Ridgid R250AF18 18-Volt 15 Gauge Angled Finish Nailer
I always want to purchase reliable tools and based on the poor reviews I have seen on this gun, I was very skeptical on wanting to purchase this Ridgid cordless finish nailer. I have been looking around at many different finish nailers for several months, doing a lot of research along the way. 60% of the power that this gun has (gun shoots up to 2 1/2" nails and I have not tested for the largest nails or on the highest gun setting)- design - has a comfortable design and very sharp look - nicer looking model than many others out there-... Should be easier to get the finish nails into the gun but once past the "stuck part", locking mechanism for the nails was easy to use and had no issues after- charger - the charger provided for this gun is a standard one, would be nice if they... I bought this nailer at Home Depot when I just happened across it. The display model was up and I really liked the design, the style, the weight, and even have to admit - the colors (they got me). I was so excited, I didn't even bother going home... Mine is gonna end up on Craigslist and I'll have to start looking for something else (perhaps the Bosch 18 volt 16g nailer). Either a defect on my specific gun OR just a faulty locking mechanism or design on the gun which makes it a little harder for the battery to lock in. It will lock in on the gun, just not as easy as it should. Since I have not used this gun extensively yet, I am not sure how long the battery charge will last for the gun (after charging battery once and using for all moulding, never ran out of power yet) or if there will be any issues down the road but... A complete steal compared to the normal price of this gun so do your shopping around first if you want a better deal on it. Upon receipt of the gun, I charged up the battery that came with the kit and after cutting the crown moulding to size for... I own and use many different Ridgid tools and have had nothing but the best of luck, with any Ridgid product that I have owned or used. This gun will fire a nail about 85% of the time when you engage it. The other 15% (estimated of course)you have to remove the gun from the work piece and re-ingage before it will fire (sometimes more than once). Used 1 3/4" angled finish nails, going through 1/2" drywall & 1/2" moulding, without any problems at all. )CONS- loading - at bottom of gun where nails are loaded they tend to stick and is a little harder for them to slide into the gun. Definitely a much easier and better tool than hauling around the air compressor, air hoses, and the gun and there is no need to oil this gun. Did not have any issues using the gun throughout the installation process and drove the nails home, only on about 1/2 the potential nailing power that this model has. I highly recommend the purchase of this Ridgid gun for any trim or moulding projects that you have in mind. THIS GUN TAKES A SPECIFIC TYPE OF ANGLED FINISH NAIL AND A CERTAIN DEGREE. If you have any trim or moulding jobs to do, I recommened picking this item up. If you plan on using the gun for an extended period of time, I would purchase an extra battery so that you have a backup when the first battery runs out of juice. - battery lock - for some reason, the battery tends to NOT lock in on the gun as well as it should. Thank youPROS- portability and convenience - no hoses, air compressors, or messy oil to deal with- lighter weight - this model is lighter than many other models like this out there but still somewhat heavy when climing up the ladder- power - drove... This is most likely the reason why some people are having issues, I strongly recommend Porter Cable's 15 gauge DA angled finish nails, that is what I used without any jamming or misfires at all. Was a pain to wait 40 minutes for the battery to charge for the first time when trying to install so make sure you begin charging the battery quickly. You can get this gun a lot cheaper than other models out there and cheaper than what amazon or home depot charges, only risk you have with some purchases like mine, would be for the warranty coverage (risk I took and glad that I took for the price... Despite the poor reviews on this product, I ended up purchasing this gun to install crown moulding throughout the living room/kitchen combination. I have more moulding projects and trim work around windows eventually so this gun is going to get plenty of use yet. Never broke the nail sheet by loading the gun but this was a flaw I didn't like. After completing the crown moulding project, I am very pleased with this gun and its overall performance.