Stanley Black & Decker’s Porter Cable brand has partnered with Tractor Supply, and is now the rural retailer’s exclusive cordless power tool and accessories partner.
Certain tools will still be available through other retail channels, such as Porter Cable’s immensely popular 6-gallon pancake-style air compressor.
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Porter Cable dusted off their social media channels several months ago, and until today we could only guess as to the reasons why.
Why This is a Huge Deal
I know what some of you will be thinking, because it crossed my mind as well. “Oh. Tractor Supply – that’s it?” But, this is actually a very big deal.
As of June 26, 2021, Tractor Supply operated 1,955 stores in the USA, and like most retailers they also have an ecommerce website.
For context, as of February 1, 2019, Lowe’s operates 1,723 stores in the USA, with an additional 510 stores in Canada. As of August 2, 2020, Home Depot operates 1,985 stores in the USA, with an additional 182 stores in Canada and 126 stores in Mexico.
That’s right, Tractor Supply has more stores in the USA than Lowe’s, and nearly as many stores in the USA as Home Depot.
With respect to sales, here are some 2020 revenue figures:
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- Tractor Supply: $10.6 billion
- Ace Hardware: $7.8 billion
- Home Depot: $132 billion
- Lowe’s: $89.36 billion
- Stanley Black & Decker: $14.5 billion
While not a top-10 retailer, Tractor Supply has a huge presence in the USA, and they drive considerable sales.
What Will This Mean for Tractor Supply Shoppers?
Tractor Supply is the “largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States,” and they target “the needs of recreational farmers, ranchers, and all those who enjoy living the rural lifestyle.”
The retailer carries an extensive range of products aimed at serving an “Out Here” lifestyle.
Over the past 18 months, there has been an increased interest in self-reliance, with users tackling their own DIY projects, home repairs, upgrades, and maintenance tasks.
With this partnership, Tractor Supply will be further expanding the cordless power tools and accessories that are accessibility to their rural customer base.
In July, a reader wrote in about changes that took place at their local Tractor Supply store. Zachary M wrote:
My local tractor supply has recently revamped the tool section with a full Makita line and some Bosch. This is along with still carrying Dewalt and Porter Cable.
In other words, this partnership is on top of existing efforts by Tractor Supply to expand and update their stores’ tool aisles.
What Will This Mean for Porter Cable?
I spoke with Anne Stringer, Director of Brand Marketing at Stanley Black & Decker, and she teased that Porter Cable will be announcing new cordless tool and accessory innovations in 2022, and that these products will be available exclusively through Tractor Supply.
Porter Cable has shifted their brand focus, as evident by the updated messaging on their website.
The new arrangement will help the brand “better meet the needs of customers who enjoy the ‘Out Here’ lifestyle,” mirroring Tractor Supply’s goals.
Building on their prior focus on on the typical needs of residential construction types of users, Porter Cable will be focusing on individual users who want reliable tools, and tools that are approachable and affordable.
In press materials, Porter Cable says that nearly 12 million shoppers already own Porter Cable 20V Max cordless power tools. I confirmed with them that there are no plans to change the battery form factor at this time, which is good news.
For existing Porter Cable cordless power tool users, new tools are on the way.
Discussion
I see this as an extremely impactful development for both Porter Cable and Tractor Supply.
Not to mince words, Porter Cable has had a brand identity crisis for quite a few years, sending mixed messages about their cordless power tools. Their marketing language focused on tradesmen and value-minded pro users, but their cordless power tool pricing and positioning aligned more with DIY-focused brands,
Well, Porter Cable’s focus is crystal-clear now.
With respect to cordless power tools and accessories, Porter Cable is the supplier, and Tractor Supply the customer. Tractor Supply’s customers and shoppers are the end users.
It seems to me that Tractor Supply has a very good understanding of their customer base, and will seek to better serve their shoppers’ tool needs and wants.
I am told, for instance, that part of Porter Cable’s ongoing development efforts will focus on tools for maintenance types of tasks. Tractor Supply customers are intent on maintaining and repairing their equipment, and so there’s a need for fitting tools – reliable tools – to help with such work.
