Customer Reviews

HTC PM7000 Portamate Miter Saw & Power Tool Work Center

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Of all the stands we have used and still use, our top cabinet makers prefer the New And Improved PM7000 total work station. When setting up for cabinet, door, window, trim installs this unit can stay put on any job site. It's heavy enough for even the best oak trim jobs and other heavy long wood cutting. On any busy work site this stand is heavy enough that it will not tip over! Designed to take any job site punishment!!

The multiple tooling base pairs are also very affordable (we paid $20 for each extra set) and easy to mount on just about any heavy shop or field tool you have in your wood working arsenal!

No other stand offers the type of versatility and stability that we have found. From the quick connects down to the triple roller support. Setting up our porta plane gets us fast safe boards every time. The lighting station helps in any low level light environment and can be fitted with L.E.D. bulbs for an even safer work area. The handy vise attachment has enough bulk to hold just about anything you need to clamp down.

We fitted a universal duel wheel mount on the other end so sliding the stand into our cargo trailers made it very nice with a tri-wheel setup; this was the only modification we made on the 4 PM7000 stands we own.

If you're looking for a rugged well built miter saw station this is one you won't go wrong with! Keep in mind that others that know little or nothing about how to use these stands can't give an honest opinion, so ignore those reviews.

One final note: There is no cheap plastic on this stand and the primary wheel is made of nylon... not plastic... Most users do not know how to put the stand together or get in a hurry doing it. The power strip is also of high quality as well and comes in very handy for lower amp hand tools like... you name it!! The addon wheel package is available thru "discountsurplususa dot com" See all 3 of our customer images above in the product over view and image areas! convert your HTC PM7000 into a Tri-Wheel unit!

UPDATE:11/23/2007. Well just about a year L8R and still works like new! Our dewalts are all but gone or broken now.... This product has stood the test of time for our usage!! BTW Get the wheel setup! What a back saver!!!

I recently purchased the DeWalt 718 sliding compound miter saw and needed a stand. My friend purchased the DeWalt saw stand for his saw, but I did not feel like the price reflected the value of the stand. I own several DeWalt tools and know their quality, but the saw stand left me wanting. If I needed to pay over $200 for a quality saw stand, it better have more than just someone's logo on it justify the purchase. I researched what seemed like every stand made that I could find. I found the PM7000. Granted this stand's standard cost is usually more than the DeWalt stand, but this is more than twice the stand! However, Amazon ran a great holiday sale in December 2006 and I was able to purchase this stand [cost + shipping = $177.00]. This is almost $50 dollars cheaper than DeWalts stand, but twice the value and versatility!

This stand had more features and is definitely more versatile than the DeWalt. From the general features, I would even give it 50/50 odds that Portamate makes the DeWalt stand [but that is just my own speculation]. However, if this is the case, they saved the best for themselves. This stands includes a large 8" dia. wheel for mobilization. This will allow you to move it to multiple locations at a project site easily if you desire. The PM7000 also has a built in power strip which is extrememly convenient. The PM7000 has 3 adjustable material supports with integral stops similar to the DeWalt's [which only gives you 2] but takes it a step further. The PM7000 supports have an integral roller to help adjust/move material. The PM7000 adjustable work light is very handy. It is mounted on the cam bracket with the 3rd material support and has it's own switch and is flexible. I have found this to be invaluable when moving from different cuts or even locations.

The stand has a built in compartment for small item storage. I have not used this yet. The other item that really got my attention was the vise. The pictures do not do justice to this feature. It is heavy duty, adjustable and made of top quality materials just like the entire stand. This stand was extremely easy to assemble. It comes close to fully assembled from the manufacturer. This stand lends itself to be more of portable workbench / station with all of the additional features and its versatility.

I purchased this stand to support a 12" Hitachi sliding compound. On the third occation that I used it, the right rear leg lock gave out. If I hadn't been thinking quickly it would've cause serious damage to a $700 tool. Now since the lock doesn't function at all this thing is worthless to me, even if I repair it I'll never trust it. And, forget about trying to move your saw aroung with that cheap little wheel, the extending roller assembly or leg brackets will dig in, it really is a useless feature.
I'm a union carpenter with 30 years of experience and a fondness for quality tools. Anyone reading this should consider any stand on the market other than this one, you'll be happier and perhaps save yourself some money.
OK, after I bashed this product in my review, I contacted the folks at HTC and they were more than happy to send me the parts to fix it, free of charge. So, there is something to be said about their customer service department.

Went to a half-dozen tool and big-box hardware stores and looked at all of the other stands. Ended up buying this locally for $219 + tax (didn't feel like taking a risk on delivery, since the last two heavy tool items I received from Amazon were both damaged in shipping. Thanks UPS...not).

If you really just want a simple, light, short ( more collapsible) basic no-frills stand for one or two power tools, look elsewhere and save a couple of bucks (or not). If you want the Mack truck ("work center" aptly describes this beast) of racks, this is it. It is overbuilt. Yes, it is heavy (nearly twice most other racks) and long (the main beam is longer than most), but it does oh so much more. The holders have rollers, you can mount 2-3 tools at a time, the vice attachment is sweet, the light attachement includes the third roller, extensions are solid, legs are very solid. Somehow was able to squeeze it into a Camry with the back seat folded down and the supports removed (just made it). But moving it is more of a chore, since all of these added attachements take up a lot of space (compared to the basic racks).

