Porter-Cable 9977 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

I purchased this hammer drill after the death of my Black & Decker 18v Firestorm. Initially, I had considered similar products from Matika and DeWalt, wanting the additional capability of the hammer action, with the smaller bulk of the 14.4v battery. The Porter Cable GTF comes in fairly robust case, complete with a diagnostic charger, stabilizing handle, 2 batteries, driver bit and different size (S,M,L) adjustable hand grip inserts. I found the drill some what hefty, with it's balance just forward of the hand grip; which is the only reason I did not give it 5 stars.

Power
Offering 420 in-lbs of torque (50 in-lbs more than the Matika and 20 in-lbs more than the Dewalt 14.4v hammer drills) it has plenty of power and will easily snap the head off a 4" deck screw driven into a railway sleeper. The high/low settings will give you 450-1400rpm, and in hammer action 18500bpm. Battery life was excellent, allowing me to do several hours of deck work before swapping batteries. The...Read more

I am a full-time carpenter.

This is a professional quality drill/driver, with metal gears, heavy-duty trigger switch, ratcheting chuck with carbide teeth. It has heft and although some might complain about its weight, anything that generates over 400 in. lbs. of torque and doesn't fall apart after 40 hrs. of hard use HAS to weigh something, right?

I read an April 2005 review on 'premium' vs. 'homeowner' grade cordless drills and was interested to see that in nearly every photo of a disemboweled premium drill, said premium drill was the Porter-Cable. It's built to last.

Here's what to watch out for:

1) If you charge the batteries, then don't use them for a few days, your amp hours will be far lower than if you charge the batteries and use them the same day. I don't get quite as much run time out of the batteries as I would like, but I am doing mean things to my drill, like running a 3/4" x 16" masonry bit in hammer/drill mode and...Read more

UPDATE: I have used the drill a few times and I could not be happier. I like this drill so much that when it came time to by a reciprocating saw I went with a PC (See my other reviews). OK...I have not even used the drill yet but opening reaction is great. I ordered mine off of amazon.com because I couldn't find a better price, only one hardware store in the Twin Cities area had the drill in stock and wanted $25 more than amazon.com. So saving $25 off of cost, do not have to drive 25 miles to store, do not have to pay tax and get free shipping, only down fall is the 10 day wait.

Case

Case seems sturdy with metal case latches, not cheap molded plastic. Storage for extra bits and manual slot is a definate plus. All batteries, side handle, charger and of course drill fit very well. Problem with the case is the extra "grip to fit" (GTF) plates do not fit in the bit storage compartment.

Ergonomics

My drill came with the large GTF insert,...Read more