Short-term, I expect to see promotional placements and holiday sales at Tractor Supply. Starting in 2022, the initial launch of new cordless developments will set the stage for years to come.
Porter Cable was left without a retail home after being supplanted at Lowe’s by Craftsman, one of their sibling brands. This partnership between Tractor Supply and Porter Cable seems like much more than power tool maker searching for a new home.
This is certainly an interesting development, and I am optimistic that the new partnership will be great for Porter Cable, Tractor Supply, and end users alike. I am eager to see what happens next.
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Cr8on
I was in tractor supply a couple days ago and noticed they had a rather prominent display of Porter Cable tool, which struck me as odd but I didn’t think too much about it.
Rog
Does this mean they’ll only carry PC or just that they’re the only ones who will?
Tom D
It’s sounding like … both?
Stuart
The latter, I believe.
Steve
A few thoughts: Seems like they were holding off on doing anything with the brand until they found a retail partner. Now they can tailor the brand to the needs of TSC. This is probably why the routers were discontinued. Those will probably pop up as Craftsman. This is a power tool market segment that hasn’t really been specifically catered to yet. So long as they keep the battery platform, and start supporting it with new tools again, it’s a good thing. I would assume this means no more PC cordless tools on Amazon. Nice to see SBD finally do something with the brand.
For the record the only PC tools I have are that compressor and 3 nailer kit.
Whitlow
I think they totally killed the routers.
Scotty Kilmer
I’d be willing to bet that you’re going to see more routers out of both Craftsman and DeWalt, as they’ll make DIY homeowner (80/20) versions for Craftsman and Professional/Prosumer versions for Dewalt
KevinB
I probably have the same 3 gun,pancake combo, plus the floor nailer from years ago. Inmo two main areas for PC was woodworking and pneumatic stuff. You would always see PC/Delta for shops and PC compressor/guns everywhere. They also made some excellent corded construction stuff like the left sided circular saw.
Theres really too many cordless brands now,for years I always wondered why B&D just gave up their market share to Ryobi ,now years later and way too late tons of brands are trying to push back into the homeowner cordeless space.
skfarmer
i watch the power tool area at my local tsc pretty closely. i saw the limited makita and bosch stuff show up last holiday season. seemed like slow sellers.
it seems they often have a mishmash of types and brands of cordless types and brands. they always have porter cable but not much of it. they always have dewalt but not much of it. they had bosch and makita but again not much of it.
if they get serious and handle a full line of porter cable cordless tools. batteries, bare tools, kits and maybe even some new tools to the lineup it may just work. porter cable needs a cordless grease gun if they want to play in the ag world. hint, hint porter cable.
Joe H
I wonder if they are going to end up developing cordless impact wrenches as big as 1 inch then to change some tractor tires and try to compete with companies like Ingersoll Rand?
Steve
I don’t think SBD is going there. I’m thinking cosmetic changes to Craftsman tools is more likely.
Jared
If that’s all they did, I would be happy. SBD started out with Porter Cable clones for a bunch of Craftsman tools, if they just released the Craftsman tools under PC guise at least that would keep things coming.
aaron s
it’s amazing how hard brick and mortar stores will work to not have to ever “match or beat the other guy’s price”
It seems like half the tool industry anymore is just different names on the same products so nobody ever has to compete.
Worse than mattresses? Not quite yet.
Jon
Agreed, except I don’t need to worry about the compatibility of a mattress.
The only way I would consider buying into a house brand is for rock bottom pricing. Why invest in a system with a poor support history and captive to a single retailer otherwise? If the only way you can drive sales is through low pricing, what has been gained?
JD
Can’t say I’m excited about this. Porter-Cable is going to become a Tractor Supply house brand. I hope they end up somewhere closer to Kobalt or Rigid than Haart. I have zero interest in buying into a new battery platform for a house brand that might go extinct in a few years. I’m glad PC is still alive, but I hoped for more.
Jared
Something! Finally!
