January 7, 2008
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"
January 3, 2008
UPDATE: Our review of the JacPac is here.
We've been really curious about the JacPac ever since we first heard about it back in early December. To us, it looks like it could be one of those rare tools that really might change the way people work. Can't you see a job site 10 years into the future with no communal air compressors and no air hoses routed all over the house? Instead, everyone has their own pneumatic power source hooked on to their belt and they only need enough hose to make it to the end of their arm.
But is this a reality? We'll be testing the JacPac and we'll let you know what we think. Also, we've got reviews coming of another Skil product as well as Ryobi's AIRgrip Self-Leveling Laser.
JacPac at Amazon.com
December 20, 2007
An air compressor is essential to anyone who goes beyond the basic levels of the DIY world. With the right attachments, they can serve a lot of purposes; they can power any number of nail guns, inflate anything from car tires to rubber rafts, and even act as a blow gun to get fine dust off of a workplace. There are a few drawbacks though; one is that they tend to be big and bulky items. Over the past few years, smaller 1-2 gallon models have come out, but they're still pretty heavy, although far lighter than the 4+ gallon contractor models. The other issue that the compressor owner is constantly dealing with is the corrosion of the tank. This manifests itself in a blast of rust water every time the compressor is drained (which is supposed to be daily, but we all know how that goes).
To address these two common complaints of compressors, a company called Maxus has recently released the X-Lite line of compressors. The difference between these and other compressors is that the tanks are made of aluminum, thus, in one maneuver, solving both of the aforementioned problems. It's true that hindsight is 20/20, but this seems like a no-brainer. How come no one thought of this before?
Continue reading: "Maxus X-Lite Aluminum Compressor - Review"
December 11, 2007
UPDATE: Our review of the JacPac is here.
We saw this when we checked out DIY Network's new show Cool Tools (it's on the video called "Power, Tunes, & Clean"). The JacPac, made by a company called Supplierpipeline, is a portable pneumatic power source that is so compact that it can clip on your belt. It even comes with a hose, so all you need is the gun and you're ready to go.
It doesn't use air, like a regular compressor, but rather CO2, which can be had at any reputable paintball center. It costs about $5 to fill the tank and according to Supplierpipeline you should be able to shoot 500 brads/staples out of a single canister. The whole unit weighs about 5lbs, so it'll hardly even be tugging at your pants.
Continue reading: "JacPac"
November 7, 2007
Husky is now offering a new pneumatic kit that not only has everything you need to get going, but is also wildly inexpensive. It's just around for the holidays, so if you're interested, you'd better act fast. The kit includes:
1.5 gallon compressor
16 gauge straight finish nailer
18 gauge brad nailer
25' air hose
1,000 finish nails
1,000 brad nails
3 pocket tool bag that attaches to the compressor.
The nailers both come with the standard features found on all quality nail guns (adjustable exhaust, tool-free depth of drive, no-mar pad).
This is probably a good place to start for the DIYer who hasn't gotten around to getting a solid pneumatic setup. We've never used any of Husky's nail guns, so we can't vouch for their quality, other than to say that all other Husky tools we've used have taken a good beating and kept on working.
The thing that sets this kit apart from others like it is the price. All of this; the compressor, the 2 nailers, and all the extras, costs only $179. DeWalt has a similar kit for about $290.
Like we said, Husky won't be restocking them in January. Once they're gone, they're gone.
Exclusively at Home Depot
October 17, 2007
Maxus, makers of pneumatic tools and equipment (and also welders), are in the process of releasing three new air compressors in their X-Lite series. The X-Lites were launched this past spring and look to solve two of the nagging problems that all compressors have; the weight and the corrosion.
These issues are tackled with the simple fact that the X-Lite tanks are made out of aluminum as opposed to steel. Since aluminum doesn't rust out like steel, you won't be dealing with a blast of rusty water every time you drain the tanks. Also, because of the lack of corrosion, the compressor should last longer, seeing as it isn't rusting from the inside out.
