PorterCable Cordless Drill is Surprisingly Good

[Stuey]

I recently reviewed Porter Cable's 18V cordless drill.

I'll be honest - I was heavily biased against the drill before I had it in my hands. I've been skeptical of the new 18V tools ever since the brand redesigned itself and replaced its pro-grade cordless tools with mid-level ones in the same price range as Ryobi and Craftsman's consumer lines.

I really couldn't believe it at first, but after some time with the drill, I realized that it's a damn great drill. It's compact, well balanced, reasonably powerful, and has a great built quality and much less runout than other drills in its price range.

This just shows - don't judge a tool by its cover. A lot of people (myself included) thought it was a repaint of B&D's low-end cordless tools. Well, that's proven to not be the case. It's not a pro-grade drill, but it comes really close.

 

[royalton10]

I have had this same drill or its equal about 2 years, purchased at Lowes. It comes with 2 battery backs. One went dead, replaced that one free. Then another went dead, that was replaced free by sending it to the Black and Decker repair center 30 miles from Lancaster, Ohio. It has given me good service. The only thing I don't like is that bits or drivers tend to loosen with several operations. I lost an extended drill bit down an attic wall in garage when I was drilling thru top plate to run more electric wire. Cut dry wall and pulled out the extension. Overall it works decent.

 

[hischj]

I agree with you. I bought the Nicad set with drill, sawzall, and circular saw. After using them for about 3 months I added the impact driver and have never looked back. I have a friend, that swears by dewalt, that told me I would regret it after the first screw. Obviously I love the set and the impact, but the best was when we insulated his shop and I walked in to find him using my porter cable and his dewalt sitting not three feet away. He said it was because he didn't need all that drill. Whatever. I am chocking up one more for porter cable.

 

[Stuey]

I compared the PC drill to my Hitachi, and a Dewalt 18V compact drill.

The Hitachi is NiCad, the Dewalt Li-ion. Between the Hitachi and the PC, I would actually go for the Porter Cable (this realization also surprised me). Between PC and Dewalt, I would probably go for the Dewalt. The Dewalt offers a few minor advantages over the PC, but then again it is built for professional use, so it's of course going to be more robust.

 

[Bull]

My wife got me the Porter Cable NiCad 18v drill for Christmas. At first, I was kind of bummed both because it was NiCad and not a brand I would have considered on my own. However, I really like it for the reasons you mentioned. I used to have an older deWalt 18v, and this is quite a bit nicer. I do agree with the other poster about bits coming loose too often; it's annoying.

I was going to develop a Ridgid 18v tool collection (I want all the same brand for the sake of batteries) but this drill is nice enough that I might start adding more pieces from the PC line.

Stuey: is there a way to get e-mail notifications when your site is updated? It's not in my routine to check it, but I would if I got an e-mail with a link to click on.

 

[t100]

the new Dewalt and Milwaukee are all have PLASTIC chucks. the PC has a steel chuck.

 

[Bull]

the new Dewalt and Milwaukee are all have PLASTIC chucks. the PC has a steel chuck.

What? Really? How can that part be plastic?!

 

[tw33k2514]

Pretty sure it is just covered with a rubber/plastic type grip. It can not be made of plastic, that is ridiculous.

 

[Stuey]

I do agree with the other poster about bits coming loose too often; it's annoying.

Stuey: is there a way to get e-mail notifications when your site is updated? It's not in my routine to check it, but I would if I got an e-mail with a link to click on.

I haven't really noticed any bit slippage yet. I wonder if it's been corrected, or something I overlooked or randomly happened to avoid.

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the new Dewalt and Milwaukee are all have PLASTIC chucks. the PC has a steel chuck.

I don't think that it's a downside. Plus, Dewalt and Milwaukee's keyless chucks now have ratcheting locks, which is a tad bit more convenient and reassuring.

 

[t100]

ok, the older chucks were ALL steel, newer ones the outer parts are plastic. I've owned them all, now I only keep the 2 older Milwaukee's.

 

[Stuey]

ok, the older chucks were ALL steel, newer ones the outer parts are plastic. I've owned them all, now I only keep the 2 older Milwaukee's.

The newer Milwaukees, while not made in the USA, are still pretty darn decent!