Is there any decent battery powered nail guns or do think I should go for the butane pasloe?
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The thing about battery nail guns is that it costs you less to pull the trigger. I have a Senco battery trim gun and it is kinda slow - maybe the newer ones are better. I've heard some good reports about the Dewalt battery nail guns but don't have one myself - somehow I'm sceptical although I have some other Dewalt tools that I like...
Paslodes are relatively quick, but as you know you have to mess with batteries AND fuel cells.
We use two Paslode angle finish nailers at Habitat and they work great. You do have to maintain them, though e.g. clean and lube. At around $12 for a pair of gas cylinders, they're not cost prohibitive to run.
No experience to report with bat run gun.
Carl
I've got a Paslode 16ga and it's alright but finicky, especially since I don't use it all the time. Guys I know who use theirs all the time and maintain them seem to have better luck.
My brother, a finish carpenter on Nantucket, has some Paslode guns but loves his new Dewalt gun. Just trimmed out a big house with it. The flywheel in it makes it heavy but also lets you bounce fire (or almost so, I forget what he said). He's very picky about tools so I believe him.
Another carp at our project last year bought a Dewalt and thought it would at worst be a good punchlist gun. When we were still stretching out hundreds of feet of hose, you could hear the wisszz-boink, wisszz-boink of the gun upstairs.
The gun would fire a 2" nail about as fast as I normally bump fire base. Can't say it would need to be any faster.
Our local lumber yard bought a pallet of reconditioned 14.4v models and were selling them bare (no batteries or case) for $60. Probably not as quick to fire as the 18v, but I can't say.
The bad thing about them, and the main reason I don't own one, is they require a nail that doesn't fit my other guns. It's a couple hundred dollar investment in nails to keep a decent amount of the various lengths on hand.
The second reason I don't own one is the purchase of a compact compressor. Buy a compact compressor that's easy to carry and a 1/4" 25' polyeurathane hose and it makes an old nail gun much more usable for those small projects.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Edited 10/18/2006 10:52 pm ET by IdahoDon
I've had my Dewalt about a year and a half now. I bought it for handy man work. There is no equal for that type of work for the Dewalt (as opposed to air guns that is). If I did more trim I would probably have an air nailer.
Dont know about any others though.