Anyone else here use Paslode nail guns?

[azasadny]

I bought this trim nailer earlier this year and love it.



And I just bought this one to do some framing.



I'm doing alot of "home improvement" projects and I've been using the trim nailer to install moulding, trim, etc... and I'll be using the framing nailer to frame out a basement bathroom and an attic storage area. Having the battery and fuel cell mean that I don't have to drag a compressor and hose around and the nail guns are very compact and let you get into tight places. Anyone else here ever use these??

[azasadny]

BTW, my next-door neighbor is a contractor/carpenter and he's been using his Paslode nail guns for many years now and they have never failed him. You have to keep them cleaned and lightly oiled (similar to a firearm) and they will be dependable. Even an amateur like me can get some pretty good results. They aren't cheap, but saving my fingers and thumb is worth it! I'm not a salesman or have any affiliation with Paslode, I just really like their nail guns!

[on2wheels52]

The gas guns are not well liked by my pawn shop customers (fwiw). Complaints of higher expense vs air & difficulty of repair.
Good on sites sans electric.
Jim

[Dantilla]

As a general rule, they are inadequate for production framing, but are great for small jobs, happy homeowner projects, or where running air hoses is inconvenient.

[azasadny]

What I like about the Paslode nail guns is that I am usually working alone and it's much easier to hold up a 2x4 with one hand and use the nailgun with the other to do light framing.

Keeping the guns clean and lightly lubed is the secret to reliability and long use between repairs. If the nail sticks get dropped in the dirt, they'll gunk the gun up pretty fast. I use the Paslode cleaning spray and oil and I'm very happy with the guns. I bought mine online at nailgundepot.com and the shipping on tthe guns was free and their prices are reasonable.

After using these, it's real hard to go back to using an old-fashioned hammer!

[azasadny]

procon,

Good tip, I'll have to remember that! I've got to pour some concrete, then I'll be ready to do more framing. I'm just glad the plumbing is done, I hated that. Ripping out old cast iron sewer pipe is NOT fun!

[Dantilla]

Originally posted by procon
175 psi. will peel your eyelids back.
Ask me how I know.

I don't WANT to know!!

[cashflyer]

I have two of the Paslode framers. One has worked without fail for years. The other is a big orange chunk of crap.

[azasadny]

cashflyer,

Have you sent the "bad" nailgun in for service? My neighbor's finish nailer kept failing to fire until I cleaned and lubed it with the approved Paslode products. He admitted that he had never cleaned the thing and had owned it for several years. They can be finicky... The compressed gas cartridges also age and you need to use "fresh" ones. You're probably aware of all of this, but i just wanted t share what I found out about a misfiring Paslode... Nailgundepot.com is delivering my framing nailer this week and I can't wait!

[cashflyer]

Didn't "send it in" but took it to an "authorized service center" for repair. About 2 months later it was "fixed", but still suffers the same maladies that prompted us to bring it in. Mis-fires and double / tripple feeds.

Of course it's not under warranty, and pawn shops don't really want them. Maybe a candidate for eBay!!

Naaa.... I'll just keep it. It don't eat no groceries, and I don't count on it to make a living.

[azasadny]

I ordered the Paslode framing nailer from nailgundepot.com on Monday and it arrived this afternoon, what fast shipping! Very cool that they can ship the nailgun that fast! The order was complete and well packaged. The shipping on the gun itself was free but I paid shipping on the nails. Buying the gear online was cheaper then buying it at my local Lowe's or Home Despot, even with shipping added.

[on2wheels52]

cashflyer
"pawn shops don't really want them"
I couldn't have said it better.

Jim

[azasadny]

Actually, I'm glad that pawn shops don't want the Paslodes. My DeWalt tools were all stolen out of my garage a few years ago and the cop who took the report told me that the culprits steal DeWalt tools then sell them at a pawn shop or construction sites. I didn't like the DeWalt tools, but the replacement Ridgid tools were even worse than the DeWalt. I won't buy Ridgid again, I'll stick to Porter Cable, Makita, Milwaukee, Paslode, etc... and pay a little more to get a tool that does what I want it to do. I'm just a homeowner, not a contractor, so my uses for the tools are "lightweight" and low volume.

[cashflyer]

For what it's worth... Ridgid = Ryobi. The manufacturing plant is right near here, and I know a few people that work there. They also make some of the Craftsman power tools and some of the B&D tools.

Of course they are all slightly different, being made to the branding customers requirements. But they are mostly just the same guts in different color/shape housings.

I think Dewalt is also made locally.... I'll have to check one day.

[M.D. Holloway]

I was in the Paslode factory in Miss about 4 years ago - the nail and staple line. Good guys. I remember that they used ATF in a few of their hydraulic systems. Seemed strange at the time but it worked for them.

[Rot 911]

I am a fan of the air fed nailers. I beat the crap out of mine, do nothing more than put a couple of drops in the air inlet when I remember to do so and they just keep on nailing. I've really not run into any situations where the hose gets in the way. I use a pancake compressor for the air supply and it is very portable. This summer I was putting a new deck surface on an old porch with 100 year old oak joists. With an air nailer you just crank up the pressure. Not sure how the paslode would handle that hard wood.

[azasadny]

Kurt,

Paslode recommends that you don't use nails 3" or longer into pressure-treated lumber with their gas-powered nailguns. I've just been doing 2x4 framing and the nailgun fits easily between the framing members and it's easy to nail into the corners with it. If you shop around for the nails, the prices aren't too bad. Both of my nailguns (trim and framing) use the same battery and charger, so that's cool, too!

I also like the fact that the tools are made in the USA (Illinois)...