Nail Gun

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Have a bit of a nail gun dilema,

I like dewalt, have several of their tools, admittedly most of the dewalts I have are from about 8 - 10 years ago, maybe they were built a bit better than the ones today? I've only ever had 1 cordless jigsaw jam on me, but it was a factory rework in the first place,

Anyway, I have plenty of Dealt 18v battery packs, I'm now considering a nail gun,

Not too fussed about the price willing to pay up to £400 for a quality tool.

Was considering the dewalt 18v barebones nailgun, however the more I search online I see Palsode, and I'm starting to think these guy's probably make the best cordless nail guns, I'm a little off put by the slightly higher nail pack costs, but just not sure, I plan on using it for heavy DIY, decking, building a shed, stud walling etc.

I am also confused by the different Palsode guns,

I see the IM350 which seems like it is popular and has been around for a while,

A little out of my budget, the IM90I, but I don't see any obvious differences between this and the IM350?

IM65A, obviously this is a lighter duty tool, probably good for sheds, fence etc, probably not up to stud walling, decking?

Will probably sit around in the cupboard between jobs, is there any issues with this with the gas powered guns? If you are not using them, can you remove the gas cartridges to stop them slowly leaking? do they auto seal if you remove a part full canister?

Need some views before I buy.

Thanks

Paul
 
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without a doubt paslode. you can buy cheaper nails than the paslode own make. gas does deteriorate with age and has a use by date on it.

im350 first fix will more than suffice for what you want
 
ive got a dewalt nail gun,but in truth it is only a finishing gun,even though it will fire 63mm pins.but remember,you dont need any gas,it just runs off of the battery.
depends on your requirements really.1st fix if i had the dosh then it would be a paslode.
 
I've got the paslode first fix (IM350). It's fine. The only times I've had issues are :-

1. When I've not cleaned it (easy to do)
2. When it's been below 5 degs.

Other than that your a muppet if your a jobbing chippy doing carcass work/roof work and you don't have one.

I've the Dewalt second fix gun for architraves and other fiddly things. Works fine. Just need to do a few test fires when your not used to it - you can change how deep it shoots real easy (little dial). Then pop a little filler over the hole prior to painting.

You could go for the IM90I first fix, but I don't think it's worth the extra money - unless your doing this stuff all day long.

As with any tools, if it pays for it'self within a week - get it !

I've had heaps of use from the paslode and the dewalt second fix, just makes life easier !! Also, as you shoot the nails so quick, you don't get hammer marks or knock things out of position at the exact moment you want them in position !

Paul.


NOTE: The IM350 does not like shooting below 5 degs. It's to do with the gas. So, keep it in a warm place, then bring it out as you need it !!

NOTE 2:I used to have heaps of Dewalt tools. I think their quality has decreased over time. A lot of builders tend to stick with what they know. Next time you want a tool... have a good look at the competition !
 
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Paslode all day, it's a bit like when you get a impact driver or one of the multi tool variants, you never knew you needed it so much until you have it.

As mentioned, framing will fly up and it makes things really easy.
 
By the sound of it you need a first fix gun which will be the IM350, i think the IM90 is the same thing. As said above you can use other makes of nails not just paslode.

The IM65A is a finishing nailer for architraves and such like, i wouldnt use this on fence work as the brads are just too small. I also used dewalt 18 gauge brads and were fine, the paslodes were 16 gauge.

I have both the IM350 and the IM65A and swear by them, i also had dewalt 18v nailer but sold it bare for about £100 last year, although there was nothing wrong with it it just didnt hold architraves as tight as the paslode.

To the defence of the dewalt it worked 1st time everytime, hot cold rain or shine, the paslode can be a bit tempramental sometimes, i found keeping the gas in the cab of the van not in the back helped loads and also buy the little service kit so you can clean them yourself rather than pay £75 at your local tool shop, it'll take 20mins to service and is dead easy and very satisfying.

Paslode all the way for me, oh and it makes the customers jump when you fire one off too, especially the 1st fix :D
 
nails dont half go a long way if you shoot them into the air too! :LOL:
 
Dont buy the paslode im90.

The im90 will only fire full head im90 nails and the gas cell is different from all the other brands. so you cant just pick up any brand of nails and expect them to work.

I bought the im90 at a cost of £600 to find this out, I wrote paslode a stinky email and they admitted it had been marketed wrong in the uk.

The fuel cells are are also twice the price of the im350. £20 and £7.

Fair play to paslode though they have sent me 4 fuel cells, a battery, as one of mine stopped working after a month, and a recon im350.

I plan on selling the im90, but even if I get £250 for it second hand, it would have still cost me £350 for a recon im350.

There is nothing wrong with the im90 other than it is not compatible with most after market nails and fuel cells.

In summary.

Im 350 £400 clipped head nails available everywhere, gas £7 a cell

Im 90 £600 full head nails available only in paslode brand, gas £20 a cell.

Dewalt dcn690 £550, will take full head and clipped head nails, no gas needed.

I will try and get a demo of the dewalt dcn690 and if it is as good as they say it is, I will be selling both my paslodes and buying one.

I also have dewalt dc618, it is just a pin gun, finnish nailer, only good for light work, cladding, architrave etc, fires first time everytime, faultless in my opinion.

Paslode brought out the im90 to stop the after market sales of non branded nails, they just choose not to share this information until you have bought the gun, I reckon they may have shot themselves in the foot on this one.

Just realised I am 3 years too late for this post :oops:
 
It sounds like you need a 2nd fix 16g nailer and a 1st fix for round head's from50-100mm this means 2 guns,gas or battery that's going to cost£8-900,not used on a regular basis and not on site,have you looked at air nailers air nailers will fire 23g,15g,16g,18g,"t" nails,50-100 roun heads, staples wide head and narrow heads in different lengths,the price of guns varie a lot from £20 for a cheapie for DIY work, most medium size guns averaging out at £100-£150, stick nailers for 100mmwich will fire 50-100mm £200-£300 of course you will need a compressor any where from£80-£350 to sum up you can fire a lot of different nails and fixings for the price of two gas gun's
 
Dont buy the paslode im90.


Just realised I am 3 years too late for this post :oops:

Actually........Not to late, it's always nice to see a thread I started years ago resurface, in the end I purchased a IM65a Palsode gun for internal trim fixings, I've not yet committed to the 1st fix nail gun I was considering all that time ago, for DIY, I can't justify it. I'll stick to screws and a hammer. There is no doubt for a full time carpenter, or roofer, etc. It's a no brainer.

Still interesting reading about the IM90 though

Paul
 
You have to be banging in a good few nails to make it viable,

l prefer to screw my studs and frame work, the only thing I really use it for is roof battening and even with that it is easier to hand nail a lot of the time.

I have yet to find the real benefit of the paslode and now I have two of the darn things, which will both be going when my nails run out.

The dewalt pin gun has been invaluable though
 
I've got a Senco Fusion nailer - they're cheaper than paslode, come with a 2 year limited warranty and are just as reliable.

Not to mention cheaper nail packs on ebay. I buy mine from a company called fasten fast and they're about half the price.

Paslode are great guns and you can put Senco nail packs in them if you choose to go for something like an IM65 instead.

Most branded nail guns will work for years if you look after them.
 

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