I can’t believe how long this went on with Porter Cable in limbo. There’s no reason it had to die – except SBD didn’t seem to know where it fit. I am pleased Porter Cable found it’s niche.
I have several PC power tools – but all were purchased at extremely competitive discounts (no doubt partly because of PC’s identity crisis).
Paul
Why does the image at the top show a corded tool in use but talks about cordless?
Stuart
That’s the banner Tractor Supply had on their website. Good catch, I swapped it for a better one.
Plain grainy
I have shopped TSC often over the years. I just purchased about $400 of a product from them( in different sizes). After studying top ten lists online for this product, I made my choice. I noticed the product was in stock at TSC. Without price checking, I blindly made my purchase there. Figuring getting the product in use today would offset any online deals out there. I was amazed when I came home and found the price was even with the online prices(when shipping was added). They only carried one brand in this product line. But it looked like they picked the highest quality/ value product, then purchased in high quantities for a better price. It looks like they are guided by the company name(Quality) and dealing in high volumes. This to bring quality & good pricing to their customers. Looks like a good strategy. They have tons of competition, including fairly new Family Farm & Home stores(which I have a few FF& H stores in my area).
Plain grainy
Family Farm & Home has been around since 1960. But recently expanded into three states.
Tom D
We have something like five or six stores with variations on “fleet, farm, home” around here and it’s hard to keep them straight.
Mike (the other one)
Not really surprised, and frankly I’m disappointed.
Porter-Cable and Craftsman are basically the same tools with a different label and color scheme, but sold in different stores. TS already was about the only place to find Porter-Cable tools, so nothing has really changed.
I was hoping to see PC go back to being a stationary shop tool brand, and upping their selection. A wider range of tools like routers, band saws, table saws, grinders, belt sanders, scroll saws, drill presses, etc. I would have loved to see them have models that compete with Festool, for example.
I suppose this is better than just letting the brand die. Maybe this will allow PC to offer more tools in that realm, since Tractor Supply is also a hardware store, to an extent, and they are clearly wanting to get more into the home improvement trends.
fred
Black & Decker and then SBD after the merger – had so tarnished the Porter Cable Brand with lots of lower-end tools that they may have believed that it was not practical to bring the brand back up to its former status level or that of Festool (or Mafell). Pity
Meanwhile many of my corded PC tools from the Rockwell era still soldier on.
Stuart
If we zoom out a little bit, it would seem that Lowe’s greatly influenced the direction.
The 18V tools were said to be designed for tradesman, but there was a community consensus that the tools were strongly related to previously cleared out Black & Decker Firestorm tools.
https://toolguyd.com/new-porter-cable-tools-at-lowes-informal-assessment/
The initial 20V Max drill and impact driver stood out as being better, but then the rest of the lineup followed the same status quo as the 18V tools.
https://toolguyd.com/porter-cable-20v-cordless-tools-expansion/
With x-number of tools at y-number of Lowe’s stores around the country, Porter Cable seemed to stick to what Lowe’s was looking for.
They were sending mixed messages the whole time.
https://toolguyd.com/porter-cable-brand-confusion-and-mixed-messages/
Marketing messaging focused on “speed, ergonomics, ease of use, and value for professional users,” but they sought to compete against Ryobi, and the pricing and positioning showed.
Fueled at least in part by trends stemming from the pandemic, Tractor Supply customers are buying more tools, and so the retailer is adapting to these increasing needs.
This is almost a fresh start for Porter Cable, with a retailer that has a specific audience they know very well. There is strong potential if they are careful in their approach.
What I am optimistic about is that new developments are said to be coming, and so Tractor Supply isn’t just a place for Porter Cable to sell some tools, but more of a partner. It seems to me that Tractor Supply has a very different way of doing things compared to Lowe’s, and this can help reshape the PC brand over the next few years.
fred
Lets hope you are right and that TSC is able to get PC to morph into something new and useful. That might not appeal to the old PC woodworker fans – but could conceivably build a new fan base among TSC’s demographic. Meanwhile, the nearest TSC store for me is almost 40 miles away – and probably caters to a more suburban clientele than it does farmers. I can’t say that I’ve paid much attention to the TSC chain – but may take a look the next time I’m nearby.
