Replies

1. 
   AlanWS | Sep 15, 2007 05:53am | #1

   It's probably one without a real depth adjustment, so you'll need to adjust your pressure to set the depth. Once you do that, it should work fine.

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 15, 2007 06:44am | #2

   "Its one of those Harbour Freight deals, so I'm kind of leery."  And justifiably so.  Get yourself a good nailer, ask around and find out what people like best.  I like my Porter Cable 18 ga. brad nailer, but there are probably even better ones out there.

   You want the depth to be 'settable" and reliable.  You want it not to jam, but if it does to be easy to un-jam. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
3. 
   BruceT999 | Sep 15, 2007 09:28am | #3

   Ridgid 18ga brad nailer works very well for me and it was not very expensive. I get uniform results whether on Birch, oak, pine or MDF.

   BruceT
4. 
   Jimurock | Sep 15, 2007 04:07pm | #4

   Couple of other things to check for.  Is the nose narrow enough to fit into corners and tight spaces?  Some by reputable makers aren't.

   Don't buy a combination nail/stapler unless you plan to use it only as a stapler.  It will always leave two ugly holes even when you load it with brads.

5. 
   galenajoe | Sep 16, 2007 04:01am | #5

   I bought a Harbour Freight brad nailer a while back. It was like throwing money away. I now have a Senco and am very happy with that.

    

   Joe Hartford

   Galena, IL 

6. 
   stevemorris | Sep 16, 2007 04:35am | #6

   for hardwoods you require total reliabilty, ive used PC 18 ga up to 2 inch nails with only a couple of misses, probably accounted to my own mistakes, ie knots in the way, another nail, screw etc etc

   value your work?, value your tools, buy the best

7. 
   fussy | Sep 16, 2007 08:30am | #7

   I have had that brad nailer for two years now.  Got it on sale for $18.99 minus a 20% off coupon, making it under $16.00 with tax.  I have no complaints.  Use air pressure to adjust depth. and nail on.  It works just fine in poplar, maple, red oak, sapele, cherry, and sycamore so far.  Jams only take a couple minutes to clear, the nose piece is padded and small, so it works fine.  Liked it well enough, I bought the 23 ga. pin driver for $15 and am tickled pinker than a hound dog's belly in a briar patch.

   I own good tools (Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee,etc.) but when I can save a bunch of money and get good performance, I go for it.  Lumping all Harbor Freight tools in the category of trash is short-sighted and foolish.  If you are careful, you can score great deals and great tools there.  Buy the nailer with confidence.  If you don't like it, they'll take it back without question.  Save your money for wood.

   Steve

   There are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.

   1.  Let her think she's having her own way.

   2.  Let her have her own way. President  Lyndon Baines Johnson

8. 
   WillGeorge | Sep 16, 2007 10:50am | #8

   I have a ToolShop one that came with a small compressor. I actually just wanted the small compressor. The brad nailer just came with it.

   ToolShop is a brand I saw at Menards? 'L' cheapo/lowcost stuff.

   Both work OK. I don't use it everyday but it does the job. I only use it for light duty and the longest brad I ever use is 1.5 inch. I only mention this because with tools you never know. I use it in soft and some really hard nasty woods. The grain in some woods will send a brad off into places unexpected but I would suppose this would happen with a quality tool also.

   This summer I got a brand name 'expensive' nailer when putting up a very large deck. It crapped out the first day! (I don't mention the brand because I like and use some of their tools. Lets just say they are yellow..). I did however know all I had to do was bring it back to the store where I got it and went back to work with a new one no questions asked except for the sales ticket.. One of those things.

   If you are going to do production work maybe not a tool to get but for light duty, it may be a good value. You never know with tools.

   EDIT: As other posters have stated, this tool requires adjusting the air pressure to control depth. This can be a issue. If you hit a hard or soft spot in the wood the brad may go deeper or proud of the surface. I use mostly the 'T' head brads so not to much of an issue on going to deep. As others have stated, this could be a big issue for you.

   
   

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   Edited 9/16/2007 3:56 am by WillGeorge