Brad nail question - how much am I overthinking this

[Howard Rosenberg]

Am I right in thinking "a brad nail is a brad nail is a brad nail?" That the brad/gun combo doesn't matter?

I'm asking because I went to HD to buy 1.5in brad nails for my Porter-Cable 18ga nailer, which I don't use often.

None in stock that length. So I bought the only 1.5in brand they had - Arrow - the same people that make the staplers.

Is there a big difference in quality? Do I actually need Porter-Cable brand brads?

[Greg Quenneville]

They should be a commodity item. Not many nail gun brands sell their own line of nails. I use whatever is available in my 18ga gun.

23ga pins might be another story? I use Grex in my Grex gun so can’t say.

[Jim Dwight]

There may be incompatible brads out there somewhere but I have not found any. I buy any brand I find at a good price or what is available locally if I run out unexpectantly.

[Tom M King]

As long as the gauge, angle, and length is okay with the gun, I don't think it matters. My first choice in fasteners is Senco, just because their glue seems to work the best. That is for everything but 23 ga. 2" pins, and I use Grex for those because they're usually the only stainless steel ones I can find.

[Jim Becker]

If they are typical tee-head brad nails, they should be no issue. Do keep in mind that some guns have guide slot indents for the heads to ride on when you load them and some lengths may need you to put them in a "slot" that doesn't permit the business end of the brad to be at the lowest point. It's not an issue, in my experience. For example, I use 1.25" 18 gauge brads a lot and my old Accuset by Senco gun doesn't have a guide slot for that size head, so the heads have to run in the indent for 1.375" brads. Works every time.

I find that any "name brand" fastener will work fine, but avoid the real cheapies from discount tool stores like HFT for this particular item. The last time I bought the 1.25" brads, they were Metabo branded because...that's what the store had.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Nails may be nails (other than HF) but guns have really gone downhill. I remember saving for a long time to buy my first pneumatic gun. I wish those old workhorses were still available. Parts are getting scarce. Modern disposable guns are very un-satisfying.

Paslode, RolAir, Occidental, Senco, and Dewalt, five brands who produce exceptional tools made in the USA

[Rich Engelhardt]

The only two times I ran into issues with this were:
- Harbor Freight and Menards fasteners had a slight coat of rust and jammed.
- 15 ga fasteners come in FN (Bostitch) and DA (Senco) style. I bought some FN style 2.5" that wouldn't go into my Grex (Senco) gun. Under 2.5" were ok though.