framing guns (poll)

[M]

coil or stick?

light weight ones?... do they make a light weight framing gun?

[Dan]

[Steve Barker LT]

I second the vote for paslode. That's what I was going to purchase until I came upon the Hitachi I have at a garage sale. It's a good gun though. Saved me $180

[dpb]

For general framing, I prefer stick for less bulk. Several make Mag light(er) weight nailers -- all the ususal suspects: Bostitch, Hitachi, Senco, etc., etc., etc., ...

Paslode others note is good when hose is a problem but are more expensive to operate. To me they're a "for purpose" tool, not the general one.

I'm partial to full-head rather than clipped, too...

[crhras]

1 vote for Hitachi. I beat the piss out of mine and it has plenty of power without alot of recoil.

[dpb]

If we're voting, I've standardized on Bostitch (although I can no longer say why the initial choice over several others) and can make the above endorsement as well... :)

(Might as well give OP something non-definite to go on, this _is_ Usenet, after all... :) )

[marson]

I've owned or used 10 different framing nailers.

Paslode clipped head. Don't remember the exact model, but didn't use it that long before parts were falling off of it. wound up in the dumpster. Other guys swear by Paslode. Maybe that was a cheapie.

Senco SN 15 clipped head framer that was heavy but tough and reliable. They don't make em like this anymore. Drop this off a second floor onto concrete, dust it off and keep going.

Senco frame pro full round head. Nice gun but jam prone. I wouldn't buy another one.

Duofast full round head. mistake. clunky and unreliable. bought it brand new and sold it a year later for a hundred bucks to get it outta my sight.

Bostich. full round head .clunky, poor balance. could sink a 3 1/4" nail into a LVL though. A person I work with has two of these. Give framers the choice of these or Hitachi's, and the Bostich won't leave the tool box.

Hitachi NR 83A This gets my vote. they make both a clipped head and round head version. I like clipped head, because I find the round head to be finicky, especially in cold weather. Good balance, reliable.

Hitachi NR90AE lighter than the old Hitachi. I haven't used it much (the company I work for owns one), but other than the silly looks, it's a good gun.

Pasload impulse framer. great if you have a few nails to drive, if it's over 40 F out, if you have a fresh battery, if your gun has been recently cleaned, and if you don't mind the smell. you also need to like frustration.

[M]

so would the Bostich framing guns be considered heavy?

[marson]

yes the Bostich is heavy. the new hitachi is light, as is the Paslode, which I did dis but I know people who swear by them. Course weight isn't everything---balance is important too.

these are all stick guns. I haven't used a coil. they aren't used much for framing in my area. the coils are the drawback. they can't be carried in your tool bags as if they get banged around they don't feed well. I can carry 20 clips of nails in my tool belt if I want.