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Porter Cable routers D.O.A. ? ? ?

3264 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  maddog
Have heard a rumor , as yet unconfirmed by Stanley that the Porter Cable lineup up of routers is ceasing to exist.

Lots of vendors are out of stock or have removed them from their websites and I haven't seen any at the Depot for 6 months. I see a few palm routers and the occasional 690, but everything else is MIA.

Any one of you knowledgeable bunch have the story ?
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They went for **it after they were bought out in 2004 , so I’m not surprised
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Hi Antss and welcome. I wouldn't be surprised either. GM dropped Oldsmobile because it competed with Buick and Pontiac because it competed with Chevrolet. PC would be competing against their DW line. And maybe Craftsman too. I don't think I've seen any new Craftsman routers yet but they may be coming.
Welcome to the Forum, Antss. Good information, the first I have heard.
Herb
Have heard a rumor , as yet unconfirmed by Stanley that the Porter Cable lineup up of routers is ceasing to exist.

Lots of vendors are out of stock or have removed them from their websites and I haven't seen any at the Depot for 6 months. I see a few palm routers and the occasional 690, but everything else is MIA.

Any one of you knowledgeable bunch have the story ?
instead of fixing the issues they created and the trashed reputation... - let's ditch the line... it's easier...
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Thanks for the welcome fellas, but I've been a member for a decade. Just haven't posted anything til now.

As far as the GM reference, those were almost exactly the same cars with little differentiation to tell them apart. While the PC 6/890 series and the DW616/8 are very similar, they aren't blatant copies of each other, and parts don't interchange. DeWalt has no answer for the PC 7518/9. The palm routers are a different story, with the DW611 and PC450 looking like twins save for the body color and switch. Musta been a former GM exec. on that project for sure.

It'll be interesting to see what transpires because PC routers have been the standard for shops and craftsmen for decades. Lots of 690 and 890s out there. DeWalt's versions are nice but not in any kind of spectacular way that makes buying it a slam dunk over a PC. I have several of each. The 611 is one of those tools though. Blew the PC 73xx trimmers out of the water and someone saw fit to put it in PC livery as the 450.
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True about my GM reference but this wouldn't be the first time that a company bought out a competitor just to shut them down and the signs you mentioned in post 1 are the symptoms to look for. Plus B&D, Stanley, DW started turning out new Craftsman tools in the meantime, which is yet another line competing with their existing lines. As pointed out, PC quality has steadily slipped since around 2000. I bought mostly PC until up around that time or shortly after. I don't know what will happen with the 7518/19 niche. That was the go to for lifts. I don't know if any maker is making a fixed base 3 plus HP router that the motor can be extracted from for that use.

As for the 611, DW hit a home run with that one. Lots of us have one, including me, and I've yet to hear from a member that doesn't like it.
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Are the PC Dovetail jigs going away also?
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Are the PC Dovetail jigs going away also?
if it's the Omni Jig yur talking about...
it deserves it...
How do you manage to be a member of a forum for 10 years without a single post!?!? :surprise: Welcome to the forum as a 'posting' member! :grin:

I was just looking at perhaps picking up a larger 1/2" PC router, to go with my 1/4". I was noticing the same thing, not much stock out there. Hopefully, somebody will put some 690's out on a blowout sale!
As someone that works at a woodworking store I can confirm that the PC line will cease to exist as we've already received notification. The only answer for the 7518, which is a standard in cabinet shops will be the Bora 3-1/4 or some othe brand like the one from MLCS woodworking.
How do you manage to be a member of a forum for 10 years without a single post!?!? :surprise: Welcome to the forum as a 'posting' member! :grin:

I was just looking at perhaps picking up a larger 1/2" PC router, to go with my 1/4". I was noticing the same thing, not much stock out there. Hopefully, somebody will put some 690's out on a blowout sale!

Discipline :laugh2:

And I felt I didn't have anything worthy of posting.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on a fire sale. Not enough stock to warrant clearing the shelves - they're already bare. Perhaps maddog can comment ?
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I have been wanting a 690, to go with my little 1/4" PC model 100 as they share the same bases. Then, I can use them interchangeably. I found a good deal on a mint older 690, made in the USA version, so I ordered it! You are correct, I have not seen any overstock or sales, figured I better nab one before the prices go up and supplies are linited now
We're still waiting as to what's going to be on our shelves. We haven't had any PCs for a couple of months, so not sure what we're going to carry especially with the holiday season rolling up on us.
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