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Brad Nailers

MikeJ | Posted in Tools for Home Building on February 21, 2019 03:52pm

I’ve been thinking about replacing my Senco Finish Pro 18 ga nailer, but after some research I am starting to have second thoughts. What I don’t like about my Senco is in certain nailing situations the force required to fire off a nail leaves dents in whatever I am nailing which is annoying in paint grade, but totally unacceptable in stain grade. I was originally considering the Dewalt with the precision point tip or the Ridgid. Both seem to get good reviews on HomeDepot.com and Amazon, but then I found some threads on a few of the other contractor forums and they seem to get mixed reviews there. So then I looked at Grex and Max and they get mixed reviews as well. Sounds like the quality has really gone down hill in the last 8-10 years for most of the manufacturers so now I am wondering if it is worth replacing. It won’t be worth my money if I solve one problem and end up with another. Most of the reviews I found from the other forums were from 4-5 years ago so I am curious if anything has changed since then?

I have some gift cards to Home Depot so I am limiting myself to what they offer so that would be the 4 brands mentioned above. I have heard some good things about the Cadex so if that is the one to get I can wait. This is not a have-to purchase.

Mike J

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  1. oldhand | Feb 21, 2019 07:06pm | #1

    In some ways I think quality has gone down hill in recent years but features have improved, also prices. Old pro grade units are often bullet proof but heavy and lacking necessities like depth of drive adjustment. Newer stuff can be almost considered disposable when contemplating repair vs. replacement. I'd put your finish pro in between older bullet proof and disposable new stuff.

    Yesterday I went to put a new trigger valve in my Bostitch 1838 stapler which has a brad nailer cousin, both about 6 years old. They've been just OK but both have selective triggers and great depth of drive. Anyway the trigger mechanism was so complicated I finally gave up and put all the trigger parts in the parts yard along with the 1838. Bostitch trigger valves have been their weak point for years imhop but are easy to change on older tools.

    I'm getting an Hitatchi to replace the stapler and might go that route for a new brad nailer if it works out. I don't buy Dewalt or Rigid but have warmer feelings about Grex, maybe Max.

  2. florida | Feb 22, 2019 07:30am | #2

    Brad nailers have gotten so cheap they are practically throw away tools. I bought 2 Husky nailers for $19.00 each and still use them, a Hitachi came free with a siding nailer I bought and my Dewalt was may $69.00. I agree that they sure aren't the same tool as your old Senco but that Senco is a brick.

  3. MikeJ | Feb 22, 2019 07:13pm | #3

    Thanks for the replies. I decided to hold off on a new brad nailer for now. I was looking at tools on the HD website today and saw the Makita track saw on sale for $389 so I decided to go with that instead. I think I made the right choice.

    Mike J

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