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Ryobi 18g brad nailer


Maxwell Tyler Ray

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I really wanna purchase one of these and have heard great things from guys on here as well as Tia review of the product..

However I've searched elsewhere(HD.com & Amazon) and came up w some unsettling reviews..

Here's a few of bad reports I've read

-gun quit working completely after less than 100 nails

-firing pin won't go back into fire position

-jams constantly

I saw all these complaints numerously & several saying they are on their 3 or 4 gun return and it's still acting terribly..

My question is could these be from the early production and issues that have been resolved or are any of you guys still hearing these types of complaints??

I'm a professional GC and if this gun isn't made to perform in a contractor setting I'll stick to the compressor & hose!! Jus don't want to find out the hard way!!

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I really wanna purchase one of these and have heard great things from guys on here as well as Tia review of the product..

However I've searched elsewhere(HD.com & Amazon) and came up w some unsettling reviews..

Here's a few of bad reports I've read

-gun quit working completely after less than 100 nails

-firing pin won't go back into fire position

-jams constantly

I saw all these complaints numerously & several saying they are on their 3 or 4 gun return and it's still acting terribly..

My question is could these be from the early production and issues that have been resolved or are any of you guys still hearing these types of complaints??

I'm a professional GC and if this gun isn't made to perform in a contractor setting I'll stick to the compressor & hose!! Jus don't want to find out the hard way!!

I've read the same thing, however there are many that praise it too.....every time I'm at HD I stop and check the nailers out, even put it in the shopping cart and continue to shop but always put it back on my way to the check out.....buyers remorse thing I guess LOL.

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I've read the same thing, however there are many that praise it too.....every time I'm at HD I stop and check the nailers out, even put it in the shopping cart and continue to shop but always put it back on my way to the check out.....buyers remorse thing I guess LOL.

Haha I understand completely!!

I literally did the same thing tonight..I was otw to buy it and 2 batts. And charger..instead I jus pushed the cart down some random isle and left!!

I'm kinda torn thinkin it's prolly too good tobe true but maybe I'll smack myself saying I should have bought one months ago!!

That and I'm really hoping Milwaukee brings one to the table for godsake!!

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I can only speak to my own experience but I've had Ryobi in the past and have moved on to Milwaukee in most areas but I like the Ryobi Brad enough that even if Milwaukee comes out with nailers I still might stick to Ryobi's anyway and save some money. Look at the Rigid nailer, it's basically a brushless version of the Ryobi one for nearly double the money. Even being brushed the Ryobi can put out almost 1k nails through it on one 4.0 battery.

That all being said I do wonder if people have trouble because they use cheap nails with cheap glue gumming them up. All I know is mine's been totally reliable and the only time I've opened the front breach, or whatever you call the lever release to clear jams, was when I first got it to play with it. Who knows maybe there was a bad batch or some people just got some lemons but you can also spend a ton more money on a different one and still get a lemon. It probably wouldn't hurt to lube the firing pin occasionally but I've not even done that myself to be honest.

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I have one of the 18g Airstrikes and so far the things has been very reliable. I think I've ran probably about 750-1000 nails through it so far and I haven't had any major issues, just had one strip of nails that seemed to jam a few times. After the I switched to a different strip I was off and running again with no issues. I would say as long as you give it a real quick wipe down at the end of the day you should be alright and the nailer will be pretty reliable for you.

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I'd say it's more than powerful enough and very very consistent. I've probably used 2" brads more than anything into mostly 3/4" finger joined pine trim and it sinks each and every shot the same. I'm putting the trim over both modern drywall and hard 100 year old plaster. I've even used it on some oak thresholds over old wood flooring and perimeter finishing of brand new hardwood and no problem. It's got a nice thwack sound every time.

I love the brad and look for things to nail with it lol. The only real downside is that it's a little bulkier and heavier than an equivalent air nailer but no compressor along with no noise and annoying hose makes it totally worth it. That and unlike a compressor tool where you might procrastinate pulling it out you just pick it up for a quick job without even thinking about it. I think every manufacturer has a small number of tools that they hit it out of the park and the airstrike is Ryobi's grand slam..

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Thanks for your feedback JerryNY.....I've alway shot trim with a 16 gauge nailer and was interest in the one+ 16 gauge gun but not into spending $350 for gun, batteries and charger.....so maybe the 18 nailer is the way to go. What battery is everyone using?  Didn't mean to hyjack your thread YiKKit ::)

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I have one of the 18g Airstrikes and so far the things has been very reliable. I think I've ran probably about 750-1000 nails through it so far and I haven't had any major issues, just had one strip of nails that seemed to jam a few times. After the I switched to a different strip I was off and running again with no issues. I would say as long as you give it a real quick wipe down at the end of the day you should be alright and the nailer will be pretty reliable for you.

 

Ditto - I've been using one and have shot at least 200-300 of various sizes.  1 1/4 to 2 in  brads and the only issues I've had are with a few suspect strips - Usually the last 3 or 4 in a strip that have been butted up against the magazine follower.  I have had a couple instances where i thought it jammed but in fact I wasn't pressing down quite enough in awkward positions.  So far - it's been spot on for me.

 

 

Have any of you experienced the Ryibi not sinking the nails far enough into the material?  and any comment on the 16 gauge nailer??

 

I've had a couple instances where the nail doesn't sink quite enough but usually when I'm using it on trim areas that aren't quite flat.  But there is an adjustment for that if you're going to be shooting that type of material all day. Or just pop it with a nail set when it doesn't make it.  That works for me.

