cordless "tool" set I've owned. Because of the demanding nature of the renovation jobs I am currently doing to my home, I depend on and use this pair constantly. The hammer/drill/driver is the most versatile tool. It meets all my 1/2 inch or less hole drilling, screw and small hex bolt driving, and light hammer drilling needs. Never lets me down. It delivers the power and mobility for use everywhere, like in tight attics, crawl spaces, on roofs, and outdoors away from power outlets. The Tiger saw has power and versatility, too, cutting literally anything and everything using the proper blade. I use it to cut framing and plywood, siding, drywall, sheet metal, old tires, plastic and metal pipe, bricks. The PorterCable drywall blades work especially well on PVC pipe. The saw is even good for cutting tree limbs. And both tools can go absolutely ANYWHERE !! Make sure to buy yourself a third battery and keep one on the charger at all times, then you'll never want for power. The batteries charge in about 45 minutes. One point about the saw; if you use it on a material, like sheetmetal, or in a tight place where the blade can catch or hit its end on something solid, the saw can jamb, and you must manually pull the blade forward a bit and run it briefly before returning to cutting. A minor inconvenience. To sum up, I could not have chosen a better cordless combo, especially with my aspirations to do professional contract work someday. Look for more of my reviews of PorterCable power tools and the 19.2V Network cordless system.

THIS HAMMER DRILL AND RECIP SAW OFFER GREAT CORDLESS POWER. I JUST USED THE DRILL TO MAKE THIRTY FIVE 1/4' HOLES IN BRICK/CONCRETE ON A SINGLE CHARGE, AND I USED THE RECIP SAW TO CLEAR A 75' HONEYSUCKLE HEDGE. BOTH EXCEDED EXPECTATIONS.