Does anyone else have a hard time with pneumatic nailer reliability. I don't use my Porter Cable framing or finish nailer often but when I do I find the internal o rings seals probably dry out and I have leaks or the nail gun just won't work. Then I spend $80 for a rebuild kit.
I'm thinking that for my use, since I don't use one that much, cordless technology may be the best option. Most have a mechanical flywheel that drives the nail while spinning. Seems to me that this would not degrade as it sits unused for months at a time. I'm considering a DeWalt.
On the other hand, Ryobi Air Strike gets excellent reviews but I don't know much about that technology. From what little I've read, it sounds like the gun compresses air one nail at a time. If that's the case I'm concerned about dry seals and reliability as with my pneumatic nailers.
Does anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks in advance.
I used to fix Senco guns for a Senco authorized dealer, the only ones that I ever had to mess with were due to operator error or worn from driving 100K+ nails. If you oil it correctly, it will last, if you don't, it won't. If you run too much pressure the failure is usually, but not always pretty quick. The electric guns have an order of mangnitude more failure points and absolutely none of them are made as robust as a quality pneumatic nail gun.
I worked with Senco prototypes when they first started experimenting with cordless 20+ years ago and the cycles they were getting out of them before failures (usually catastrophic) were in the 5% range of a comparable pneumatic finish nail gun as at the time they weren't even considering a framing application. The failure rate has gone down quite a bit with evolving technology, now they last ~15% the life of a pneumatic gun.
I have dewalt 18g nailer and love it. I would never go back. So far it's been reliable.
I tried ryobi before the dewalt and took it back. It wouldnt drive nails through poplar. Maybe I just got a lemon. Dunno. The dewalt can drive 2" into hardwoods just fine.
The guys that built my house have a full array of dewalt 20v guns. Framing to 18g. They also love them. They don't use framers full time, just for small jobs that it's too much of a pain to drag the compressor out. But all trim is put up with battery.
I also have the Dewalt 18g nail gun and it has worked beautifully and reliably. It's great for trim work and in the shop I use the shorter nails to make jigs.
You need to keep the pneumatic nailers oiled. If you dig out your owner's manual for the Porter Cable (I have a brad nailer of theirs) you'll see that they recommend putting 3-5 drops of oil every time you use it. I put my nailers through a hard workout when installing the trimwork in my house and shop, and oiling every time I used them allowed me to put them away for months or years with no problems.
I "googled" what oil to use in nailers and here's the answer it came up with-
What kind of oil should I use? Only use lubricating oil made specifically for pneumatic tools, such as Senco Pneumatic Tool Oil or Paslode Lubricating Oil. Other oils lack the correct viscosity or contain ingredients that can destroy the seals, disintegrate O-rings, or may even cause combustion.
It also helps to have DRY air. Put a water trap inline.
Tangentially: Why don't they make compressors with drains that open automatically when they're unplugged? I've looked at automatic drain valves and most all I can find are NC and I want NO. Not to mention they're a c-note, plus wiring and fittings.
One trick for oiling, as told to me by a repair tech, is to put several drops of oil in the gun at the end of the day (or when you're finished with it) stand the gun air inlet up so the oil with flow into the trigger and seals. If you just oil at the beginning the air pressure will drive the oil right past where they need it.
My senco finish nailer has driven several thousand racks in the 10 years I've had it. It's only oiled at the start of a job. But, oiling afterwards, as Witchman suggests, seem like a good idea. I use only oil sold as "For Air Tools.".
If you're in need of a good framing nailer, the Rigid Is one fine nailer.
One trick for oiling, as told to me by a repair tech, is to put several drops of oil in the gun at the end of the day (or when you re finished with it) stand the gun air inlet up so the oil with flow into the trigger and seals. If you just oil at the beginning the air pressure will drive the oil right past where they need it.
+1, I put in 2 - 3 drops before use and after; since doing this i've never had a problem.
Been using hitachi stick nail framing guns since the 90's, the original guns made in Japan had better quality parts but the newer metabo version seems to be doing good. I've used bostich, senco, porter cable, and probably others I don't remember but nothing I've used punches framing nails as well as the hitachi/metabo. I agree with Wichman on the oiling too. I usually add a few more drops first thing in the morning especially if the gun has not been used in a while.
Does anyone else have a hard time with pneumatic nailer reliability. I don't use my Porter Cable framing or finish nailer often but when I do I find the internal o rings seals probably dry out and I have leaks or the nail gun just won't work. Then I spend $80 for a rebuild kit.
I'm thinking that for my use, since I don't use one that much, cordless technology may be the best option. Most have a mechanical flywheel that drives the nail while spinning. Seems to me that this would not degrade as it sits unused for months at a time. I'm considering a DeWalt.
