Looking at the other brands of portable compressors I really like how well this one is built.
Good blow for your dough - Solid construction, good power and features, and a good price - you can't really go wrong with this unit.
Great General Purpose Portable Compressor - I bought this compressor to run nail guns, air sand and spray paint. It is also handy to limit the pressure to safe levels for your various air tools. Shut it off, close the valve and turn it back on; you're ready for action! The unit really is portable, especially with the well balanced carry handle protruding from the top. It is not as loud as large upright compressors, but it does make a fair amount of noise, although not as much as I expected. I use it with a Souix air sander and it does run longer when I am working. If you take on a tractor trailer, get a bigger compressor.
Darn Good Little Compressor - Short and sweet - this compressor delivers on its promises - it is easy to use, easy to break-in, easy to maintain, and you can't beat the duel air hose inlets. I have found both of the built in pressure gauges to be accurate, and the oil-free motor is quieter than other compressors I have used (although it still makes a good bit of noise). To me, that's portable - I can understand how that would not be the case with everyone, but my experience leads me to believe that this compressor has a very good weight-to-horsepower-to-air storage capacity ratio.
Great little air compressor - This air compressor is great! This unit is fairly quiet, compact, light enough to be toted around if needed, no oil needed and very powerful. This unit replaced a 12 year old 15 gallons, 2 hp, craftsman rolling air compressor and all I can say is that I wish I purchased this unit sooner. I like the portable size too, it doesn't take up too much room. When comparing the 2 units the Porter Cable is definitely stronger, the only difference being that when you are running any tools the compressor is running almost non stop compared to a unit with a larger tank that does not have to refill as fast. I consider this a plus though, because I always drain the tank after each use and it does not take as long to release all the air. At this price range there are many choices out there for anyone looking for a compact air compressor but when you start to compare CFM ratings @ 90 PSI this one has the highest ratings.
Better than the pancake model - I've used the smaller Porter-Cable pancake compressor for about 2 years. The only thing I don't think is an improvement is the knob for adjusting air pressure.

This time I installed the compressor with the air hose reel from Amazon mounted right beside it on the floor. If you get the reel, you'll probably need to make a trip to the local hardware store for an interconnecting piece to connect the reel to the compressor. I now use the pancake style as the portable one (I agree, this one's too heavy).