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Overall Rating

Pneumatic Palm Nailer
Rated 5 stars.

Overall Rating

Great construction tool
Bostitch PN100 Impact Nailer

Operation:

This tool will drive virtually any bulk nail, the kind sold by the pound. The smallest nail Bostitch recommends is a 5d (d=penny, a term that refers to nail size). Bostitch claims the maximum size is 75d, but the head on those huge nails won’t fit in any of the nose-pieces that Bostitch offers. However, I’ve used it on 6d to 20d nails with great success.

Insert the nail into the PN100’s “nose”, where a built-in magnet holds it. Hold the nailer with either hand, press the point of the nail into the material; when the tool senses the pressure, a fast-acting piston cycles the hammer which drives the nail. It sounds like a Tommy Gun. You can drive a 20d nail in about one second, depending on wood hardness. You can also start the nail with a hammer then put the PN100 on that nail, or, hold the nail with your fingers (risky), or hold the nail with another tool (e.g., pliers).

The tool is sold by itself with the standard nose only, or in kit form. The kit includes a wrench to change from the standard nose to the included finishing nail nose or an oversized nose for nails with large heads, spare O rings, a spare magnet, oil, a leather tool cover (improves grip and comfort), and a custom case to protect the tool and accessories.

Pros:

- Particularly useful in confined spaces, such as between joists, hard to reach nails, odd angles, overhead, etc. You only need space for the tool and nail, plus room for your hand on the tool. Except for a small pin nailer, most nail guns take more space to operate than this palm nailer. Swinging a hammer takes even more space.

- For applications such as installing lots of joist hangers, this tool is ideal. If you’re building a deck for example, this tool could “pay” for itself on that one job.

- The tool is not heavy and it is comfortable to hold in your hand, especially with the leather cover attached (which comes with the kit).

- Works on things other than driving new nails. E.g., to drive in the built-in spike on joist hangers, nail heads that aren’t in all the way, pointed ends of nails that are poking out in the wrong place, etc.

- Substantially quicker and easier than swinging a hammer, improving productivity. Drives large nails flush in less than a second, in a machine-gun burst of energy. Depending on the job, nailing could be four or five times faster than with a hammer.

- This tool shines when nailing into engineered lumber (e.g., laminated beams) or lumber in old houses, which is frequently denser than new construction lumber. The first few times I used the PN100, WOW was the word that came to mind.

- For us older guys, swinging a hammer for hours one end is murder on your muscles. With the PN100, your hand might tingle after extensive use, but that’s about it.

- Tool appears to be excellent quality, but it will be years before I could attest to longevity.

- Simple to operate. There are no buttons or switches. There is no depth control either; when the nail is flush, it stops banging.

- Should be safer than a nail gun that is connected to an air hose, since YOU insert the nails one at a time; i.e., there is no supply of nails in the gun to have an accident with. In any case, it’s probably best to not leave a nail in an unattended gun with an air hose connected.

- Can change nail size/type immediately, since there is no magazine; e.g., any nail with a head up to .42″ (+/-) will fit in the standard nose.

- The standard nose seems to fit most bulk nails.

Cons:

- This tool is VERY loud, especially in a confined space. Wear hearing protection, even if driving only one nail.

- Of course, you will need an air compressor, as for any air nailer. Any size tank compressor should work. I mostly use a 3/4 HP Thomas portable air compressor with an operating air pressure between 100 and 125 psi. When driving lots of large nails, I frequently have to wait for that small compressor to catch up. With a larger compressor, waiting would be less of an issue.

Other:

- This tool is most practical for projects where “hammer” dimples won’t be an issue; i.e., rough work such as house framing. It can be used for interior work, as long as you can deal with hammer dents, sometimes several dents per nail. (Dents are 3/16″ in diameter, the size of the PN100 “hammer”.) One way to avoid the dents is to pull back on the tool before the nail is driven home. You need lightning fast reflexes to do this, as the PN100 drives a nail very quickly. Personally, I use finish nailers or other methods whenever dents would be a problem.

- For professionals or anyone that drives thousands of nails, this tool will not replace speciality nail guns. Roofing nailers, pin nailers, framing nailers, trim nailers, etc., are still best for their intended application, most of the time.

- Some nails will bend, but not nearly as often as with a hammer, in my experience. Bends occur most often on smaller nails in hard wood, or if the tool isn’t straight-on with the nail.

- Good value on Amazon, as our local Home Depot charges $80 for the non-kit version.

- Before using, you need to install a 1/4″ quick disconnect fitting and lightly oil the tool. The only maintenance is an occasional oiling.

- If you jar the tool, the hammer could stop in mid-stroke, making the tool inoperable. All you have to do is whack the back of the tool with the palm of your hand to un-stick it. My PN100 was stuck when I first tried to use it, but hasn’t stuck since.

- The fitting that holds the nose on my tool was so tight, I had to put the tool in a wood vise and use a very large Crescent wrench to loosen it the first time.

Anyone planning a large construction project (new house, renovation, addition, deck, etc.) should consider buying this tool.