Changed my mind about cheap brad nailers after a job in Tulsa

Honestly, I used to think a $30 brad nailer was fine for trim work. I was on a kitchen cabinet job in Tulsa last month, running shoe molding along the base. The gun kept jamming every third shot, then on the fifth jam, it fired two nails at once and split the trim right in half. Customer saw it happen and I had to wait an extra day for new stock. That mistake cost me about $80 in materials and a half day of labor. Now I use the Metabo HPT nailer my buddy loaned me and it hasn't jammed once. Anyone else learn this the hard way with cheap nailers?

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brian_kelly913mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain. I had a similar moment with a cheap Harbor Freight nailer on a job, swore I'd never go back. It's like those bargain tools have a sixth sense for finding the worst possible moment to fail, right in front of a customer. Splitting that trim is a special kind of heartbreak. I bet that Metabo HPT is now your new best friend and you probably give it a little pat before you start every job. Lesson learned, but man, what a costly way to learn it.

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