Porter-Cableย has been upgrading its initial line of 18V tools that are bothย forward and backward compatible with its entire line of NiCad andย Li-ion batteries. The new Porter-Cable PCL180CDK 18V Li-ion drill is aย second-generationย tool, this time compact in nature and makingย use of their latest Li-ion LX batteries (this tool comes with two). Thatโs a huge upgrade over the Porter-Cable PCL180CHDK NiCd hammer drill. We tested it on a variety of products and really liked howย Porter-Cable seems to be bringing a lot of innovation from some ofย its sister companies to bear in its more affordable models.
Theย result seems to be less expensive tools with a high degree of build quality and features. While we were surprised to find it still missing some of the more common features, like battery-level indicators, the PCL180CDK remains a very well-engineered, lightweightย tool that is a great addition to the Porter-Cable 18V lineup.
Buildย Quality
Takingย a look at the Porter-Cable Compact Drill/Driver, you can immediatelyย appreciate the quality of workmanship that went into the tool. Theย 1/2-inch keyless chuck is nearly the same chuck weโve seen on DeWaltย drills, and weโve found it to be extremely easy to set and haveย excellent holding power. A front-mounted LED worklight does a decent job of lighting the area directly in front of the drill, but it does cast a shadow over the exact point of application due to the distance between the LED lamp and the front of the keyless chuck.
Weโve seenย two approaches to LED lighting in this scenario: shorter chucks orย relocating the LED to the bottom of the handle. Either solution willย alleviate the shadow cast by the chuck. The LED light goes on whenย you depress the trigger, and you can use it without actually poweringย up the drill.
Theย drill itself is more compact than the PCL180D 18V Li-ion Drill weย reviewed last year, measuring just 8.1 inches in length. Porter-Cableย also reversed the orientation of the battery on this tool so that itย slides in from the front instead of the back. This is a much moreย natural position for the battery and makes the tool more ergonomicย when swapping out the 18V packs. Even though they reversed the packย orientation, they are still fully backwards compatible with the 18Vย Ni-Cad.
Theย housing itself is made from glass-filled nylon โ a material weโreย seeing more and more of, and which has proven to beย all-but-indestructible, even when the tool is dropped from aย helicopter. A rubberized grip covers the entire handle, save for aย small area around the variable speed trigger. The 24-position clutchย was easy to adjust and had a satisfying click at each position.
Theย two-speed switch that is located on the top of the tool is easy toย adjust with bare or gloved hands. The 2-speed gearbox on the Porter-Cable PCL180CDK-2 does 0-350 RPM and 0-1500 RPM, so itโs great for both high-speed drilling and applications that require high torque. Speaking ofย torque, this drill puts out 424 in/lbs, which is pretty decent for aย compact drill. The forward and reverse switch was located perfectlyย for activation by your thumb and first finger.
Now we have to say a few words about the tool bag that was included. Itโs great to see Porter Cable throw in a tool bagย that is actually usable. It stores the tool upright along with theย batteries and charger, and itโs convenient to both carry around andย use. This is perhaps just as innovative as anything else you couldย ask for on a tool, and weโre glad to see this type of thinking comeย across as more than just an afterthought for 18V tools.
Testingย and Use
We pulled out the Porter-Cable PCL180CDK-2 as soon as we realized that it would be the perfect fit for a couple of projects we had, such as replacing and installing some storm doors on a house in our neighborhood. As we tend to reviewย tools in real-world scenarios whenever possible, the job at handย allowed us to use the tool on both drilling and driving tasks in aย variety of repetitive and overhead tasks.
In removing the screws from an older screen door that was being replaced, we found the Porter-Cable to perform very consistently and have a decent amount of speed to quickly remove the screws that were embedded in the hardwood frame. When we secured the new aluminum frame to the existingย wood, the drill quickly drove the zinc-plated fastenersย home.
Inย doing this job, we had to lift the drill overhead quite a bit and wereย surprised that it was a bit heavier than other โCompactโย models currently on the market (the Porter-Cable PCL180CDK-2 weighs around 3.8 lbsย with the included LX battery pack). Thatโs not to say that this drill is heavy or unwieldy, but it felt like it was similar in size to some of the second-generation hammer drills, which have grown considerably more compact in recent years.
What offsets this is the position ofย the handle, which is very centered and delivers a reallyย well-balanced feel. In fact, if you have larger hands, the grip,ย while a perfect fit for us, might actually be a bit tight. For us,ย the grip was secure and quite comfortable, with our middle, ring, andย pinky fingers taking up all the available room on the handle justย below the trigger.
Weย loved the battery eject mechanism on this tool. When you push theย button, the tool literally throws the battery at you โ which isย incredibly helpful when you want to swap them out quickly and easily.ย As we mentioned above, it was also a vast improvement to know that weย didnโt have to contort our arms to replace the battery while holdingย it by the handle, since the front-loading slot was within easy reach.ย Finally, the included 30-minute charger supports both Lithium-ion and NiCD chemistry sled batteries, so you can use it for all your modern Porter-Cable tools.
Conclusion
Inย terms of bang for your dollar, the Porter-Cable line is quicklyย becoming an incredible value that is really giving DIY and pro usersย a place to go to pick up inexpensive products that work well and lastย a long time. You can buy more robust tools, drills that are moreย compact and put out greater torque, but youโll also pay considerablyย more. The lack of a battery level indicator is about the biggest dingย we can give the PCL180CDK, and we hope they will adjust this in theirย next generation of products. This drill/driver performs well, whichย makes it easy to recommend, even in a sea of tough competition.
