Since 18volt and 20 volt are the same, they could have made the battery packs cross compatible as they are both slide packs. Porter Cable could have easily just stayed with the 18V line and not left those customers behind. 20V Max is misleading to customers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Lowes is Clearancing Most Porter Cable 18V Tools, New Milwaukee Quik-Lok Cordless Outdoor Power Tool System, New Dewalt and Milwaukee Quick-Change Cordless Power Tool Battery Pack Tapes (April Fools 2019), Harbor Freight Hercules Cordless Power Tools are Sold Out, LOTS More are Coming Soon, Cordless Power Tool Trends in 2021 This Will be a Busy Year. Was going to add to my 18 v multi tool kit until I saw that Li replacement batteries can no longer be bought. Anyone else in my shoes? No wonder the PC website wont tolerate a customer asking a question they cant dress the answer up in progress outfits. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. 
A chat withPorter Cable product manager WilGranger helped clear up whats going on. As should they also have been compatible with B&D, Bostitch, and the other Stanley sub brands. They had them for a few years but, Had another moment yesterday involving a lawn service. The sad thing for consumers who bought the 18v tools is that the 20V Max tools are actually 18V when you use them. They eliminate replacement batteries to force purchase of new tools. Essentially, the emphasis will be on Porter Cables expanded 20V Max lineup moving forward. The porter cable name is been bought and sold and the tool quality will noticeably begin to suffer. The transition will be gradual, and replacement batteries, chargers, and select bare tools will continue to be available at least through 2015 and into 2016. I had noticed this somewhat the other week at a different Lowes, but at this store, the situationwasfairly obvious the demo tools were even off the shelf. nobodies really surprised by this right? I was at Lowes recently and noticed heavily discounted 20V PC tools. Its easy to be disappointed by news like this, butsuch transitions are inevitable. just bought a pair of 18V knock-off batteries through Amazon. Sections: Cordless, News Tags: Porter Cable 18VMore from: Porter Cable. Same with most of the others. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The new 20V Max batteries are NOT compatible with the previous 18V tools. Stupid move P.C. I stopped by my local Lowes and saw about the same that most of the Porter Cable 18V offerings were being clearanced out. I snagged a 4 vice from them for a fantastic price ($15), but would really prefer the 6. I just bought a 2 batt pack of 20v at a buy 1 get 2 at a Lowes last nite & scanned the fine print, incl the nominal 20 actual 18 clause, & the clerk said unconvincingly: you should be ok re backward compatibility, but wont open the pckg without the rest of the story i came here for. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Clayton, who reviewed a number ofPorter Cable 18V cordless power toolsfor us, noticed that his local Lowes has clearanced out most of their Porter Cable 18V offerings. The nominal voltage is the same 18V for both but the new tools and batteries were designed differently.
20v batts incompatible & powerless after the 18v Lowes selloff, when their batts die & their chargers wont accept the new possibly obsolescense planned kids on the block?? P.C. If you have Porter Cable 18V tools, those 20V Max batteries you bought will NOT fit. So I wonder how long 20V battery packs will be available. If I could still find those old 7.2 or 9.6 stick batts at decent prices theyre good enuf for most jobs & still use Ryobi 7.2s from the 1980s, Progress was ok for awhile but its been going on for too long, Steven Wright. Not going to buy one because I figure Porter Cable is getting ready to discontinue the 20V line and replace with something else. I got some great deals on some clamps they closed out, though. Tool Reviews, New Tool Previews, Best Tool Guides, Tool Deals, and More! The tag line should legally be 20 volts unless you use it. Thats what happens when getting a marketing edge is more important to a company than being honest to your customers. 18 v tools where good changer are junk they discontinue them I call then no chargers I bought one 6 months ago i been a porter cable tool guy for a long time no more never will buy one again they know there chargers are junk. The BAUER 8V Cordless, Im not sure these are the first modern folding knives they released. New cordless tools will be DeWalt, which still supports my 20 year old 12v drill with batteries. Youd be better off buying into the 18volt Ryobi from home depot 15 years ago. There were some were very good tool deals (mostly things I already had), and others were just minor discounts, but it was fairly obvious that Lowes is coming closer to removing the 18V line from their stores. