Porter Cable has come out with a new 20V Max battery charging bag, PCCB122C2. It comes with a removable dual-port charger with USB ports, and has room for up to 10 power tool batteries. Or you can use it for some tools. There are adjustable dividers, giving you some flexibility in how you organize the bag.
And it comes with (2) compact 20V Max 1.3Ah battery packs that recharge in around 40 minutes. The charger is a simultaneous charger, and so it can recharge (2) battery packs at the same time.
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You can buy the bag with charger and battery packs included, or just the charger.
Price: $99 MSRP for the package, $69 for the bag and charger without battery packs
Street Price: $90 for the complete kit
Buy Now(via Lowes)
Buy Now(via Amazon)
First Thoughts
A Porter Cable charger tote bag? Okay, why not.
Dewalt’s dual battery charger with USB charging ports is currently priced at $99 at Amazon. That’s for just a charger. This Porter Cable bundle comes with a similar – but slower – charger, plus the carrying bag, plus 2 compact battery packs. Its MSRP is $99, and Lowes currently has it at a “new low price” of $90.
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Only a few months ago I posted about Porter Cable not coming out with any new tools recently. While this isn’t a WOW-level release, it’s an interesting concept.
I like the ingenuity behind this new product.
But that doesn’t mean I’d buy it. It’s larger than it probably needs to be, and a little bulky and boxy looking. Can you charge it on the go? Or would the heat build-up be a potential problem? Maybe that’s why it’s not a very fast charger.
Even though I’m not personally interested in this new charging bag kit, it looks like a good idea for some. I do wish there were some better images, so we could see how everything fits together.
I wonder – is this a feeler to see if there might be interest in a ToughSystem tool box charging system? That would surely be an interesting concept.
How would you take this idea, of a charging storage bag, and make it even better?
Jason
Cool idea but like you mentioned I don’t know how much interest you would see PC is kind of an odd brand with limited options. I don’t know why Lowes does not as SBD to expand the lineup to be a competitor with TTI’s Ryobi.
Stuart
Let’s see what happens when Craftsman comes to Lowes.
Jason
That could be a game changer for Lowes.
ca
I built a charging bag for my DeWalt Tools by screwing two chargers to the side of a bag and wiring the cables together. I like it a lot; stores all my batteries as well as some miscellaneous tools (lights, extension cords, etc). Also have a bag for drill/impact and one for cutting tools (recip, oscillating, jig, a circular saws as well as a grinder). I like the modularity of it.
Jim Felt
Great idea! Bag specialization.
ca
Thanks!
skfarmer
i wonder if the 40 minute charge time is for both batteries and 20 minutes for one. unless the bag is well vented i could see overheating being an issue.
the idea of carrier or bag for storage and transport of batteries is interesting . there seems to be all sorts of storage options for other accessories but not batteries.
Stuart
It’s a simultaneous charger, so 40 mins for 1 or 2.
Nathan
since the largest PC battery I think is 2AH or maybe even just 1.5 – I suspect the charger doesn’t get that hot in comparison. bag or not. But I also notice the bag appears to have a vent.
Nunya
They make a 4ah battery, pcc685l. Aftermarket companies make 5ah batteries.
junior89
I’ve got the porter cable charging station, I have removed the divider and I’ve added 5 other chargers. I have never had any over heating issue, I have 5 of the big red batteries 7 little red batteries and 3 black batteries plus a surge protector for all the chargers to plug into. The bag holds them all without any issue. It comes in very handy seeing how I have every porter cable battery powered tool other than the new tile saw and palm sander. My next purchase plans are for the plug in PC tile saw.
I used to use no other tool besides dewalt until I bought my first PC impact my friend talked me into getting bc my dewalt drill decided to fall off a 2 story roof and broke.
My PC impact has come off a couple roofs and still works great it is now my backup since I purchased the brushless impact.
