Average design, some fragile parts, possible manufacturing problems.
Written: Oct 23 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, durable, easy depth-of-drive control, uses wide range of nails.
Cons: Longer nails don't drive straight, trigger is flimsy, nose was misaligned, just feels weak.
The Bottom Line: For occassional, non-professional use this is a good finish nailer. It has a fragile trigger and there may be quality-control manufacturing issues, but overall it's served me well.
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| masterbuilder's Full Review: Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer FN250A |
This is really quite a good nailer, but I have a few complaints. After about three years of very heavy use it continues to perform about as well as when I opened the box. But this is not the unalloyed praise it might sound like: when I first bought it the nose was misaligned, as though it had been struck forcefully. I just couldn't return it at the time, and luckily I was able to realign the nose mechanism using a metal vise and hammer and pliers. It works pretty smoothly, but it tends to drive longer nails (2" and 2.5" especially) crooked in hardwoods. If this malfunction is due to the original damage I'll never know, because when I finally got around to trying to get a warranty repair on the nose mechanism they insisted that I must have caused the original damage, and they refused to do a repair for free. Anyway, assuming that all this is MY fault, as I must, I have to say that the nailer generally performs very well. And I was quite satisfied with it until I borrowed a Hitachi 15 guage finish nailer a year ago and learned what finish guns SHOULD feel like: solid, comfortable, streamlined, powerful and accurate. It's very subjective, I know, but if you're going to shoot several thousand nails a day, it's the feeling that counts. If I were buying a new gun today it'd be the Hitachi. For now I'm just waiting for the Porter Cable to wear out so I can move up. Also, the plastic trigger with its exposed wire return spring is fragile and prone to jamming and clogging with sawdust and debris. I've had fewer problems with it than I first expected, but other guns simply have better, tougher, more protected triggers.
On the plus side: The depth-of-drive adjustment is easy (though not really a one-finger operation as the ads say) and accurate, with about 1/4" of movement. This is plenty for any countersinking depth you might want, and can even leave the nail head a bit proud of the work surface if you want. The air exhaust is aimable, which you'll appreciate when working in tight quarters or for the first 50 shots after oiling the piston (yes, a fine cloud of oil can come out the exhaust, and it CAN stain your work).
Overall, I'd say that if you get this gun in good condition and if you do a moderate amount of finish nailing, it'll serve you well. As long as you never borrow a Hitachi you'll never know what you're missing.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
masterbuilder
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Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Father of three, architect, finish carpenter/furnituremaker, writing, reading, hiking, climbing, gardening, cooking.
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