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Back in early 2013, I was told that the 18V and 20V Max lines would exist concurrently, as the 18V platform was still extremely popular with users. There are Ni-Cad and NiMH battery packs but they are no where near as long lasting and efficient as the Lithium. Required fields are marked *. You should be happy with that jigsaw and grinder I thought they worked great for what they were. 3.6 amp-hours, about $32. I could definitely see this being fun to play with. The question begging to be asked that I couldnt find yet, here or elsewhere, is: Is PC abandoning customers who have 18v multi-tool kits by making the glam new tada! Can you cock back the blade release button and, I think Crescent has really been stepping up their game (to parrot your phrase) in a bunch of categories lately., Dewalt Cordless Vac Review (20V Max, 18V, AC), ToughBuilt Reload Utility Knife Review Fun & Functional, New Harbor Freight Bauer Cordless Rotary Tool, ToughBuilt Reload Utility Knife Review - Fun & Functional, Price-Drop: Knipex Cobra & Diagonal Cutter Pliers Set, Tool Brands' USA Expansion Updates - Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Milwaukee M4 Cordless Screwdriver is 10 Years Old, Still no RedLithium USB, Lowe's Launched a New Kobalt 4V Cordless Screwdriver. Fits Black & Decker Fire Storm 18V "Slide Style' Batteries. Looks like Home Depot is selling them instead. SinceLowes was Porter Cables majorretail partner for the 18V lineup, the transition will likely be swifter than Dewalts 18V to 20V Max transition. The Bessey clamps at Lowes are done. Black & Decker 18V Charger FSC18 5103069-12, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Ordertree.com will not sell, trade or share your email address. Are we supposed to trash our 5 or more toolkits, or buy factory priced batts if they even stock them. One of the stores had a clearance price on the 18v lithium battery that I grabbed but the other stores were cleared out already. On the bright side, we can probably expect to see greater availability of the 20V Max tools in stores. just lost a very long time user. There are no 18V Lithium batteries for PC anywhere. Seem to work ok. Yeah, I have been swinging by to see if they drop the price of the 6 Bessey vises any more. The Delta line was dropped when they were bought by Black & Decker in late 2004. Lowes stores, even in the same town can have differing prices and different things closing out from my past experience. Just put new bearings in my Porter-Cable 690. Showing as $17.98 on your lowes link now, I brought it when it first arrived at my store in Hampton and I love it. I have Porter Cable 18V tools and even though I have had no problems with the tools themselves, I will not buy another PC battery powered tool. PC could easily have made them fit both, but that would be a mortal sin against capitalism, so now we can just go get all new tools to do the next year or so til the 24s come out with a radical new design designed mainly to ensure profits. Actually, they had better deals on the Dewalts. If they are indeed dropping this line of tools it will be the 3rd platform Porter+Cable discontinued in the past 10 years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He mowed the next door lawn at the same time I mowed, Ha. Lowes has limited shelf space which they could fillwith Porter Cables 18V products or 20V Max products, but theres not enoughspace for both. Your email address will not be published. Its a branding game anymore only. But they too will be chineesium crap before long. I hope to keep my 120 V tools going a little longer. The other two being Porter+Cables long running 18v line that ended in 2008 and a short-lived Delta Machinery cordless line that was sold from 2003-2004 when PC and Delta were still the same company. Your email address will not be published. Guess theres no braindrain figuring out why they did this making a 20v batt that isnt in a bright red new plastic case thats very deliberately non backward compatible so this group im part of that bought into a multitool 18v package will be left powerless once the originals die or pay factory prices. Can the batteries from 20v packaging be removed and placed into packaging for existing 18v? It seems that this has changed, now that the 20V Max linehas a fuller range of products. This isnt good news for tradesmen or home users that bought into the 18V platform thinking it would be around for years to come. Temporarily Out of Stock Usually Ships in 10-14 Business Days, Black & Decker 18V Charger FSC18. They had no 18V Lithium batteries in stock, and only asingle pack NiCad that costs 75% as much as the 2 pack. Unfortunately, I found that my local Lowes had the entire 18V Porter Cable tool line on clearance. This makes sense. Now I am just waiting for them to drop the price a little further on the last of the Bessey vises they still have left. I went to Lowes last night to pick some lightbulbs up, and I usually swing by the tools to browse around and scout for any deals.
