# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Best mid-range framing nailgun?

## Triodz

So I am looking at getting an air powered Framing nail gun. I am not well versed in this tool so was looking for advise. 
At Bunnings I found these:  https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-ai...ailer_p6210568
and https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-ai...r-kit_p6210573 
Then there is a jump in price to this one:  https://www.bunnings.com.au/paslode-...l-gun_p6270231 
My understanding is that the Paslode is quite a good nailgun, but is too pricey for what I am going to use it for and how often. I suppose I am after something in the mid-range. Low end never really ends well. Is there anything anyone can suggest or would the Ryobi be fine?

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## David.Elliott

You'd have to consider this one... https://sydneytools.com.au/chicago-a...framing-nailer
Or if you can stretch to 300 there's a Hitachi..

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## DavoSyd

what *exactly* are you intending to use it for?

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## Triodz

> You'd have to consider this one... https://sydneytools.com.au/chicago-a...framing-nailer
> Or if you can stretch to 300 there's a Hitachi..

  Wow, nice one! I need some spare cash left over to get a compressor too sadly. But I don't want to go really cheap, you know? Nice find though, thanks heaps for that. Gives me a starting point.   

> what *exactly* are you intending to use it for?

  I will be building a deck firstly. with a second deck and other large projects on the horizon.

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## Marc

Forget Bunnings. 
Find Bostitch, Senco, Hitachi if you want air gun. Duo Fast if you can find one made in Japan. 
Needless to say you need a compressor.
otherwise go gas with Paslode. 
 Don't even mention battery powered nail guns, they are for tourists and YouTubers.

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## sol381

You obviously dont work with nail guns on a daily basis Marc.   If i was going  to get a new framer it would be the hitachi battery nailer.. ive got the 15ga  dewalt nailer and the milwaukee and both are superior to any gas nailer. Nothing wrong with battery nailers.. why pay for gas cartridges. when you dont need to.,.,anyway as for the OP wanting a framer..if its just casual use.. go cheap and go bunnings.. if it breaks theyll replace it now questions asked.

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## Marc

Sure ... you can also buy nail guns at Aldi stores.
As for a real gun, it can only be an airgun, followed by a Paslode. 
Or ... a Stanley hammer.
Eventually the "cordless nailgun" will come of age.
Until then ... whirrrrrl psss bang ... whirrrrrls, pss, bang ... come on! 
By the way ... cordless? is there a corded nailgun?
I have a cordless hacksaw, and a cordless hammer too!   :Smilie:

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## toooldforthis

> ...  
> I will be building a deck firstly. with a second deck and other large projects on the horizon.

  last time I built a deck there wasn't a nail in it... lots of bolts and screws tho.

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## Marc

You hit the nail on the head, and without a gun mind you ... You can surely get away with using no nail gun at all to build a deck  :Smilie:

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## METRIX

> You hit the nail on the head, and without a gun mind you ... You can surely get away with using no nail gun at all to build a deck

  
Probably could but it would take you 3 times longer to build it.

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## Marc

Glue? :Biggrin:

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## METRIX

> Wow, nice one! I need some spare cash left over to get a compressor too sadly. But I don't want to go really cheap, you know? Nice find though, thanks heaps for that. Gives me a starting point.  
> I will be building a deck firstly. with a second deck and other large projects on the horizon.

  If your intentions are to actually use this to build multiple large projects save yourself the headache either buy a Paslode Gas gun $649 inc delivery and save the headache of dragging a air tube around behind you all day, and listening to the cheap compressor continuously cutting in or buy a decent air framing gun and compressor, combined they will cost you more than a standalone Paslode Gas gun. 
If you buy the Paslode gas gun, you can sell it on ebay when finished and get most of your money back.

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## Marc

Paslode is good.  Most tradies use them. Only problem is the smell. And yes, the hose is a bummer, but you get used to it. And an airgun has way more muscle I believe, when you need those 90 or even 100mm nails. 
But for occasional use for yourself, this may all be just academic and a gas gun may just be the best compromise. 
Forget the glue  :Smilie:

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## phild01

The first gun I bought was a Bostich, it misfired out of the box, and returned it.  I have gone through cheapie guns and 2 cheapie compressors.  The Ryobi you are looking at would be no better than what I have used.  I didn't anticipate any great need for the guns but ended up doing a lot of work with them.  If you are sure your need is light then go cheap, for me I should have gone for better assuming a more expensive gun doesn't fail.  My present gun has only just shat itself, the nail feed has somehow bent out of angle and I can't correct it and it misses clipping the nail head.  The other gun had a stuffed cylinder.
Marc, I like your idea of a 240v nail gun, extension cords move more freely than a hose.

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## Eastwing

> Don't even mention battery powered nail guns, they are for tourists and YouTubers.

