Normally I wouldn't bother with a gun for pins this small, but my elbow has been acting up, and faced with a lot of detail nailing for glue up I went looking for a pin nailer. As luck would have it, I had an opportunity to compare several. One of these was the Senco.
I have several Senco nailers and like them all but I find that, while the heavy duty Senco nailer are trustworthy machines, the light duty models are a bit underbuilt. This is the case with the Senco FinishPro 10. It worked fine most of the time, but when pinning from underneath it jammed several times in a series of about 150 shots. That is the first time I've had that problem with a Senco, and it's a pain to unjam.
Another thing I didn't like about this gun was the lack of a safety. This is as much a hobbyist's gun as it is anything else, which means it will get used by folks who aren't used to this kind of tool. Flying 23 gauge pins can do serious damage even if they are small. I also didn't like having to manually set pin length - something I'm a cinch to forget (more jams). One characteristic of all of the guns in this category is the need to operate them at full pressure if you want to drive the pin below the surface. And that isn't always effective.
My conclusion is that Senco's decision to make this an inexpensive tool kept it from being of the same high quality as Senco's other nailers. If price is your main driver the FP 10 will do, but if you need a high level of dependability, look further. Senco FinishPro 10 1/2-Inch to 1-Inch 23-Gauge Micro Pinner
I installed some cabinetry at home and used this tool beased on the reviews here to attach the scribes and delicate trim to these expensive hard maple cabinets. It worked like a charm. Never misfired, set the pins perfectly, no botched pins or split wood. Can't even see the holes, so its easier than gluing or puttying holes for an 18 gage nailer. The nails/pins should be loaded one way only, and a few drops of oil at the beginning of the project keeps this gun performing flawlessly. No problems whatsoever.
I bought this to fasten window trim into a timber framed glass wall I built. I had some really tiny windows in the wall that only had room for a nail gun with a max size of 7". I used this tool and it worked perfect. I have since used it for all sorts of stuff like nailing really small trim and shooting some "temporary" pins in odd shaped things I am gluing up so that I could attach a clamp. The nail holes are reall small and you probably don't need to patch the holes unless you are painting the finish product white. I have used this tool on just about every job I've done in the last few months. If you do any finish carpentry, you really should have one of these.
I bought this micro pinner for rustic work. I build alot of Adirondack rustic style items which require small diameter twigs to be fastened. Brad nailers are often too large for the job, and hand nailing with small brads is tricky at best. This pinner is absolutely perfect! I have been able to fasten twigs as small as 1/8" diameter to plywood and other wood surfaces with absolutely no splitting (of course it's a little tricky to get the pin centered in a twig this small). The little pins also have a pretty good amount of holding power.The Senco FP 10 is very light, has a nice design, and is a breeze to use. However, I was very surprised, and somewhat disappointed to find that, unlike my other Senco Nailers, this one is Taiwanese. I purchased it because I knew the Porter Cable was Taiwanese, and I wanted an American made product like my other Sencos. Given that the FP 10 is advertised as a professional tool, I never would have expected it to be an import.Only time will tell if it holds up as well as other Senco nailers.The other disappointment is that you need to oil this nailer, again, unlike other Senco products.All in all, for the price and for what it is designed to do, the tool is a good buy. Senco, of course, does not include any fasteners in the box, nor do they include a cap for the 1/4" NPT fitting (which IS included). The oil bottle is very small, so purchase your fasteners when you purchase the nailer and get extra oil while you're at it.
For those of you who are experiencing jamming, look at a strip of your fasteners and you'll notice several black "arrows". These "arrows" on the fastener strip must be facing down (away from the tool). Once this is done, the fasteners are loaded properly. If not, you will experience jamming. Also, make sure you adjust the height slide tool on top of the fastener magazine to correspond with the lenght of micro pins you are using.
I install high end kitchens for a living. A pin nailer is a necessity for me, but I am still waiting for a good one to come out. I would pay triple the cost of this thing if they would come out with one that doesn't jam or misfire all the time. Picture this, you're holding that crown moulding you just painstakingly cut to perfection and set in place...you hold it with one hand, apply your glue, grab the pinner and while holding both pieces together with one hand you gently ease the pinner to the perfect spot...squeeze slowly and pop. Pull the pinner back, let go and the pieces fall apart. Because the most frustrating tool in your box misfired AGAIN. I swear...I'd trade my new truck for a pinner that worked well.But, like I said...can't live without one.
As a trim carpenter I've used a lot of brad nailers, looking for the best results. When it comes to pinning delicate trim, such as scribe, 1/4" rope molding, or screen molding, even 18 guage brads are often too think and split the material. Not so with this 23 guage pinner. It's perfect for delicate work. I've even started using to install pre-finished crown molding in kitchens, the holes left are so small that I often don't have to putty, and even when the putty doesn't match well, it's nearly impossilbe to find the holes afterward. I highly recommend this gun to anyone who is concerned about the appearnce of nail holes on their finished work. And it's Senco, so you know it will stand up to the test of time and the punishment of constant use. - Nailer - 23 Gauge - Finish Nailer - Grex'
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