Michael Hazelwood
My tsc just revamped their power tool section with a large selection of makita and about half the dewalt tools that my Lowes has and at higher prices,
To me this is a ho hum, tsc is for hobby farmers. Don’t get wrong for most things a 2nd tier tool platform would be fine most of the time but it seems crazy to me for anyone who uses power tools with any frequency to go with anything other then Dewalt, Milwaukee, or Makita just based on tool selection alone.
If and this is a BIG IF they matched ryobi on selection then it might be a different story.
Whitlow
Well they could switch PC to the same battery connector as Craftsman called the V20 which they did to the Stanley 20V line overseas now called Stanley V20 but does that really gain anything for the customer? Maybe a reduction in assembly lines for SBD.
I got suckered into Stanley Fatmax 20V, then Porter Cable and Black and Decker because I got them clearance so cheap. I swore off Craftsman V20 but how could I pass up a Craftsman 3 speed V20 impact driver for ~$46 with a 4AH battery and charger. Now I just picked up a 3/8 impact wrench for $34. I dislike SBD but at these prices it’s tough to pass up
CT
If you are handy with a Dremel, Stanley Fatmax 20v , Porter Cable 20v and Black & Decker 20v are all compatible. Just need to trim some extra tabs in the slide channel and some cosmetic trimming to get the B&D batteries to fit. Youtube has the videos.
Whitlow
Hey CT that’s only on the old stuff. I still have old Stanley FatMax 20V, Black and Decker 20V, and lots of Porter Cable 20V, but no easy conversion to Craftsman V20 battery connector. 🙁
Stuart
I asked about this (I have also seen the Stanley FatMax V20 battery to 18V tool adapter) and was told that a battery form factor change is NOT in the plans at this time.
Whitlow
Well Stuart I think that is a smart move if SBD can figure out a way to get more power out of those battery connectors. I think they maybe getting slightly more power over the Craftsman V20 with bigger connectors because it sure seems like my Craftsman V20 weed eater has a little more power than my old Black and Decker 20V weed eater.
TTI (Milwaukee and Ryobi) use 2 extra connectors to feed more power at times. It appears Ridgid built by TTI for Emerson tried this with Octane batteries and got sued my Milwaukee. Ryobi added two new connectors on the battery for HP+ and have keep the same battery connections since they started whereas SBD tries to force you into a another battery or toll lineup every few years it seems unless it’s DeWalt.
Nathan
so grey models of the new craftman stuff – just to have a different line. I’d be ok with that.
might not buy any but I’d be OK with it. would be nice if SBD would just finally say hey all batteries are the same but that won’t happen.
anyway last time I was at the family farm I didn’t see much in the way of tractor supply stores – yet I have one near my house. But I did see Rural King and another store – both had big Dewalt signs. meh. Either way. interesting development.
DRT42
Rural King rocks.
Charles_A
Looking through their web site, they have a ton of catching up to do. I picked up a drill / driver set from PC back in 2015 (?) and they were fine – still have them, collecting dust, but they work okay.
Kinda sad to see those very same tools being their primary offering, almost 7 years down the road.
JoeM
I’m just glad they found a place for Porter Cable. Craftsman does not deserve to replace the SBD Legacy Brands like Porter Cable. SBD’s Craftsman isn’t the old Bob Villa years Craftsman, at all. It doesn’t deserve such a bright spotlight on it yet. Not until it is no longer an exclusive brand, and not until it can be proved to pass the quality testing of the original Craftsman brand.
Porter Cable, if I’m not mistaken (And I very easily could be mistaken here) was an established company before SBD that was known for a certain niche of tools. People swore by them, trusted them, and shrugged off other brands for them. After SBD brand management, they became clones of the SBD family brands… which isn’t a horrible thing, there was still quality there… But I was a little worried for a while there. A historical or legacy name in the tool industry was getting put aside for an already-abused brand name that was new to the SBD family. It wasn’t right, and it continues to not be right.