  You need to get out more I've used Max (made in Japan ) air nailers for as long as I've been a carpenter. Also have a pasload never really used it. I now have the Hitachi battery powered nail gun's ( I liked them so much I got them all) we will see how long they last but for now it's the best new tool i've used in a while.

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## Eastwing

> You obviously dont work with nail guns on a daily basis Marc.   If i was going  to get a new framer it would be the hitachi battery nailer.

  Do it you won't regret it. it's a bit heavy but punches hard and every time. I got the whole set, would love it Hitachi did a coil gun.

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## sol381

https://www.tradetools.com/product-r...-6ah-batteries 
I dont think triodz is a tradie so why pay premium for something that is used casually...  not a fan of paslode.. offsider has one and constantly jams and battery
 doesnt last.. My older gas powered hitachi is better... nearly all tools are going 18v now and most are as good or better than powered or air. I havent used an air framer  in almost 10 years..all gas powered nailers will frame a house no problem..if you see a chippie on site with an air nailer hes either old school or too tight to but gas.. 
yeah eastwing ill look into it.. doubt an 18v  coiler will arrive soon.. way too much strain on the battery.. but you never know.    

> Sure ... you can also buy nail guns at Aldi stores.
> As for a real gun, it can only be an airgun, followed by a Paslode. 
> Or ... a Stanley hammer.
> Eventually the "cordless nailgun" will come of age.
> Until then ... whirrrrrl psss bang ... whirrrrrls, pss, bang ... come on! 
> By the way ... cordless? is there a corded nailgun?
> I have a cordless hacksaw, and a cordless hammer too!

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## METRIX

> https://www.tradetools.com/product-r...-6ah-batteries 
> I dont think triodz is a tradie so why pay premium for something that is used casually...  not a fan of paslode.. offsider has one and constantly jams and battery
>  doesnt last.. My older gas powered hitachi is better... nearly all tools are going 18v now and most are as good or better than powered or air. I havent used an air framer  in almost 10 years..all gas powered nailers will frame a house no problem..if you see a chippie on site with an air nailer hes either old school or too tight to but gas.. 
> yeah eastwing ill look into it.. doubt an 18v  coiler will arrive soon.. way too much strain on the battery.. but you never know.

  
I have Fasco air framer it is one of the most powerful guns I have seen, I just don't like the air tube behind you all the time, you know what it's like, tends to catch on the ends of joists, obstructions in the ground etc. 
I have been using Paslode Gas framers for over 10 years, I like them because they give you the freedom to be wherever without something dragging behind you, especially when in a roof you can go left, right up down back etc etc without having to constantly untangle something, under a house etc can't beat the convenience of them. 
I have had no problems with the Paslode framing gun, neither have any of the guys I work with, if they start to misfire you need to open them up and spray clean inside and light oil and they continue working perfectly, probably do this once every 8-12 months, takes 20 min to service one, Paslode give you the tools with the gun to do it yourself on site, the same cannot be said for the finishing version, always have troubles with that one but the framers faultless. 
Interestingly we were doing a job with blackbutt decking, I have a straight finisher and the other boys have angled versions, without fail the angled ones jammed about 1 in every 5 shots, unless they aligned the nail with the grain, my straight version jammed 1 in every 40 shots, and it didn't matter what way I had the gun facing the blackbutt, something with the angled nails didn't like going through the blackbutt.

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## Triodz

Wow! Didn't expect such a great response from everyone. Some really good info in here, many thanks to everybody, it really is appreciated.  
Tbh, I was steering away from a battery powered one, but there are convincing arguments in here. I also understand there will be plenty of bolts and screws in my decks! I have just found myself wanting (needing?) a nailgun more in recent months. It would have made my life a little easier.   

> I dont think triodz is a tradie so why pay premium for something that is used casually.

  You're right, Sol, I am definitely not a tradie, I'm actually in IT! I've been renovating for a couple years now, so have learnt quite a bit, but still have plenty more to go.  
My use will be quite casual if I really think about it, so maybe a good quality battery powered one is the ticket. A compressor is more money and more storage. If I could get one that plugged into a wall, I'd get it! My mower and whipper snipper do and they work great for me.

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## phild01

Don't forget if you have projects other than decks, then you will need other guns and a compressor can make those other guns more economical. Compressors are handy to have.

