Campbell Hausfeld Air Tools - Review

This month Campbell Hausfeld, one of the most well respected names in the pneumatic world, is releasing a number of air tools to be sold exclusively at Home Depot. The tools come complete with storage cases and accessories. We had the opportunity to check out a few, so we gave them a good beating and here's what we thought.

In total, the series includes five tools; an impact wrench, an air ratchet, an air hammer, an air die grinder, and a cut-off tool. We tested the wrench, the ratchet, and the hammer.

Continue reading: "Campbell Hausfeld Air Tools - Review"

Duo-Fast 903000 Cordless 20 Degree Framing Nailer - Review

We were a little worried about testing out this tool. Up until now, we had only used one cordless nailer and it was quite a long time ago. Not only was the gun bulky (and smelly), but it kept running out of fuel and the battery couldn't keep a charge. But we thought that maybe the technology has been refined over the past handful of years so we cleared the slate and gave the new Duo-Fast Cordless Framing Nailer a fair shake.

Continue reading: "Duo-Fast 903000 Cordless 20 Degree Framing Nailer - Review"

JacPac Gets a New Website

We're big fans of the JacPac (our review is here) and we're happy to see that Supplierpipeline has finally given the tool the website it deserves. The new site has a lot more information on the tool which is good because the tool is pretty unique and the more explanation, the better.

Our opinion is that $100 is hardly anything to pay for such a useful item and that any serious carpenter should investigate getting one. We use ours all the time.

The new website is here.

JacPac at Amazon

Paslode T250A 16 Gauge Angled Finish Nailer - Review

Paslode has always been on the edge of air gun advancements, so it's no shocker that they're one of the first companies to release a 16 gauge angled finish nailer. Combining the smaller sized nails with the compact "fit anywhere" principals of the angled magazine, they've produced a gun that is, well, small. Very small. But is it powerful? Who cares how compact a gun is if it can't shoot a nail into mahogany? We've been testing out this gun for a few weeks now, and here's what we thought.

At first we were a bit surprised at how much plastic is on the gun. The entire nail magazine is plastic and a good portion of the handle as well. This serves to make the gun lighter and, as we found with a few test drops, the plastic is quite durable. There is also a metal bar that runs along the front edge of the cartridge for added strength.

Continue reading: "Paslode T250A 16 Gauge Angled Finish Nailer - Review"

Campbell Hausfeld to Release New Line of Air Tools

Campbell Hausfeld, one of the juggernauts of the pneumatic world, is getting set to release a new line of air tools to be sold exclusively at Home Depot. Not only are the tools reasonably priced, but they each come with a few accessories as well as a storage case.

The tools are:

• 1/2" Impact Wrench


• 3/8" Air Ratchet


• 1-5/8" Air Hammer


• Air Die Grinder


• Cut Off Tool

The wrench and the ratchet will be sold for $25 and the other tools will be about $20. Considering these prices and the Campbell Hausfeld name, our guess is that they'll be solid tools, but probably not up for daily use by a mechanic. In other words, they'll likely be perfect for the DIYer, the part-time user, or the contractor who will only need them from time to time.

The tools are going to be available in July and, like we said, exclusively at Home Depot.

Paslode PowerFramer 350 Framing Gun- Review

Paslode has just released a new framing gun called the PowerFramer 350. They were nice enough to let us try one out, and here's what we found.

First of all, this gun is very light (7.5 lbs). In fact, it doesn't really feel like a framer at all. The weight and balance had us thinking of something more along the lines of an old model finish gun. We've used a lot of different framers, and this one was, by far, the lightest and the best, ergonomically speaking. Our research tells us that there are lighter models out there, but believe us when we say that this one is really light.

And it's powerful too. Over the course of a week, we used it to frame up a little deck and it never once misfired or put a nail half in. Every single shot was driven home to the depth we selected. And when we dialed up the maximum depth, the nail heads were absolutely buried in the wood. We have little doubt that this gun would have its way with all forms of engineered lumber.

Continue reading: "Paslode PowerFramer 350 Framing Gun- Review"

Paslode CF-325 Cordless Framing Nailer

Right now, we're in the process of reviewing the Paslode PowerFramer, so while you're waiting for that, we thought we'd tell you about another new Paslode tool that also looks pretty interesting. It's the CF-325 Cordless Framing Nailer and according to Paslode, it's a big improvement on their popular line of cordless framers.

The CF-325 has an easy-to-use fuel system (just drop the cartridge in and you're ready to go), and easy access to the innards for when you have to clean the tool. Paslode guarantees that each fuel cartridge can shoot off around 1200 nails.

Paslode is also making refueling easier with the sale of their new Nail + Fuel Combo Packs. This is simply a box of compatible nails and a fuel cartridge sold together. They will be available either with 1000 nails and one cartridge or 3000 nails and 3 cartridges.

The new framer also offers fast firing, an ergonomic grip, and a vicious looking toenailing claw.

Paslode, as a company, seems to have a good ear to the ground as far as customer feedback goes and it sounds like the improvements in their cordless framing nailer are the results of listening to all the comments and criticisms of their previous models. That said, It's likely that this will be a very nice tool.

The CF-325 is just available this month (March '08) and will retail for around $400. It comes with a carrying case, a battery charger, degreaser, oil, and safety glasses. Although it isn't listed yet, we're sure that it will be available at Amazon and Tool King.

