# Dewalt 18ga nailer broke immediately



## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

MF Custom said:


> Do you have the DeWalt smartpoint? how does it work for you?


Bostitch. So far so good, I generally use MAX nails cause that's what my distributor sells.

I have a large collection of Original Senco nailers, but parts are expensive for them. Rebuilding the SLP20 is more than half of what the smartpoint costs, so I have added some backup guns to the collection. I have the following sencos:

SN70
FramePro XL
SFN40
SFN30
SJS
SKS
SLP20
SLS20


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## Framer87 (Dec 27, 2014)

dsconstructs said:


> Ah great. I just picked up the 15g version this week. I was shooting their own 2" nails with it yesterday and noticed it sparks some. Should be interesting to see how that works out over time.


Won't work for you long, dewalt air tools have become garbage IMO. Had one of those self destruct on me, somehow ended up replacing it with a milwaukee :what: just got a Hitachi that I haven't even used yet, and now I see dewalt is coming out with a 15g cordless. Will have to see if I can exchange my Hitachi for that.


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## StrongTower (Mar 4, 2010)

Justin Huisenga said:


> If the Max gun makes it here again I'll buy one. I've got a couple of older Hitachi's and an older Senco SLP20 that I don't seem to be able to kill but if they die Omer would be my pick to replace them.
> 
> 
> 
> It seems ridiculous though that you have to drop $200+ to get a decent gun. Both my Hitachi guns were under $100, I use the hell out of them, and oil them only when I happen to remember and they have run without problems for 10+ years.



I had older Hitachi guns as well, just couldn't keep drivers in them. Always would snap at the piston. 

The best thing about the Max is that the safety is so soft, requires minimal pressure, the exhaust out the handle and the driver lasts forever. 

I had an Omer, it's a great gun, shoots well. 

I paid the 3-350 each for both of my Max's and never regretted it. I throw a lot of nails through my 18.


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## MF Custom (May 3, 2009)

Anyone use this Max 18 gauge nailer?


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## MF Custom (May 3, 2009)

I believe these are the same nailers, is there any reason to think one would be better than the other?


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

They do look similar, but like a lot of things, just how much difference is there between brands that do a relatively simple thing? In things like these, I think the biggest difference is in parts tolerances, material, and QC, none of which we can see.


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## m1911 (Feb 24, 2009)

MF Custom said:


> I believe these are the same nailers, is there any reason to think one would be better than the other?


they are same crap, along with porter cable, all owned by black and decker.


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## Lettusbee (May 8, 2010)

Well,
I returned the Dewalt, and headed to Lowes for the Hitachi. The Hitachi has been a great gun for the first two days so far. I even like it better than my paslode. The safety hasn't been an issue at all.

However, I put that same rack of nails in the hitachi, and the driver curled up the nail and jammed. This time, I didn't try shoot a second time, and just unjammed and pitched that rack of nails in the garbage. I think the dewalt bent the pin because I tried to pull the trigger again, and it had two nails curled up in the nose. 

On another note, we've been installing door casing that is 3/4" oak on the fat side. The following guns would not sink 2-1/2" nails in the casing plus the 1" drywall.

Paslode 16ga angled,
Hitachi 16 straight nailer that is about 15 years old
Senco Fusion 15ga angled

So I broke out the Senco SFNII, Big Bertha. Worked like a charm.
Anybody else still running one of these old heavy guns?


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

Lettusbee said:


> Well,
> 
> I returned the Dewalt, and headed to Lowes for the Hitachi. The Hitachi has been a great gun for the first two days so far. I even like it better than my paslode. The safety hasn't been an issue at all.
> 
> ...



I have the Senco SFN40, which is a bit newer. I think it's the best finish gun ever made! Plenty of power and smooth as silk. They are a little on the heavy side compared to the newer guns, but it doesn't bother me. I paid $379 for it back in the mid 90's, and it still works fine. Now people complain when they have to pay half the price for a gun, but of course they don't last half as long.


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## MF Custom (May 3, 2009)

I used the sfn40, it now almost looks like a framing gun...


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## MF Custom (May 3, 2009)

m1911 said:


> they are same crap, along with porter cable, all owned by black and decker.


