My first pin nailer, which I bought a decade ago, was a great tool for fastening glazing stops and other delicate moldings and for performing numerous glue-clamping chores. A 23-ga. pin nailer leaves such a small hole that it’s seldom necessary to fill it. But many of the early models lacked a trigger safety and required that the nail carriage be adjusted each time you wanted to load it with a different length of nail.

Grex has introduced a pin nailer with a magazine that adjusts automatically for nail lengths. Its nose has a narrow profile for easy pin placement in tight places, and it comes with a soft nose cover to help avoid marring. It also has a trigger safety mechanism to prevent accidental firing.

It features rear air exhaust and includes a built-in silencer for slightly quieter operation. Nail jams can be cleared easily by loosening a couple of hex-socket screws; this model even includes a wrench and holder on the tool. I drove lots of long nails into hard maple with this tool without a single misfire or a nail left proud of the surface—a nice feat indeed.

—Roland Johnson is a contributing editor.

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