Porter Cable Pancake Air Compressor C2002 and C2002-WK

Rating: 3.8 Reviewed by Eddie
The Porter-Cable C2002 pancake compressor we will review here is available with and without a 13-piece accessory kit.
The C2002-WK kit comes with a 25-foot hose and blowgun with several nozzles that you can connect to it. Nozzles for tires, basketball, etc.
We will discuss that later in the review. Since both have the same pancake compressor we will focus on the review of this first.
In this porter-cable pancake compressor review we try to answer all questions you have about this portable air compressor

 

Amazon Rating: 3.8

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Porter Cable Pancake Air Compressor Features

• 150psi max
• 2.6 scfm when used at 90 psi
• 6 gallon pancake tank
• Oil-free pump
• Water drain valve
• 34 pounds

Porter Cable C2002 pancake Customer Reviews

“One thing they don’t mention in the instructions on initial use is the drain valve on the bottom of the tank. It is shipped open which will keep the tank from pressurizing. The unit does work well for inflating tires,occasional air tool use, etc .. It is VERY loud when running like most of them. If you need something for around the house it’s a great unit instead of using some cheapo 12V car lighter powered pump. It comes with no hoses so I recommend getting this starter air kit from Amazon:…”

“I’m installing hardwood flooring in my home, so I need an air compressor to run the nail gun. Looking over the large number of choices on Amazon there were no stand outs in this size range. I poured over the reviews to at least try to glean an idea of what would be decent. This seemed to reveal that this was the best choice, and if you properly break it in it should perform well. So far, after about 500 square feet of use and a couple thousand nails it has worked very well. The main pressure gauge does stick, and because I’m in the middle of a project I don’t want to take a break and send it in. Make sure to do the break in procedure (open the valve on the bottom and run for 30 minutes) and to drain it after every use and this unit will work very well….(read more here: Porter-Cable C2002 Review)”

 

Porter Cable pancake air compressor – pros and cons

Pros:

 

• Can be used for spray paint but test it first.
• Can be used for air wrenches but needs time to recharge
• Easy to carry
• Nice price
• 2 output quick connectors
• Oil-less

Cons:

 

• Got some problems with regulator
• High number of returns
• Parts are not cheap
• Quality control is not too good

Porter Cable C2002 pancake air compressor features

The porter cable pancake compressor seems to have regulator problems and our first advice is to start testing it as soon as you receive it.
Read some complaints that people did not start using it after the warranty period was over and could not return it anymore.
I also read about some problems with the water drain valve being stripped out. With about 15% 1-star ratings I get curious and start digging into that.
As I mentioned there were quite a lot of people waiting too long to start using it and did not have the warranty anymore.

For the rest, I read a comment from a contractor who used this compressor for 3 years almost daily and was disappointed that it broke down after 3 years. Let’s be honest this is a pancake air compressor, not a big compressor that is built on the back of a truck.
3 years of continuous use is pretty rough on this light compressor. I would not complain about that.
Someone let it run constantly for over an hour and was surprised the rubber hose and pump were getting hot.
This means that the number of 1-star ratings seems high, but it does not reflect the real quality of this compressor in my opinion.

Overall this Porter-Cable C2002 pancake air compressor received more good reviews than bad ones.
We just recommend this air compressor for average use and taking the price into consideration this is what you should expect from it.
It’s good for trim finishing and airing up tires and should last a long time. If however, you start using it day in and day out on a construction job for framing it will last not for years, and years of-course. This pancake compressor is comparable to the Bostitch Pancake Compressor you can review it here also.

 

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Porter Cable C2002-wk pancake air compressor

Like we mentioned this is the C2002 with a 13-piece accessory kit and the compressor part is the same.
The only thing is that I can only count 11 parts on the picture and I read in a review the same thing.
Unless they count the hose connectors as separate accessories?
However, it is a nice package with a lot of nozzles that you can attach to the blow gun.
But looking at the price difference between the 2 I suggest you have a look at the accessories and see if you will use them.
Maybe you are better off buying a separate hose and blow gun?

 

Tips and recommendations

Some tools you use might need an air dryer or lubricator so read their manual first.

Read all our pancake air compressor reviews here.