I wondering since B&D owns Bostitch and DeWalt if they gear one of these towards the pro. HD has dropped all Bostitch and now only sells the DeWalt nailers


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## MF Custom (May 3, 2009)

Even the model #s are almost the same,

DeWalt 18-Gauge precision point Brad Nailer DWFP12233

Bostitch 18 gauge precision point brad nailer BTFP12233


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## Justin Huisenga (Apr 10, 2013)

CO762 said:


> So spending $200 for something that makes you money over ten years is too much money to spend? Spending $100 fifteen years ago was better/different? I think that sometimes we in the trades are our own worst enemy as we say we want quality, but don't seem interested in paying more for it. Just like our customers sometimes.


In the not so distant past there were multiple choices for reliable and durable brad nailers under $200. Most were basic tools with few bells or whistles but could be relied upon to not jamb and set nails day in and day out. I see many of them still in use today. The prices of the newer offerings haven't dramatically changed from the older guns but the build quality has. Rather than just building solid and reliable tools companies seem more interested in adding LED lights and air dusters. 

I have no problem dropping money on a tool if I see it making me money. My spending $250 for a 23g capable of firing slight head brads or $350 for a 21g brad nailer doesn't seem out of line to me because their capabilities add to what I already have. All 18g brad nailers shoot a similar nail to each other and if the gun is reliable I don't see one brand at a higher price point making me anymore money than one at a lower. Spending substantially more now than at recent but past times to simply get reliability and function from a tool as simple and widely used as an 18g brad nailer strikes me as ridiculous.


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## Lanya LaPunta (Oct 31, 2010)

MF Custom said:


> I wondering since B&D owns Bostitch and DeWalt if they gear one of these towards the pro. HD has dropped all Bostitch and now only sells the DeWalt nailers


Dewalt has been the "Yellow Crap 'n Decker" for years. However, Bostitch is/was owned by Stanley.

It wasn't until Stanley acquired Crap 'n Decker that Bostitch and the Yellow Crap 'n Decker became related.


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## Framer87 (Dec 27, 2014)

Lanya LaPunta said:


> Dewalt has been the "Yellow Crap 'n Decker" for years. However, Bostitch is/was owned by Stanley.
> 
> It wasn't until Stanley acquired Crap 'n Decker that Bostitch and the Yellow Crap 'n Decker became related.


Often wondered why they do that, as if selling 4 different brands of pretty well the same thing is a great sales pitch. I think dewalt 20v xr is great stuff, but stanley and bd power tools??? Competing with each other? Why didn't Bostitch remain Bostitch and put out great air tools. We all know dewalt can't build air tools worth crap. Now they're all junk.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Justin Huisenga said:


> Rather than just building solid and reliable tools companies seem more interested in adding LED lights and air dusters.


 That's the times. Sales sell the sizzle, not the steak. The internet is full of sizzle, which gets people talking, going to internet sites, watching videos, doing videos, reviewing tools (which they keep or...) Some manufacturers even create new names and it's something their product does and others don't. And I don't think most people have the attention spans anymore to just seek out durable, capable, but plain and selling to the most will get you the most.

There still is good tooling out there, but we have to look further for them as they are indeed fewer. Senco offers the 30 day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied. I don't understand their color coding now though and it looks like buying them from amazon will get you different models, not the one in the picture. 

Needed a smaller compressor, so got a bostitch reman pancake and they threw in three guns for something like $150. Compressor lasted about 3 months, 18 broke when it fell off a ladder, 16 sounds like the piston will fly out of the top with each cycle and stapler sounds like a farting duck walking across a floor. All throwaways, but the duck may stick around. I knew what I was getting at the time as I figured they'd be stolen before/dropped they wore out.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

saw an 18 ga senco at HD today, one of the new ones, red/orange body, grey cap. Mang did that look cheap, so much so I reached out and scratched it to see if it were made out of plastic. It's not, magnesium. Hopefully the internals are great and great QC as looking at it, I'd not buy it.


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

Lettusbee said:


> ...
> On another note, we've been installing door casing that is 3/4" oak on the fat side. The following guns would not sink 2-1/2" nails in the casing plus the 1" drywall.
> 
> Paslode 16ga angled,
> ...


No, but I'll bet my old partner still has his.

I have a Paslode mu212, still have the steel box, will keep right up with that Senco in hardwoods. Not worth a hoot for FJP.


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