I was shopping the pawn shop for a cordless finish nailer to use on a home project (hardwood flooring) and ran across what I thought was a good deal on a Porter Cable CDA250. It didn't have gas, but I was buying based on the good Porter Cable name and the visual condition of the tool. I figured that worst case I'd have to buy some parts to make the tool right. BTW, I'm using a Porta-Nailer for the boards, I just need a finish nailer to do the places that the Porta-Nailer won't fit. Please don't get into the pneumatic versus cordless argument. I'm going to use this thing in finishing out my basement and I want the convenience of the cordless. I use a cordless framer, finisher and pneumatic brad nailer. Go figure.
Sorry about the rambling background. Now to the point. Not only has Porter Cable dropped sales of this tool, they no longer stock most the parts needed to keep it going - like the piston, for instance. I was shocked to hear that. Now this was a bad tool design to begin with as they went to extraordinary lengths so that they wouldn't have a battery (the #1 complaint of most folks with the Paslode, I suppose). You have to compress it at 20 lbs of pressure to compress the fuel in the piston, and that was not a trade-off that people were willing to deal with. So I understand abandoning a bad tool, but abandoning customers stuck with such a bad tool shows that Porter Cable management is taking the company into the mire.
On a positive note I stopped by the pawn shop - Pawn USA in Woodbridge, VA - and they are going to swap me out with something they have in inventory. I didn't really expect to get a full refund, and I expected some hassle about trading straight up. I was very pleased, and they were very apologetic and accomodating.
Anyway, if you see a deal on the Bammer that is too good to pass up, pass it up anyway, as you can't get parts to fix the thing. I find it hard to believe that their management did something this stupid. Hopefully the guy in charge of the cordless tool division will get axed or demoted.