pin gun(brad gun)

allen levine

Member
Messages
12,340
Location
new york city burbs
ever since I ran the bostich brads throught my small PC brad gun, it doesnt work the same> Ive tried adjusting the firing pin and things, nothing is as good as when it is before you damage it. repaired or not.

I want to get a good pin gun, 1/2 inch to 1 and 1/4 inch pins.
I want a gun that doesnt leave a pronounced hole, no head on the pins, so I can use it for molding and have very little to hide.

I use standard pancake air tank, 1/4 inch couplings.

I dont want to spend a fortune, but wouldnt mind something of decent quality.(125-150?)
Lightweight is a must.
Does anyone have any experience with pinners and can set me on the right path to purchase one, maybe know some internet dealer that offers good prices and such.
 
good/cheap.....not usually same item..
i shoot senco`s 23 ga. pinner it works well but isn`t a cadex either.
 
allen i have the cadex, love it,pricey but good. the others, porter cable or senco and hitachi are good as well just depends on the features yu are after.
 
I am interested to hear if anyone has a Grex, which I have read many good reviews about. I have a Senco which I am ambient about. Main thing I don't like is it does not have an adjustment for depth. It is suppose to be automatic....yeaahh right.
 
I use the Porter Cable quite a bit. It is quite handy, has worked well for me and is very reasonable in price (Amazon). I just have to be careful around poplar or pine as the nose will leave a bigger mark than the pin brad hole. Of course this would be true for any of them.

Cheers.
 
I'll depart from the crowd here and tell you I bought mine on sale at Harbor Freight for around $16. For as often as I use it it was a great price. I have set about 100 pins with it and it has not misfired once.
 
I use the Porter Cable quite a bit. It is quite handy, has worked well for me and is very reasonable in price (Amazon). I just have to be careful around poplar or pine as the nose will leave a bigger mark than the pin brad hole. Of course this would be true for any of them.

Cheers.

I think the pc is great, but ever since I damaged it, although the tool guy repaired it, I cant seem to get an easy adjustment to fire brads.
I use it, just want something with a straight pin, no head at all.
 
Hello Allen,

MY PC is the 23 gauge headless pin nailer (PIN100). It is not a combo unit.

I paid less than $100 4 years ago and has never given me a problem. I use it for tacking/glueing fine trimwork on cabinets and case furniture.

I've never had need to go over the 1" length capacity. Dear lord it's only 23 gauge and has no head!

There are some nicer and more expensive units out there that would certainly make sense in a production environment and I had considered those. But the $100 at that time went to other tools.

Good luck in your final choice.

Cheers.
 
youre 100% right dan, Im thinking of a different gun I have with the trio set and pancake compressor.
pin100 looks fine, but its capacity is only 1inch, Id like to get one closer to 1.25 inch capacity.
I didnt know Pc had a pinless nailer as well, I thought only the brad gun I have was their smallest.
 
grex635 kit.

long story, got paid for 2 chairs, didnt expect too, gifted, but compensated, didnt need to waste the money on cocktails and dinner for me and the bride. I explained to my wife I need a good pin nailer to put up all the new molding, and she said, oh yeah, go for it, so I did.I dont like to argue with a woman when shes right.
 
Last edited:
I think you'll be real happy with that gun, Allen. :thumb: That's the one I've got my eye on if the little $15 cheapie I've got now ever quits. (I only shoot maybe a dozen pins a year with it.)
 
Nice choice Allen. Hopefully the cushioned nose piece doesn't leave dents like my PC. Now remember 23 gauge holes are really small, not invisible as so many adverts try to make you believe!

Cheers.
 
Question for Rennie & possibly Vaughn

I'll depart from the crowd here and tell you I bought mine on sale at Harbor Freight for around $16. For as often as I use it it was a great price. I have set about 100 pins with it and it has not misfired once.

I have had several projects that I would really have liked to have a Pin Nailer and decided finally that it would be a Grex due to all the great reports and no gripes (that I have seen), but with only occasional future use anticipated for quite a while yet, and the shop budget taking hits worse than the Dow, I had to back off, (for now at least). A few months back, I saw the HF on sale on one of the flyers, ("maybe" even slightly less than yours, Rennie, but cheap anyhow) so I bit the bullet. I haven't had an opportunity to try it yet, but hope it will do a respectable job for me until I have both the need AND the funds for the Grex.

Vaughn, I don't know if yours is a HF also, but if so maybe you have some input as well to the questions I directed to Rennie.

What length pins have you used most in yours, Rennie? Any tricks you have discovered when using yours that would save me some learning curve time, such as best air pressure for different lengths or different woods, or how to minimize surface damage? TIA for any thoughts you have.

I anticipate only using pins between 1/2" and 3/4" & "maybe" a RARE 1", but nothing longer.
 
Last edited:
Norman, if I remember correctly, I got mine on eBay, but it looks pretty much identical to the ones I was seeing at Harbor Freight at the time. (Maybe a different color.) It will shoot up 1" pins, I think. I know 1 1/4" won't fit, and I have a brand new box of pins to prove it. :doh: Anyway, they've been as long as I've needed. (I also have a cheap Delta brad/staple gun if I want deeper penetration or better holding power.) So far I've been pretty pleased with my 23 gauge pinner. I've had maybe half a dozen misfires or jams, but I haven't had any trouble clearing them and finishing whatever I was working on.

I think I run mine at about 75 psi, but I'd have to look at the gun again to be sure. (I just go with what it says on the side.) I haven't put much thought to different lengths for different woods, I just use whatever length I need for the job at hand, and they have always seemed to do the job. And I really haven't seen any issues with surface damage, either. Just a little pinhole that disappears with a couple swipes of sandpaper.
 
I bought a cheapo as well. Its a no-name Taiwanese model that I think I paid $40.00 for. I've never had a jam but it does tend to leave a "nose" mark on both hard and soft wood.
I fixed this problem by softening the nose a bit with a file and shooting through a folded up piece of wax paper.
If I had the cash and could justify buying something that is used so little I would go for the Grex.
 
another thing to remeber on using pinners is to watch the grain direction,, they dont have alot of rigidty and can follow the grain and go out wher they arent supposed to ,,so take a min to lok and aim it so if it goes of course its still outa site.. one more thing they do hold and when yu try to remove a piece that was shot on yu are gonna most likly be pulling the pin threw the piece and then yu need to get the old pin cut off flush again before restarting or beat it flush...
 
Hi Norman,

I've used 1" and 3/4" I'm sure, some others possibly. Never had a jam, but have only shot about a hundred or so. Slight mark from the gun, I have to try the wax paper - good idea. Ditto Larry's remark about them changing direction - I have the hole in my thumb to prove it!:doh:

For the money, and for the amount of use it gets, it was a very good deal. If I were doing fine moldings all day long I'd make a different choice, but for the occasional use how could you go wrong for $16?:dunno:
 
I have never used a nail or pin gun.
I do see many-many in the pawn shops. Have always thought this a very curious thing. They are probably the most prevalent item in these stores after real guns.
Gotta wonder if they are all junk the sellers were dumping or wat?
Does give me pause, however. I would never buy a used one. Those guys got rid of them for a reason. I don't want to find that reason the hard way.
 
Top