HI again boys;
As most of you already know I like to do most of my own work, I really like getting down and dirty, anyway, I am adding a new room and garage to my house and I want to buy a air powered nail gun that will shoot 16d nails, I know it's a big expence for such a small project but even though I like doing my own work I find it very hard handling that big hammer and it usually takes quite a few strokes to pound on that nail to get it in:) , so I thought I would buy a nail gun, but there are sooo many to choose from, so can any of you big strong contractors help me out with which one will satisfy me:D ? I don't really want to buy the most expensive one, but I don't mind paying the right money for the right job. So if anyone has any recommendations please let me know. I want to thank you in advance and say thanks for all the help before. RM Girl.

Do you have a Menards in your area or just Home Depot and Lowe's. Unless you are going into the business you can get away with a fairly simple gun. SENCO Air-Powered Nailers, Staplers, and Fasteners I am in between a DIY and pro so I bought Bostitch.

Bostich is good but I prefer rigid or porter cable

I use a porter cable and dewalt, now those are a little heavier than say pasload or hitachi.
Hitachi was the lest at 7.5 pounds I think followed by pasload. Both drive nails just fine
The pasload has a hair trigger that if you not careful you shoot more nails than you want.
The Hitachi has more of a pull to the trigger making in my opionion safer. Must like the dewalt in my view.
As for the porter cable and dewalt, both shoot well I tend to like my porter cable better because of the grip. The dewalt grip feels a little slick and sometimes feels like it may slip out of your hand.

So in recap. All the guns I've listed are no doubt good guns, both with pros and cons with each , but you really can't go wrong with any of them. So my advise is to go to Lowe's or where ever there sold where you live and pick one up. See how it feels. Some may feel more awkward than others. And ill be honest with you all of them feel awkward to me but it's the one that is the lest awkward that you should get. As for a price range your probably looking around mid to high $269 to $299. There are other brands for much much less but... you get what you pay for.
As for nails they'll ask you if you want clipped head or round head, just get round head nailgun for the simple reason code issuse may be coming that will warrant round head nails. Most guns today will shoot both types though.

Lastly wear your safety glasses.

Razor, we recently had a guy come here and tell everyone how great Rigid was, he spoke so highly that they almost blocked him for advertising. As the comments built up people started saying Rigid was Home Depot's version of Menard's Tool Shop, just junk with a great warranty. It was interesting to hear the different view, Rick jackson even stepped to the plate. Glavine does a nice recap. Most named are good nailer with pros and cons abound. Weight and money are two big factor. I guess we may agree, buy the lightest gun you can afford.

Ive yet to use a ridgid gun, they do look nice. I only dreamed about them for few weeks

I do have to admit my Rigid wet vac is about the best vac I ever owned. Maybe the guy who said it was junk with a great warranty wasn't on the mark. Maybe we should start our own blog about who makes the best drill gun or sawzall. What do you guys think?

We could start right now, MIlwaukee has the best sawzall by far

This may not belong here but for most power tool they are only as good as the person using them. Just remember what you are doing with it, how much you use it. All in all you get what you pay for.

All true, did you know they should change the name because it isn't even made in WI let alone Milwaukee. I love my Hitachi recip but I think Milwaukee has it by the eadge, About $295 at Menards.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glavine

Ive yet to use a ridgid gun, they do look nice. I only dreamed about them for few weeks

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You dream about nail guns? I dream about that makita battery power impact driver. The little built in flash light to see what you're doing, and it is so light.
As Homer Simpson would say, salivating: mmmm... makita impact driver... :D

Actually most tools seem pretty good these days. I like ridgid battery operated tools because of the lifetime warranty. They are a little heavy but one of my carpenters is on his 4th free battery in about two years. I don' t know how Ridgid can afford that. I have a mixture of bostitch and porter cable air tools. Never had a problem (except I keep losing the feet on the finish nailer at $5 a pop!) but prefer the bostitch because of the seven year warranty.

I'm not a builder by trade but I don't consider myself an amateur. I have built four homes. I'm at the paint stage in the current house I'm building. During this build, my trusty Craftsman framing nailer built the dust. I replaced the Craftsman with a Bostitch. It is lighter than the older models and the best feature is the trigger can be configured three different ways. The nailer will shoot a nail if:

1. The tip is compressed and remains compressed and THEN the trigger is pulled.
OR
2. The tip is compressed but doesn't have to remain completely compressed and the
Trigger is pulled.
OR
3. The trigger can be pulled before the tip is compressed and fires on contact.

I'm not saying Bostitch is the best only that I like this model. My wife helps and she loved not only the lightweight aspect but also the safety of the trigger system.

We do love our tools. The only ones I have a true problem with are the Tool Shop ones from Menards. They are so cheap I guess I got what I paid for.

I like stanley bostitch, but of course this will have many answers due to each person's own experiences.

I promise I won't get started on rigid or tool shop ! I will say I have many nail guns in my shop and most are good. Bostich and Pasload are my personal best however I have been using Dou-Fast lately and will be switching to them as I buy new. It isn't as lite as others but drives nails great AND a box of 2,000 round head nails is 5-6 dollars cheaper than any other. Bostich, Pasload and many other nail guns can have hair triggers... however... it depends on which trigger you install. Most come with an extra trigger in the box. If you switch them in will stop the double shooting. One trigger you can simply hold and bang away as fast as you wish. The other you must release the trigger and squeze it again after every nail is shot. As stated above its all in the user. I still believe the best warranty you can have... is the one you never have to use. By the time a guy drives to the store to get a new rigid with his lifetime warranty... I will have my job done and be home drinking a cool beer.
Mike

RTW_TRAVEL... I hear you on the looseing the feet thing. I do have a quick solution. I bought a can of liquid rubber, carefully dipped the foot... let it dry. I did that to all my finish nailer a couple years ago... still holding strong and it gives me a better veiw of where to nail with out having that big rubber foot in the way.
Mike