I compare my worries over Porter Cable as I do over one of my other favourite brands. Dremel. Time was, once, they were the inventor of the Rotary Tool, and had some other very 1950’s vibe “Household of Tomorrow” type inventions. Then… They were bought by Bosch… and since then, Rotary Tools have done well. Problem is, Bosch in the 21st century (and a tiny bit earlier) started tossing their failed tools on Dremel’s brand, trying to make Dremel less of an innovation company, and more of a tool company. This has continued to fail miserably, and I still worry for Dremel, as I worry for Porter Cable, that these parent companies are going to utterly forget what these companies originally brought to the market, and see no value in them being their unique selves. They’ll just keep rebranding their usual patents into these other brands, and when those versions are found to be garbage, Dremel or Porter Cable will have trashed reputations that they don’t deserve.
So… This is a nice step. Gives me a bit of hope. Porter Cable has a home, and maybe they release some weird tools for SBD, but we’ll know why they are what they are. They’re getting feedback from Tractor Supply as to what sells in their niche market. And the good part of that is that their niche actually has a very large reach across the Americas. So Porter Cable at least has a chance to have a home, and be well known for something again.
fred
Porter Cable started in business before the first world war. The produced the first corded belt sander in 1929. In the Rockwell era (1960 to 1981) they produced some of the best in class tools for woodworking . Under ownership by Pentair (1981 to 2004) – PC introduced the first ever RO sander. What killed them was their sale to Black & Decker in 2004. After that sale – B&D probably didn’t know what to do with them – but certainly did not want them to compete with the Dewalt brand that B&D had worked so hard to promote as their flagship. So thus started Porter Cables slide into irrelevance (IMO) as a brand for most professional users.
JoeM
Thank you, fred. I love being able to trust you to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I wish my Father had been as extensively experienced in tools as you are. I don’t mean to veer this too far off topic, but when you speak up, it’s kinda like I can hear my Late Father’s voice saying it, and I don’t miss him as much. I learned tool used from my Mother, but her entire side of the family speaks such a degraded version of English that I can barely understand them… or her… So when I have questions, or have need to fill info in… I hope this isn’t a pressure on you… but you’ve really filled that role in my tool education. I can pick up tools and learn to use them perfectly in a matter of minutes, but knowing all the other information that is inherently in your life’s experience… I completely lack that… and you have always been an irreplaceable asset to my life here at ToolGuyd, if not my life as a whole.
Sorry if that got a bit mushy, or uncomfortable… I just felt the need to say it. As to Porter Cable… I knew they did something historical, and I’m extremely glad this deal with Tractor Supply will keep them alive… But I’m also hoping, deeply, that Tractor Supply will send requests up the food chain of SBD to get some Farm-Specific editions of tools made for Porter Cable. I dunno, the grease gun? Caulking Dispensers? Shears? Table Saws, Orbital Sanders, and generally everything they used to do as a company, refreshed. Maybe Porter Cable will be one of the first to benefit from a FlexVOLT battery line of their own? And maybe we’ll get the TSTAK and ToughSystem 2.0 lines in PC livery? As long as the brand is alive, and not neglected! There’s hope to return it to having individual purpose again!
Flotsam
I don’t really live in the country so I think i have only been in a TSC once in my life.
I actually learned more about TSC than Porter Cable. Did n’t know they were so big. But hey good for them.
I just think this was another brand name that was squandered. But maybe there is life for Porter Cable
OldDominionDIYer
Good for TSC and PC, should be a good mash up. Not a fan of yet another SB&D clone but it should be a good fit for both if PC gets the kind of expansion afforded Craftsman. Not sure SB&D should be using so many different product lines seems inefficient. For me they need three; Dewalt (Pro) Craftsman (DIY) Black & Decker (Entry) The rest is just copies of copies of copies. As others have mentioned though the multitude of brand clones prevents price competition so there is that. Dewalt has different lines between Lowes and Home Depot to avoid price matching!
