Recent comments and emails show that a lot of people are still confused about where Porter Cable stands. I have discussed the brand numerous times in the past, but it seems that they’re still sending out mixed signals.
Nobody from Porter Cable will discuss anything about the 20V Max line with me, and so the following is based on observations and speculation.
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The New Porter Cable, Starting in 2009
Three years ago I discussed Porter Cable’s redesigned power tool lineup. At the time, new cordless and corded power tools hit the market exclusively at Lowes, and a lot of people saw them as relabeled Black & Decker products.
In the years since Porter Cable’s redesign, I have tested a couple of Porter Cable’s lithium-ion 18V cordless tools, some of their corded tools, and I even recently purchased a couple of 18V add-ons.
It seems to me that Porter Cable designed many of their more recent tools for the professional market. They continue to stress this in marketing and press literature, but they also tend to throw the word “value” around. That might have something to do with the confusion that sometimes surrounds Porter Cable’s handheld power tools, since value is something we typically only hear about in the context of consumer products.
Fred, an experienced professional who frequently comments and shares insight about his and his crew’s tool preferences and usage habits sums up what seems to be a popular observation and opinion. In his comment, Fred says:
[Porter Cable] seems to have more and more been relegated to a consumer – not professional standing – so that Dewalt (once known only for Radial Arm Saws) could be marketed as the professional line.
In the past a PR representative for another brand privately conveyed the same, that it seems Porter Cable is really struggling to establish brand identity. They pointed out how it is puzzling for Porter Cable to offer a $230 pocket hole jig while their 4-tool cordless combo kit is sold for $129 at Lowes.
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How Widely Different Pricing Sends Mixed Messages
Just in terms of pricing and product features, it seems that Porter Cable has two distinct product lines. Their Ni-Cd 18V cordless power tools and certain corded portable power tools seem to compete well against Ryobi and Craftsman models, while their Li-ion 18V cordless tools, certain corded tools, and the new 20V Max tools compete well against Ridgid and Hitachi offerings.
Internationally Bosch has two product lines, with blue tools marketed to pro users and green tools to DIYers. Meanwhile, here in the USA Bosch’s DIY tools fall under the Skil brand. Porter Cable seems to have been trying to do the same, with one line of professional-grade woodworking tools and portable power tools, and a separate selection of value-priced tools aimed at tradesmen.
When a company competes against brands thought of as homeowner and DIY brands, as well as brands thought of as value-priced tradesman and professional brands, potential customers are going bound to be confused.
My feeling is that the 20V Max line won’t eliminate any source of confusion, but it’s a start. There is no word yet as to whether Porter Cable will replace their 18V line with 20V Max products, but my feeling is that the branding will be reserved strictly for redesigned pro-grade tools that compete with the likes of Ridgid and Hitachi. Maybe Porter Cable’s top brass have Bosch, Milwaukee, and Makita in their sights as well.
Stanley has separate levels of hand tools – Stanley, Stanley FatMax, and Stanley Xtreme, with Dewalt hand tools being positioned as the next step up. This shows that brands can maintain separate product lines.
The New New Porter Cable, Coming in 2013?
So here we are, three years after Porter Cable’s major redesign, and we learn that they are soon coming out with another new cordless tool line under 20V Max branding.
At the surface, the new Porter Cable 20V Max line looks to be a simple marketing move to improve consistency across Stanley Black & Decker’s brands. All of SBD’s power tool brands – Black & Decker, Porter Cable, Dewalt, and (Canada-exclusive) Stanley FatMax – now have 20V Max offerings.
If you have not already done so, check out the new drill/driver and impact driver that will be launched with the new 20V Max lineup. Looking closely, several things about these products give hints about Porter Cable’s intentions for the new line.
Torque in Terms of “UWO”
The maximum torque specs for the drill/driver is now offered in terms of “unit watts out,” presumably for easier comparison with Dewalt’s drill/drivers. This might also be a way to get pro users accustomed to seeing Porter Cable and Dewalt in a similar light.
New Color Scheme
As I pointed out previously, the new drill and impact driver both feature a revised color scheme. Porter Cable’s older professional-grade 19.2V cordless tools were black and light gray. Porter Cable’s current 18V tools are black, dark gray, and red. These new 20V Max tools are black, light gray, and red.
