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I keep 1 battery on charge at all times and when it gets low, just swap it out and put the other in the charger. Works great, powerful and cordless. Like anything you buy, sometimes there is a lemon, but so far for me I couldn't be happier. Picked up a new one (kit: case, nails, goggles, 2 batteries, etc) from another online retailer for half of most prices I've seen.wish I would have bought it sooner. No issues and I've had it about 8 months and run around 300-400 various size nails thru it and have used it for trim, paneling and woodwork of all kinds.
I'm going to keep checking the outlet for the 18volt model. I bought the Firestorm nailer at factory outlet in Kittery, Maine for $60 refurbished. Cheaper than the Passlode and I'm sure not as durable but so far it has worked very well I don't know how it would stand up on a real work site (I think that one would get frustrated regarding slow response and inability to rapid shoot)but to just go to the truck for a small job and grab this nailer it would be a time saver. I've only used it for a day to install wainscoting in my vacation home and it has worked great. It doesn't have the response time of my brad nailer and compressor and you can't set it to automatically shoot brads upon impact but to just pick it up when you need it and not have to get out the compressor it's a positive thing.
This tool would otherwise have great potential. Be sure to wear safety glasses. This was after putting up a whole house of crown. The 12Vs were around 150 or so.Guide may leave slight marks on the wood if nails are shot at certain angles, not really a big deal for paint grade moulding.The good: 2 year warranty (for the 18V unit) that you will most probably use. The new FS1802BN failed after about 1800 nails, fortunately it is still under the 2 year warrnaty, so off to the BD service center. Unit will work if you open the hatch, remove the nails and manually push down on the slide. If you are going to shoot over a thousand nails, think of this review. The bad: I've owned both the BDBN1202 and the new 18V Lowes FS1802BN.
This slide will also retract if the tools is turned upside down, I assume a retracting spring broke. Drives 2" nails without a compressor. This is common sense for any nailer and not specific to this product.Summary:For lightweight, occasional home use where you need to shoot a few nails or put up a chair rail, crown in a few rooms it is probably a good choice. I've seen nails make U turns and come straight out of the surface. Others failed with similar mechanical issues. They are almost identical except for the voltage. I had 3 12V models, they all failed under 500 nails. I believe it is a cheap, made in China, disposable tool.
I've had nails miss the moulding and hit my glasses. Great for crown and other moulding.Tool is reasonably balanced and has some safety features. Other issues, I have to nailset most of my 2" nails. It is truly a shame how name brand quality truly takes a back seat, and the tool isn't $10 either.
I would not use this if I was a pro. Buy with a credit card that extends your warranty because these things will eventually need it. There is no where in the instructions telling you that it is light duty and for sporadic use. I returned them under the 90day store policy.
Also, keep fingers at least 8inches away from nailing surfaces. Not a big deal to me, but it is an extra step.I never got more than 300 nails with one charge, this is with the 18V model. Mode of failure: the impact slide will not retract after it shoots a nail. On the BD parts website, the entire nailing assembly mechanism is a single $100 unit, so if you need to repair out of warranty this unit is for all intents and purposes disposable.
Just make sure batteries are fully charged and when you want shot hold trigger until you see nail is out. Anyway at least until now I can't complain at all. You can even hear specific BOOM - like I said, that's little tricky part for first few shots. I didn't have a chance to work with this gun a lot, but after just few hours I can say it really works. On the beginning it was little tricky to realized how it works (what gives the power to hit each neil).
Since the product comes with two - this isn't really a problem for me. I bought this strictly for quick household DIY projects and the only time I have a problem with jamming is when I use a battery that is not fresh.
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