I am a flooring contractor and after using $480 flooring nailers for the past 7 years, I can say this is well worth it. My previous nailer bit the dust in the middle of a job and I rented one from "rip off Depot" and after spending $70 on a day and a half rental I figured I would order this one to at least get me past this flooring job and then cross my fingers for the next. I can honestly say that this is as good or better than both of my Bostich staple nailer and cleat nailer (each over $450!!!). Also, keep this in mind, all these nailers are made in China, none are made in the USA anymore. Bostich or aka Stanley used to make their nailers in the USA and it was worth the price but they have since fired all they american laborers and have not lowered their prices dispite the 1/4 cost of building the nailer since being built in China, now they are made in China for about 1/4 the cost and the rest is now in the wallets of CEO's of Stanley/Bostich so it really doesn't matter anymore( damn shame to). Stanley /Bostich is simply riding on their name. All the brands are pretty much the same now a-days unfortunetly. The 7 year warranty caught my eye and is key. This is definetly a no brainer. Here are a few obvious perks ...
Freeman Nailer ($190) 7 year warranty - Bostich - ($470 +) 7 year warranty
Freeman Nailer T, L & Staples ($190) Bostich - Staples only! want L cleats? Spend another $470 ($960+)
Freeman Made in China Bostich - Made in China
Freeman Decent durable plastic Carrying Case Bostich - Cardboard Box & some used tape
Freeman Parts - Aluminum Bostitch Parts - "aircraft grade aluminum" i.e. ...um, Aluminum!
Freeman Rubber Mallet, Oil, wrenches Bostich - Rubber Mallet
The bottom line is this: If this Freeman nailer gets me past 5 years of service then It did the job and I made an Excellent investment. If it gets me past 2 years than I still made out. Not to mention they also have a seven year warranty and I did call their support before hand and tell them I had a broken one and they said they would send me a new one with shipping sticker to send old one back ( I always do this with expensive tools), so they seem to be standing behind their warranty. Also, this nailer shoots three different type of nails! So save your $280 for something else nad buy the Freeman. Only thing they need to do now is make the damn thing in the USA then I would REALLY be impressed and give the 5 stars! Also, "Aircraft grade Aluminum" is like saying my t- shirt is made of "aircraft grade cotton" ... there are 15 grade types of Aircraft aluminum and guess what- even Harbor Frieght tools are technically "aircraft grade Aluminum". Once again Bostich/Stanley is trying to screw with our heads, banking on hte name and robbing you blind. Freeman PFL618BR 3-in-1 Pneumatic Flooring Nailer
Great price, beats renting that's why i got it obviously.
Did about 1,200sqf on the first job with a few jams (probably not oiling enough) but that wasn't a problem.
Very nice finish on the gun, handles great.
On the second job the piston or whatever is inside just wouldn't return the actuator and is audibly leaking air. I think i was just hitting this thing to hard and it couldn't take the abuse. Not sure what broke down. The website says 7 years limited warranty.
I would love a replacement but now i have to ship it to the company (not Amazon, which sucks) so not sure if it is worth the time and the fees involved. It already cost me time to drive around and rent a replacement, then drive to return it. Probably spent double already with all the stoppages.
If you are doing a small project (a room or two) then this is definitely your tool.
If another job comes about i will be probably considering something more heavy duty. Still undecided if I will go through with the repair process.
Reliability is more important then an eye catching price. That applies to all products, doesn't matter if it was made in China or say Ohio.
-- update
Very, very, very good customer service. Got the tool replaced in 3 days no hassle whatsoever.
Invested about 1/3 the price of a name brand pneumatic flooring nailer and installed about 3500 square feet of hardwood flooring without a hitch. No miss fires, jams and worked to perfection. Light weight, easy to load and built solid. Would recommend with no problem
I purchased 900 sq. feet of hardwood flooring to replace some worn carpeting in our house and decided to try installing it myself. Since I was doing the job over several weeks, renting a flooring nailer at $30/day was not practical so I decided to purchase one. I purchased the Freeman based on the reviews, reasonable cost, warranty and availability of replacement parts. The gun arrived in a nice case with a sturdy hammer and an easy to understand manual. I never had a nail jam and the gun worked great but about halfway through the first room the driver blade failed to retract after firing a nail. This happened a few times despite making sure the tool was oiled before operation. It could sometimes be remedied by pulling back on the magazine spring, but I did have to remove the drive guide a couple of times to correct it.
I called Freeman's 800 number and spoke with a very helpful person who suggested I try a test involving my compressor and call back with the results. Unfortunately, the problem persisted. When I called back again I was told that they were very sorry I experienced problems with their product and they would replace the nailer and send me a return shipping label for the defective tool. I was expecting to get the label in the mail, return the defective tool and then get the replacement as that is how most companies operate. I was very surprised to have a brand new nailer arrive a few days later with the return shipping label enclosed. This is clearly a company that stands behind their products with outstanding customer service. The other reviewers of this nailer reported trouble free operation but problems can occur with any tool, even the most expensive. I can recommend buying any Freeman tool with confidence because of the 7 year warranty and a company that truly backs it up with great customer support. I gave the tool 5 starts despite the glitch because of my positive experience with customer service. I also purchased a Freeman PFN64 Finish Nailer for my project that has performed flawlessly.'
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