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I also have it when it was on a HD deal, I like mine so far. I've only driven like 100 nails so far. Idk if I'm doing everything right with it but sometimes it's almost to strong. The difference between having it powered all the way up and all the way down is about 1/8 of an inch through a 2x4 I was testing on. I tried to use it just to tack a cloth up once and it would just shoot through the fabric and sink pretty far into the osb I was using. That being said, I would totally buy one of the other nailers, or staplers from ryobi!

I can send pic of my test when I get home if it helps

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Ok so i committed..got gun and battery/charger kit(since I have nothing ryobi I had to buy in)..total was less than $200!!

I plan do get their newer 4ah pack with fuel gauge if I like the gun enough!!

I of course messed w it some as soon as I got home and love it so far..shot 2" through 3/4 plywood on top of 3/4 shelving (partical board w thick paint coat) and it went through all of it nicely..probably wasted 3-400 brad between some old gummed up 2"ers and the 1 1/4" the gun came with!!!

So far so good but I got a whole house of base and quarter round to install so I'll let the guys put it through a good days work and see how I feel tomorrow evening!!

16axna9.jpg

2myoh3p.jpg

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By the way thanks everyone for the input on this topic!!! Love this forum & everyone in it!!!

Appreciate the feedback pmiller383, Moxy, Hatter512......what batteries you guy's using??

I'm curious as well as to what batteries yall have used with this or the other ryobi air strike guns!!

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Appreciate the feedback pmiller383, Moxy, Hatter512......what batteries you guy's using??

mine came with the compact lithium one shown in YiKKit's.  i think its supposed to be the 1.5 ah model. though my math says its really 1.3333ah (using the 24wh listed on back).

 

Here's my testing i did with 2" nails in the 2x4. According to my little steel rule the nails sticking out are 3/32" out from the surface, which is on lowest power. The ones sunk in were on highest.

 

post-47841-0-63072900-1440642451_thumb.j

 

 

I use Grip Rite brand nails, I like them because they come in a hard plastic case instead of a cardboard box, and in  the future I can just refill it with the cardboard ones.

post-47841-0-31339700-1440642739_thumb.j

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mine came with the compact lithium one shown in YiKKit's.  i think its supposed to be the 1.5 ah model. though my math says its really 1.3333ah (using the 24wh listed on back).

 

Here's my testing i did with 2" nails in the 2x4. According to my little steel rule the nails sticking out are 3/32" out from the surface, which is on lowest power. The ones sunk in were on highest.

 

attachicon.gif20150826_212135.jpg

 

 

I use Grip Rite brand nails, I like them because they come in a hard plastic case instead of a cardboard box, and in  the future I can just refill it with the cardboard ones.

attachicon.gifspin_prod_832136412.jpg

Thanks for the info....

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I pulled the trigger today also on the 18 gauge nailer two batteries and charger, man this addictive LOL......I was kicking around what battery and did see the charger/battery combo pack but my HD was having a sale on the larger batteries for $44 each so I went that route. I'll do some messing around tomorrow.

 

post-51163-0-78314300-1440645780_thumb.j

 

 

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Ok so i committed..got gun and battery/charger kit(since I have nothing ryobi I had to buy in)..total was less than $200!!

I plan do get their newer 4ah pack with fuel gauge if I like the gun enough!!

I of course messed w it some as soon as I got home and love it so far..shot 2" through 3/4 plywood on top of 3/4 shelving (partical board w thick paint coat) and it went through all of it nicely..probably wasted 3-400 brad between some old gummed up 2"ers and the 1 1/4" the gun came with!!!

So far so good but I got a whole house of base and quarter round to install so I'll let the guys put it through a good days work and see how I feel tomorrow evening!!

16axna9.jpg

2myoh3p.jpg

Congrats on the new toys......you posting this thread got me to spend money, thanks :P

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I pulled the trigger today also on the 18 gauge nailer two batteries and charger, man this addictive LOL......I was kicking around what battery and did see the charger/battery combo pack but my HD was having a sale on the larger batteries for $44 each so I went that route. I'll do some messing around tomorrow.

 

attachicon.gifryobionenailer.JPG

Awesome man!! They weren't having any good deals today for me except the battery & charger was $10 off from $59 to $49..

I'd much rather have those batteries though!! I definitely gunna get a few down the road..

Now let's jus hope these things work good for us!!

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Ok so i committed..got gun and battery/charger kit(since I have nothing ryobi I had to buy in)..total was less than $200!!

Enjoy your new purchase. Money goes a long way with Ryobi. The Rigid brad nailer kit with battery is like $330 and $230 for the bare gun. The worst case scenario if you're not satisfied you can always return it but the vast majority of reviews I've seen reflect my own experience in that it's fantastic tool at a great price.

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I pulled the trigger today also on the 18 gauge nailer two batteries and charger, man this addictive LOL......I was kicking around what battery and did see the charger/battery combo pack but my HD was having a sale on the larger batteries for $44 each so I went that route. I'll do some messing around tomorrow.

attachicon.gifryobionenailer.JPG

Those are the 2.5Ah batteries? The Airstrike isn't a particularly battery killing tool. It really is just a tiny air compressed piston so the battery is only used a split second each time. The 4.0 batteries will probably give you around 1k nails per charge but the smaller 2.5 batteries probably still will give you over 600 and shaves off some bulk and weight from a tool that's only real downside is its a little porky.
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