# which 23 ga pin nailer ?



## Redman (Mar 22, 2006)

just wonder what 23 ga pin nailer everyone uses and the pro and cons of each, just blew apart some nice maple crown last week with my 18 ga nailer and figure it time to buy a 23 ga for those delicate section of trim.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

I have a Senco and it works well. Only downside is that the longest pins it will shoot are 1". The cream of the crop is the Grex. It will shoot up to a 2" pin. Gonna get one soon.


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## nj handyman (Dec 10, 2007)

just bought the grex because it could fire longer pins. also purchased the small senco compressor. very happy with the gun and the light weight of the compressor. 

last week i fired a pin through my thumb and my thumb nail and could hardly feel it. an 18 gauge would have hurt like the dickens.


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## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

I am going to pick one up soon. Is it worth getting the 2". I have been looking at the cadex


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Omar, they are hard to find but they are bullet proof, plus they hold 2x number of nails that cadex holds. I think the Grex holds alot too. 2" are not really worth it, they have a bad tendancy to curl out of the wood, 1 3/8 is long enough for most things that you would pin nail. 

#1 Omar
#2 Grex
#3 Cadex ( only because of limited amount of pins they hold)
#4 Bostitch ( price alone 129.00 1 3/8" 7 warrenty, money back gaurantee)


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## BKFranks (Feb 19, 2008)

I've had the Senco for a couple of years. Like every said, it only shoots up to 1". I have that small Senco compressor too, but it only works with the 18 or 23 gauge nailers. If you try to use the 15 or 16 guage it will burn up to the motor.


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## JPV123 (Sep 14, 2005)

Spotnails it shoots up to 1 9/16". Have it about 2 years now and no problems. Every guy that has worked for me and has used it has bought one.


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## JPV123 (Sep 14, 2005)

BK - I have the small Senco compressor too. I have shot my framer with it. You get three shots before it kicks on. Beats breaking out the Porter Cable pancake or Ridgid twin tank for a handfull of nails. I also have my Paslode cordless but we all know how reliable they are. Oh yeah, I can also use my Kobalt CO2 mini tank. Wait maybe I need to post in Tool-a-holics.


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## john5mt (Jan 21, 2007)

I have the cadex with the 2"... i think i should have gotten a grex. the cadex is nice but it doesnt do a good job of countersinking 2" headless pins which makes the extra money not really worth it if i have to set them anyway. Besides i havent really found an application where 2" pins have any use yet.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Here's an article where they review 11 different pinners.
http://www.ebuild.com/articles/catCode.-1/articleId.536624.hwx


Spoiler: they call the Cadex the best.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

The cabinet guys I have talked to always swear by the Grex. Doesn't it just piss ya off that you can't get the best features of each on one unit?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I've been eye-balling the Grex myself. However, after reading about the Cadex, I like that it does both pins and brads. I tend to do a lot of molding with my cabinet installs (crown, scribe, under-cabinet, decorative base) and I can think of situations where I could use both.
What to do:blink:


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## fvmerl (Jan 24, 2007)

*Harbor Freight*

Just bought a pinner from Harbor Freight last week. Only shoots 1" pins but also only costs $25. I don't need one that often but had been wanting one for some scribe molding and small window molding. Tried it out to hold some casing in place and it worked really well. For the money and my needs it can't be beat.


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## ToolGod (Feb 20, 2013)

I have a 1 3/8 23ga. Hitachi, & I absolutely love it. I got it for $99, and haven't had a single jam with it & I've gone through around 20,000 nails. It's solid, never an issue, & is quite an attractive little pinner. I seen a finisher who had a 18v Makita 1 3/8 23ga. nailer & I got jealous. Never seen one for sale though.


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

Love my grex, wish I could afford 2 so I didn't have to keep it in the truck all the time. One for shop, one for trailer would be ideal.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Omar, they are hard to find but they are bullet proof, plus they hold 2x number of nails that cadex holds. I think the Grex holds alot too. 2" are not really worth it, they have a bad tendancy to curl out of the wood, 1 3/8 is long enough for most things that you would pin nail.
> 
> #1 Omar
> #2 Grex
> ...


I think you meant Omer.