On the other hand, Ryobi Air Strike gets excellent reviews but I don't know much about that technology. From what little I've read, it sounds like the gun compresses air one nail at a time. If that's the case I'm concerned about dry seals and reliability as with my pneumatic nailers.
Does anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks in advance.
I don't have a compressor, and I am heavily invested in Ryobi batteries, so I have used both an older blue Ryobi 'spring and motor' 18g nailer and a newer Airstrike pin nailer. I found both of them to be balky and prone to jams, The pin nailer (when it fires right) has plenty of power and sets the pins well, but the older 18g never had enough power.
I have only had the Airstrike for about 1.5 years, but it works as well as it ever did, with only occasional use.
I only own a finish nailer. It's a Hitachi I bought 10 years ago or so. I keep it oiled regularly and haven't had the first problem with it. My use is sporadic, probably 4 or 5 times a year. But a few drops of pneumatic tool oil in the inlet before each use is all the maintenance I've ever had to do. Never oiled after use but the reasoning does make good sense.
The DeWalt cordless get good reviews. Though, for reliability, it's hard to beat pneumatic. It's about as simply as you can get in terms of moving parts. Of course cordless also introduces a lot more convenience since you don't have to lug a compressor wherever you want to use it
I have a Bostitch stapler and finish nailer that I don't use often, but every time I do need it I connect the air hose and they work fine. Then again I also don't seem to have issues with my Horror Freight pin nailer either…maybe I'm just lucky?
I have a pile of nail guns… Used to own a couple of PC Framing guns, but don't do that work much any more.
I have a number of Ridgid and Hitachi finish nailers, pin nailers and staplers. I am pretty religious about oiling them every couple of uses. A typical use will usually consist of 20 to 100 nails shot these days. If I am trimming out a house, I will oil a couple of times a day, actually.
Because my work has changed, my nailers will sit for longer periods unused. So far, I've been lucky and not had to do any rebuilds. But, I have worn a few out over the years…
I own a battery operated Ridgid nailer… It's saved my butt many a time, but it almost always requires me following along with a nail set. The good reports of the Dewalts here have me intrigued. I've been slowly switching away from Ridgid stuff again… especially battery operated tools. I doubt I'll ever buy another Ridgid battery operated gun. I won't buy any Ryobi stuff…. Ever. Every Ryobi tool I've used over the years has been underpowered for professional type use. (I know you aren't asking about Pro use, but I just can't ever recommend Ryobi power tools)
The Senco rep. & 2 of their engineers told me you will still extend the life of an oil-less nailer by oiling it. The big push for oil-less was to avoid staining finish work. The cylinders still wear exceedingly fast when not oiled and relying only on the grease applied during assembly at the factory for lubrication.
Thanks for all the advice. I Always oiled prior to every use. Did it religiously. I think I have seen enough of the cordless nailers to NOT consider them due to weight. I can't imagine putting up crown with an 8 pound nail gun. Guess I'll go air but it won't be Porter Cable. Probably going Dewalt.
Keep in mind when oiling that several of the homeowner grade nailers are OIL-LESS.
- Underdog
The Senco rep. & 2 of their engineers told me you will still extend the life of an oil-less nailer by oiling it. The big push for oil-less was to avoid staining finish work. The cylinders still wear exceedingly fast when not oiled and relying only on the grease applied during assembly at the factory for lubrication.
Thanks for all the advice. I Always oiled prior to every use. Did it religiously. I think I have seen enough of the cordless nailers to NOT consider them due to weight. I can't imagine putting up crown with an 8 pound nail gun. Guess I'll go air but it won't be Porter Cable. Probably going Dewalt.
Keep in mind when oiling that several of the homeowner grade nailers are OIL-LESS.
- Underdog
The Senco rep. & 2 of their engineers told me you will still extend the life of an oil-less nailer by oiling it. The big push for oil-less was to avoid staining finish work. The cylinders still wear exceedingly fast when not oiled and relying only on the grease applied during assembly at the factory for lubrication.
Yup. I know that from experience! If you oil those oil-less guns the seals get all gunked up, and then you wind up having to rebuild the gun anyway.
I've rebuilt many a Senco homeowner grade because I worked in a cabinet shop where they were firing nails all day long. When I was buying the guns I tried to buy them from a dealer rather than the big box store because the commercial grade guns are heavier duty - and take oil.
As for brands, I bought Grex (or Fasco- which is just painted a different color) for the micro pinners and Senco for the heavier nails. For myself I bought a Senco micropinner and it was worth every penny.
If going cordless consider the Metabo line. They make a 23 ga as well as an 18 ga. Milwaukee does too but I don't think DeWalt makes a 23 ga.
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