Accessories

Great Drill for Continuous Light Duty Work
My wife got this drill over a year ago, and it's great. Both of us have used it on countless projects.

It is light weight, and the battery life is great. I have not had a problem with torque limitations with this, but I am also using it only for drilling wood and driving wood and dry-wall screws. This is not the tool for frequently driving lag screws or large diameter forstner bits and hole saws. This is an awesome tool for what I have been using it for, which is drilling 1/2" and smaller holes in wood and driving wood screws.

My wife loves this drill, too. It is light and manageable, and having used 18V DeWalt and 19.2V Porter-Cable drills, I much prefer this smaller drill. I have also used the 9.6V series from Makita, which are also great for continuous light duty work.

This drill is pretty tough - I have dropped it a few times onto concrete, and it still works great. I have not had the quality problems many of the other reviewers mention.

Porter-Cable 12 V Drill
This is a replacement to one I bought nearly 12 years ago. It's been a staple in my home wood shop since then and has never let me down. The torque is adequate for driving any screw type in wood but is too light for drilling into concrete without a lot of effort.
One negative. You can't place the drill upright. It falls over every time. You just have to remember to place it on it's side.

Served me well...But
Have owned this drill a while and worked fine for some time, no real problems, except for the batteries. After a year or so one became noticeably weaker and held a charge shorter then the other. Now neither will hold much of a charge. The drill seems well built and functions well but the batteries leave something to be desired. Two new batteries cost just 10$ less then a new drill. So in the market for a new one. Maybe a Lith Ion one.

After 3 years of use, I give it 3 stars. Here's Why:
I've owned two of these drills for three years. I'm a former carpenter and an obsessive compulsive home improver. I've used these drills for everything imaginable. In general I've had a good opinion of Porter Cable tools, but I feel the quality of these drills leaves a lot to be desired and I would not buy them again. Specifically:
* The battery chargers are junk. I had a total of three chargers between my tools, two charging units have died. In the same period, two batteries have also died. Not too impressive- I expected better.
* The chuck sometimes will not grip against whatever mechanism is in there, and will instead just "click and spin", requiring some finesse to get the chuck working properly. Not sure why it happens, but I don't think it's me- I treat my tools well.
* The power leaves something to be desired. Maybe this is just due to the 12V capacity, I don't know. Next drill I'll get an 18V Li-Ion battery model
* On the good side, I like the feel of the drill and the adjustable clutch is easy to adjust on the fly.

Now that Porter Cable / Delta has been bought by Black and Decker (like DeWalt was years ago) hopefully the quality of the tools will improve. I've had variable results with Porter Cable. Some items, such as a circular saw and biscuit joiner are awesome. These drills are OK, but I think there are better models out there. I used to think the Porter Cable label ensured a high quality tool, but it pays to carefully compare I now know.

1.3 amp battery
I have had a pair of these for years of continuous use. Very satisfied. I ordered this product mostly to get the batteries. Mine have a larger profile 2 amp battery.. This Item though pictured with a 2 amp battery came threw with puny and unlabelled 1.3 amp batteries . I checked with porter cable then returned this kids toy. Where can I get a good buy on batteries?