Want to buy a nail gun for rough (as opposed to finish) work. Needs to use 2″ to 3″ nails. Would like light, reliable, reasonably priced model (do they come together). Use is probably 2 to 4 times a month. It may not sound worth while to many, but it does to me !!
Ken
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Replies
Get a Hitachi NR83A. IMO it's the best. Nails are easy to come by (around here at least.) If your going to buy a gun, make it worth your while. There was an article in FHB comparing different guns, but I don't recall which one. (Some time las year)
Good luck
Bingo!!
Indestructible gun.
ColeCole Dean
Dean Contracting
I would either recommend the Porter Cable or the Paslode Impulse. No disrespect to either Hitachi or the previous reply, but that gun is designed for pros who use it day in and day out. You will not require this level of service. The Porter Cable is about the cheapest decent performing framer out there.
If you do not already have a compressor and hoses, the Paslode would be a good option. Not only would you not have to buy those accessories (at least another $150) but you are not incumbered by the air hose. The guns tend to be fickle, but the portability is very helpful at times.
I have been using the hitachi full head for 20 yrs. Have tried the other major brands off and on but end up going back to the hitachi best power,durability, and weight combination .However they also are one of the more expensive options out there if your just going to use it occasionally then the porter cable or the max nailer is a good choice.
I'm a DIYer and bought a PC350MAG. It is light...it does double fire sometimes (even with the restrictive trigger) but for the $250 or so, can't complain. I wanted a Hitachi...the NR90AC is it? But couldn't justify the cost. Once the house is done (and the garage and the barn sometime over the next decade) it'll be more or less done. The Hitachi at that point wouldn't even be broken in yet.
You get what you pay for, but only pay for what you need. ??
Ken
The Hitachi is a great gun, and if you add a flush nailer attachment it also works great for Hardie Plank siding, and sheathing.
Jason
Ken,
I started out with the Porter Cable several years ago and now have a Paslode, too. Unless I have a LOT of framing to do, I always reach for the Paslode. I don't know if I just have a lemon, but the Porter Cable tends to double fire and jam fairly frequently. The Paslode, on the other hand, has given me no problems whatsoever. It performs very well, and there's no hose to pull around when you're on rafters, etc. A friend of mine has been using the Paslodes exclusively for several years now and they have peformed without problem.
Ragnar
Total now to 3 posts on the porter cable double firing. I had 1 for 1 day and returned it for a senco. Don't care how much less it was, the senco is still cheaper then an emergency room visit. In my opinion the pc framer is a dangerous gun, I'll still need my eyes long after I stop framing.
GE makes a great point....I had a double fire shoot down a stud and land in my finger! OUCH! Stood there, all alone back in the woods, couldn't believe I had to go to the ER and say "Look at what his idiot did?" After a minute or two, just pulled it out, put some ice on it...and kept working. With the hammer. LOL
Without a doubt, to me, the nail gun is the scariest tool I operate. I feel safer running my big Husky chainsaw.
I am also in the market for a nailer and have read all your comments with great interest! I am a DIYer planning to build a house this spring-summer-fall-winter-spring - you get the picture. I am intrigued by the paslode cordless but have read that the longest nail it will drive is a 12d. Is that true and if so, is that sufficient for framing a house? I was under the impression that most framing required 16d nails? I apologize if this is a foolish question.
Sco
My original Paslode purchased in approx 1980 would not take 3 1/4" nails but there was a retro fit kit that I had installed now it takes everything my air gun will take.
It is a fine gun for every once in a while work but I also used it to frame my second floor addition. Bottom line its nice as a contractor to have both, but for a DIY I would go with the Paslode Impulse (and the Trimpulse is great too).
Tom
In the NW we use 10's (3" by .141, with stiffer codes calling for .148) Some times we have to use 3.5" for plate nailing or doubles and such. I've heard good things about the impulse but it's expensive woth the gas and such. For one house it would probably fine. Does it shoot full head? That's a must round here
Scot & Sco,
Here in south Alabama we also use 10d (3x.131) gun nails and 12d hand drives--no 16's anywhere. Paslode makes a nail (the Roundrive series) which features an offset full round head, but it is collated for clip-head nailers. As far as building a house with an Impulse nailer, I wouldn't. The darn things are too bulky and take too long to cycle between shots--a whole house would take two forevers to frame. For trim work, though, the Impulse finish nailer is definitely worth it.
Sco,
I think others may have answered this already, but the Paslode framing gun model that I own does, in fact, shoot 16d nails.
Ragnar
BTW, you will need to check your local code on this.... Most now require you use full head nails as opposed to half for new construction. Most nail guns only shoot one kind !!! So far, I like my purchase, but were I to build a new home, I would probably opt for one that could use a 3 1/2" also.
