Paslode or Hitachi?

[PaulJR]

Hi.

I have started our loft conversion and am approaching the time where a framing nailer would be a good investment.

Anyone with experience of these bits of kit got any thoughts?

I have been looking at either the IM350 or it's Hitachi equivalent (NT90GC2), but if there are other reasonable quality alternatives out there I would be grateful of any pointers.

Lastly anyone spotted any bargains to be had, budget isn't really a big issue, but I prefer not to waste cash if I don't have to.

 

[PaulJR]

Found the answer elsewhere - Screwfix forum, concensus says Paslode.

Hitachi doesn't dangle over a joist, hang on yer belt and apparantly jams more than the Paslode.

Anyhoo, blagged a used one on fleabay half the cost of new, fingers crossed it actually turns up, works and isn't nicked.

 

[Thermo]

ive got both and the hitachi is heavier and harder to strip down and clean. Guess where its going soon!

 

[wms]

paslode evertime. for me

 

[oldbutgood]

I bought a second hand P700 paslode spit off ebay for £90 + 25 for a service and just used it for fixing over 3000 15mm nails into concrete. Gas and nails (for steel and concrete) were £48 for 500 with gas. So I would research the price of nails if yur not a pro user. PS gas always seems to ru out before the nails do. gas is Best Before dated so watch out for ebay gas or nail and gas purchases.

 

[FatFreddysCat]

I have to agree with oldbutgood - the consumables are what cost on these babies, but service costs are rising as well. I've just bought a Senco GT90CH clipped head nailer to replace my aged Paslode IM350. After using an IM350 for a long time it seemed a bit wierd to start with, and at least the larger magazine is a plus. I had grown to hate my old Passy because the battery was forever falling out when nailing above my head (a common problem as they get older and it's why you see a lot of Passy batteries with tape wrapped round them), the igniter was becoming finicky (yet again) and it hacked me off for years that you have to pull the battery out when you're not using the gun because otherwise it will discharge at a rate of knots - and a Passy charger takes 2 hours to recharge the cells (every other gun on the market takes 30 to 60 minutes). There are other alternatives: Senco do 2 guns, the GT90CH and FramePro 501CH - the FramePro is an older gun which has "problems" according to my dealer (it was designed in conjunction with BeA); BeA do a gun called the Dynamik D90 available with long and short magazines and Max also seem to sell the same gun with their name on it.

If the OP is looking at the Hitachi, I'd suggest looking at the newer NR90GC2 rather than the older NR90GC. My mate had the older gun and it suffered from loads of jams and was sensitive to the fasteners used. It also had problems with battery charging from time to time, but at least the batteries didn't discharge in the tool and the contacts didn't blacken which is what happens with Paslodes. These problems have supposedly been cured in the newer model. I was also considering the new Makita 1st fix nailer but they don't seem to be in the country yet and my needs were a bit more immediate. If its anything like other Mak stuff I've got it should be good.

A couple of other points for DIYers to consider. All these gas guns benefit from regular cleaning out and you'll still have to have them serviced periodically - every 10,000 to 20,000 nails. My last Paslode service cost £90 but this went up in November last year. And Paslode gas not only suffers from sometimes going "off" with age, but the adaptors on top of the fuel cells can be crap too. So if you get a good adaptor which works best keep hold of it - my last pack of fuel cells had 4 dud adaptors in it

If you want to read some reviews see these:

Makita GN900SE

BeA Dynamik D90S

Paslode IM90i - Paslode's new nailer. Only problems I can see are the cost (£600 or so) and the new (i.e. non-standard) fuel cells and nails

 

[PaulJR]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I have got hold off a used IM350 Paslode, hardly mint, but less than half price, and it works OK. I am making a pair of ply box-beams for the loft "upgrade" (not habitable, but better storage etc) and the prospect of either hand nailing or screwing a few thousand fasteners didn't really appeal.

I have noticed it's going to cost me over £30 just for a box of 90mm nails, but I suppose the screws would be at least as much.