Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am editing this review a year later (14Apr08) with some revisions
I am a professional builder presently building super high end homes on the lakefront of Lake Tahoe. I have used every framing nailer made. Before I bought this nailer I was a Senco and Hitachi user. I needed another nailer so from the recommendation of another carpenter I went with this model. What so ld it to me was that I liked the fact that it had another nosepiece that allowed it to be used for nailing hardware.
I have had this nailer for about 5 months now and it has a few problems.
When it was new it would tend to spark a lot when ever a nail was fired. Now that it is broken in it sparks still but much less. Edit.. It no longer sparks.
There was a part missing in the unopened box. I promptly ordered it from Bostich and it came right away. The part was a vinyl rod that adjusts the magazine for varying thickness nails.
The nailer really hammers the nail hard with a loud smack. I worry that it will wear out the hammer driver sooner. The sound with the Hitachi is much quieter and the Hitachi nailer seems to work with much less recoil when sinking a nail.
The trigger on the Bostich is very finicky and will not fire unless you depress the nose "just so" even with the bounce trigger installed. The Hitachi and Senco is an honest trigger that fires every time you depress the nose. Hitachi users say bad words out of frustration when using this nailer because of the finicky trigger.
The rubber pad on the side has a metal part that surrounds it. The metal part is thin and recently it broke. Since a nailer is often left on the side then this weak and flimsy part is in a very vulnerable spot.
The nose has a spring that can easily snag something and fly away. Without this spring the nailer will not work. I spent a lot of time searching in the powder snow once for this spring when it accidentally ejected.
This nailer does have all the modern features that some nailers lack. It has the directional exhaust port and an easily adjustable nosepiece. It will sink a 16d toenail with the depth adjustment all the way down unlike other nailers. It comes with an accessory nosepiece cover that covers the toenail teeth to prevent marring the wood. The nose cover though will not stay on very well and is easy to lose.
If I had my preference I would use cliphead nailers because the magazine holds more nails and the paper collation does not spit eye damaging pieces like the plastic collated strips for round head nailers. Cliphead nails are getting hard to find as misguided architects spec only round head nails. You must use safety glasses when using any round head nailer. The plastic shards are probably not very good for the environment either.
I give it 3 stars still because it works fine most of the time and the hardware nailing feature is nice to have.
Edit 13Apr08 I give it 4.5 stars now. I like this nailer because it really has a large piston and can completely sink a toenail into hard LVL. I do a lot of framing with LVL and this is the only nailer that will not make you reach for your hammer to finish driving the nail home. I am used to the trigger now and it no longer frustrates me. I did have to take apart the trigger o nce and clean it. The trigger started to blow air and the nailer would not shoot. A less mechanically inclined person might have sent it to the shop for a repair. No parts were very worn, it just needed a cleaning. The broken part on the side bumper has not been a problem. This nailer has held up well so far. I frame about a third of the time so this nailer has about 6 months of heavy use behind it now.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Bostitch F21PL Round Head 1-1/2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer with Positive Placement Tip and Magnesium Housing
Product Description:
Magnesium plastic collated framing nailer / metal connector nailer. This new framing nailer drives 1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch framing nails and comes with an interchangeable tip for placing nails accurate ly for metal connector applications. You get the benefit of two tools in one, no other competitive framer can match that. This light weight tool is also one of the most powerful framers with 1050 in./lbs. of driving power. It is able to tackle even tough engineered lumber applications. Tool also includes bolt on steel wear guards with integrated rubber skid pads, and printed magazine with scale and 16-inches-on-center layout feature. New smart trigger works as a sequential and bump fire trigger base on how you actuate the tool.
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