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Is Porter Cable now producing homeowner grade tools instead of Pro grade?

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HighlanderNorth

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi, I just joined up today, because I just found this site for the first time today. So, what's up folks.......?

Anyway, prior to recently, I've never seen ANY homeowner grade power tool made by Porter Cable. They only produced pro-grade stuff. I own several tools made by Porter Cable that I've bought in the last 10 years or so, and they all cost about the same as all the other pro grade tools on the market.

But the other day, I was in Lowes looking at the power tools while killing some time, and I noticed that the newer Porter Cable tools that Lowes is carrying are MUCH cheaper than before. They are now priced the same as Skil, Black & Decker, etc.:rolleyes:

I didnt see any signs nearby the area where these Porter Cable tools were set up that stated that they were homeowner grade, but just by looking at them and noticing the thinner plastic used in their construction, plus the much lower prices, leads me to believe that they MUST be homeowner grade tools.:sad:

But what was even worse, was that I didnt see any new pro grade tools made by Porter Cable, only the cheap ones.

So, what's going on here?
 
#2 ·
Yes, much of the PC line up is what most would consider Home owner grade. You can typically tell by the very low prices that are on these tools compared to their Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, or Bosch counterparts.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
BCConstruction said:
Porter cable have been HO quality since I first see than back about 10 years ago. I don't know if they were better before then but I have never been impressed.
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I've bought several Porter Cable power and pneumatic tools in the last 10 years, and ALL of them were professional/contractor grade tools. If they had been homeowner grade, they wouldnt have been priced 3-5 times higher than HO grade tools. Plus, although I have not bought a new Porter Cable tool in about 5 years, every tool I've bought that was made by Porter Cable has been of very high quality, and I've never had any problems with them.

But what I saw at Lowes the other day was different than 5 years ago.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
MALCO.New.York said:
"Now..." ???
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Thats what I'm getting at, that it seems to be me to be a new phenomenon.


I mean, around here, if you went to purchase a Porter Cable 14.4v cordless drill 5 years ago, you'd pay around $180 for it.

However, if you went to purchase a Black & Decker, Craftsman, or Ryobi 14.4v cordless drill, you'd only pay around $40-$50, so obviously Porter Cable were not selling ANY HO grade tools anywhere in the Wilmington, DE, or Philadelphia, Pa areas, or anywhere in between.
 
#7 ·
What the pricing on the tools is is really affected the retailer and the quality of products he wants to sell. Retailers will sell cheaper tools and like a "name brand" that can be offered cheaper without regard to performance since they are in the business of quick selling today and appreciate later sales in a year or two instead of waiting for a quality tool to that will last forever. They are not interested in the concept of user loyalty by label or brand.

In the world of tools, the products can change overnight, just as the name on the label because of combined products inside the case and various sun-assembly and assembly locations.
 
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#8 ·
HighlanderNorth said:
I've bought several Porter Cable power and pneumatic tools in the last 10 years, and ALL of them were professional/contractor grade tools. If they had been homeowner grade, they wouldnt have been priced 3-5 times higher than HO grade tools. Plus, although I have not bought a new Porter Cable tool in about 5 years, every tool I've bought that was made by Porter Cable has been of very high quality, and I've never had any problems with them.

But what I saw at Lowes the other day was different than 5 years ago.
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You must have a different range of tools from the ones I have always seen then. PC have been no better than ridgid or ryobi. Even dewalt focus their attention to home owners. I think the PC tools have dropped to the prices they should have been selling for all along. They ain't in the Bosch, makita, pannasonic league of tools which I would class as pro tools.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
BCConstruction said:
You must have a different range of tools from the ones I have always seen then. PC have been no better than ridgid or ryobi. Even dewalt focus their attention to home owners. I think the PC tools have dropped to the prices they should have been selling for all along. They ain't in the Bosch, makita, pannasonic league of tools which I would class as pro tools.
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Ridgid tools are also Professional grade. I've been in literally 10 different Home Depots, and have never seen a single homeowner grade Ridgid tool!

For 8 years now I've owned an 18v Ridgid hammer drill/driver and an 18v Ridgid circular saw, and when I bought them, they were the top rated tools in their class as far as torque and battery life compared to Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc. Each cost about $240-$250 but I bought them as a set.

