A few weeks ago, we received a Porter Cable 18V Li-ion cordless combo set to review. Since then, we have been putting the tools through a rigorous review process, starting with the cordless drill.
Seeing as how the drill will be many users’ most frequently used tool, we spent quite a bit of time evaluating its performance. Our conclusion is very, very surprising – I would even go on to call it shocking!
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At the beginning I was not optimistic about this drill at all. As I discussed in my analysis of the new lineup a few months ago, these tools appear to be mid-level tools meant to compete against Craftsman’s C3 and Ryobi’s One+ cordless tool lineups. I had automatically assumed that Porter Cable made some sacrificed in the tools’ features, performance, or quality to be able to price them so competitively.
Features
Porter Cable offers two 18V drills – this one (PCL180D), often bundled in Li-ion sets, and another (PC1800D) that’s bundled with their NiCad sets. Both tools accept batteries of either chemistry, but are designed a bit differently with the Li-ion version being a bit more compact and lighter, and with about 25% less torque.
The drill features 24 clutch settings (23+drill), 2-position gearbox (0-350 & 0-1200 RPM), 325 in-lb torque, variable speed trigger, 1/2″ metal single sleeve chuck, LED worklight, 30-minute Li-ion charger, and weighs 3.8 lbs with a length of 8.5 inches.
Porter Cable’s NiCad version of this drill has an additional 8 clutch settings, which I didn’t really miss on the Li-ion version at all.
Operation & Handling
There is a LOT about the drill’s operation to talk about. First, it is really well balanced. Almost as compact as other 18V Li-ion drills (e.g. Dewalt), the drill was still fairly lightweight when matched with its compact battery. I immediately really liked the single sleeve chuck as it makes inserting and removing bits quicker and easier. The sleeve is made of metal, not plastic, and has a very comfortable knurling.
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The adjustable clutch was easy to adjust, and was fairly accurate – no complaints here. I also had no problem toggling the gearbox speed selector or the forward/reverse direction push-switch.
You can pretend that the LED worklight isn’t there. It doesn’t get in the way, but because it’s so far away from the end of the tool, much of its light only serves to shadows the clutch and chuck. It may come in handy every now and then, but if you need workpiece lighting, wear a headlamp.
Performance
This is where the drill really impressed me. As mentioned, I was initially very skeptical about the drill’s performance. So, before the formal testing began, I tried drilling a few holes in 6061 aluminum bar. The key word is “tried”. After a few failed attempts. I junked the brand new Irwin drill bits I had been using, and switched to my trusty Pilot Point Bits. The drill plowed through the aluminum with relative ease with a 1/4″ bit.
I then moved to oak, pine, plywood, PVC, ABS, and sheet steel. I had expected for the drill to bog down a little due its slightly lower than expected 325 in-lbs torque rating, but it handled the tasks with ease.
It was difficult to gauge battery life for the drill, but the 1.3Ah compact battery provided enough power for dozens of holes/driven fasteners. The combo set inclues one compact battery, and one extended-capacity battery, so there will be power to spare while the compact battery recharges. Users expecting to use the drill for extended periods of time, especially overhead, will definitely want to purchase an extra compact battery.
One more note about the battery – there are a few online reviews reporting that they don’t run well or charge when very cold. This may be something to consider, but if this is a widespread problem, I have not been able to replicate it. If anyone can suggest a controllable test method aside from putting the batteries in the freezer, I would be willing to consider it.
For the sake of thoroughness, I used this drill for every driving and boring task over the course of a few weeks. While this does not constitute professional construction work, the drill was used for almost every DIY task you can imagine. The only instances where the drill bogged down a bit and just couldn’t finish the job, was when I tried to drill large or deep holes in steel. Then again, this is an 18V cordless drill – it’s just not built for that, but I of course had to try anyways.
This drill is exceptionally well built. I’ve used other brands’ mid-level drills before, and have never been really impressed with their loose keyless chucks and out-of-round holes caused by low tolerances and runout. For what it’s worth, those were all NiCad versions with 2-sleeve chucks, but that really shouldn’t make a difference.
After quite some time testing the drill, I cleaned it up, inserted a dowel rod into the chuck, and tried to show in a 2 second photograph how little runout there was. Maybe it’s because I am so used to the over-hyped haphazardly built imprecise “value priced” drills being thrown at consumers, but Porter Cable really impressed me with this drill.
I don’t know about you, but I was one of those people who refused to acknowledge the new Porter Cable portable hand tool lineup. The brand underwent a redesign around the fall of 2008, and Porter Cable’s professional cordless tools gradually disappeared from store shelves. All of a sudden, these new 18V tools started popping up at Lowes, with the widespread opinion that they were rebadged Black & Decker Firestorm tools.
We plan on finishing up our evaluation of the Porter Cable combo kit’s other tools this month, and will continue using this drill to see if its great performance holds up.
Conclusion
I almost cannot believe how impressed I am with this drill. It is well built, and performs very well – much more so that anticipated. Between my original assumptions of this “value” consumer-targeted drill, and past handling of abused and broken display units at my local Lowes, I was expecting to find this drill to be a decent drill for casual DIYers or homeowners. Instead, I find myself strongly recommending this drill for serious users.
Is this a pro-level drill meant for all-day contractor use? Not really, but it comes close and proved to be one heck of a great drill!
Porter Cable’s PCL180D Lithium-ion drill can be purchased separately, bundled with an impact driver, or the 4-piece combo set we’re currently reviewing.
Porter Cable’s PCL418C-2 four piece 18V Lithium-ion cordless combo set is priced at $270.
Product Info via Porter Cable
Porter Cable 18V Li-ion Drill via Amazon
Porter Cable provided this combo set to us for review. Review samples are typically given away, donated to a local charity, or in some cases retained for future review/benchmarking/comparison.
