If you’re looking for a compact yet powerful and versatile impact driver and drill/driver, the Porter-Cable PCL212IDC-2 12V Max Lithium Cordless Compact 2-Tool Kit is all you need. It is a small, powerful, and handy kit that can tackle almost any project that requires drilling, driving, or the need for being able to work in a cramped area. With 950in-lbs of driving torque, the impact driver can tackle almost any job. The drill/driver with a 3/8″ chuck, variable 2 speed transmission, and a clutch with 20 positions, will have you covered for all your drilling needs.
Porter-Cable PCL212IDC-2 Features
Our 2-tool kit arrived in a well decorated cardboard box with the tools individually packaged and wrapped inside. Both the impact driver and cordless drill/driver are very solidly constructed and have a top notch fit and finish. The drill/driver and impact driver each have rugged Glass-Filled Nylon (GFN) frames with lots of black rubber over-mold that offers plenty of grip and helps to keep the work piece from coming in contact with the hard surfaces of the tool. Both tools also have a removable belt clip on the back side of the motor housing. The belt clip can be removed or even relocated to the other side of the tool if you would rather have it there. A single LED light is located above the trigger on each tool and it lights up when the trigger is slightly engaged. The LED makes it easy to see what you’re doing when there is minimal light. The impact driver uses a 1/4″ quick release hex chuck that makes changing out bits a quick and easy task. With a top speed of 2400 rpm and a max torque of 950in lbs, the impact driver is almost unstoppable. Both the impact driver and the driller/driver have a variable-speed trigger for precision speed control. The included drill/driver has a single-sleeve 3/8″ chuck and a variable two-speed gear box that has a max of 315 rpm on low and a max of 1200 rpm on high with an available 220in-lbs of torque. Also included is a 30 minute quick charger with indicator lights on it to show the status of batteries when on the charger. There are also two 12V lithium batteries, two drill/driver bits, two belt hooks and the instruction manuals. A spacious, heavy duty zippered nylon bag with handy compartments for all the included items in this kit (and some space to spare should you throw in some extra gear to go with your new setup) comes standard.
To be more practical, we took a look at each tool separately, using both the impact driver and the drill/driver in our testing and measurement processes.
Testing and Use Porter-Cable PCL212IDC-2
Porter-Cable 12V Impact Driver (Model PCL120IDC)
- Torque: 950 in-lbs.
- RPM: 0-2400
- BPM: 0-2500
- Overall Length: 6 3/8″
- Weight: 2lbs 5.6oz (with battery)
The Porter-Cable PCL120IDC Impact driver quickly became a favorite due to its small size and almost unlimited driving abilities. With a variable 2400 rpm, 950 in-lbs of torque, and up to 2500bpm, this little guy packs in quite a bit for being only 6-3/8″ long and only weighing slightly over 2lbs! To test its driving abilities, we started by driving a couple of 3″ stainless steel number 2 square head and Philips head deck screws into a piece of pine. We like to test out driving the Stainless steel fasteners since they are actually softer then regular steel fasteners, it is a good test to see if the heads will strip out on them. Of course, this impact driver drove both types of fasteners with ease. One of biggest features of impact drivers is that they make driving screws nearly effortless since there is almost no fatigue because nearly all the torque is delivered directly to the fastener and very little is transferred to the tool operator. Next we decided to try something more difficult, driving 3″ x1/4″ lag bolts into another piece of pine. We started off by drilling a pilot hole with just a 1/8″ bit. Needless to say the impact driver drove it all the way to the head. Next we took the same fastener and drove it in without a pilot hole and got the same results. Our last test involved a 3/4″ Irwin spade bit with a 1/4″ hex end to see what we could do. We chose the spade bit because it actually takes more effort to bore a hole with one than a regular drill bit. Again the impact driver performed to are expectations and was able to bore several holes in a 2×4 without seaming tired. Although it dose not have quite the battery reserve of the larger 14.4v or 18v driver’s that we have tested, the Porter-Cable PCL120IDC Impact driver got the job done well enough to be a very handy tool.
Porter-Cable 12V Drill/driver (Model: PCL120DDC)
- Torque: 220 in-lbs
- RPM: 0-315/0-1200
- Clutch: 20 position
- Overall Length: 7 1/2″
- Weight: 2bls 5.6oz (with battery)
After a couple weeks of testing and almost daily use we have found the Porter-Cable PCL120DDC drill/driver to be a very useful tool in many different applications. This driver turned out to be great for doing finish carpentry work and cabinet installation. Weighing only 2 pounds 5.6 oz it was easy to use it for long amounts of time and not have the fatigue that is associated with larger, heavier tools. It also worked great when there was only a small space to work in, being that this drill is only a little over 7″ long. The 2-speed transmission proved to be quite handy too. First gear (low speed), with 220 in-lbs of torque, worked great for driving hinge screws and even up to 2-1/2″ Philips head deck screws and the second gear (high speed) worked good for pre-drilling holes. Another thing we liked was the 3/8″ key-less chuck because it made it so that we could easily switch between a wide variety of driving and drill bits. We also used the drill/driver as a regular cordless screw driver and it worked great for securing screws in electrical installations and other small tasks. Since it has 20 clutch positions and a variable speed trigger we didn’t have to worry about it taking off and stripping screw threads. With a carpenter tool belt on, we were able to comfortably carry it in one of the pouches without it falling out or feeling too heavy.
Conclusion
The Porter-Cable PCL212IDC-2 12V Max Lithium Cordless Compact 2-Tool Kit is a pretty good replacement to full size tools in many applications. With much of the power of a larger sized tool, one or both of the products in this kit will probably become your favorite grab-it-and-go tool. For our Performance rating we gave this drill and impact driver kit a 7/10 because it demonstrates plenty of speed and power for their pint size. For our Value rating we awarded this kit a stellar 7/10 because you can get the whole 2-piece kit for not much more then a lot of the competition charges for just a single tool.
