You can purchase the Porter Cable 7424 on line at Amazon for $119 plus shipping. Or you can go to the various car care sites and buy kits with many products you will need as well as some you may not.

Today, at Lowes, I saw the Porter Cable 7336 SP for $99. It's IDENTICAL to the 7424. It comes with the same polishing pad (which btw you don't want to use on your Mini) AND a 6 inch sander too. And it's only $99.

The car care websites provide a service to those people who want to one-stop and don't mind paying a bit more. I'm also fortunate in having a pro- carcare shop nearby that stocks all the backing plates, pads, polishes, glazes, waxes, and poly-sealants I'll ever need. But I think the 7336 is a good buy.

 

lowes and home depot have Dewalt, Porter cable, etc but typically (like 100% of the time normally) the quality is below what you get in a real hardware store.

I was shocked to find this out, but a manager at Home craphole explained this to me. It isnt a bad product, but not what you were truly expecting.

bummer eh?

I cant speak for the pc random orbital, but if they do it with their regular power tools, then I would assume that is why it is much cheaper there also.

Same with moldings and faucets. By a Kohler or whatever there, it wont be manufactured as cleanly as a kohler from a kitchen and bath showroom.

 

I have the one from Lowes (I am not a pro and did not need anything better) ALOT OF THESE COMPANYS ARE MAKING STUFF JUST FOR LOWES AND HD! What a joke. Another joke...PC is owned by Black and Decker!!! (for over 10 yrs now!) Makita is still owned by themselves I think...Dewalt is also B&D....NICE

 

yeah 100% crap is made nowadays. The motors work so un smooth like, the drag settings on drills really dont work (either slip fully or rip apart is like the extent of settings). lots of cheap plastic.

yeah lowes and HD = XXXX

do not buy if you are serious about your gear.

I guess If i pc'd like twice a year I wouldnt care though. this is true.

 

Sorry guys, I can't figure out whether you're dumping on the PC 7336, the 7424, or Lowes. El Jefe, you say you can't speak for the Porter Cable, but Gizzer...could you please say what particular problem you had with yours?

I've been reading about the product here on NAM for months, and heard nothing but raves about the results and no complaints about quality or durability.

I spoke to customer service/technical @ Porter Cable (1-888-559-8550) and they say there's no difference (motor, housing, amperage, etc) between the 7424/7336. In other words, they are clones except one come with two attachments and the other with only one.

I'd also like to say a theoretical word here about marketing. It is not unusual for a manufacturer to rebrand the same item for a different market. They sell the 7424 on the internet for $20 more than the 7336 at the brick and morter stores because they can. Internet buyers are more upscale then the average Lowes shopper and won't blink at $119 vs $99 for a new toy. It appears (at least to me) that's what they're doing.

I'm not saying they don't have different quality lines under the same brand name, as you pointed out with B&D. I'm not convinced that applies to the Porter RO buffers we've been discussing.

 

I think what they're saying is that they'll make the same PC that, say, your local True Value hardware or whatever sells, but make it en masse specifically for Home Depot or Lowe's (same item, same product number, etc), but make it more cheaply and thus it doesn't hold up as well.

This is the first I've heard of it, but it wouldn't surprise me - I know of companies that do similar stuff for Wal-mart.

 

Yeah, I duno if PC does it for them. I have to actually check out places for one. Griot's has one for not that much and it supposedly is made differently. shrugs.

 

Knock on wood I have yet to have any quality issues with products purchased from Home Depot or Lowes. I tend to go to Sears first for powertools though.....

 

Fwiw, I bought my PC from Lowes under their new years special. Was $90 I believe. Then I bought a Meguiars and a Sonus backing plate and Meguiars foam pads and was set. Been using it for 3 years professionally and used in my open garage clinics and no issues.

Of course the hassle of buying parts separately doesn't save much. Today I'd rather spend $150 for everything including a lifetime warranty for a no questions asked lifetime replacement, that's what the Meguiars g100a gets you. My 3 year old polisher has gotten a little loose around the edges, a new one would be nice. =)

Richard

 

Lifetime warranty on a power tool is Fantastic.

and you sure do know PC's