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## Marc

Triodz ... As you can see from the replies, nail guns are a bit like women. I like blonde/brunette/toll/petite. Not much of a case to be made.  
Everyone tells what he prefers based on personal experience.
However in your case, since you are going to be a casual user, your requirements are a bit different. 
You heard the case for the gas gun and for the battery gun and for the air gun.
You can get a top quality air gun for 350 for a Bostitch and 450 for a Senco.
You can get a Paslode framer for $800
You can buy a Hitachi 18v framer for $850 
But here is the rub ... a nail gun is designed to drive a narrow selection of nails. Same nail a bit longer or a bit shorter, that's it.
Basically you choose the nail for the job and then the gun to drive that nail. 
So as you go, you will want a finish nailer, and then a T nailer, and a coil gun, and a D nailer and a C nailer, a stapler and another stapler and a hog ring gun and a palm nailer  etc. I know I did and ended up with over a dozen nail guns, not to mention another dozen air tools.  
The only economical way to do this is with a compressor and air tools. Actually the only way since the gas guns only make a few different ones and the battery one ... More about battery later. 
The added bonus of a compressor and air guns is that you can buy cheap air guns for occasional one off tools like little staplers for under 100 and many nailers for under $200. Conceded they are cheepies  but they work for a while and if your project is a fence once every 10 years, you don't want to buy a hitachi coil gun for $500 but rather buy a Chicago Chonchon for $150. I had to repair a lot of lattice once and bought the narrow crown stapler for $80 from Supacheap. Used it for that job and a few more after that. I have yet to see a narrow crown stapler battery driven for $80.  
And you need a compressor, sure. I bought a little GMC compressor 20 years ago for $100 to drive the nail guns and it is still going. Can't kill it. 30 meters of hose and you don't need to have the noise next to where you are. 
Or ... buy a belt driven and spend a bit more. Your choice. 
If you want to go the battery way, the _only_ real choice is a Hitachi framer. This is new technology without a flywheel and is the only one that gets close to an air gun. At a price. 
Mind you I have a Senco framer that is 30 years old and all I did was replace the driver that broke because I abused it on old hardwood. I predict that the fancy Hitachi framer with it's experimental technolgy yet to be proven will last a couple of years and the switch will go, then the piston will start leaking not to mention the batteries will go because you don't use it every day.
Your gun your choice.
Let us know what you buy and then what you build, that is the most important part  :Smilie:

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## phild01

> And you need a compressor, sure. I bought a little GMC compressor 20 years ago for $100 to drive the nail guns and it is still going. Can't kill it.

  I killed my GMC compressor.  Had a Mitre 10 green thing before that. I like the Ferrua cheapie from Sydney Tools I have now. https://sydneytools.com.au/ferrua-fc...air-compressor
...and hard to beat this one for price: https://sydneytools.com.au/lincoln-l...air-compressor

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## Marc

I am waiting for the little GMC to cark it and then will buy a silent compressor, one of those with two rotary dentist type compressor on a 50L tank. 
For the air tools you need a much larger compressor with 14 real CFM if you want to get anything done, but for nail guns ... most little one will do.

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## METRIX

If it's occasional use I would stay away from Battery tools, if you use it for one job, then it sits around for 6 months a year, then you use it again, before you know it you will require a new battery for your little used tool. 
The downside of a gas gun is the gas expires, you get around 18 months on new cartridges then they get a bit fussy, because at the end of the day they are a mini 2 stroke engine inside just like fuel goes off sitting around the gas is the same, When you buy a new box of nails you get new gas with it. 
Saying that you can leave them lying around for years, pick them up and use them without a problem, but they also have a battery to drive the electronics and spark plug, so there is a chance of this battery also going bung. 
I have a few Paslode Gas Framers, one sits around very rarely gets used, the only thing that has failed is the battery, they didn't really fail just short run time, the gun iteself still works faultlessly. 
These were the early ones which were Ni-Cad, I bought replacement Nickel Metal for them as they work in the same charger, these were two times the capacity of the original and no memory effect, they work great, run-time it can sit in the gun and power it for around 3-4 days, the old ones even when new if left in the gun would run out after 1.5 day.  
The newer guns I have are all Lithium ion based battery so they can sit around for a long time without problems. 
For you air is probably the best answer, from my experience I have killed 2 compressors, one was a cheapie one was not so cheap (my mate killed it not me - lesson DON'T ever loan your tools to a mate) so I ended up buying a proper belt drive version, which cost more than your prepared to spend on everything, it has been bulletproof, just works without any issues, cheapie small CFM compressor are noisy and can't keep up the air output, saying that I saw a Ryobi one the other day, it was a direct drive and was very quiet, seemed to have enough guts to keep up with a coil gun in use for fencing, it has a 40L tank. 
Problem with compressor is it's another thing you have to find a home for, gas gun can live on the shelf.   https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-ai...essor_p6210611

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## METRIX

> You can get a Paslode framer for $800

  
$649 ebay new one battery

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## phild01

> https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-ai...essor_p6210611

  Maybe this one instead: https://sydneytools.com.au/ferrua-fi...air-compressor

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## Marc

Didn't know the gas expires. 
When I buy nails, I buy Paslode nails for my Senco and the guys at TwoWay fasteners love me because I leave the gas for them.  :Smilie: 
That compressor is quieter because it is oil free, that is, has a teflon (or similar) lined cylinder and piston. Good choice if it is just to drive nails.