Industrial designers don’t make color scheme decisions haphazardly. The shift to light gray from dark gray might have been done to better distinguish between 18V and 20V tools, but it also seems to be a subtle indication that Porter Cable is trying to reach back to their roots. Porter Cable wants to be seen more as the old Porter Cable pro users still remember, and a shift in color might make that easier, at least on a subconscious level.
New Marketing Message
Porter Cable also made their marketing intentions for the brand quite clear. 20V Max tools are all about speed, ergonomics, ease of use, and value for professional users. But darn it, there’s that word again, “value.”
I’d like to see Porter Cable branch out with a light gray product line and lower-priced dark gray product line. Whatever their plans, they’re going to have to do something to better differentiate their offerings.
How to Better Define Porter Cable as a Brand
If I were on the Stanley Black & Decker payroll, I would filter out and relabel all of Porter Cable’s lower-priced portable power tools and accessories under the Stanley FatMax brand. The Stanley FatMax power tools would then be positioned a step above Black & Decker’s, making them suitable for homeowners, DIYers, and budget-conscious tradesmen and pro users. Porter Cable’s branding would then only apply to pro-grade woodworking tools, air tools, and value-priced pro-grade portable power tools.
This plan might cause other types of confusion since the Stanley FatMax line already exists in Canada. It seems this could be some type of large-scale marketing experiment, but I doubt it. New hand tools that are marketed under the Dewalt brand in the USA are marketed under Stanley FatMax labeling in Canada and internationally.
Fixing customer confusion is no easy task, but I would bet that Porter Cable has some sort of long-term strategy. There’s definitely potential for their portable power tool lines to rise up from beyond Black & Decker and Dewalt’s shadows, but it’s going to take a lot before the the tools are thought of in the same way as pre-2009 portable power tools. The 20V Max line is a step in the right direction, but this probably won’t clear up all of the confusion that still surrounds the brand.
jeff_williams
I completely agree with you. In the past few years I haven’t been able to reconcile their woodworking line and their consumer level power tools. They seem to only share name. Something should be done to either make PC a more Delta like brand or a more RIDGID type brand.
Stuart
It’s not that they have woodworking tools and consumer-level power tools, but that there are woodworking tools and two levels of portable power tools – those that seem competitive with more DIY-marketed brands, and those that seem more competitive with pro-marketed brands.
jeff_williams
Maybe they have two levels of ppt, I guess I was considering it more of a broad range. Perhaps they should just ditch the low end NiCd stuff (like Ryobi is about to do) and position like RIDGID but still keep the woodworking stuff. That range is a lot easier to swallow. Or spin up a new woodworking brand that skims off some of the Dewalt’s woodworking stuff (735 planer, 746 table saw).
Steven B
From the outside looking in, it seems pretty clear. Porter Cable’s good tools, like the routers, dovetail jigs, and pocket hole jig you mentioned were designed before the acquisition.
Once Stanley/B&D acquired PC, DeWalt finally produced a great router (the new trim routers) and took the same router, removed the variable speed and LED lights, changed the color scheme and called it a Porter Cable at too modest of a discount to encourage me from considering it over the DeWalt (should I need a 1/4″ collet router). They took the great PC low-profile sander and made it a DeWalt with not visible or spec change other than yellow and black plastic.
Personally, if I was an executive there, I’d make Porter Cable their premium woodworking brand and make DeWalt their premium contractor brand. Stop making DeWalt Routers, RO Sanders, etc and stop making Porter Cable reciprocating saws, angle grinders, etc….or just drop one brand.
I love Porter Cable, but my love for them is either based entirely on finding their older tool lines or emotional memories…which I am young enough to shake easily.
I always viewed PC/DeWalt as the premium/consumer division, like Dell Latitude/Inspiron, Lenovo ThinkPad/IdeaPad, or Lexus/Toyota.
Do we really need pro grade and crippled pro grade that’s only 10% cheaper? I imagine one of the lines in the Stanley/B&D line will get dropped. I was actually shocked Delta was sold so quickly.
…just my opinion as an outsider. Maybe readers who work for these companies or have close ties have more insight than I do.
Stuart
That’s not true, though. Their pocket hole jig and some of the newer heavy duty portable tools were designed after the acquisition and 2009 redesign.
I haven’t seen sales numbers, but there is merit in there being some overlap between Porter Cable and Dewalt lines. Bosch offers a single-speed Colt trim router, and a variable speed version. I see nothing wrong with Porter Cable offering a single-speed and Dewalt a more expensive variable-speed.