Steve
Black & Decker is quickly becoming a couple of drill kits on Amazon and nothing else.
Jared
Black & Decker seems to fade in and out. Perhaps SBD is less concerned with product continuity for their lowest tier brand.
Would anyone really mourn the loss if Black & Decker disappeared (as a power tool brand I mean, I realize you can also buy toasters and coffee pots, etc.)?
They’ve got nothing I want. The only reason to buy it is when price is the only discriminating factor. Even then, often times there are slightly up-market options for nearly the same price.
I’m sure someone will want to remind me of their “once proud history” from the days of tools with all-metal bodies or some such, but Black & Decker has no cachet left in my opinion.
Plain grainy
I noticed Menards has a selection of B& D power tools.
Steve
I was in Menard’s tonight and they still had B&D. I say still because Menard’s will discontinue carrying any tool brand at a moment’s notice (that isn’t a house brand). There’s only two types of tool brands they carry, ones that have been discontinued and ones that they are about to.
CT
Black & Decker lost all of their major sales channels.
Lowes was replaced with Craftsman
Sears and Kmart closed up
Walmart was replaced with Hart
Target was replaced by Blue Ridge
They just need to sign a new deal and they’ll be back
Frank D
Oh boy …
TSC is one of the few stores in my neck of the woods. Grossly understaffed and badly mismanaged. Whatever I need cat wise keeps being cut from the list or plain old chronically out of stock. Cluttered as all get out. Worse than HD. Zero covid policy in 2020. I stopped going and have no intention to go back.
Jared S
Oh no, what is the Den of Tools guy going to rant about now?
loup68
SBD should have just used the same battery connector format for Craftsman tools that Porter Cable already had. The batteries are almost identical. They are selling you one of their expensive batteries, so what difference does it make if it fits a PC tool or a Craftsman tool, they are making a sale! One painted red and one painted grey, big deal. They would have saved a huge amount of money to not have to redesign them from scratch for Craftsman.
Joe S
I live in a small town in fairly rural area. No lowes or home depot- but we do have a Tractor Supply and Sutherlands.
Truthfully I don’t to Sutherlands often, I’ve had very poor luck finding quality building materials there. But I have noticed in the past a small selection of Porter Cable- I wonder if small regional chains like Sutherlands will continue to carry PC with this development.
Overall, I like this move. I have a variety of power tools, but my PC tools I bought years ago just won’t quit. I’m a DIYer and they have served me well. In the past few years, I’ve been against investing any more in the line with it being stagnant. Now, I wouldn’t be against buying more PC if they expand and improve the line. Particularly when Tractor Supply is considerably closer to me than other big box stores.
X Lu
What is the market for a tool and battery platform held hostage to a single retailer? Hart makes some sense-no R and D expense and a massive retail footprint. But this screams desperation or perhaps one small step better than importing some no name Chinese brand. If you’re not buying Milwaukee, Ryobi or Dewalt for cordless, you are wasting your money…unless you just need a drill, then buy anything that spins.
Cordless tools have and will continue to shrink the number of viable brands because the battery system is far more important than any given tool for all but the drill consumer.
Tom D
Porter-Cableless.
Joshua Morris
So basically tractor supply is getting Porter cable as their own craftsman line and they will probably just literally copy the craftsman line of I had to guess
ScratchDIYnotinGolf
PC matched with TC is a fine move.
Before SBD bought Craftsman, PC was the heavy DIY/light Pro line with a heavy woodworking focus. After buying Craftsman, SBD repurposed PC tools with Craftsman badges. Frustrating and Understandable, given that generally the US views Craftsman as a strong brand needing some new life.
As people have said on this form for years, PC needed a home. TS provides it since (I am guessing) that most in AG need good tools but don’t need the it runs all day level of tools, which PC would meet.
Maps Bam
Tractor Supply generally prices their products significantly higher than the competition. That doesn’t seem to bode well for Porter Cable. I’m kinda surprised Tractor Supply even stays in business. I can go in to Tractor Supply and pay $6 for a can of lube or I can get it at any of the other stores for $4.
