Chat with a retired carpenter about my framing nailer changed how I think about nail guns

I was at a local hardware store last Saturday picking up some lumber and ran into this older guy who used to build houses back in the 80s. He saw me looking at a bunch of 21 degree framing nailers and just started chatting. He told me he still uses his old Paslode from 1993 and that modern nailers have too many plastic parts that break. Said 'you need a tool that can take a fall off a second story roof and still fire'. I'd been obsessing over the newest cordless models with all the features, but he made me realize I was overcomplicating it. Now I'm thinking about getting a refurbished older model instead of spending $500 on something fancy. Has anyone else had luck with older nail guns over the newer ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

david12321d ago

That line about taking a fall off a second story roof really stuck with me too. I picked up a beat-up Hitachi NR83A at a pawn shop a few years back for like 60 bucks, and that thing has outlasted every new gun my buddy bought at the big box store. I mean, sure, you don't get all the fancy ergonomic grips or the super quiet exhaust, but it fires nails into pressure treated wood like it's nothing and I'm not scared to drop it off a ladder. In my experience, older metal-bodied nailers are built to a different standard, even if they're heavier and louder. Your mileage may vary depending on what you're framing, but for rough work like studs and sheathing, that old Paslode guy was onto something.

west.claire20d ago

Whoa, hold up, I gotta push back a little here. I've actually had the opposite luck with those old metal guns. Sure, they're tough, but I've seen the recoil from a heavy Hitachi like that blow out cheap framing nailers on the same job, and the weight really wears you down by the second half of the day. Plus, those older models don't have the same safety features, so if you do drop it off a ladder, you're more likely to get a nail through your boot than a new gun would let happen. I'd rather spend a bit more on a lighter plastic body that's less likely to cause a serious accident when my hand gets tired.