Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer FN250A: An excellent tool
Written: Jan 29 '05 (Updated Feb 01 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great brand, useful tool
Cons: I don't have a single one
The Bottom Line: Very useful and no drawbacks that I have found. I recommend it.
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| some_guy5's Full Review: Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer FN250A |
I bought the Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer along with its quasi brother brad nailer. This tool has made short work of door trim and oak baseboards. Once you have installed molding this way, you won't ever want to go back. I have installed a lot of molding the hard way and by comparison using the Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer isn't even work. After watching my hard work go to waste as I tried to pound finish nails through the floor boards and alternately the base boards, I decided to buy a brad nailer, finish nailer and air compressor all at once. While trying to put in the finish nails I was marring the floor boards of my newly finished floor, marking my newly painted baseboards, and ultimately destroying the nails without actually getting them driven in properly. This tool makes the whole process simple and fun.
LOOKS AND SPECS
The Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer uses 16 Ga. 3/4" to 2-1/2" finish nails and the nail magazine has a 100 nail capacity. The nailer is a light gray color with a black handle and exhaust port. The exhaust port is adjustable and requires no tool to do so. The nail magazine is black metal, as is the tip of the nail driver. The Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer is made of light weight die-cast aluminum and weighs 3 3/4 pounds. The operating pressure is between 70 - 120 psi. The dimensions of the nailer are 10 3/4" high by 11 3/4" long. The end of the driving tip also features a removable rubber nose cushion. Included also with this nailer is a durable plastic case, a bottle of oil and, of course, an instruction booklet. Also included with the nailer is a box of 1000 2" long finish nails, luckily just the size I needed. The Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer features a tool free nail depth adjuster and a tool free jam release mechanism.
SETUP
Setting up the nailer takes only a few minutes, even if this is the first time you have ever used one, like it was for me. There is a lever to slide open the nail magazine. You just lay in your nails and release the lever. The spring now loads new nails as you fire them. The nailer has a male end connector and you just slide on the female end of the hose. On initial setup you should pour some of the included oil into the hole in the bottom of the male end connector on the nailer. Now that the nailer is connected you just make sure the air compressor pressure is between 70 and 120 psi and you are ready to go. Angle the exhaust away from anything important. As you drive a nail there will be a little puff of exhaust and since you put oil in it, there could be a bit in the exhaust. This way you will save yourself a little cleanup if a little grease puff gets on whatever you are nailing. The nailer has a safety feature to help avoid dangerous accidents. You have to press the tip of the nailer and then pull the trigger in order to fire a nail. If you just pull the trigger the nailer will not fire. While this is a great tool you will not be able to use it like a gun, in case you have visions of a movie where you have seen that done. So rest the rubber nose tip on what you want to nail, pull the trigger, and you are on your way.
MY EXPERIENCE
This is probably the most fun tool I have ever bought. Unfortunately I have only used it one time. I installed oak baseboards in our new master bedroom. In the case of nailing in baseboards, you will want to make sure you drive the nail into a stud, or you can use a trick someone told me. If you nail the baseboard in at the very bottom, there is a little bit of wood that sticks up from the floor and you can nail the baseboard right into that without worrying about where your studs are. There will be a gap at the top of the baseboard between it and the wall which you will want to seal with painters caulk. The nailer was also used to nail on door molding. I have no advice here, line it up and start nailing. The Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer easily handled these tasks with no jams and there is something very satisfying about the hiss and pop which means you just perfectly drove in a nail.
This is one incredibly useful tool and Porter Cable is a very well respected brand. I have never used a nailer of another brand but I have been very happy with this one. This tool gets my highest recommendation.
You can also visit my review of the sister product, Porter Cable 3/4" Brad nailer at
http://www.epinions.com/content_169751711364
or the Porter Cable 2HP 6 gallon air compressor at
http://www.epinions.com/content_171697671812
Recommended:
Yes
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some_guy5
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