Ok, so I'm old school and I've been using a hammer forever. I've had air for a long time but only used it with auotmotive tools. But last year I got a small pneumatic brad nailer and I've got to admit it is a whole lot nicer than a hammer. So much so that I've started eyeing the framing nail guns. But there are a lot of choices and I've got like zero experience with them.
I'd like to get one that handles some variety of nails. I see there are ones that do strips and ones that do rolls. And that the strips can be notched or not notched. So what's the best way for me to go? Are these cheap ones on ebay any good?
I'd guess inexpensive is mostly dependent on how much one uses it.
I've Bostitch stick; prefer the FRH nail just because looks better to my eye although I've no reason to think they really have much different pullout characteristics. Some hurricane-prone areas require them.
For flexibility the Bostitch, Hitachi and a few others seem to have most afaik. Senco and some others probably not far off.
I bought a refurb'ed for a fair savings off brand new; no complaints after 5 years or so; 3 of which were quite heavy usage until finished the barn rebuild.
I recommend you look at a palm nailer. They're inexpensive, they drive just about any nail, and they fit in awkward locations where a gun won't go.
If you're gonna do framing, check your local code. Some areas require a full-head nail.
Check the available nails in your area. Buy a gun that uses the nails your vendors carry. You'll hate it if you get the perfect gun, then have to mail-order the nails.
I have a Porter Cable and an old Bostitch N16 framing guns. The Porter is the work horse, runs hard most every day and nails come from HD. The Bostitch is good except it uses a clipped head nail and CANNOT be used for shear or most any other "structural" thing. It gets used for fences and the like. I don't know what it weighs, but it is A LOT. I don't see many clipped head nailers anymore.
I have a Senco finish neiler and it is very good. No issues there at all.
I have a Porter Cable coil roofing nailer. It believe it can go up to a 2+" roofing nail (though not sure why I'd want to) and it runs good all day at 1
1/4" nail.
I have a bunch of misc. staple and brad guns that seem to be pretty good. One gun lost the guard on the tip so it fires just by pulling the trigger so I don't like that one too much (they stopped making the parts so I can't fix it either). The other large staplers are good and I even have a stapler for roofing staples that I have but haven't used enuf to know if I like it.
I have a palm nailer. For straps and most other hardware, I love it. There is a little magnet that holds the nail in, you put the nail in the hole, and just push and the nail gets pounded in. Mine is an import but it has worked great. It also comes with a leather glove-like thing that fits on the palm nailer and has straps for your fingers. I don't use it everyday, but when I need it, there's nothing like it.
My only cordless / hoseless gun is a Porter Cable finish nailer. I don't even think they make it anymore. It has a little battery-operated onboard air compressor that supplies the gun, OR you can hook it up to a compressor. It is a cute little thing and if you have to shoot three baseboards in and case a door upstairs, MAN, is that handy not to be lugging compressors and hoses up and down stairs.
If it is any consolation, most of the great roofers I see still nail by hand. Just grab a handful of nails, feed them between their fingers and pound all day.
I got to agree with Steve palm nailers are a great tool to have also, but I have a Bostitch framing nailer, takes full round heads, the 21 deg style sticks, with the plastic strip that holds the nails together, I been told I can use the wire type colation nails in my gun, but have not tried yet, cause a box is so expensive and still have a box and half of the plastic coloated nails. Best way to pick one is to go to your local store that sells them, Home Depot, Lowes, or Lumber yard you like and pick them up and to the touchy feely thing, see how they feel to you in your hands.
Its a FRH (full round head) framing nailer. My older model shoots from 2 3/8" long x .113 dia to 3 1/4" x .148 dia.
I have found the gun to be useful over a wide range of apps...floor & wall diaphragms and of course framing. IMO it's a good all purpose nailer, unlike a specialty coil / roofing nailer.
They also make an NR90A that shoots up to a full sized 16d common (3
1/2 by .162 dia)
Senco, Bostich & Porter Cable I have also used and they were good / no problems.
: I've seen that happen a lot with contractors that have been building homes for a long time, and are sometimes reluctant to conform to new technology and tools. You can increase your productivity many times using a nail gun. Some framers put homes and apartments together in a seemingly short time.
Most framing nailers use what are called "strip nails" and they come in different forms, (i.e.) some are clipped head, some are round head, and they usually come in either the paper coalated form, or plastic. Hitachi, Senco, and Pasload use the paper coalted ones, while brands like Duofast use plastic.
I wouldn't be too sure about the guns being sold on e-bay. You just never really know what you're getting, and with the cost to repair a used Hitachi, running around half the cost of a new one, I would opt for buying a new gun. The inital cost and the amount of use you get out of a gun before you have to service it is also important. If you really can't make up your mind, I would go with a Pasload PowerMaster, [F350S]. They're priced less than their competitors and are fairly inexpensive to maintain, once they do require maintainance. They shoot a 34 degree nail, rainging from 2'-3 1/2' which are commonly sold in hardware shops.
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