The tri-wheel set-up mentioned earlier helps alot with mobility when collapsed (the website mentioned, discountsurplus, is down right now, but the seller is still selling the wheel sets on ebay for $30 delivered, currently listed as "TracRac Wheel Bracket"...a bit pricey, but if you need it...).

Again, if you have more space for storage than a basic stand, aren't hauling it up and down stairs every day (like simply leaving it set-up as part of your workshop, or to be set-up just a few times at a job), and want a rock solid base, this is it.

4.75 stars, only because it is so darned heavy compared to the others.

I have now been able to use the work center for about 2 weeks and it is everything I hoped. It is exceptionally well designed and built. Other than being heavy, a result of being well built and designed for rugged use, I have zero complaints. I am just a DIY homeowner, but would recommend this unit to anyone.

I am using the included mounts for a miter saw and am using the vise to hold my router table. I use the power strip to power the tools and also the shop vac.

This is a great piece for any small work shop. I would have given it 4 or even 5 stars if they would only provide adequate protection when they ship them out.

I received my first stand with a couple of dents on the gray top plate that the mount brackets fasten to. I went through Amazons online return procedures and had a replacement system in about 3 days, even before I had shipped the original back. Well when the replacement arrived it had even worst dents and in the same places.

The problem is that they only have the cardboard box and about a 1/16th of an inch piece of veneer between the top plate and the great outdoors. So when the box gets dropped or something rammed in to it the WorkCenter gets the full force of the impact. I ended up returning the replacement center and kept the original, and figured that any other one that I received would have the same damage. The one good thing is that the damage does not impact the performance of the system, just a visual annoyance.

When I purchase a NEW tool I expect it to be in perfect condition because I take pride in taking care of my tools. This is a great system, but they need to improve the packaging. Just to compare, I also purchased a Bosch 4000. When the table saw arrived the box was literally falling apart, to the point that the UPS drive waited for me to check it over for damage. Not a single scratch on it because it had enough protection. The PortaMate box was in very good condition but the system had damage.

Overall the stand does what it supposed to do. Assembly was easy.
A few issues I noticed:
1. The stops on the supports have some give to them, which is not good when you are trying to make repeat cuts on finish work. They are ok for rough framing, but I wouldn't trust them for any finished work (i.e. molding)
2. Not very sturdy when folded up for storage. It would be nice to be able to prop it up against a wall and not have to worry about it falling over.
3. A cable tie or storage compartment for the power cord would be nice. I just wrap it around the stand when storing it.
4. Storage compartment is to small to be useful. (I keep extra mounting bolts in there with the end caps that fell out)
5. Plastic endcaps on rails kept falling out. They aren't needed for anything other than looks, so I just left them off. They could be glued on.
6. Assembled unit is not light, but if you want a sturdy stand this is it.


Side note: My first shipment was lost by DHL. Amazon had to ship another one.

I looked long and hard at the various miter work centers. The PM7000 appeared to be the best of the lot. I could not be happier with my purchase. Mine is in a more stationary use environment. I have purchased 2 additional PM7002 units to attach other work tools to the center.

I just received shipment of my PM7000 work center. The box was slightly banged up and as it turns out there was a nice dent on the top surface of the stand. I checked to see if the attachments / tool mounts still clamped tightly and they are good to go so I won't go through the hassle of returning the stand.

My reason for buying this stand was for use with my sliding compound miter saw. I thought about building a nice work station for use in my garage but then realized that much of my miter saw use is inside the house doing various trim / moulding projects and a mobile unit might be more practical. Being in the military we move every few years and I find myself working on trim again and again and again. So mobile base it must be.

Set up was straight forward and logical and required only a 1/2 inch wrench. Once together it seems pretty stable. You might have to tweak the positioning of the mounts to your saw or other power tool to make sure you maintain center of gravity. The light will be of good use for sure and I'll have to see about the vise. Same goes for the wheel.

All in all, I think it is still a bit pricey but useful. I wish I had one of these 3 houses ago.

This is a very heavy duty mitre saw stand. If you are going to use this in one location for extended periods of time then I would highly recommend it. The beauty of this beast is the fact that you can buy additional clamps and mount whatever you want on it. I am building out my woodshop and needed a space saving alternative for various benchtop tools. This is a great solution to the problem. It also came with a vise and light which are surprisingly useful.

I don't know what the deal is when I order stuff from Amazon but shipping is always a problem. It came in its orignal box and it looked like UPS drug it behind the truck from the hub to my house. There is a plastic storage box in the front that was broken. Emailed HTC and they had a new one to me in 1 day! No questions asked. Great service on their part.

If you are looking for only a mitre saw stand and need to move it around a lot then this is going to be heavy duty but might be too heavy. If you are looking for versatile tool mounting station then this is what you are looking for. HTC makes some great stuff!