I agree with this pin selection, but I would move Grex above Omer... The price wise they are very close, I think at the time when I was buying, Omer was $30-40 more which is not a big deal for a quality tool. 
Omer has a built in dust blower (which you don't really need, being the gun is used for finish work). The gun is made in Italy,I think is the reason why the price is more then competitors. It also uses 2" pins. 
When I was in the market for a gun, I spoke to a guy at the store, who had a production shop, and he said both guns are well made , but the driver goes on Omer nailer's if used frequently on hardwoods (that was the reason he was there, to get his Omer sent out to be fixed). He got a few Grex nailer's as well, and he said they been working flawlessly in any wood. So I went with Grex, and it's been a great gun since, not one issue... 
I'm sure for what I am using, Omer would perform just as good. I have the gun for about 3-4 years and used a 2" pin one time on Furniture repair, and its one of this things, when it's worth having that gun just for that one repair if you know what I mean :laughing: 
So I guess it's a good thing to have the ability of using 2" pinner, if you come across something when one repair pays for the whole gun and I think people who do furniture repairs or cabinet repair would use a 2" pin more then anyone :thumbsup:


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## NINZAN STUDIO (Jan 10, 2012)

Redman said:


> just wonder what 23 ga pin nailer everyone uses and the pro and cons of each, just blew apart some nice maple crown last week with my 18 ga nailer and figure it time to buy a 23 ga for those delicate section of trim.


I use the Grex that shoots up to 1-3/8. Over two years now, no issues at all.


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## BBuild (Oct 10, 2012)

2" pins seems worthless to me. I have a hard enough time getting 2" 18g brads to bury with out curling out the side. I have the HF pinner and have shot about 10,000 pins through it so far with out a problem. The only time I've had a jam was when my compressor got unplugged. I'd say I'm more happy with my HF pin nailer than my grex green buddy that cost 6 times more.


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## nickko (Nov 11, 2012)

i have the grex that shoots 1 3/8 pins. ive had it about three years now it sets the pins perfectly every time.

never had a need to shoot a pin any longer than 1 3/8 most of the time its 5/8 or 1 1/8
nicko


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

BBuild said:


> 2" pins seems worthless to me. I have a hard enough time getting 2" 18g brads to bury with out curling out the side. I have the HF pinner and have shot about 10,000 pins through it so far with out a problem. The only time I've had a jam was when my compressor got unplugged. I'd say I'm more happy with my HF pin nailer than my grex green buddy that cost 6 times more.


I wouldn't use the 2" in solid wood. Something like shooting molding up over sheetrock where the 1/2" rock isn't going to cause deflection problems. Have to be a pretty small molding, or maybe put up with adhesive.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

im using the rigid, its 5 years old no.. no issues with it whatsover.. i picked it up the first week they were available


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## WilsonRMDL (Sep 4, 2007)

I have the ridgid as well, works awesome and I got it on clearance for $49


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## darthdude (Dec 30, 2012)

I've had the Ridgid for a little over 2 years, no complaints. I had a Senco for 4 years before that, had no operating issues with it, but wanted to be able to shoot the 1 3/8" pins. I can't honestly imagine wanting to put 23g 2" pins in anything. The 1 3/8" pins will shank pretty easily.


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## Jdub2083 (Dec 18, 2011)

Another Ridgid owner here. I haven't had any problems with mine and it's even a refurb. I only use it for pinning miters and tacking up small molding, but it's my favorite gun.


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## Rustbucket (May 22, 2009)

Another thread dug up from the grave.:wheelchair:

Oh, well, lets keep it going. I have a Grex 1-3/8" and the Ridgid that was on clearance for $49.99. Haven't had any problems with either. I keep different sized pins in each.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I sold the Omer and now stick with Grex stuff.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

fvmerl said:


> Just bought a pinner from Harbor Freight last week. Only shoots 1" pins but also only costs $25. I don't need one that often but had been wanting one for some scribe molding and small window molding. Tried it out to hold some casing in place and it worked really well. For the money and my needs it can't be beat.


I have been running these guns for about 5 years now. First one died after 30,000 pins. That was the "old" blue ones. The "new" red and silver ones are nicer and have yet to fail me. We have a total of three. I have one, my business partner has one and the shop as one. I also have 2 friends that now own one each. 

Its a good basic pinner, you can't beat it...you really can't.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I've heard the cadex and the grex are made by the same company the difference is that one shoots headless and headed pins and the Grex only shoots headed pins. The rep told me that if you have the cadex that shoots both, then the tolerances are a little sloppy due to having to make the "shoot hole" big to be able to accept both. For example when you shoot a headless nail thru a hole that's also made for a headed nail there is slop that can cause problems.


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## HaleCraft (Feb 9, 2013)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007QUN6H6
this makita is on my short list, haven't seen it available in the states yet though. hoping the come out with an 18 guage as well.


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## FinishingEdge (Jul 15, 2012)

HaleCraft said:


> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007QUN6H6
> this makita is on my short list, haven't seen it available in the states yet though. hoping the come out with an 18 guage as well.


I have owned that Makita pinner in the past and would not recommend it. It was one of the worst guns I have used. It would not sink a 1 3/8'' pin even into poplar. I love Makita cordless but this is one I woukd stay away from.


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## Rich D. (Oct 14, 2011)

Best bang for your buck is the hitachi 1 3/8 pin nailer.

I think i got it for like 80 bucks off amazon


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