The saws have different features, even when there are similarities, such as with the pivoting 12V models.
Porter Cable is seen by many nowadays as the consumer brand, but they aim to be a budget-friendly pro brand. From what I’ve seen, they can better reach such standing if they just shed some of the more consumer-oriented lower-priced portable power tools. Adding a 20V Max line of cordless power tools might help, but it could also further muddy things. The thing is that things won’t clear up in any short amount of time.
For what it’s worth, I am personally excited to see how the new 20V products work out. They look good to me, in terms of tech specs, features, and aesthetics.
Fred
Talking about only their corded tools, there are several gems that are a great tool for the money. Their 3.25 HP router is more popular than either the Bosch or Milwaukee and many woodworking specialty magazines, accessories and stores refer to the PC 7518 as ‘industry standard.’ DeWalt does not have a router in this range that I know of, though the DW618 is a better router than the 890 so that is also consistent. Most of the PC tools I have looked at happen to be the ones that aren’t DeWalt overlaps, and I think that matters.
Their 4-1/2″ angle grinder is more comfortable and in my experience a better design than the DeWalt 4-1/2″ versions, though it is similar to the 7″ DeWalt which of course there is not a 7″ PC grinder. They do also have a ‘slightly-worse’ version of one of the DeWalt 4-1/2″ also.
Their cordless tools, all respect to Porter Cable, are just not good for anyone. They’re not good enough for pros, they’re not cheap enough for homeowners, and although they are better than all of the low end, most of the mid end cordless sets such as Ridgid, Hitachi, and Makita are far and away better. I’m making this comparison for their 18v tools, the 12v tools are pretty good but not really remarkable. Even if they were the best of the ‘non-Dewalt & Milwaukee 12v’ how would that really differentiate them since it’s all muddy below there?
Stu is right that PC needs to find its identity, but the problem is none of its current potential identities will fit. Either make it all cheaper versions of DeWalts, all better versions of B&D/Fatmax, or all their own identity. I would honestly just tell them flip a coin, so long as they make a decision.
StevenJ
PC was put into a death spin by Dewalt. The tools are not what they used to be when PC was a true woodworking tool. They may still have a few tools that have survived, but the majority of the line has become “value”. Metal cutting chop saws with a retail price of $89.00, the value is there but the quality left the building. The new 20V PC may be an attempt by Stanley to offer a Ridgid cordless type line, similar to TTi’s offering at Home Depot.
mnoswad1
We’re all see that “branding” is beginning to be a real problem in business not a solution. Brands are just logos now, not companies, not products. It’s essentially Ford vs. Chevy, they can all make decent stuff.
Speaking of cars……reminds me of “badge engineering”, thats whats happening with all this tool brand stuff as noted most obviously by the dewalt vs PC sander and trim router examples above and esp, notable in the dewalt, fatmax, bostitch hand tools line…….just the same product with some different chrome grills and tail lights. The car company consolidation didn’t work. For example Saab being a relabeled Buick, and swedish Volvo’s being built by Henry Ford. Look what happened, Saab is dead and the China owns Volvo. So the same will happen with tool brands, this nonsense will overload and we’ll hopefully just be left with the primary colored tool brands again. I like the german example of just 2 product lines, blue and green. Just perfect.
So for now, just pick your favorite color……and those tools will probably get your job done.
Patrick Lucado
I’m honestly surprised there is enough market for all these brands and levels and sub-levels of product. Choice is great, and competition benefits us all, but wow. You’d expect there to be more consolidation of brands. When I hear PC I think big heavy woodworking equipment like many people. When I see their cordless line, I think “house brand for Home Depot” and don’t really consider them.
But again, I’m one of those boring Dewalt 18v guys who grew up when anything cordless was a joke in terms of power or battery life. To us folks, the “old” Dewalt 18v line is still amazing – especially in Li-Ion.
Robert Fazakerly
I’m a homeowner and DIY guy who settled on the Porter Cable brand as the best value for my needs. I love Porter Cable, whose products I believe are the best value on the market. I can understand the pros wanting additional features or ruggedness and not caring about paying more. As regards the brand confusion, I think Porter Cable would be smart to market their products directly to guys like me. There are a lot of us out there!
Fritz
I’ve owned cordless tools since Makita came out with the “stick” battery drills 30+ years ago. Since then I’ve owned Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt and Panasonic; the Panasonic 12v and 15.6v were/are in MHO the best drills ever made as far as quality.
