Senco rant

[guy knight]

i have been using senco nail guns for a living for the past 30 years i have tried others and always came back to senco
a year ago i bought a new 18 gauge brad nailer since i hate changing nails when i am working this was my third gun this is the one that has the red cap on top it never did work great leaves nails up at times i figured i got a dud so i was at my lumberyard a three months ago and they where clearing them out i picked up one for 75 dollars ran 2 sticks threw it and the dry fire stopped working and it left heads up i took it back the next day
i was browsing on amazon and noticed they had the older model for 97 dollars so i ordered it when it arrived i found out it was the newest model my first impression was this thing looks cheap and was real light but i figured i would give it a try after one stick thru it and several nail heads up and trying to get it to fire in awkward places i sent it back
went to the fastener store to pick up nails the other day and was talking to them about my problem and asked who still made good guns that is when my salesman told me they had asked the manufacturers the same question why the couldnt get quality tools anymore and they told him it was because of homedepot and all of the novices wanting affordable tools so everyone is making them cheaper they told him they could sell 100 quality guns or 1000 cheap ones becuase thats what everyone wants except pros like me then he showed me an omer that they had forgotten in the back room it was made in 06 and he said even the new omers are going cheaper not as cheap but cheaper so i ended up getting it for 330 spendy but boy does it work nice and after talking to friends who also use nailers for there living i have heard the same thing about the new guns from most manufactures
sad to see quality being dicthed in order to sell to the general population leaving those who use them and push them to there limits everyday with tools that do not preform or last like they used to

ok rant off

[Scott Austin]

I have wondered how good the newer Senco 's are. I have a psl20 that is a least 20 years old. Have changed a few parts over the years but, I think I can maintain it to last till I retire. Bought sn40 used off ebay 10 years ago, I have never had even had it apart.

Now my Senco 23 gauge is a different story. It's my newest & lowest quality. Jambs often

[Dave Zellers]

So...

It's not REALLY a Senco rant, right?

But I hear ya.

I have 11 or 12 guns, 4 Senco, 2 Hatachi, 2 Bostich, etc. The older ones are better than the newer ones, without a doubt. I just don't get the obsession with shaving a couple grams off the weight and then it can't shoot a brad or staple all the way into hard oak.

[Dave Lehnert]

Things may be looking up. I went to a Senco event at the Popular Woodworking Shop this past week. They were showing us a line of new guns that were not yet on the market. They wanted input from Woodworkers on the new guns. They worked very well and smooth. I was a little surprised at the retail price as they were higher priced than the typical home center guns. But if you want a quality gun one will have to pay for it.

Also got my hands on the Senco Fusion line of guns. It's not a new tool but new to me.
It is cordless (battery powered) but the nail is driven by gas/air that is sealed into the gun. No fuel cells to buy. No air compressor needed. Fires as fast as a compressor powered gun.

http://www.senco.com/Images/Tools/5N0001N.jpg

[Loren Woirhaye]

I think Senco went bankrupt a few years back and the brand name was acquired.

I haven't bought a new nailer awhile but I like my older Hitachis.

[Moses Yoder]

I have some good quality old Senco tools. I have come to expect quality in my communications as well as my tools; both are lacking today.

[Larry Edgerton]

I bought one of the replacements for the SLP20 like you have. JUNK! So I quickly went out and found three N.O.S. SLP20 guns and bought them all. Set for life.

Newer red top 1/4" stapler sucks too. I do like the replacement for the SFN series though.

Larry

[Jim Andrew]

Probably 30 years ago I bought my first Senco framing nailer. I had a house to frame, and it was like hiring an extra guy or 2. The house went together faster with less help. Problem was, I had to have it fixed before i finished framing the house. Wound up buying 3 so one would be in working order. The lumberyard I bought them would repair them as long as you bought them there, so never learned how to fix them. Then a few years later I bought a Hitachi, and it would just nail and nail. Didn't have to fix it. Lost track of the number of houses I framed with it. Now I buy Hitachi guns for my home shop.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have a nail gun acquisition problem, I can't think of many I don't have... LIke you guys, my old Sencos are great guns, but I've found the new ones to be junk. I have a red topped 16 gauge that is just horrible. Been buying Hitachi mostly of late, and they have all done their job. Not a huge fan of the roofing nailers slightly picky appetite for coils, but thats been the only issue with them.

[Bill White]

I'm in the "old tools" group.
My PC 16 and 18 ga. nailers have trimmed 2 houses without a single glitch. They were the USA (Jackson, TN) guns.
It is a shame that our tooling is now made to a price point rather than functionality.
Have not even looked at the new PC stuff.
Bill

[Peter Quinn]

I hear you on the Senco stuff. They used to be the gold standard in my mind, then one day the boss brought in some new ones he got "on sale"......just above rubbish. Whats the point? A guy firing 1000 nails a decade may get by with a certain quality of tool, a guy trimming a house or two per month is going to need a little more. Why the big race to the bottom? We still build things here, I don't know a single carpenter or cabinet maker who would purposefully by a woefully bad gun just to save a couple of bucks, because thats going to cost him thousands in short order if left stranded on a job site or constantly having to set un sunk nails or worse yet try to pull them and fill.

