How are Porter Cable Cordless Drills when compared with the others? Actually the stack up quite favorably for the most part.
Here is a review of 2 of their most popular models: 12v This one is one of the more popular ones on the market-it's not up to Makita or Panasonic quality level but it's certainly better than most.
Power output It puts out up to 385 lbs of torque, which is pretty respectable for a 12v.
It has 2 speeds-425 and 1300RPM-which are good but not great.
Other specs The handle is changeable to fit you grip size which is a nice feature and it comes with 2 batteries (always a plus) and has a keyless chuck.
It has a more solid build than other 12v models.
The one drawback of this machine is that it is a tad heavier than some other models, but that's just because of the bigger battery size which enables it to last longer.
Price This Porter Cable Cordless Drill costs $170 which is on the pricey side-but the quality is better than most models as well.
Conclusion This is a very good--it has a lot more power than some of the 15 volt machines out there.
It isn't going to hold up at the construction site but for almost EVERY homeowner it's good enough.
18v Porter cable has 2 18v models-the Lithium and the NiCad.
One has the lithium battery-the other the more outdated NiCad batteries.
I STRONGLY recommend the Lithium models-they charge faster and last longer.
Sure you save money with the other, but if you are going to be buying a machine of this caliber anyway there's no sense in cutting corners on batteries.
This one packs PLENTY of power.
The one main negative about this-like a lot of 18vs-is that it's a bit heavy...
but that's just because of the larger battery that's needed.
Conclusion These Porter Cable Cordless Drills are worth the money.
They have their drawbacks, but they last a long time, are powerful and are well built.