If....

[Greg G]

If...

you were planning to do some molding projects around the house

you didn't think you'd use a nailer too often for anything else

you didn't want to spend too much money

...would you consider this:

In my experience there are some inexpensive tools whose principal disadvantage is that they don't have the "stamina" to stand up to everyday professional use. They are however quite useful for the homeowner/handyman. Others are crap from the moment they come out of the package, frustrating your every attempt to use them.

Any idea which one this is?

I had had at least a little experience with every type of tool I own before I bought it. But I've never used a nailer, so I could use some advice.

Greg Guarino

[Brian]

as long as you are not talking crown molding, well I am not sure 1" brads are good for even chair rail.

[scott_z500]

I would use a hammer....

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Good price for what it is, but it is not what you need. Brads are good for very light work, like tacking something in place while the glue sets, but they have little holding power. For very small molding, say 1/2" it would be OK. If you are thinking of baseboards, crown molding, you need a 15 or

16 Ga. nailer that will handle 2" nails.

The small compressor is handy to have to inflate a tire, blow dust out of something, etc. While I don't advocate cheap tools, Harbor Freight nailers have a pretty good reputation for being a good value for the homeowner. Never used any myself.

[g]

Thanks. I've heard a couple of people say the same about Harbor Freight, but I'm skeptical. Their fake but very "American" sounding brand names (Pittsburgh, Chicago, Central Pneumatic, Central Machinery, etc.) make me suspicious. I've also seen a number of small items from them that really were unusable, like a set of hole saws whose "arbor" came apart on the first use.

I'll keep looking.

Greg Guarino

[Edwin Pawlowski]

If you want a quality setup, look for the Porter Cable kits. More money, but they have very good tools. Bostitch has a set at Lowes IIRC.

[Colbyt]

I think the Harbor Freight brad nailer that shoots 1-2" 16G brad nails would serve you better.

I have one and have used it to install BB, crown and casings.

Depending on what you want to do you might also want one that shoots from

5/8-1 1/4".

Would I buy HF if I needed to depend on the unit every day for all day use? NO.

Colbyt