i need a framing nailer once every so often. amazon sells a senco frame pro 502 full round head nailer for 177 bucks. is this gun any good. any other senco framing guns are clipped head, but they are a lot more money, why is that? can i buy a decent framing gun for about 200 dollars? thanks for any info
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Make sure that nails are readily available for whatever gun you get. Check gauge, angle, wire vs. paper, etc... Saving $25 on a gun and having to order your nails and pay shipping kills any savings. Good luck.
Go to the pawn shop and buy a Hitachi or Bostich - if it breaks you can easily get parts. Or go to the pawnshop and buy another one...
Gotta say I really don't like my hitachi. No depth adjustment, Clearing jambs is a PITA. Recoil is bad on my elbow, and the magazine doesn't let me load two sticks anymore without it jambing from the sticks lapping wrong all the time. Plus the plastic-collated fasteners make a mess and leave dangerous debris underfoot on a roof.Steve
Steve, should have bought the coil framer. Much better tool!
Any reconditioned tool sales in your area? I picked up a Paslode reconditioned for $120, same warranty as a new one.
woodpecker,
I don't know why the round head nailers cost more. Maybe because there are fewer of them?
I recently bought a factory recon Senco 601 and have been completely happy with the tool and the deal I got.
http://www.power2xs.com/store.php?tnfin.shtml
Amazon had that framer reconditioned for $125 a few months back. No issues yet with mine.
ML
bostitch f28ww - holds 100 nails wire collated w/ clipped head, which for all intensive purposes is just about a full round.
I don't use mine all the time either--a few years back I got a Bostich NR88 21degree strip nailer that has interchangeable tips--one for metal connectors.
It's powerful, easy depth adj, the metal thingy works fine but the nailer is big, it's easy to fix and easy to find fasteners for.
I like it!
And I think you can buy a recon one with warranty for dirt. Check ebay.
I picked up a Hitachi FRH coil nailer on ebay for $175-ish. Waited to find one that didn't look like it had been dragged behind the truck for the last three jobs.
But heed the advice above. Make sure you can get nails locally. Around me HD/Lowes only carry sticks. And my local yard tried to sell me, no I am not kidding, loose nails. The guy there thought you could just throw them in the coil box and they'd sort themselves out.
And if I had to do it over again I'd really think about that Bostitch that has the extra positive placement tip.
http://www.amazon.com/Bostitch-F21PL-Positive-Placement-Magnesium/dp/B000A79HWA/ref=dp_ob_title_hi
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I got a real good deal on an Hitachi 3.5" coil nailer too but it ain't no virgin. The only problem I really have is squeezing off one nail with the trigger. As long as you "bump nail" it works fine. I have an Hitachi roof nailer that looks like an HO version of the framer and it has the same single shot problem. I do hear there is a direct placement kit for these that will fix that.
I like my Porter Cable full head nailer and like you I don't use it very often. When building a fence I like the look of a full head nail. Also it allows me to insert 20 or so nails at a time, usually just what I need and the nails are always available on Amazon. For those of us who do not do framing for a living I think you have made a good choice.
You can file out the loading slot on that Porter Cable and it will take 2 sticks of nails.
It won't load them as easily as a gun built to take 2 sticks but it works, just takes a second longer to get both sticks in the gun. I own one and have done this.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Where are you located I have a Clip headed senco I would be willing to sell along with two or three boxes of nails. make me an offer. Here in So cal clip heads can no longer be used for framing.
Edited 9/8/2008 9:10 pm ET by TonyCz
Some areas of the country require full head nails as opposed to clip or half heads.
I have an older version of that gun and have had it since they first came out. Good gun. For me Senco was actually the standard gun and nail in this area for years so they are readily available.
Check with a commercial LY or people you know in the business and find out what is the most common gun/nails used by the pros in your area and that is the one that will be easiest to get nails for and service on.
"I don't use mine all the time either--a few years back I got a Bostich NR88 21degree strip nailer that has interchangeable tips--one for metal connectors.
It's powerful, easy depth adj, the metal thingy works fine but the nailer is big, it's easy to fix and easy to find fasteners for.
I like it!
And I think you can buy a recon one with warranty for dirt. Check ebay."
+1
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
+2
Got mine off ebay for $80 bucks or so.
Max framing guns, my favorite.
Never saw a single one on the repair shelf.
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
You may want to check out Milwaukee's framing nailer. I have heard a lot of positive things about it, and I think it can be had new for just north of $200.
If I remember correctly, the Milwaukee did really well in a comparison article in JLC a while back.