I purchased this Porter Cable DP at Lowes awhile back for $270 with vet discount. It's $299 without discount. I have used it for my last three projects and have discovered it is one of my favorite tools. I love DP's. I think they are very versatile and I use them in almost every project I do. This one has not disappointed me at all. It's value - quality - usefulness ratio is very high. I highly recommend it.
Some stats on it that may be of interest are, 15" swing, 3/4HP, full 4" quill stroke, work light on a flexible neck, x-y laser with a near perpendicular crossing to make the intersection very small and accurate, ambidextrous handles that can go left or right side for you lefty wierdos, 300-3100 speed, and a nice looking paint job I might add.
Pros
-Heavy duty construction, this doesn't feel like a cheap DP
-Smooth operation, I can hardly tell it's running it's so quiet.
-Excellent work light and x-y laser
-4" quill stroke is nice to have and the locking nut is easy to macro and micro adjust.
-The laser and work light both get their power from the plug in, no batteries or second plugs.
-It has plenty of power for woodworking apps. (I haven't drilled any metal with it yet)
-The belt changes are easy.
Cons
-The OEM table is geared toward metal working. I added an aux. table so this con is basically eliminated in my eyes.
-The table height adjustment handle is cast iron, but the little handle on the end of it is kind of cheap plastic. It's held up fine, but if something is going to break I think it'll be this. It's the only part on the whole DP like this so I was kind of suprised.
In conclusion I highly recommed this as an affordable DP. I always planned to get the Ridgid one from HD, but after they stopped carrying them in store and made them by order only I looked at and mulled over this PC one for a lond time. I am glad I went this route though. I love the laser and how the flex-necked work light is adjustable to avoid shadowing. Hope this helps anyone looking at this model.
Some stats on it that may be of interest are, 15" swing, 3/4HP, full 4" quill stroke, work light on a flexible neck, x-y laser with a near perpendicular crossing to make the intersection very small and accurate, ambidextrous handles that can go left or right side for you lefty wierdos, 300-3100 speed, and a nice looking paint job I might add.
Pros
-Heavy duty construction, this doesn't feel like a cheap DP
-Smooth operation, I can hardly tell it's running it's so quiet.
-Excellent work light and x-y laser
-4" quill stroke is nice to have and the locking nut is easy to macro and micro adjust.
-The laser and work light both get their power from the plug in, no batteries or second plugs.
-It has plenty of power for woodworking apps. (I haven't drilled any metal with it yet)
-The belt changes are easy.
Cons
-The OEM table is geared toward metal working. I added an aux. table so this con is basically eliminated in my eyes.
-The table height adjustment handle is cast iron, but the little handle on the end of it is kind of cheap plastic. It's held up fine, but if something is going to break I think it'll be this. It's the only part on the whole DP like this so I was kind of suprised.
In conclusion I highly recommed this as an affordable DP. I always planned to get the Ridgid one from HD, but after they stopped carrying them in store and made them by order only I looked at and mulled over this PC one for a lond time. I am glad I went this route though. I love the laser and how the flex-necked work light is adjustable to avoid shadowing. Hope this helps anyone looking at this model.