IndyEngineer
I’m not surprised at all by this review. I’ve owned Craftsman, Dewalt, Milwaukee, and Porter Cable cordless drills at different times over the years. One of my favorite drills was a Porter Cable 14.4v ni-cad drill. It was compact and handled every job that I gave it with no problem.
I now use a Milwaukee 18v compact lithium ion and it reminds me of the Porter Cable drill I once owned. I can’t remember why I switched brands but if I couldn’t have my Milwaukee drill, I would prefer a Porter Cable over any other brand.
Bernard Baxter
Where can you get a parts,and repair parts for these copycats??
Stuart
I don’t quite understand your question. I would assume that you can order replacement components from the manufacturer.
Hanna
@Bernard
All information for parts & service is available on the accompanying user’s guide. I just got my set for Christmas and it’s phenomenal!!
Michael Nance
I purchased the complete set.Drill,saw,recip.saw,flash light.2 batteries and charger.All is working very well except that the batteries are falling apart.anybody eles havine the same problem?
Dave
Yes my battery r falling apart to why dont no
Stuart
If you purchased them recently, see if you can do an exchange. If this happened over time, I’m sure Porter Cable can help you out. I don’t recall seeing many issues about this type of issue. Maybe there was a bad batch?
Dan
Recent purchase of the pcl180d as a Christmas gift. The chuck fell out after very light use!! Was drilling a hole in a 2X4 and the chuck just came right out of the drill!! Has anyone else had this problem? Also, does anyone have a any idea how to fix this problem short of returning it and getting a replacement?
Jason
Recent purchase of Lithium Ion 4 piece combo kit “Saturday April 21 2012” drilled 4 holes with PCL180D and chuck separated from drill and stayed in piece of wood. Looks like snap ring wasn’t installed properly on chuck inside drill. Reciprocating saw works great, light is ok, and impact driver seems good. just bought a circular saw to complete set, in mail. Not that impressed.
George Lennon
Agree. Chuck and now a battery are bad.
Lonestarmatt
The PLC 180D is a very poor quality tool. The light is useless, only there so they can say “We have a light”. The chuck constantly looses grip on the bit whether the bit is round or hex base. Constantly have to stop and tighten the chuck. A waste of money.
Craig
I got a used set for $125 on Craigslist. The circular saw and recip work great. The drill check is the worst I’ve every used. Seems ok on hex, but round drill bits come loose after a single hole. Frustrating as I was drilling pilot holes in deck and as I lifted the drill the bit would fall out and roll between the boards. I’ve been impressed with battery life and how quickly they charge. I’ve sent a message to Porter Cable about the chuck. If they could get that right this would be a great DIY inexpenive set.
Vic
I have a Porter Cable 18v Li-ion drill, and I love the chuck on this drill. My previous drill was a Craftsman 19.2v impact drill and that chuck would come loose no matter how tight I tighten it. I too am impress with the handling of this drill. Led light should have been positioned by the battery.
Craig
Were you using round or hex bits. Mine won’t hold a grip on round bits. My Dewalt was amazing as it would clamp down and lock securely.
mike
I have a porter cable 19.2v ni-cd model 984. The 2 batteries are shot, can I buy lithium batteries for the drill, or do I have to stick with the ni-cd batteries.
thanks
Ken Wills
My 18v lithium ion Porter Cable batteries will not take a charge when it is cold. If you leave them in a truck like I do, do not expect them to charge in the winter. Today I was working in a house which while cold, was not below freezing, and they would not charge.
David OBrien
I have a Porter Cable PCL180D Lion drill. The chuck keeps falling out of the drill and now I can’t get it to go back in. It would be a great drill if the chuck would stay in but now I can’t get it to seat into the drill, Seems I’m not the only one with this problem. How can I fix it?
Rita S. Kelley
I am not at all surprised by this review..Though it may be good having various features.. But I am using Black & Decker BDCDMT120 having 20 volts ..Compact and light weight and having much better features than porter ones
Michael
Back in 2008 I needed a new drill/driver to replace my old 14.4v that had died. I bought the PCL180D at Lowes. $139. The drill, charger, two batteries all in a nice bag.
It worked great. Six weeks later, when I went to use it again, the battery that was in there was dead. I tried to charge it, but it wouldn’t charge. So I took it all back to Lowes. Lowes told me to go see the authorised dealer outlet for Porter Cable. Porter Cable gave me a new battery on warranty.
I used the drill a handful of times throughout the remaining warranty period and wouldn’t you know it, both batteries AND the charger went dead!!
When I went back to Porter Cable they practically laughed in my face because it was out of warranty! On that very day I drove to Home Depot and purchased a new Ridgid drill and impact twin tool set for $189. With that, comes a lifetime warranty on every item, the batteries, the charger, the tool!
That was 2012, and all items are still running and doing a great job. The Porter Cable tool is sitting in my garage gathering dust. That’s about all it’s good for.
The moral of the story, don’t buy Porter Cable, and don’t bother with Lowes either!
John Anstruther
I have to agree with some of the other reviewers, this drill won’t hold a bit especially in high speed. I had the drill for a couple of months and could not stop chuck from loosening. Sent an e-mail to PC and they told me to take it in to a local repair shop. They had it for six months waiting for parts due to the take over by Stanley. Finally they put on a different chuck, same issues as before. Bought this as a 2 pc kit with impact driver. Battery life excellent, tool handling great, LED light useless for the most part, but love the battery life. If only they could get the chuck to hold. Sadly, my experience with this drill has tainted me to PC and associated brands. If it would hold a bit, it would be a great tool. Sadly, do not want to spend another $200 on something else especially from the Stanley family as I was seriously not impressed with their customer service.