Dewalt Pneumatic Brad Nailer

[harpone]

Does anyone have experience with the pneumatic Dewalt brad nailer? I have had good luck with Dewalt tools in the past and noticed Amazon is selling the DW12231 brad nailer for around $60.

 

[Hmerkle]

No personal experience David - I did find these reviews;

I am guessing you looked at the reviews on the Amazon website already?
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWFP12231-Pneumatic-18-Gauge-2-Inch/product-reviews/B00AK4CY7S

Dewalt website - 1 review



Great Tool

Been doing trim work for a while now using multiple brad nailers on the job site such as porter cable, makita ect this one to me was the winner i has 0 complaints easy jam fix if you ever come across one and best part maintenance free
Pros: Light Weight, Maintenance Free
Cons: yet to come by

 

[harpone]

I did look at the reviews. Thanks. One thing I forgot to ask, never having owned a nailer, and this would apply to all nailer brands: do you have to use the manufacturer's brads?

No personal experience David - I did find these reviews;

I am guessing you looked at the reviews on the Amazon website already?
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWFP12231-Pneumatic-18-Gauge-2-Inch/product-reviews/B00AK4CY7S

Dewalt website - 1 review



Great Tool

Been doing trim work for a while now using multiple brad nailers on the job site such as porter cable, makita ect this one to me was the winner i has 0 complaints easy jam fix if you ever come across one and best part maintenance free
Pros: Light Weight, Maintenance Free
Cons: yet to come by

 

[SubGuy]

I have one, I have no complaints. Drives a nail, easy to adjust, no problems. I don't use it tons like a trim carpenter or such, but it does what I need and then some.

 

[harpone]

Thanks.

I have one, I have no complaints. Drives a nail, easy to adjust, no problems. I don't use it tons like a trim carpenter or such, but it does what I need and then some.

 

[toolman]

I have one as well and it works good for me. I use it all the time.. I also have the finish nail gun as well.. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up:thumbs_up:thumbs_up:thumbs_up!

 

[ehpoole]

I did look at the reviews. Thanks. One thing I forgot to ask, never having owned a nailer, and this would apply to all nailer brands: do you have to use the manufacturer's brads?

No, you do not gave to use the manufacturer's own brand of nails so long as the alternate brand of nails meets the same specifications as your nailer was designed to accommodate. Every once in a long while you may come across a single specific nail size that may not fit due to slight differences in dimensions (mostly length, and likely the result of differences in metric versus imperial approximations). If so, just make a mental note of that specific size and brand and make sure not to buy them again, but this is pretty rare and I've noticed it much more with Pinners than nailers (where tolerances are much tighter).

If purchasing a 15ga Finishing nailer, be aware that there is much less standardization in this class of nailers, so it is more critical to ensure that third-party brand nails were manufactured to match the specs (such as clip angle) of your nailer when mixing brands. The 16ga and 18ga finishing and brad nails and staples, with straight clips, tend to be much more standardized than most and can nearly always be mixed and matched at will.

 

[junquecol]

If you are close to a Harbor Freight store, look at their brad nailer for $19.99 less 20% off coupon. Nets out to $14.99 + tax. I have stapler / brad nailer combo, with no problems over the last five years. But I only use the staple function. Because I paid so little, I take it to job sites without fear of anyone stealing it.

 

[Bob Carreiro]

Ditto, Bruce. I've got that HF gun too, and use it only for staples, but also have their 18g brad nailer (nails only). But my new pride & joy is the Ryobi 18v (battery) Brad Nailer and haven't used an air brad nailer since. But back to the OP.

For under 20 bucks, David, try the HF versions as mentioned. You can buy 2, so if something does go wrong, you'll have a backup. If this is for shop use, I would seriously consider the RYOBI for $129. At that price, there's no battery or charger (additional $49 - but you may already have other Ryobi tools, such as a drill/driver, circ saw, blower, jig saw, multi tool, etc., in which case the additional bat/charger purchase is moot). Read the reviews. BTW, buying the HF nailer for backup is a good option regardless which brad nailer you choose. Good luck!

 

[JimD]

I have DeWalt tools but not brad nailers. My pneumatic brad nailer is a Porter Cable. It is OK but occasionally messes up. My Bostitch 15 gauge and 23 gauge are more reliable. I also have a Ryobi 18 gauge and used it to trim out about 800 square feet of our house recently. Very handy. It's nice to not have to mess with a hose and listen to a compressor.

I have a couple HF staplers and a HF flooring nailer/stapler. One of the staplers doesn't drive the longest staples it is rated to drive. The other two tools work fine. Their return policy is generous. If you get a bad one they will take it back no questions asked. Their tools are not quite as nice in many cases but the bang for the buck is very good.