I've been using bostich, hitachi, a few slightly older PC guns (hecho en Mexico), haven't found one that really works great. When I do I'll buy two.

[Clint Baxter]

Anybody tried the Cadex or the Grex brad nailers? I have a 23 ga Grex pinned and a 21 ga Cadex but haven't tried dithers 18 ga offerings. If they're built like the pinners, they would be my choice for durability. Have had great luck using their pinners

Clint

[Dave Zellers]

Love my Cadex 23g pinner. I'll be using it tomorrow.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Different animal I reckon. An 18 ga. brad has an enormous head compared to a pin. The brad nailer is probably the easiest pneumatic driver format to manufacture adequately. I have a Senco pinner (blah but it works), Hitachi nailers (they're good) and staplers by different makers. The staplers are the fussiest, except the Bostich 1/4" crown stapler, which has been trouble-free for years with just a drop of oil before each use.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Own several of the older SKS staplers and SFN nailers. Rebuild kits are a little harder to locate. As for new, if I'm going to buy HF quality, I'll buy it from HF. Though I do own a HF 6n1 framing nailer. Bought it to do one handicap ramp. If the damn ever quits, then I will buy a Hitachi. Hard to justify replacing a tool I seldom use, with a more expensive one.

[guy knight]

these are still better built then most are i have a few friends running the micro pinners and i do love my older 18 gauge i just got not for the budget minded tho
http://www.omertools.com/

[Jeff Duncan]

I have an Omer pin nailer and never really like the way it worked…..especially for what they cost! Last year I bought a Grex from one of my suppliers who had a lot of praise for them. I have to say it's my favorite gun to use now! I put the Omer on e-bay last week! I have a Senco brad nailer and it works fine, though it's an older, (maybe 15 years or so), gun and a Bostich of about the same age that works good as well. I think I'll eventually replace the brad nailer with a Grex as well, mostly so I can shoot 2" brads.

Anyone have a favorite for finish nailers? My old Porter Cable is getting tired and I'm going to have to look at one of those as well. I don't use it all that much, maybe several jobs a year, but every time I pull it out I think it's time for a new one.

JeffD

[Justin Ludwig]

I've been using PC 16g, 18g, and 1/4" stapler for years with no problems. A rare jam on the 16 is easily cleared. I removed the safety on the nailers as it's easier to use IMO. I own a Grex 23g pinner and it's a dream to use. Once my PCs shoot craps I'll replace them with Grex.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Anybody tried the Cadex or the Grex brad nailers?I have a Grex 15 ga. I bought it to install some (6) solid core oak doors a couple years ago. It worked fine once I figured out it uses DA style nails - not FN.

Word is though that Grex, while they have a great reputation for pin nailers, put out pretty much junk when it comes to everything else.

I found that out after I already ordered mine from Woodcraft (on a clearance sale) and was waiting for it to be delivered.
It had such a great price and the Grex name is always associated with top quality 23 ga pin nailers, I jumped all over one when I saw it on clearance to prevent getting closed out on the sale.

This is sort of a funny (as in odd) thread.
Of the four 18 ga nailers I own, none of them are a problem.

My "go to" 18 ga. brad nailer is a piece of stamped metal low end Coleman combination brad nailer/stapler that came with my Coleman 1 gallon compressor that I paid all of $49.00 for.
It works perfect and always sets the head neatly & just slightly less than flush @ anything from ~ 85 psi to a little over 110 psi.
My other three nailers are - a Lowes Tradesman, a Craftsman and another Sears Evolv brand that came with my other tiny compressor.
The Tradesman and the Craftsman work well also. I just don't use them. I have no real reason why.

[Tom M King]

I take real good care of all my old Senco guns. I was sold the first ones by a salesman that came by boat. I know it sounds strange, but we live on a large lake. He went out in the lake on a quiet day, cut the boat motor off, and listened for hammers. I thought it was brilliant, and bought five. They came with several free boxes of nails if you bought five guns, some of which I still have since there were a LOT of 1" finish nails in a box back then. That was in 1974. One of the guns was used when I bought it then-an SN1 (1 to 1-1/2" finish nailer). It's so old it never had any kind of safety, which makes it really handy for once in a while special use. I still use all of them, but the numbers have grown considerably.

[John A langley]

Tom I also have a sn1 that also works, also the staple gun but it needs o ring, bought them in 1973 new,

[Andrew Joiner]

I take real good care of all my old Senco guns. I was sold the first ones by a salesman that came by boat. I know it sounds strange, but we live on a large lake. He went out in the lake on a quiet day, cut the boat motor off, and listened for hammers. I thought it was brilliant, and bought five. They came with several free boxes of nails if you bought five guns, some of which I still have since there were a LOT of 1" finish nails in a box back then. That was in 1974. One of the guns was used when I bought it then-an SN1 (1 to 1-1/2" finish nailer). It's so old it never had any kind of safety, which makes it really handy for once in a while special use. I still use all of them, but the numbers have grown considerably.

Great story Tom.
Sad to hear Senco has gone downhill. They were the best guns to have when I started my cabinet shop in 1971. I bought mine new from the salesman who called on my shop. They weren't cheap, but came with free onsite service and parts.