The Porter-Cable 12-Volt Compact kit is a very nice, compact drill/driver set. I purchased this item to replace my 14-year old Makita 12V cordless drill, which was having some operational issues and was no longer capable of charging the batteries. It is nice to see how much technology has improved since that drill was built-- and I really liked that drill when I got it. As you would expect from Porter-Cable, these are high quality tools. The lithium-ion batteries for this set are small and light weight (compared to my old drill). I love the form-factor of these items-- no bulky handle base to get in the way. Of course, that also means that these items won't stand up by themselves as my old Makita and other cordless drills will. The power produced by the 12V battery is sufficient for all "around-the-house" chores and more. The impact driver is capable of driving 3" x 1/4" lag bolts into pine with ease, and the drill is fully capable of drilling spade bits through pine as well. I haven't attempted to drill into harder woods yet, but I would guess that these units would do an acceptable job, although I don't think that the bigger jobs are what this set was built for.
The battery life that I have observed so far is excellent (of course, I have a new set, so it better be...) I get several hours+ of "continuous" mixed-duty use from them. The manual says that you can store your battery in the charger when not in use with no negative impact to the battery. That is great if you, like me, tend to walk off and forget you left a battery charging. My old Makita battery seemed to suffer when I did that. I am sure that any tool that uses Lithium Ion batteries will provide this benefit.
One feature that I like quite a bit is the integrated LED light that comes on when you engage the trigger on each unit. It is bright enough to provide that extra bit of light you might need to really see where you are drilling. Very nice when repairing inside dark closets, cabinets, or just in shadowed areas. The led can noticeably light a wall 6 feet away in the shade, so you get a sense of how much light it can provide from the drill to the drilling surface.
The construction of both tools is very solid, using hard plastics and heavy-duty rubber. While I don't have a job where my tools get thrown around, these seem solid enough to take some abuse in that regard.
When researching, I compared this set to the Makita LCT203W 10.8-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Two-Piece Combo Kit, as I was replacing a Makita that I loved. I ultimately went with this set because I have other Porter-Cable tools that I love, so I knew it will be of high quality. Another deciding point was the fact that this set has a bit more power, and, frankly, this set looks great. I know it shouldn't matter, but the appearance of these tools did help sell it to me. Kudos to the Porter Cable designers for creating an attractive set of tools. That said, the primary deciding points were the confidence in the brand and the larger battery. However, I am sure that I would have been quite happy with the Makita as well, based on my past experience.
My only complaint with this set is a minor one. The set comes with a heavy duty storage bag instead of a hard plastic case. This is minor for me because I don't have to travel with my tools very often. However, I do like to have sturdy cases that can take abuse and save the tools if they should fall off the truck or something similar. The storage bag that comes with this set is well built and solidly stitched, and has internal dividers so each tool and the battery charger has its own area. Still, I would prefer something a bit more substantial to protect the great tools inside. If I could only deduct a 1/2 star instead of a full star I would, but that is the only reason I didn't give this set 5 stars. PORTER-CABLE PCL212IDC-2 12-Volt Max Compact Lithium-Ion 2-Tool Kit
I just received this set today, and my first impressions, is that they are light weight, but not as compact as you might think. The drill/driver is about 7" long, almost as long as my 19.2 drill. With that said, they are light weight and have some power. I did my own tests mainly on the PCL120D Drill/driver, and I was quite impressed. This drill drove 300- 1 5/8" drywall screws into 2x in one charge. (It also drove 3" screws in easily) I then tested it by drilling 3/4" hole using a spade bit into 2x. It drilled 17 holes. Not bad for a compact drill. The last test, was lag bolt test. The drill drove a 1/4"x 2 1/4" and a 5/16"x 2" lag with pre-drilled pilot hole into 3 1/2" pine with ease. And it almost seated a 3/8"x 3 1/4" lag. It drove this 2 1/2" in before dying. The impact driver was able to fully seat the 3/8" Lag. Now these drivers are not meant to be driving lag screws in, but I was quite impressed with the power. The only thing that remains to be seen, is the durability of the batteries. Only time will tell on this. Over all very impressed with this set.
I purchased this set in mid January because of the size and portability. I have 3 18 volt dewalts and love them, but they are heavy if you are doing minor repairs. Since I was looking for something to keep in the house and use in the wood working shop this pair fit the job description. I was originally looking at bosch and milwaukee, but as I was shopping I found this pair and liked the features. the drill with a 3/8 chuck,220 in. lbs of torque, work light above ther trigger and lightweight, the impact with 950 in. lbs of torque and also light weight and a work light also above the trigger. Two batteries with a 30 minute charger and a nice bag to keep them in. Only time will tell about the life of the batteries and I have not had a use so far that has pulled the batteries down to the point of having to have a battery change to keep working YET. If you are looking for a power house to replace your heavy duty 18 or 14 volt drills then I would not reccomend these, If your looking for a lightweight, lighter duty drill impact set that even the Wife can use around the house and not complain about the weight then this set will do nicely. A compact drill/driver and the impact driver included for a good price I highly reccomend this set.
I did drive 10 three inch screws into treated wood with out any trouble using the drill not the impact driver, but if your need is to drive 3 inch screws all day this tool is not for that job. Using the drill on cabinets and book cases made out of oak is my intended use for this set and in that job role I am very pleased with there performance. - Compact - Impact Driver - Cordless Drill - Cordless'
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