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## phild01

> Didn't know the gas expires.

  Yep, I got a box of gal nails half price because the gas was past the use by.

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## METRIX

> Maybe this one instead: https://sydneytools.com.au/ferrua-fi...air-compressor

  That one looks interesting, Ryobi has double the warranty though.

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## METRIX

> Didn't know the gas expires. 
> .

  Yes that's why you need to check the box, it has the expiry date on them, some can sit on the shelf for a while if the store never rotates stock.

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## phild01

> That one looks interesting, Ryobi has double the warranty though.

  But it's a wyobi :Wink:  
The ferrua is recommended for trade use..

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## Marc

I think the Italian compressors are a bit better than the Chinese ones, but only a general observation. Italians do make decent marine gear boxes in case you need one  :Smilie:

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## METRIX

> I think the Italian compressors are a bit better than the Chinese ones, but only a general observation. Italians do make decent marine gear boxes in case you need one

  Probably agree with that, the on I have is an Italian Fini.

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## Marc

There is a Fini for sale $250 on gumtree ... in QLD. 22 CFM 110L tank. Not bad

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## Triodz

> The only economical way to do this is with a compressor and air tools.

  You've sold me. I'm on a tight budget, so I just have to be clever with my purchases. Off to the Facebook Buy, Swap, Sell pages! I reckon I'll get the nail gun new though. That Ryobi will have to do the job for now. 
Thanks so much for all that info, so helpful and offered me some real direction.

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## phild01

> You've sold me. I'm on a tight budget, so I just have to be clever with my purchases. Off to the Facebook Buy, Swap, Sell pages! I reckon I'll get the nail gun new though. That Ryobi will have to do the job for now. 
> Thanks so much for all that info, so helpful and offered me some real direction.

  Sydney Tools are down your way too, check them out before Bunnings, though Bunnings are more convenient.

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## NZC

> Didn't know the gas expires. 
> When I buy nails, I buy Paslode nails for my Senco and the guys at TwoWay fasteners love me because I leave the gas for them. 
> That compressor is quieter because it is oil free, that is, has a teflon (or similar) lined cylinder and piston. Good choice if it is just to drive nails.

  You can boxes without gas cartridges in them, they're normally about $50 a box cheaper.  https://www.bunnings.com.au/paslode-...-pack_p2360242  https://www.bunnings.com.au/paslode-...-pack_p2361117

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## Whitey66

> You can boxes without gas cartridges in them, they're normally about $50 a box cheaper.  https://www.bunnings.com.au/paslode-...-pack_p2360242  https://www.bunnings.com.au/paslode-...-pack_p2361117

    The guys at TwoWay Fasteners aren't going to tell Marc that are they?  :Smilie:

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## Whitey66

> Forget Bunnings. 
> Find Bostitch, Senco, Hitachi if you want air gun. Duo Fast if you can find one made in Japan. 
> Needless to say you need a compressor.
> otherwise go gas with Paslode. 
>  Don't even mention battery powered nail guns, they are for tourists and YouTubers.

  Why forget Bunnings??
They sell the full range of Paslode guns including the very powerful pneumatic versions, as well as some Bostich pneumatics.
I don't really understand your thinking that Bunnings only sell crap tools, they keep (or can get in) the full range of Bosch Blue for example.
They even hire the guns out at $30 for 4 hours if that's all you need it for.

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## Whitey66

> You've sold me. I'm on a tight budget, so I just have to be clever with my purchases. Off to the Facebook Buy, Swap, Sell pages! I reckon I'll get the nail gun new though. That Ryobi will have to do the job for now. 
> Thanks so much for all that info, so helpful and offered me some real direction.

  Check out the Paslode PF350s pneumatic if it's in your price range, it's a rippa!

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## David.Elliott

Got given a US made air gun last year... Duofast.  One of my kitchen customers found it in the skip at work and thought I may like it.. complete with a few hundred nails... 
Had to rebuild some hardwood stairs recently as a pattern to construct some new ones.  This thing laughed at punching a 90mm nail through 45mm of old jarrah...gas gun, not so much.. I fed it off my tiny compressor that uses its frame as a tank...

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## Marc

Yep ... have a framer and a coil gun by Duo-Fast. Mine are made in Japan. Bought them from Cash convertors for a song and a half. 
Work faultlessly and have a ton of punch ... however ... the new ones are not that good.
But that is the same with most nail guns. Senco has declined in quality as so has Bostitch.
Today the best air gun is Hitachi. Tomorrow? Who knows!

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## Marc

PS
Actually my Duo-Fast framer is made in the US ... the little coil gun is made in Japan.

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