I would highly recommend Porter Cable to anyone.
taras
I did something kind of similar 🙂
I took a soft sided lunch cooler and use it to hold 2 spare batteries, a charger, and a hand warmer hot pack. When it gets below -10C (as it’s been for the past 2 weeks), the charger waits for the batteries to get up to temp (Milwaukee). This system keeps my spare batteries warmish so I don’t have to wait for the day to warm up, or keep batteries stuffed into my coveralls.
Bill
I have the same problem only in reverse. When my batteries are to hot to charge I usually just put them in the shade of a palm tree for about 30 minutes and that often does the trick (Miami) 🙂
If I need to cool them down faster I just put them in my Pina colada cooler which is swaying in the breeze of my gently rocking hammock tied between two more palm trees. 🙂
Jim Felt
Rude.
And get off my lawn.
;-)~
Bill
All meant in good humor, and I do live in Miami where it is currently 86 degrees.
taras
Today it was 93* cooler here in Edmonton (-7F), and winter isn’t even here yet!
Bill
Taras, wow! I have never lived north of North Carolina. While I did spend part of my childhood in the Dallas, Texas area with many memorable deer hunting trips into the wilds of Texas and New Mexico, I haven’t lived in anything close to the conditions you experience daily. I’ve never had to shovel my way to a car or dealt with frozen tires and engine block heaters. I guess every area has it’s drawbacks, we deal with hurricanes and hot muggy weather most of the year. For a break I do head north or west to visit friends and family.
glenn
Although I could not find them, I am fairly confident that the instructions will state that the charger is not to be used while in the bag.
glenn
And even if they say it can be used in the bag, closed or open, there is no way I would ever use it that way.
mizzourob
I saw it today for the first time at Lowes and it already had a yellow sticker on it indicating it had been marked down from a higher price. I was not able to get a good look to see if it can come out of the bag. I’d hope it would as overheating a battery is a bad idea.
Stuart
Press materials say it is removable.
fred
Lowes seems to do that “mark-down” gimmick on lots of things that are brand new.
Maybe the “old-higher price” is just on the tool when its on the loading dock – but then its gets its “new lower price” when it comes to the selling floor.
J.B.
I’ve come to regard the “New Lower Price” as the actual retail price when at Lowes minus any additional markup. I’ve only been watching for a short time and on specific items, but if I’m not mistaken you can get items on “Sale” even lower than “New Lower Price”.
You used to see it a bunch pre 2010ish. Stores would consistently have merchandise on “sale” with never having been on the shelf at “retail” price. A few store got in legal trouble, this is just one of the many ways to get around that. It is all a psychological game.
Jim Felt
There’s a reason Home Depot is still bigger. If not more contractor friendly.
Fm2176
“I wonder – is this a feeler to see if there might be interest in a ToughSystem tool box charging system? That would surely be an interesting concept.”
I haven’t made any permanent modifications, but the smaller modular boxes work great for a charger and batteries. I have a DS130 loaded right now. The removable bins are perfectly sized for a smaller and larger battery fitting in each. I keep four 2Ah and four 4 or 5Ah batteries stowed as such. IIRC, the dual port DCB102 fits in the center, though I’ve been keeping a smaller charger there. There’s also a lot of room for 12v Max and a few additional 20v Max batteries in the center.
Similarly, I keep Ridgid and Milwaukee batteries and chargers in a Ridgid organizer box. Due to the size of the batteries, two different chargers, and the fact that I don’t have any compact Milwaukee batteries, I can’t fit as many in it (and the batteries do not fit in the bins), but it is pretty handy.
I may check out the feasibility of zip tying a charger to the DS Carrier. I wouldn’t want to compromise a box, unless I can mount a charger inside a lid.
Chad Brink
I made a Dewalt charging bag a few years ago for when I go on the job. Take a standard Dewalt bag and fill it with one of each of your tool brand chargers. Combine it with a small power strip and a 25 foot extension cord.
Have to go on t he job? pack your tools and toss in the charger bag.
J.B.
I for one like the concept, just would prefer a hard case. I’m keeping an eye on the price. It’ll be nice to have a dedicated storage option for chargers and batteries. At least until it is the one bag I forget!
