DEWALT20V MAX* Cordless Brad Nailer Kit, 18GA (DCN680D1)

For most people, it's a tough decision whether to buy a brad nailer or a second-fix nailer. To some extent they are interchangeable, but there are some important differences -The Brad and Second Fix are identical, apart from the magazine and tip. The brad magazine takes smaller nails (both in width and length). The magazine is straight, rather than angled. The tip is fine, which allows more accurate positioning of the nail.The second-fix is more popular than the brad because most people who buy it are fitting architrave, skirting board, cladding – slightly heavier jobs, so larger nails are more suitable.The second-fix nailer can not use nails less than 32mm in length, and this may be a deciding factor for you. It was for me.When the tool tip is pushed against wood, some motor or other starts up. Who knows what happens inside the gun, but it fires immediately you pull the trigger and then takes about a quarter of a second to recharge. That’s really fast, allowing it to fire up to four per second in bump mode. It can fire in single mode, which is my normal setting.The gun is obviously noisy, but it is significantly quieter than a standard pneumatic system, and it’s surprisingly powerful. It has no trouble driving a nail in to any wood.Depth is of course adjustable and has a pretty wide range of adjustment.The gun has a safety button to disable accidental operation. I have to say that I never use that, because there is the added safety that the gun will not fire unless the point of the gun is depressed fully.The brad nailer is a lot larger and heavier than a pneumatic gun, but far less hassle. It is expensive, though. You could buy a complete pneumatic setup for less than the cost of the bare gun. Oddly, the brad nailer is more expensive than the second-fix nailer. I suspect this is because the second-fix nailer is more popular.There are LEDs that light up the workpiece when the tip is pushed against the wood. These are nice and bright. They also flash if there is a jam. Removing a jam is a two-second job. Once removed, there is a button on the side of the gun to reset the flashing LEDs and resume work.The one thing you must be sure of with this tool is to register it for the guarantee. The forces involved in driving nails are pretty high, and the hammer itself and the return spring do damage from time to time. They are expensive! You want them replaced for free! The downside is that the guarantee is only one year.The brad nailer will fit in any TSTAK case (unlike the second-fix nailer which won’t fit in any). The official case is a large case with a foam liner that will cost you an arm and a leg. In fairness, if you want the gun 100% protected, this is the way to go. I used a standard case which fits just fine but will not take the special foam insert. You have to make one yourself. That’s great for the Blue Peter generation, but no so great for everyone else. The bag certainly is a good plan for normal humans.For the professional, it’s a no-brainer. I can’t think of any reason why you would not buy one of these. For a DIY’er or someone who works in a workshop all the time, it’s a little different. You may prefer the lower cost and greater flexibility of a pneumatic system. The only real downside to pneumatic is that it’s noisy. If you have pets, then you may want to avoid that!Very highly recommended.

Just what you would expect off DeWalt