I now own Makita and Milwaukee LI powered drills and other cordless tools. I have found the M18 Milwaukee Fuel tools to be exceptional although expensive.
I recently purchase a Porter Cable 20v Max drill & impact driver kit when it was on sale at Lowes and returned it after looking at the other tools in the 20v max line. The saber saw at around $60 is a low quality home owner tool when compared to the Dewalt saber saw at around $140; it looks to be good quality comparable to the Makita and Milwaukee cordless saber saws.
The PC and Dewalt driver drill & impact driver kits are similar but different. Although both kits come with 1.5Ah batteries and no doubt use the same cells they are not interchangeable. The Dewalt kit cost considerably more yet the PC batteries have a fuel gauge.????? The Dewalt batteries don’t have a fuel gauge until you get up to the brushless tools with the 2.0ah XR batteries.
Hopefully Stanley will leave the PC corded routers, sanders & etc. alone although I see the have discontinued the 3/4HP router; my favorite.
It looks to me a though the great PC brand/quality of the past is just that—-passed.
Creighton
I used to work for a big box as a home theater installer fo about 10 years, I was lucky to have an unlimited tool budget as long as it was Dewalt. When my services were no longer needed (got canned), the tools didn’t belong to me so I needed to start over. I’m from a long line of contracters/builders so naturally I went into the family business. I am ADHD about specs, quality, build, etc of everything from electronics to tools. I landed on Porter Cable for my cordless tools and am glad I did! I started with the drill impact kit and have added the flashlight, 6.5 saw, and 4.0 battery. I can hands down say I can hang with my families Dewalt and Milwaukee stuff all day long. As a brand I feel Standly/BD is not marketing it right and have clearly rebranded some of BD tools as PC, that said over all PC is absolutely PRO grade. Yes they skip some bells and whistles but make a tool that holds its own against red, yellow, blue, and the other colors!
rick
Lately it seems that every PC electric tool I’ve purchased for my business has failed: Two corded impact drills, two barrel type sanders. Their cordless drills and drivers are very inexpensive, but I can’t risk buying them because of this experience. When you’re in business you can’t afford cheap tools.
george
i started out 45 years ago using the first red makita cordless that u plugged the tool itself into the wall socket to charge. (might still have it)That was in 1986, cost around $50 i believe. Then the Makita 9.6V stick battery came out. Used it for a couple years, then switched to Milwaukee when they started making cordless drills. Used them until Dewalt came out, then had to have that cool yellow tool. Good tools though, built 3 houses in a row using the 12V cordless 4 1/2″ circular saw. As long as the blade was sharp and battery charged, u could cut anything with it. Using new lumber, the blade stayed sharp a good long while. Loved not pulling cords around. Then Stanley came out with their 5″ corded saw, and i’ve used it every since. Eventually switched back to Makita when they came out with the impacts. Was doing a lot of metal roofing for several years, and them 9.6V impacts couldn’t be beat. They took a lot of abuse with my crew. Dropped off roofs several times, and they kept going. Duct tape kept several together. Still have those drills. Somewhere along the line switched to the Bosch. Still have several of those around, though i don’t use them as much anymore. Quit contracting after 26 years. Few years back, a Fella i know came by one day and sold me a Bosch 18V impact almost new for 1/2 price. I’ve had it about 6 years now, and use it right alongside my 12V bosch drills. Can’t say anything bad about most any of them. Never got into PC back in the day. Were considered really good tools, but a little to expensive for me back then. My son recently bought the 20V cordless PC finish nailer to put some trim up in his office. Loves it. Showed it to me a couple weeks ago when i went up to see him. Only thing i didn’t like was the delay as it wound up to pop the nail in. Would be to slow for commercial work. But pretty handy for the DIY guy. No compressor , no hose. They make a stapler also i see that shoots a 1/4″ crown staple up to 1 1/2″ long. Haven’t seen one in person yet, but would be about like a soffit stapler. I see Makita makes a stapler that shoots a 3/16″ crown staple, but only up to 7/8″. Like the idea of the wider crown though. So i’ve watched them from their birth, right up till what i see being sold today. Lotta good tools to be had today, i sure wished i would have had access to. But over all, i guess i would say the best i owned and used were Makita in cordless, and Milwaukee in corded.