Nathan
I like it. the bag looks a bit like one of my gun bags – same dividers.
Vent the bag – align with the vents on the charger – use it in bag when closed. I hope they make something like this in yellow. I see where others have said they already made something. I’ve been thinking about it but I don’t cart my batteries around all over the house or I already would have. Working in the hangar I’d have already made something like this.
TOugh system box – any other box – or a hardened bag – I don’t really care I like the idea. when I help people away from home I already put all my batteries on a small bag – and the tools in a larger one now. this would just be that one step better as I’ve have a charger too. I’d even be OK with it being a 1 port – fast charger.
JoeM
I think this is where SBD actually did something right by the Porter Cable brand for once. For quite some time now, the PC brand has been “DeWALT Lite” more than it has been truly unique. You could buy Near-DeWALT brand quality, for a lower price, geared toward small, individual tradespeople who need to keep costs down.
And now comes this. This is not something I’d ever want as a DeWALT person. Scale this up, change the logo and colours… Don’t want it. This is totally a Porter Cable thing, and it should be something Porter Cable users are proud of. Why? Because… Imagine several sizes of this, or they port the DeWALT Contractor Bags over to Porter Cable, and it comes with a pocket inside that looks remarkably like this, with that charger inside. Suddenly, Porter Cable users can do something as Tradespeople that makes them truly unique, and even enviable to be using the Porter Cable brand over Big Brother DeWALT. Because your business may run on renovating store fronts as new businesses rent them, not building large buildings or large projects, your likelihood of lugging around the huge air compressor or power supply systems is very LOW. Building the charger (even if it IS a slow one) into the packs that you’re lugging the tools around with saves you, not just money anymore, but time and space.
I like this for Porter Cable. I find Porter Cable, even though I don’t use it, I invest in DeWALT for my own reasons, often gets severely neglected as a brand by SBD. I wouldn’t want to see this in a DeWALT version, personally. The only improvements this thing needs is the DeWALT designs for the Contractor bags, instead of this… what looks like a Lunch Box… If that box was a zippered pocket on the inside of a Porter Cable Branded contractor bag, the same designs as the DeWALT 12″, 19″, 20″, and 24″ Contractor Bags, then this would really be great for Porter Cable users. Hell, if there was a waterproof grommet on the side of the bag, so the cord could go straight out the bag, and plug in, that would be even better. Walk in, drop the bag near an outlet out of the way, plug it in, and get to work!
DeWALT… Honestly needs to be a hard case type of charger. Tough System or TSTAK boxes that have power banks and a cord built in may well suit the DeWALT system better than a soft-sided set. Porter Cable is the king of the lone contractor though, so soft-sided with a built in charger is fantastic for that niche. And I don’t think it’s fair that SBD hasn’t given Porter Cable the kind of respect and due diligence it deserves for this niche. Porter Cable should be more than just “DeWALT Lite”… it should have more than just oscillating tools and blades that are unique to them in the SBD family. I’m probably missing several other unique Porter Cable stuff, but that’s the point I’m trying to make. So much of Porter Cable has been lost in the shuffle with SBD, and DeWALT is overshadowing Porter Cable more than it deserves to. I get DeWALT should shine, but it shouldn’t make Porter Cable, Bostitch, or the other SBD brands disappear in its shadow.
fred
I’ve written about the sad decline of the Porter Cable brand before. I think we all realize that SBD can not have two top brands competing for contractors’ dollars – and you suggest one scenario about how to try to reposition the brand for a different contractor niche. That might work – but I see another alternative to push the brand back closer to its woodworking roots. PC could possible be reinvigorated as an industrial brand to compete with the tools like Mirka and other high-end sanders , Mafell, Lamello and other high-end planers, Mafell and Festool Routers and so on. Then – they might also move into metalworking trades to compete with Dotco, Fein, Metabo grinders and so on.
Chuck
I read quite a few negative reviews on the PC quick charger.