Continue reading: "Maxus X-Lite Air Compressors"
October 2, 2007
Pin nailers have been around for a bit, but only in the past few years have they started filtering down into the hands of the non-specialist and the day-to-day carpenters. They're little guns (smaller than a brad gun) and they shoot very small pins that don't even have any heads. Because of the size of the fastener, the guns are ideal for some very delicate operations. At the moment, most of the major pneumatic brands have pinners available. We had read good things about the Cadex CPB23.50, but weren't ready for just how nice of a tool it is.
Awhile back, we reviewed Grizzly's H5527 Brad Gun and gave it some high marks for being a solid no-frills gun at an affordable price ($25), well now we're on the other end of the spectrum; with Cadex's new gun they've created a perfectly tuned, versatile nail gun that manages to raise the bar on all pin nailers.
First, the stats. The Cadex CPB23.50 shoots both 23 gauge headless pins and 23 gauge slight headed pins (an unusual feature in pinners – most just shoot headless). It can handle lengths from 5/8" up to 2" (another unusual feature). The gun comes with two no-mar tips that easily fit onto the nose of the gun as well as a small container of gun oil and three different hex wrenches that fit the various fittings on the tool. There is a dry fire lock-out feature and a nice little viewing window to see how many pins are in the gun. It's got a built-in belt hook, a swivel coupling, and a little thumb operated blow gun that you can use to clear your work piece of dust and debris. The whole package comes in at just a hair over 2-1/2 lbs.
Continue reading: "Cadex CPB23.50 23 Gauge Pinner and Brad Nailer - Review"
August 23, 2007
Why have two nail guns when you only need one? That's the question that fuels the design of this interesting gun from Bostitch. The N88RH-2MCN plays double duty as both a stick nailer and a metal connector nailer. The way it works is that the gun comes with two different tips, so all you have to do is change from one to the other and you've got the dual functionality. According to Bostitch, changing tips just takes seconds (don't forget to change the nails too).
Continue reading: "Bostitch N88RH-2MCN Framing System"
August 15, 2007
When we read that Grizzly was selling a brad gun for $25, we were pretty suspicious of it's quality. A brad gun is at least an $80 purchase, right? Would this Grizzly gun work? Would it constantly jam? Would it not have the strength to put a nail into a piece of wood, and if it did would the nail go in at some freaky angle? All these questions were in our head when the nice folks at Grizzly agreed to send us one to test out. And test out we did.
As far as the gun goes, it's a no frills machine, which we like actually. We can get frustrated with tools that have too many moving parts, too many dials, micro-adjusts for this and that, a lot of which aren't even necessary. For features, Grizzly's H5527 can boast only one: an adjustable exhaust. For some reason we had thought, and had written earlier, that there was an adjustable depth of drive setting, but we were wrong. This is about as stripped down as a brad nailer can get.
Continue reading: "Grizzly H5527 Brad Nailer – Review"
July 19, 2007
We have no doubt that the Cadex Headless Pin and Brad Nailer that we talked about yesterday is an amazing tool. In fact, we're sure that each cog and gear is finely tuned to near perfection, and that when in use, the nailer practically becomes part of the hand. But at a price of over $300, it's not the tool for everyone. Those of you out there who don’t have a few hundred bucks to spend on a brad nailer need an option too, right?
So we did some research and discovered Grizzly's H5527 18 Gauge Brad Nailer Kit. The gun can handle 5/8" to 1-1/4" brads and has an adjustable exhaust and an adjustable depth of drive setting. And that's really about it. But, you know what? That's really all you need (and you don't even need the adjustable exhaust). We appreciate this gun for it's straight up simplicity. No frills, it's just a brad gun.
Continue reading: "Grizzly H5527 18 Gauge Brad Nailer Kit"
Grex P635 23 Gauge 1-3/8" Length Headless Pinner
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