Neal thus spake:

Now that we have determined that you did not get a blender by mistake, I wonder
if you received one of the early models? It will be interesting to get more
input from others who have first hand experience with this product. Perhaps I
just lucked out with mine. I expect a company such as Porter Cable to be more
consistent in their products.

As did I. Maybe I'll give them a call and see if they will replace
the crappy parts with better. I own other MANY Pentair products, and
really don't hate them, honest! I often tweak and modify lesser tools
to perform better, in the interest of saving a few bucks or supporting
a particular vendor.

It seems strange that your unit had soft metal adjustment screws and mine
does not. Mine does not have a shiny finish on the screws. Soft metal screws
would certainly wear out in no time. How did you measure the flexing of the
plunge base? Mine does not make any creaking noise and does not shudder. It is
very smooth. I'll check tomorrow to see if both of the bushings are bronze or
not.

I would appreciate knowing about the bushings. And you are certain
that both of your 'screws' are black hardened steel? Hmmm...

Thanks for explaining about the motor windings. It sounds logical to me that
the varnished method is superior. I guess I'll just have to see how the motor
holds up.

I would even consider dipping it myself, if the other factors were
dealt with. I have started to do this with all new equipment that is
NOT varnished from the factory - I have had too many failures to suit
me. The only hard part is finding the varnish in small quantities and
waiting for it to bake and dry out.

I also wish that each part had where it is made clearly stamped on it. So many
products are made from parts all over the world that it is confusing. I see
Assembled in America more than Made in America lately. I wish this country
could be more competitive in the world market but I don't see that happening.
I'll email Porter Cable and try to find out how much of the router is actually
made here.

I wish we were more competitive as well. When I overhauled my old '94
T-Bird, every part had a mark on it denoting it's country of origin.
Mexico, England, Spain, Japan, etc. Stuff from all over the world!
But I wouldn't expect TOO much of a response to your query to PC.

Why would you want to use the plunge base in a router table when the fixed base
was designed for table use? Just curious.

I don't. What gave you that idea? I DO want to use it as both a
handheld with the plunge base and in a router table with the fixed
base, however.

I suspect that you will probably select the Bosch router after you return your
Porter Cable. Whatever you get, I hope you will write another review.

The Bosch is a nice unit, but lacks the 'features' for use in a router
table. So that means another $300 for a Mast-R-Lift - which probably
is a better overall solution anyway - with a larger router to boot.

I generally review all the new tools I get - when I have the time...


Greg G.