Steven B
SBD is my favorite company in the world, but what an F-ing mess. It takes a lot of enthusiasm just to keep up with what DeWalt is offering between about 4 different interlocking toolboxes (TS, TSTAK, different parts form factors). Then they have craftsman, Porter Cable, and Black and Decker, Stanley, and probably a few others I forgot competing for the same market.
Porter Cable used to be my favorite tool company. Prior to SBD buying them, they made the very best routers and all of their powertools were great. I am a hobbyist woodworker, so I am their target market and still love what they used to be. I was cleaning out my workshop and admiring how nicely built their tool cases were for the 893, a very nice table router. Although the 690 really is the gold standard, especially at the price. I have a bunch I bought before SBD bought them. I also invested in their ginormous omnijig, which is canceled.
It’s a shame PC is basically no more. I was sad enough SBD make them the weirdo cheap brand for Lowes, but now I won’t be able to buy them at all. TSC? F*** them. I live in the city. The nearest TSC is hours away and I looked at their website and one of the few in my state has almost nothing in stock, according to their incredibly horrible and amateurish website.
Despite it’s great legacy, Porter Cable is no more. My only consolation is my theory that SBD cannibalized their best designers and engineers and put them to work on the DeWalt lineup because their tools got a LOT better after acquiring PC. I used to hate DeWalt tools and they were quite mediocre, yeah, they worked and are heavy duty, but everyone else did it better and cheaper. A few years after acquiring PC, they had nicer features and more reasonable price points and I became a DeWalt fan.
RIP Porter Cable.
fred
When Black&Decker acquired the German toolmaker Elu in 1994 – the Elu technology -especially for routers – was a major boost for B&D’s Dewalt brand. Then when B&D acquired Porter Cable in 2004 – they probably did much of what you say in using PC technology, patents and engineering to bolster Dewalt further.
Jim Felt
I kinda agree with your long views. I’ve still got a couple of corded PC professional tools and though I mostly use their 12 and 18V competitors now they still work flawlessly. Even had a local (former?) PC repair station refurbish one a couple of years ago. Maybe someone will care in another 20 years?
Wait. Still got some also US made corded angle drills from Sioux and Milwaukee plus a Mag77 that don’t appear likely to ever fail either.
Does a nothing really fill that way about most all of our present day battery powered chip power tools?
fred
My Leica M4 is built way better (IMO) than the current Canon digital camera that I use. It may also be better built than most of anything else currently being made. But I still rarely take the M4 or my old Nikon F2 out – much preferring digital technology for the quick pics I take. I also suspect if someone wanted to build a digital camera to the tolerances, fit and finish level of that old M4 – the sales price would be off-putting.
Back to tools, my Skil HD77 also shows no sign of giving up the ghost, nor does my B&D 997-8A super saw cat or Porter Cable 9314- but I do grab a cordless circular saw more often these days – recently using a Makita XSR01Z quite a bit for garden projects. And, while I don’t have that Sioux drill – I have a 15 year old Milwaukee (0375-6) copy that seems to soldier on – a great drill for cabinet/furniture work.
GM
Not spending a dime on any new Porter Cable unless they bring the routers back. In the meantime, Woodpeckers (woodpeck.com) has a SpinRite 3 1/4 HP router motor if you need a replacement for your router table. It uses ER20 collets and looks interesting.
fred
When laminate countertops were still “the thing” – we used lots of Betterley routers in our cabinet shop. Back then, they were exclusively based on Porter Cable motors. Now Betterley has moved to using Makita and Bosch routers too:
https://betterleytools.com/categories/tru-cut.html
With the trend in where PC seems to be going – who knows if routers will remain in their future lineup. Meanwhile – my old PC routers from the Rockwell and Pentair ownership days still work and with some TLC and brush replacement should outlast me. My PC 7539 3.25 HP plunge router is still my go to tool for hogging out material.
mike
We are now moving into the 2nd quarter of 2022 and we haven’t seen or hear anything about a new lineup of tools at porter cable……..