Makita impulse framing nailer

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deepcapture
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Makita impulse framing nailer

Post by deepcapture »

This is pretty much a copy of the old paslode gun (there's a new model that I didn't buy because I hated the original Paslode). Right down to the plastic battery slot, which is the same size as the paslode, but has a nasty rubber insert to accept the smaller batteries.
It does have a few advances over the paz, but performs almost the same.
By this, I mean that it fires fairly regularly, but will occasionally fire nothing but firing pin. You can tell when it's going to do this by the pitch of the fan, most of the time.
One thing this nail gun does have above the paslode is three times the battery life, with only 30 minutes charging time, and a quarter the battery size and weight (7.2 Li-ion). It seems to get more life out of a fuel cell as well.
It also allows you to slide a strip of nails in behind the magazine clip before pulling it back. It won't stay there until you slide the clip back, but it is much more natural than the Paslode style of pulling back the clip before sliding in your next strip of nails. Doesn't sound like much, but having used Senco pneumatic nailers for years, it does help.
It is easy to clean, pretty much the same as the paslode, remove six screws and it breaks in two. All you need is a rag and some WD40.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It will do the job, but it is not reliable. It doesn't jam as much as a paslode, but for performance and ease of use, there is nothing better than the Senco impulse nailer we currently use, which is about the same price (AU$750, about 450GBP).
The Senco fires a nail every time, has batteries a third the size of the paslode, and rarely jams. It is very hard to clean, however. And the batteries on the early models were rubbish. Luckily the warranty got us replacements.

The only other thing the Makita gun has going for it is the bonuses you get when you buy one.
I got a free impact driver, several screwdriver bits to go with it, a ridiculously large pair of safety glasses, a makita drink bottle and a padded belt pouch. Plus a scratchie card that yielded $30 worth of drill bits.
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ultimatehandyman
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Re: Makita impulse framing nailer

Post by ultimatehandyman »

Great review again :thumbright:
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deepcapture
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deepcapture
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Re: Makita impulse framing nailer

Post by deepcapture »

ultimatehandyman wrote:Great review again :thumbright:
Thanks :wink:

If anyone's interested, the Senco is the GT90CH model, and I forgot to mention that it also has the same magazine as the senco pneumatic nailers, albeit, made from aluminium (or possibly magnesium) rather than steel, with a plastic clip.
It accepts about 2 and a half strips of nails (one more than either the paslode or the makita) and won't lose them if you don't clip them in. You can also see almost down to the muzzle, so there's no guessing at how many nails you've got left.
I probably should give it a proper review some time :-)
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Re: Makita impulse framing nailer

Post by keveljay »

Has anyone checked out the GN900SE lately? Axminster at £299, but found this Dead link removed at £279 - looks a boss item and takes 51 - 90mm clipped heads.
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