Porter-Cable PCB575BG 8" Variable Speed Grinder with Work Lamp

I've only had it one day, but compared to the other brand I returned here's what I see. More powerful motor with a relatively faster start up. I put a wire brush on one side and it really digs in. The other brand would not even start up due to some of the brush wires rubbing against the guard. The removable side guard panels are at least twice the thickness and very sturdy. The tool rests could be a bit stronger, but the surfaces are machined and should be adequate. Haven't tried the light yet, but one person said he taped some stiff wire to the goose neck to prevent it from moving during operation. It will probably be needed. The eye guards are strong and easily positioned to accommodate various shaped pieces. All in all a good find.

I finally got this on a stand and finally used it. It work great at sharpening my lawn mower blade and fixing the tips of some old screwdrivers. I believe a 6" one would have worked but hey this is a beast and wokrs great and hopefully it will last the rest of my life. Now I had to dock a star because the wheels wobble a little bit. One of my friends has a grinder and his wheels do not wobble at all. Not sure if is the wheels or the machine so I will live with it until I need to change a wheel out and will determine if it the wheel or machine. Overall been needing a grinder for years and finally broke down and got this one. Is a good product? I would have to say yes and it does what I got it for. I have bought a few different Porter Cable tools lately and they all seem fairly good for the price

To be fair, I must say that I have several Porter Cable power tools and I've never had a problem until now...I received the grinder yesterday...the outer shipping box was undamaged...upon opening the outer box, I found the inner factory box had been dropped on something, and it had a 4-inch puncture hole...Upon opening the inner box I found the grinder's left wheel covering was bent and the wheel itself was broken... The stone, in three pieces, fell off its axel and I was able to see that the axel was rust covered...Now begins the product return process and it's fair to say I'm not happy with Porter Cable right now...Will let you know the resolution of the problem...

I was considering the Delta (exact copy of this grinder from Lowes, w/ cheaper parts) but I was lucky to get this right after they lowered the price. It works perfectly! It did have a bit of vibration but that was fixed by moving the eye shields down towards the wheel bases. Now there's no vibration, the wheels are true and straight. The light is a different story though. Even the slightest vibration makes the light move either down towards the wheels or back behind the grinder, eventually falling down. I'm considering looping a piece of stainless wire between the tops of the two wheel housings and looping it around the lamp post. All in all, it was well worth waiting for.Update: Still working great, worth the 5 stars !! Don't get cheated by going to Lowe's, they thrive of selling crap. Lowe's does NOT sell Porter Cable grinders.

FOLLOW UP NOTE. Can't get any customer service response to my request that they replace the course wheel that is warped a full 1/8 inch! Down graded to 2 stars.Only 4 stars because the wheels were not flat so they caused vibration. The fine wheel was only a little off so I use dressing tool to get is usable. However the course wheel was was 1/8 in off from one side to the other so it caused so much vibration it can't be use. I had to buy another. The machine itself without wheels runs smooth. I like the variable speed and the light.

I rewired the light fixture so that it could be turned on or off independent fate drive motor, otherwise the unit is good. Too bad it wasn't designed that way. Rewiring was not an easy job.

Seems vairly well-balanced so far. Certainly powerful. Get a good stand. Light quality and configuration is the only weak point.

The media could not be loaded. I've used a couple of grinders over the years and was interested in checking out this Porter Cable 5A, 8" Dual Grinder.Out of the box, you'll notice that the thing is well built and solid. There is some assembly required in the sense that you have to attach/screw on the eye shields and tool trays. Also, there is no light bulb included in the light so you have to provide the bulb. Other than that it comes ready to grind.One thing I immediately noticed was that you have to have the unit on, with wheels spinning, before the light will activate. This is a minor nuance and most would probably view this as personal preference, but I thought I'd point it out. Also, no mounting hardware is included for bolting this to a workbench. It's 45lbs on it's own so it's pretty sturdy without them, but for safety reasons you should definitely mount this thing as you don't want it tipping over when the wheels are spinning at full speed.As you'll notice from the video, the unit is QUIET. At full speed you can easily have a conversation with the motor going. Also, there is no vibration in the wheels or the motor itself. The last craftsman grinder I had, used to oscillate pretty bad when it got to full speed.Porter includes a dressing wrench which has it's own tray right in front of the unit. The dressing wrench is used to even out any high spots in each wheel as you start to grind on them.PROS:- QUIET-STURDY-COMES ESSENTIALLY FULLY ASSEMBLED-WHEELS ARE FULLY CHANGEABLE-REALLY EFFECTIVE SPARK CATCHCONS:- LIGHT DOESN'T HAVE IT'S OWN CIRCUIT- The eye shield mount is adjustable, but the way the instructions are setup, it only adjusts down into the wheel, which isn't desired.All in all, I'm satisfied with the performance of this unit. I sharpened up my lawn mower blades, my hedge trimmers, and a couple screw drivers with ease. The wheels remained solid and steady the whole time with little scarring on them. I'm still surprised how quiet this motor is.