Paslode PowerFramer 350 Arrives for Review

Paslode has just sent along their new PowerFramer 350 for us to review. According to them, it's a lightweight, powerful framer that's built to last. We immediately took it out of the box and were surprised at not only how light it is but also how well balanced. It actually feels lighter than its already featherweight 7.5 lbs. We're hoping to start using it this weekend and we'll post up a review as soon as we come to a verdict.

Paslode Powerframer 350 Framing Gun

Paslode has just released a new framing gun that looks like it's got a lot going for it, primarily it's weight. At 7.5 lbs, as far as we can tell, this is the lightest framer out there. It's just a hair lighter than Bostitch's latest and an entire pound lighter than the Ridgid gun that we reviewed last year.

According to Paslode, not only is this gun light, but it's also mighty powerful and plenty durable. They say it can withstand a two story drop and can go an entire 18 months without service. With an attached one-year service guarantee and a five-year limited warranty, it seems that this gun was made with the heavy-duty framing crew in mind, where breaks in the work day to tinker with your gun are disruptive and inefficient.

Continue reading: "Paslode Powerframer 350 Framing Gun"

UFO Ballistic NailScrews

Well this is interesting. Universal Fastener Outsourcing (UFO) has released a new fastener that is a combo of a pneumatic nail and a deck screw. The creatively named NailScrews combine the ease-of-use of a gun nail with the holding power of a screw.

There are two styles available; one with a yellow-zinc coating, and one with a corrosion-resistant coating for use with PT and other treated lumber. Sizes vary from 1-3/4" up to 3" and they come in 20 degree plastic-strip, 15 degree wire-coil, and 15 degree plastic-strip format. A summary of sizes and styles available is here.

Read past the fold to watch a video of the NailScrew in action.

Continue reading: "UFO Ballistic NailScrews"

Ridgid's 2.5-Gallon Aluminum Compressor for $49

There's been quite a bit of discussion about the price of the Ridgid 2.5-Gallon Aluminum Air Compressor. We've read that some people got it for $99 and others have found it for as low as $49. We were skeptical of this second price, but omextreme over at slickdeals.net has the cold, hard proof. As you can see from the photo, Home Depot (at least one of them) is indeed selling the compressor for the dirt-cheap price of $49. As you can also see from the photo, someone at Home Depot needs spelling lessons.

Check out omextreme's posting (with an another photo) here.

JacPac - Review

We've been interested in Supplierpipeline's JacPac ever since we first laid eyes on it last month. It's a little portable pneumatic power source that clips on your belt, making you a one man mobile nailing army. It seemed to us that this might be one of those tools that really could change the way you work. Just imagine what it would be like to have all the ease and versatility of your nail guns without all the weight, noise, and hassle of the compressor setup. But we also had a nagging feeling that this whole thing would be a bit of a gimmick, that it wouldn't shoot nails very well, or that it be poorly made and fall apart after the first use. Well, thanks to the nice folks at Supplierpipeline, we got the opportunity to test one out and here's what we found.

The tank itself is filled with liquid CO2, which is easily available at any paintball supply store and it's pretty cheap. A quick google search located the nearest paintball emporium and $3.45 later the tank was ready to go. The rest of the setup is easy enough, just screw the tank into the regulator and you're done.

Continue reading: "JacPac - Review"

Ridgid OL25135 Aluminum 2.5 Gallon Compressor

It looks like it doesn't take long for a good idea to catch on. Just last month we were lauding Maxus for expanding their X-Lite series of aluminum air compressors into smaller, more compact models. Well now, it looks like Ridgid is also getting in on the game with their OL25135 2.5 Gallon Compressor.

We started investigating differences between the two brands in order to write this article and discovered something pretty interesting: The X-Lite and the Ridgid are the exact same compressor. The image on the left was taken from Maxus's website and the one on the right was taken from Ridgid's website. Notice how the labels and logos are actually photoshopped onto the Ridgid model (for a larger picture, click on the image here). Funny.

We don't see any need to cover old ground, so if you're interested in the Ridgid compressor, just read our review of the Maxus.

We assume that Ridgid's Compressor will be available at Home Depot, for what we imagine will be a reasonable price.

UPDATE: Kirk K. just posted a comment saying that he picked up a Ridgid Aluminum Compressor at Home Depot for $99. They told him that it was a limited, introductory price. What a steal. Read the comment here.

Grex P635 23 Gauge 1-3/8" Length Headless Pinner

There is no doubt that 23 gauge headless pinners are on the rise. If you deal with any kind of precision work, just five minutes with one of these tools will convince you of their value. Last year, we took a really close look at the Cadex CPB23.50 and found it to be one of the finest tools we've ever used. Grex, a company devoted to pneumatic tools, also has a complete line of pinners. We played around with their P635 at a trade show a while back and were impressed with the tool.

The P635 can handle pins ranging in length from 3/8" to 1-3/8" which, if you don't deal with anything bigger than 3/4 stock, should be plenty. It's got a rear exhaust, a belt hook, a no-mar tip, and the double trigger that is standard with 23 gauge pinners. The gun weighs just under 2-1/4 lbs.

Read on to see what others have said about the P635.

Continue reading: "Grex P635 23 Gauge 1-3/8" Length Headless Pinner"