Friday 3 June 2011

Cordless Nailer - nailgun, 18 volt


I love this cordless nailer. I've had the straight dewalt cordless nailer for the last couple of months and it works great as well but this 34 degree version seems to get in those tight places just a little bit better especially with the crown moulding. I haven't had any trouble with power or jamming with this nailer. I have used the hitachi 2 1/2 inch angled finish nails from lowes for this nailer (after trying the bostitch finish nails which wouldn't fit right), and they have worked great. I would definitely recommend this cordless nailer to others especially for the $279.00 promotional price I recieved from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. DEWALT DC628K XRP 1-1/4-Inch - 2-1/2-Inch 15-Gauge 34 Degree

I am a homeowner who yearned for new base boards and crown molding.



Its very powerful, and I have other Dewalt tools that use the same battery so it kept going and going. A setting of 3 or 4 (out of 10) was plenty to counter sink the nail (2 1/2 inch) into the wood molding. I have finished 2 rooms with no jams or misfires. If you are used to an air nailer it might be a bit heavier but they compensate for the weight by balancing the load nicely.

We use this thing all of the time. I don't miss the door trim abrasions from air hoses at all.



Some of the carpenters complain about it not being a "real" nail gun. But for some reason, they don't want to run out the air hoses and set up the air compressor. Like my mom would say, "Some people would complain, even if they were buried in a gold coffin."

I bought this gun in October 2008 to use while building my house. It has been, and still is, a fantastic tool. I use it all the time - one of my best tool purchases ever. But - there is always a but - make sure you can buy the nails locally. Amazon does not sell the 34 degree nails anymore (or at least they say "they are out of stock and don't know when or if they will be back in stock"). Even when they did have them, they always screwed up the order for galvanized - didn't know the difference between galvanized and not. Look at the reviews - like 5 people got the wrong nails, including me. Now, April 2010, I try finding more nails online, and even the Dewalt website says they are not available online. There are other brands around, but if you want the DeWalt's, good luck. So just be sure you can get the nails - DeWalt's website says they are available at my local Lowes - I'm skeptical, but will find out this weekend. Other than the availability of nails, this is an awesome tool.



Update - I was able to order the galvanized nails at my local Lowes.

I bought this nailer in January and wanted to use it on several projects before writing the review, I have and here it is:



After years of dragging the compressor and hose up one or two flights of stairs (the compressor still rules in the shop!) I was eager to "go airless" and boy, am I glad I did. Small jobs (like 4 or 5 nails into a piece of trim) are effortless. As others have mentioned, the battery lasts a really long time (two batteries is plenty) and the power setting (to set the nail depth) is great.



After several little piece-of-cake trim jobs, it was time to challenge the 628 with oak flooring. I installed 3/4 x 5" inch solid unfinished oak in a bedroom and had to use the 628 on the first and last 3 courses (where the Portanailer wouldn't work) as well as in two closets. On a power setting of 6 (the highest) the 628 had no problem blasting through the full 3/4" oak into the plywood below and setting the nails nicely. I had about three jams (probably hit the H-clips or screws below the oak), but they were pretty easy to clear.



The fact that 628 uses the same Senco nails as my Senco nailers was a huge bonus as I have a pretty good stash of 1.5, 2, and 2.5 inch and I wasn't looking forward to purchasing and storing more.



Expensive? Maybe, but the thrill of money saved on inferior tools is forgotten long before the frustration of cheap tools is.



Another great Dewalt product!

Considering cordless nailers? DeWalt has it done right! My project was crown moulding with enhancers for the entire downstairs and master bedroom upstairs; four large rooms in all. I did not want to drag cables and a compressor around or deal with the noise so I did my research and narrowed it down between this one and the Paslode. Ultimately I decided on the DeWalt because it did not require air cartridges and reviews of Paslode showed a regular tendancy to jam alot. I purchased a refurb model. I am extremely happy with the purchase and performance of the gun. I used 1.5 and 2 inch nails and also ordered those from Amazon. I probably went through 2000 nails and the gun only jammed 3 times. Removing the jammed nail was super simple and was completed in less than 20 seconds. The gun itself is a little heavy at around 8-9 lbs, but I wasn't holding it up for any extended length of time. I am extremely pleased with this gun and solidly recommend it. Your toughest challenge should be determining what gauge nail gun you need for your project.

I purchased a refurb model of this and have nothing but great things to say about this nailer. I've used it for quick shoe moulding repair, bathroom baseboard installation, and to flatten out cedar shingle siding that was warping before painting. Bump mode is highly functional with no lag or delay.



I Have never needed to use a depth adjustment setting higher that 3, even while using 2 1/2 inch nails into 2x4s, setting 2 will sink it all the way in.



I would change the LED light to a white color rather than yellow though.



I use hitatchi nails from lowes with no problems at all.

I can't add much to the good things that other folks have already said here. This is an excellent and practical tool! One thing I can vouch for is its durability. I got this nailer for Christmas back in '04, and have used it several times a week ever since(I think I may actually use it more than my drill driver...is that possible?). Often it can be working all day long. This thing hasn't skipped a beat yet! I spent much more for it back then (Yeah, I got it for MYSELF for Christmas), and I still think it was worth every penny. I know not having to carry around and set up a compressor and hose is priceless. - 18 Volt - Finish Nailer - Dewalt - Nailgun'


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