Good brad nailers? Dewalt vs?

[Itsjustdirt]

Its been a LONG time since buying brad nailers. Senco and Porter Cable used to be my go-to brands but I'm sure everything is different now.

Will mostly be used for door casings and cabinet trim work. This will be for heavy home-use. I'm probably still looking for an air powered one, as I don't think I will use it enough to justify a battery operated one, not to mention, they seem to be really bulky.

Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[mike93lx]

I love my 18 gauge ridgid and like my 16 gauge Hitachi. The difference is mostly that I haven't used my Hitachi much yet

Get one with dry fire lockout.

 

[Jlbc212]

Hitachi

 

[ItsNemo]

I have a couple of the Dewalt/Bostitch (they're identical) ones, they've been fine. The precision point brad nailer probably is my favorite of the few I've got.

Really unless you're using it all day every day, almost all the non-framing guns are fairly decent...mostly just down to ergonomics and what sort of nails they take.

 

[Toolfool]

I've gone through a LOT of brad nailers in 35 years of finish work. My last two have been Ridgid : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L00C0UM/?tag=atomicindus08-20 . Work really well and cheap enough to replace when worn out.

 

[Sine Swept]

I use Paslode, 18 gauge brad nailer and the 23gauge stapler. Never had issue with either, providing they are loaded.

 

[metlmunchr]

I've got a Bostich with the magnesium housing. Its light as a feather and has been flawless thru a few thousand nails. But its about 10 yrs old and I've read several complaints about the newer oil-less Bostich brad nailers having problems with jamming.

 

[619DioFan]

I am just a DIYer so my brad nailer and various air staplers along with a pancake compressor are all from HF. no problems with any of them.

 

[The Cobbler]

porter cable not what they once were.
Older hitachi are the best IMO, the new line of brad nailers **** (IMO)
my favourite brad gun is a no name made in taiwan . actually broke a driver & found some on ebay that I was able to repair it, I think 3 drivers cost me $9
I agree about cordless being bulk, and I;ll add heavy

 

[Nineeightyone]

We bought a HF one for ~$20 to do some trim in the house, it did the job without complaint. I can't say that I know what a "good" brad nailer is like, but our experience was that it paid for itself in one job -- and since, it's been used for all kinds of other weird projects where I didn't really want visible fasteners. It takes some adjustment for sure, as too high of a pressure can leave dents in the wood, and too low won't drive the nail (obviously), but for a basic homeowner/DIY I've been satisfied.

Depending on the project and the cost of the higher end nailers, it might be worth the gamble.

 

[stonesfan68]

I used a couple of Bostitch brad nailers to remodel the downstairs of my house after a flood. I bought them with a Bostitch branded air compressor. The Bostitch and Porter Cable models are identical. I’ll bet that the Craftsman versions are the same as well. The tools worked great for me with only a single jam that I can recall.

 

[crewchief888]

Couple weeks ago one of my porter cable mailers stopped working. I was shocked at the price. I shopped around a little bit, and found a metabo at lowes on clearance. Much nicer than the porter cable, and came with a blown molded case

 

[lardy1]

I've had my Bostich for a long time. It has never failed to perform.