I snagged an 18v scroll saw and angle grinder at the local Lowes yesterday. We have seen a similar transition with Dewalts product lines, as retailersshifted emphasis from Dewalt 18V and 20V Max tools andcomponents. I was just in Lowes and the prices were not great on the 18v tools there. Makita still makes decent stuff and Milwaukee for a little while longer. Why? Suckers for buying into a new tool platform, this should have been seen by most power tool users, esp the ones that check out this site. Seems the support is still there for that platform. I know there are threads on using harbor freight batteries as an inexpensive battery source. Porter Cable will support the 18V lineup with replacement battery packs for years to come, butthe bare toolselection will likely be limited to the most popular models.
A chat withPorter Cable product manager WilGranger helped clear up whats going on. As should they also have been compatible with B&D, Bostitch, and the other Stanley sub brands. They had them for a few years but, Had another moment yesterday involving a lawn service. The sad thing for consumers who bought the 18v tools is that the 20V Max tools are actually 18V when you use them. They eliminate replacement batteries to force purchase of new tools. Essentially, the emphasis will be on Porter Cables expanded 20V Max lineup moving forward. The porter cable name is been bought and sold and the tool quality will noticeably begin to suffer. The transition will be gradual, and replacement batteries, chargers, and select bare tools will continue to be available at least through 2015 and into 2016. I had noticed this somewhat the other week at a different Lowes, but at this store, the situationwasfairly obvious the demo tools were even off the shelf. nobodies really surprised by this right? I was at Lowes recently and noticed heavily discounted 20V PC tools. Its easy to be disappointed by news like this, butsuch transitions are inevitable. just bought a pair of 18V knock-off batteries through Amazon. Sections: Cordless, News Tags: Porter Cable 18VMore from: Porter Cable. Same with most of the others. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The new 20V Max batteries are NOT compatible with the previous 18V tools. Stupid move P.C. I stopped by my local Lowes and saw about the same that most of the Porter Cable 18V offerings were being clearanced out. I snagged a 4 vice from them for a fantastic price ($15), but would really prefer the 6. I just bought a 2 batt pack of 20v at a buy 1 get 2 at a Lowes last nite & scanned the fine print, incl the nominal 20 actual 18 clause, & the clerk said unconvincingly: you should be ok re backward compatibility, but wont open the pckg without the rest of the story i came here for. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Clayton, who reviewed a number ofPorter Cable 18V cordless power toolsfor us, noticed that his local Lowes has clearanced out most of their Porter Cable 18V offerings. The nominal voltage is the same 18V for both but the new tools and batteries were designed differently. 20v batts incompatible & powerless after the 18v Lowes selloff, when their batts die & their chargers wont accept the new possibly obsolescense planned kids on the block?? P.C. If you have Porter Cable 18V tools, those 20V Max batteries you bought will NOT fit. So I wonder how long 20V battery packs will be available. If I could still find those old 7.2 or 9.6 stick batts at decent prices theyre good enuf for most jobs & still use Ryobi 7.2s from the 1980s, Progress was ok for awhile but its been going on for too long, Steven Wright. Not going to buy one because I figure Porter Cable is getting ready to discontinue the 20V line and replace with something else. I got some great deals on some clamps they closed out, though. Tool Reviews, New Tool Previews, Best Tool Guides, Tool Deals, and More! The tag line should legally be 20 volts unless you use it. Thats what happens when getting a marketing edge is more important to a company than being honest to your customers. 18 v tools where good changer are junk they discontinue them I call then no chargers I bought one 6 months ago i been a porter cable tool guy for a long time no more never will buy one again they know there chargers are junk. The BAUER 8V Cordless, Im not sure these are the first modern folding knives they released. New cordless tools will be DeWalt, which still supports my 20 year old 12v drill with batteries. Youd be better off buying into the 18volt Ryobi from home depot 15 years ago. There were some were very good tool deals (mostly things I already had), and others were just minor discounts, but it was fairly obvious that Lowes is coming closer to removing the 18V line from their stores. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Back in early 2013, I was told that the 18V and 20V Max lines would exist concurrently, as the 18V platform was still extremely popular with users. There are Ni-Cad and NiMH battery packs but they are no where near as long lasting and efficient as the Lithium. Required fields are marked *. You should be happy with that jigsaw and grinder I thought they worked great for what they were. 3.6 amp-hours, about $32. I could definitely see this being fun to play with. The question begging to be asked that I couldnt find yet, here or elsewhere, is: Is PC abandoning customers who have 18v multi-tool kits by making the glam new tada! Can you cock back the blade release button and, I think Crescent has really been stepping up their game (to parrot your phrase) in a bunch of categories lately., Dewalt Cordless Vac Review (20V Max, 18V, AC), ToughBuilt Reload Utility Knife Review Fun & Functional, New Harbor Freight Bauer Cordless Rotary Tool, ToughBuilt Reload Utility Knife Review - Fun & Functional, Price-Drop: Knipex Cobra & Diagonal Cutter Pliers Set, Tool Brands' USA Expansion Updates - Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, Milwaukee M4 Cordless Screwdriver is 10 Years Old, Still no RedLithium USB, Lowe's Launched a New Kobalt 4V Cordless Screwdriver. Fits Black & Decker Fire Storm 18V "Slide Style' Batteries. Looks like Home Depot is selling them instead. SinceLowes was Porter Cables majorretail partner for the 18V lineup, the transition will likely be swifter than Dewalts 18V to 20V Max transition. The Bessey clamps at Lowes are done. Black & Decker 18V Charger FSC18 5103069-12, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Ordertree.com will not sell, trade or share your email address. Are we supposed to trash our 5 or more toolkits, or buy factory priced batts if they even stock them. One of the stores had a clearance price on the 18v lithium battery that I grabbed but the other stores were cleared out already. On the bright side, we can probably expect to see greater availability of the 20V Max tools in stores. just lost a very long time user. There are no 18V Lithium batteries for PC anywhere. Seem to work ok. Yeah, I have been swinging by to see if they drop the price of the 6 Bessey vises any more. The Delta line was dropped when they were bought by Black & Decker in late 2004. Lowes stores, even in the same town can have differing prices and different things closing out from my past experience. Just put new bearings in my Porter-Cable 690. Showing as $17.98 on your lowes link now, I brought it when it first arrived at my store in Hampton and I love it. I have Porter Cable 18V tools and even though I have had no problems with the tools themselves, I will not buy another PC battery powered tool. PC could easily have made them fit both, but that would be a mortal sin against capitalism, so now we can just go get all new tools to do the next year or so til the 24s come out with a radical new design designed mainly to ensure profits. Actually, they had better deals on the Dewalts. If they are indeed dropping this line of tools it will be the 3rd platform Porter+Cable discontinued in the past 10 years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He mowed the next door lawn at the same time I mowed, Ha. Lowes has limited shelf space which they could fillwith Porter Cables 18V products or 20V Max products, but theres not enoughspace for both. Your email address will not be published. Its a branding game anymore only. But they too will be chineesium crap before long. I hope to keep my 120 V tools going a little longer. The other two being Porter+Cables long running 18v line that ended in 2008 and a short-lived Delta Machinery cordless line that was sold from 2003-2004 when PC and Delta were still the same company. Your email address will not be published. Guess theres no braindrain figuring out why they did this making a 20v batt that isnt in a bright red new plastic case thats very deliberately non backward compatible so this group im part of that bought into a multitool 18v package will be left powerless once the originals die or pay factory prices. Can the batteries from 20v packaging be removed and placed into packaging for existing 18v? It seems that this has changed, now that the 20V Max linehas a fuller range of products. This isnt good news for tradesmen or home users that bought into the 18V platform thinking it would be around for years to come. Temporarily Out of Stock Usually Ships in 10-14 Business Days, Black & Decker 18V Charger FSC18. They had no 18V Lithium batteries in stock, and only asingle pack NiCad that costs 75% as much as the 2 pack. Unfortunately, I found that my local Lowes had the entire 18V Porter Cable tool line on clearance. This makes sense. Now I am just waiting for them to drop the price a little further on the last of the Bessey vises they still have left. I went to Lowes last night to pick some lightbulbs up, and I usually swing by the tools to browse around and scout for any deals.
I snagged an 18v scroll saw and angle grinder at the local Lowes yesterday. We have seen a similar transition with Dewalts product lines, as retailersshifted emphasis from Dewalt 18V and 20V Max tools andcomponents. I was just in Lowes and the prices were not great on the 18v tools there. Makita still makes decent stuff and Milwaukee for a little while longer. Why? Suckers for buying into a new tool platform, this should have been seen by most power tool users, esp the ones that check out this site. Seems the support is still there for that platform. I know there are threads on using harbor freight batteries as an inexpensive battery source. Porter Cable will support the 18V lineup with replacement battery packs for years to come, butthe bare toolselection will likely be limited to the most popular models.