Which 18 gauge nailer? (brad-er?)

[Scott Stafford]

I'm looking for a new 18 gauge nailer/brad-er. Here in the wilds of Montana I have few options when it comes to actually seeing or holding the variety; therefore I will most likely have to mailorder whatever I decide to buy.

I have a Grex 23 gauge and love it, but I have read a couple mixed reviews on their 18 gauge. Whether these reviews are acurate or not I don't know.

Who's happy with theirs?


Thanks,

Scott in Montana

[Todd Crawford]

I've got an 18 gauge Craftsman that I have been using for about 5 years without any problems. I know it's not as high end as many of the other options, but it has worked very well for me.

[Bryan Morgan]

Laugh if you want but I've had great luck with my Harbor Freight 18 guage nailer. I don't use the brads as a final securing method (well maybe only for small projects) but I use it all the time to tack up jigs and whatnot. For less that 20 bucks that thing has lasted me several years now without any issues other than the hammer part getting stuck once or twice due to my lack of putting a drop of oil in there from time to time. :)

[Bill White]

My PC guns have been the bomb. I've trimmed two homes with the 16ga and the 18 ga with no probs. PC compressor as well.
Bill

[Don Jarvie]

If your in no hurry sign up for Tool of the day.com. They always have nailers like Bostich and Dewalt for short money. I got a 15g Bostich Finish Nailer - angled for 89 bucks. It was a refurb but works great.

I have a 15 year old Craftsman and it works great.

[Greg R Bradley]

I have a Grex 635. The Grex P630 thru P650 are simply fabulous. If you are looking for an 18ga of similar quality DON'T buy any Grex 18ga or any other Grex Finish Nailer except the P630-P650. I know several people who were so thrilled with their Grex 23ga that they bough other Grex products and are completely pissed off.

All the other Grex finish nailers are a huge step down as was the similar looking 23ga that they dropped a year ago.

You need to think in terms of individual items and NOT brands. You need to understand that Grex isn't a manufacturer and only gets stuff made by a company in Taiwan. Max, Cadex, Fasco, Nikle, & Rotek sell guns nearly identical to the Grex P6 series. Max is a bit better than Grex but only sells one 23ga similar to the P635. It is a bit more expensive. Cadex is about the same price as Grex & maybe slightly poorer quality & support. Fasco is a step down in quality & price. Nikle & Rotek are way worse even though they appear identical to the P6 series. They are also 40-50% less than Grex.

If you want an 18ga that shoots 2" brads and is the equal your Grex it is the Max NF255-ST-18. Expect to pay $300-350. Max is about the only "brand" where you can't buy anything less than a great tool, at least in 100psi air nailers. I have a friend that like his Omer nailers but they seem the same quality as the Max, a slightly older design, and cost MORE.

If you want an 18ga that is close to the Grex and can live with 18ga up to 1 5/8" the Senco SLP20XP is your solution for about $160-200. It also shoots 18ga slight headed brads up to 1", which are closer to what an 18ga pin would be. I found this very useful before I bought my P635.

I didn't think I would need an 18ga 2" brad nailer that often and bought a Bosch when it was on sale for $79. If it hadn't been on sale at a Bosch event, I would have had to consider that or the Rigid 2" brad nailer, both at around $110. Don't ask me why some Rigid stuff is so good for the price and most of it is crap............

[Steve Roxberg]

I bought the Grizzly Presidents deal one about seven years ago and it works great. I can't imagine why I'd spend more money. I own a Grex Pinner and on those Grex did make a very nice unit so I spent the coin.

18G isn't that complicated go with a Grizzly.

[Jack Pinkham]

I bought a Porter Cable at Home Depot and found out that it was not new when I opened up the box. It had some brads left in the loader. They didn't have one that was actually new, so they gave me a Ridgid for the same price. It can take longer brads than the PC. Seems to work well. Never had a jam. Both PC and Ridgid are made in China.

[Steve knight]

I went to home depot and ran into the same used pc and ended up with the riged and it has been fine.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I also have the PC from HD. Not the best that I've seen, but if you're not a pro, then it should be fine. It's oil-less, so IMO that just 1 little more thing not to worry about. I haven't shot a whole pile of brads, but I have not had a jam or misfire. Got a HD locally? It's on sale here with a pancake compressor. 3 and 1 deal. Brad/finish/stapler and pancake compressor. Since you have a pinner, this may be the ticket. If you're not a pro. I would not think it's heavy duty enough for all day use.

[Gil Knowles]

I have had a Paslode 18 ga. for about 7 years now and have never had a problem with it. I have also never had a jammed brad.

[Wayne Hendrix]

I like my Hitachi but have not had it for long.