Nail guns?

[mdbarb]

Having shopped for a nail gun about six months ago:
Senco was overwhelmingly the favorite of contractors, its a quality during heavy use issue - that the gun I bought.
My neighbor has a craftsman which I used. I actually like the feel of it better, the grip size and total weight (important for an occasional user like me) but I feel in the long run the quality gun is th ebetter choice. Also I believe all guns have a trigger available (for free) that restricts the guns to one nail per shot) I did get a craftsman nailer for the small staples and used it to put up 300' of wire fencing, work great. Can't imagine having to do that by hand.

 

[mdbarb]

Also re the Passlode guns: word I heard is they are a bit sensitive so one has to be dilgent mantaining them. not just a gun to be knocked around the job site by several differnt workers. and there are of course many other uses for the compressor which means you get to get MORE TOOLS!

 

[cowboydoc]

Not sure about them being sensitive Mdbarb. I've had mine for over three years now. I've dropped mine, built a house, built a barn, done numerous projects and not one bit of trouble. All you have to do is add the oil to it. I couldn't be happier with mine. You do have to make sure the gas, battery, and everything is right or they won't work. The manager at Menard's told me that most of the ones that come back are from user error and that there is nothing wrong with the gun. My brother has used them for years and he has had no problem with their's either.

 

[toddler]

gonna try something.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/135235/103-1758291-7530225

and see if it works.
todd

 

[toddler]

extremely cool,
that worked.
see what you guys think.
I was leaning towards PC, but now I'll have to check out the paslode pneumatic.
Todd

 

[mdbarb]

yes thats sorta what i meant. If its a personal gun and you pay attention to maintenance not having a line is a food thing, but in talking to two different people at the repair depts. they see the gun come in and yes its frequently human error but they convinced me it wasn't the gun to use when I have a couple guys building fences, banging around in their truck etc. I guess things like this always boil down to that ford vs chevy kind of discussion. W'll find fanatics/critics for all brands

 

[jinman]

I just bought a pneumatic PC FR350 from Sam's Club for $239 or $249. They also had the FC350 for the same price. The "R" is for round head and the "C" is for clip head in the Porter Cable model number. I haven't used mine yet, so I can't say how good it is. I have a PC finish nailer that I like just fine. The problem with the non-pneumatic Passlode for me was I can just see needing it and not having a powerpack available for 30 miles around. Of course, I've been known to run out of nails too./w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

JimI

 

[MarkV]

GlueGuy,
Guess I will jump in on this one. I have a Bostitch and Senco frame nailer. I like the Senco best although I have had the Bostitch for 15 years and it still does the job. I have Bostitch, Hitachi and Passlode trim guns. Just plain wore the Bostitch out after 9 or 10 years. I like the angled nails for getting into tight areas. The Hitachi I selved after a year, alway had a problem, jammed alot and was hard to clear. I am using a Passlode now and after 2 years like it best. Nice balance, has very few jams and is easy to clear when it does. Other pneumatic tools inclued, two brad nailers, narrow and wide crow stapler, hardwood flooring stapler and a palm nailer.

I would guess you can tell I use pneumatic nailers daily. Others have given great advice and as someone said, just like tractors, everyone has a brand they like better than others. My advice would be to look for the one that feels best to you. See if the balance seems right, hold it over your head, try it with both hands, is it easy to load, is it to heavy for you. Also, make sure that there is a ready supply of nails, for your brand, in the area.

One last thing. <font color=blue>THESE THINGS CAN HURT YOU!!!</font color=blue> In the last twenty years, I have shot myself several times and seen some others get hurt way more than you want to. Like your tractor, with proper use, pneumatic nailer can be safe and a great time saver.

MarkV

 

[heehaw]

The first nail guns in this area were duofast; and they seem to still have a large part of the market. I just bought a used duofast framing nailer this week, it seems to work fine, i've had a duofast air stapler for years and its never failed to work.
it seems like wayyyyy back in the 60s an 70s they boasted a lifetime warranty or something like that.
heehaw

 

[GlueGuy]

Mark,

Yes, I'm aware of the safety issues. The magazine Fine Homebuilding has a couple of articles on nail guns and nail gun safety. Here is an example of a don't do this "suicide shot" :

Here's the full article on nail gun safety.

Oh, and mdbarb, found out the early Passlode's had a problem with the trigger contacts getting dirty. They've made improvements. Here's an article on the newest Passlode.


The GlueGuy