Good Luck, Ken
I have the duofast cn350 and it has to be the most boring framing nailer there is. The most eventful thing is the few drops oil needed each day. No double fires, no jams no big kick back and will sink a 3 3/4 nail with ease. Mines gold color, new are blue. http://www.duofast.com
I 'll second that. I have 2 of the gold cn350's. Never gave me any problems.Greg
Lots of info, thanks, still have not selected, but I still want one. Realizing they are dangerous, realizing my overall safety awareness, I will get one. After two tours in RVN flying gun ships, I look at things this way...... No one will be shooting at me when I use it..... and..... I am aware that when my time is up... there will be my name on the instrument.... as long as I am not in the way of "to whom it may concern"... I will be fine... Have been doing work for my rental homes for 30 years and swung a lot of hammers.... Now it's time to enter into the technology stage...
Thanks, Ken
I selected the Bostich N88ww because I will be nailing into Oak. The Bostich has the strongest impact (1000 ft.pounds) For the past year it has worked fine and jammed only twice (both due to defective nails, easily cleared)
I cannot say enough negative things about the Porter Cables I have tried out. The best you can say is they are nail starters. My best friend used one for a month sent it in for repair and hasn't had three weeks of use from it since without a trip to the dealer.
Way too often you need to pull out a hammer to sink those in place.....
OK, I bought the Porter Cable 350 from HD.... Against many of your posts... Why ? Becasue it was a special deal at $200.00 and I could not pass up. Brand new, with case, etc. Will let you know how it works soon !!!!!
Thanks to all who gave advice. Ken
Frechy
Funny, I bought the Bostitch N88 recently, and it jams all the time.
Jeff
I'm courious, Mine jammed a couple of times when it was new but not at all since! I've only run about a half a pallet of nails thru it and I keep forgetting to oil it as they say you should.
I found after it jammed the first time that I sprayed WD40 on the magazine and into the mechanism. It helped once I stopped using the first box of nails. For some reason they seemed prone to jamming.. I bought a couple of boxes off brand nails and ran 'em thru and it seemed to work fine ever since...
I have a Bostitch N95 that never fails and might jam once or twice
over a few days work.
The new Bostitch N88 seems to jam on every clip.
I only use the Bostitch nails in them.
Funny thing is that this is the first box of nails going thru it.
Maybe it will break-in.
I'm in the shop now for the past 3 months and had just gotton the
unit before I switched inside for the winter. So I may be talking
too soon on it's normal operation.
The Bostitch rep is usually around every 6 months, and I put it away for the winter till he came back. I figured I could make do with
the old one if needed till then.
Maybe I'll try another box, and run some work thru it to see what
happens.
Jeff
Yeh, I suspect that's your problem the first box was kinda tough, I did have a couple of jams, but I sprayed everything with WD 40 and it got better. It stopped jamming long ago and I bet I haven't had a jam in a year or more....
I like and use the Senco guns. Check them out, I think you will like them. Paslode is good too.
Any comments on the MAX guns ( the red ones) Heard great things!
Had a Max full round head for almost a year now,and I love it. I was doing lots of LVL nailing last February and got annoyed with my Senco starting the nails and then slightly bending them so it was difficult to finish hand nailing. Got a great deal on the Max and I haven't used the Senco since. Tha Max feels nice in my hand, has a great depth adjustment (makes switching from framing to sheathing easy), a convenient jam clearing door, and a slick self cleaning filter. It is a delight to use!
FBC
Do you have a link?
a"Attachment is the strongest block to realization"http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Andy,
check out FHB #145 March 2002 for Rick Arnold and Mike Guertin's survey on nailers. They did a great job. I'm not computer literate enough to post a link but their (somewhat disappointing) site can be found at "maxusacorp.com". For some reason Max has had a hard time getting into the Northeast market and is little known here. I was determined to buy the framer and the regional distributors (Duofast) could't have been less helpful if they tried. Max actually manufactures some of the other brand name nailers. The nailers are pricey, but the SN890RH framer is one of those rare tools that has all the well designed features I wanted in one nailer. After Duofast offered to sell me one direct for $450 plus S&H I almost gave up and thought about the Bostitch, but I finally managed to locate the local rep who got me in on a special and I bought 2 SN890RH's for $299 ea.(the other one for a sub who was working with me and is just as pleased with his). Hope this was useful,regards, daniel
The cost of the nailer is negligble compared to the nails you use in the long run. Go to the local lumberyard and see what nails are available. Senco makes the highest quality nails in my opinion. The galvanization is superior to bostich and other nails. I left a strip out all winter on a piece of pine with 4' of snow and in the spring when the snow melted there was not a trace of stain where the nails touched the wood. The bostich supposedly galvinized nails left a stain. Senco makes a reasonably priced nailer under $300 for cliphead nails that is small enough to get into tight places. I think it is the Pro 350. I shoots a 3.5" nail.
Double fire happens with all nailers with the bounce trigger. The cause is from nailing in tight places when recoil throws the nailer back to the work.
If I only had one nailer for incidental work I would get a palm nailer.