I also own many other Ridgid tools and have never had an issue, and they were ALL higher priced contractor grade tools.... They are all on the same level as Dewalt, Milwaukee, makita, etc. None were cheap.

Also, tools seem to be a regional thing, because we dont have access to ANY Panasonic power tools around here.
 
#13 ·
HighlanderNorth said:
Ridgid tools are also Professional grade. I've been in literally 10 different Home Depots, and have never seen a single homeowner grade Ridgid tool!

For 8 years now I've owned an 18v Ridgid hammer drill/driver and an 18v Ridgid circular saw, and when I bought them, they were the top rated tools in their class as far as torque and battery life compared to Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc. Each cost about $240-$250 but I bought them as a set.

I also own many other Ridgid tools and have never had an issue, and they were ALL higher priced contractor grade tools.... They are all on the same level as Dewalt, Milwaukee, makita, etc. None were cheap.

Also, tools seem to be a regional thing, because we dont have access to ANY Panasonic power tools around here.
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So if you class brands like ridgid and porter cable as professional tools what are tools like festool, hilti and protool classed as!

The ridgids, porter cables, ryobi, Milwaukee, dewalt will all get the job done but you won't find many people on here who would class them as professional grade tools.
 
#14 ·
BCConstruction said:
The ridgids, porter cables, ryobi, Milwaukee, dewalt will all get the job done but you won't find many people on here who would class them as professional grade tools.
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I do not own a Ryobi but the other brands of tools you mention I have and have been very pleased with most of them. My Milwaukee will literally rape any other recip saw.

Porter Cable is the only one I have a problem with and am currently looking for a replacement. I have a finish stapler and a 15ga finish nailer. The stapler I am very pleased with but the 15ga nailer jambs up alot...alot! Other than that I don't usually look to much at PC......
CAUSE DEWALT IS THE BEST!!! Right BC?:jester::laughing:
 
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#17 ·
jiffy said:
Dewalt and PC have been the same company for at least 5 years. As you have seen the quality drop in PC...coincidence?
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I was in lowes yesterday getting some thinset and they had a demo table setup with all the latest dewalt and PC tools and the rep was there trying to get people to try them out. He was trying to get me to stop and test them and I thought ok I will. He then started telling me that they are the number one selling power tool in the US and unmatched in quality and features. I then picked up a dewalt drill and said has this got a brushless motor and he said yeah it's got a motor in it:blink: he clearly didn't know what the he'll a brushless motor was. I told him I run festool as I was trying to be a smart ass and he said festool can't compare on quality with dewalt. He then said that all festools stuff is made in Mexico and that their china made stuff is much better :blink: I was like ok dude well I gotta go before my wife kicks my ass as she was with me. I bet most HO's or contractors not in the know would have been proper sucked in by this guy.
 
#18 ·
PC is sort of a hybrid brand right now. The cordless stuff replaced the B+D firestorm lie when B+D bought PC a few years back. B+D already owned dewalt as the premium brand, so they decided to steer PC to the semi-pro.

The odd thing is they still have some pro grade stuff in the line up, like the 690 router, the 7519 router, the 557 plate joiner,omnijig, etc. Not sure what the long term plan is for these things, but the cordless tools at lowes are clearly pro-sumer grade. They seems like a pretty good value for the weekend warrior that cant justify bosch, dewalt, makita, etc.
 
#19 ·
tccoggs said:
PC is sort of a hybrid brand right now. The cordless stuff replaced the B+D firestorm lie when B+D bought PC a few years back. B+D already owned dewalt as the premium brand, so they decided to steer PC to the semi-pro.

The odd thing is they still have some pro grade stuff in the line up, like the 690 router, the 7519 router, the 557 plate joiner,omnijig, etc. Not sure what the long term plan is for these things, but the cordless tools at lowes are clearly pro-sumer grade. They seems like a pretty good value for the weekend warrior that cant justify bosch, dewalt, makita, etc.
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Sorry I should have been more clear. I am talking about the cordless range. Like dewalt they seem to have a awful cordless range but some great corded tools.
 
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