PFL618BR Pneumatic 3-in-1 15.5-Gauge and 16-Gauge 2" Flooring Nailer/Stapler with Flooring Mallet, Interchangeable Base Plates, and Case

Other reviews here go into the features so I won't bother to repeat them. The nailer appears to be well made (certainly equal to my Porter-Cable pneumatic nailers, staplers, etc.) and was well packaged in a useful carrying case with all the necessary accessories. We chose to purchase rather than renting so we could install 1,400 sq ft of hard maple 3/4" flooring over several weekends, also hoping to end up with a tool we could use for another 1,200 sq ft later and then resell. So far we've run about 9,000 cleats through this nailer with zero jams. The only times it has failed to properly set a cleat were clearly due to user error (i.e. not hitting it hard enough or not setting the nailer correctly). It loads easily. It sinks cleats perfectly. Even the provided mallet has held up well. I consider this one of my best tool purchases as it's saved us a huge amount of money on avoided rentals, is easy to use, and has been very reliable. Not sure if I'd recommend it for commercial work (would it hold up for 90,000 cleats?) but for a homeowner this is clearly the best deal available on Amazon. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this unit to friends looking to install hardwood floors and will be loaning mine out soon. Update 8/2011: we've now used this to install hard maple in yet another room (for a total of five, about 1,700 sq ft). For the latest room there was not one jam nor a single cleat that failed to seat. While this nailer may not be up to commercial quality, for DIY use around the home or even shared among friends you can't go wrong. It works well, holds up over time, and is easy to use. I remain quite pleased with the purchase and while I'm not looking forward to starting the hardwood on the second floor (another 1,200 sq ft this winter) this nailer is not among the issues that are keeping me from starting that project. Highly recommended.

I have had this nailer for about a year now and I really like using it. Just like you, I have done a lot of research on various brands and decided for 200 bucks I have to see and try this nailer. It looks very similar to the Bostich brand. When it arrived I looked everything over first and was surprised for this price how everything screamed quality to me. The paint, bolts and instructions were perfect. I oiled it up and started to lay 3/4" rustic white oak t/g flooring. I was using L shaped nails and used them for the whole floor which was about 1,200 sq ft. I had no problems with the nailer and I forgot to mention that the mallet that was provided was of top quality as well. My next job was 800 sq. of oriented strand bamboo prefinished flooring. I used T shaped nails and again not one problem. My next floor was about 1,000 sq. ft. of unfinished red oak. For some reason I have never liked using staples. I have always liked the cleat nails because I feel that they hold better based on there design then the staples, but when I went to my local DIY center they only had staples left. I bought the Bostich brand and so when I got back I loaded them up like the nails and away I went. After the third clip of staples I jammed. This jam required me to take apart some screws in the front which removed the shoe part of the nailer. I got to the problem and noticed it sheared a staple in half the long way. I have never seen that before. This caused the driving pin to stick in the downward striking postion and not come back up. I put everything back in place and thought this was a fluke and back to work I went again. So, nail, nail, nail, etc, then jam again. I went through the same routine 4 times. It was frustrating and I thought the nailer was broken. I was ticked and thought I over paid. I decided to go to another home center and buy L or T shaped nails. I am glad I did, because when I put them in I was back to work and not a jam after that. So, the conclusion for me is that it only works on L and T cleat nails and I am okay with that even though they are more money to buy in the long run compared to staples. Even with that fluke, I would buy this again no questions asked. Great price and overall great quality. Update on 4/1/15 I just want to update how incredible this nailer is that I decided to buy another one. This time from Amazon. The case, hammer and fittings are really well made. The new nailer has nailed down 3,000 Sq ft with no problems and the other Freeman nailer is up to about 8,000 Sq ft. I will repeat one thing though and that it won't nail staples. It shears them off. It is great for L and T leat nails.

I have used this flooring nailer to install hardware flooring in my kitchen and in the adjacent hallway. Comparing to using drill/hammer/nail-set to nail down a flooring board, this flooring nail works great: It is way faster, and it makes much less mistake than my way of using drill/hammer/nail-set. Therefore, it works faster and works better. When you use it to nail a floor board, the floor plank will be forced into close contact with the floor board behind it; hence, closing up any gap. This also makes the result looks much better than otherwise. I don't have a problem using this flooring nailer as long as I remember to do these: (1) Hold down the flooring nailer tight to the floor, otherwise, the recoil can cause the nail not to set all the way. (2) Hit it with authority; otherwise, the nail won't go all the way in. If there is not enough space to hit it well, I moved the obstacle away to make room. If I cannot move the obstacle away, I will have to hold the mallet closer to the weighted end and hit with it in high speed to compensate for the lack of leverage. Please also note that it doesn't need a lot of air to operate. I simply use a 1-hot-dog-style 1/2-hp 1-gallon air compressor to operate this flooring nailer. Of course, sometime I need to wait for the air compressor to catch up. But honestly the air compressor waits for me more than I wait for the air compressor because I simply don't work fast enough. Sorry if you want to find an excuse to upgrade to a bigger air compressor, it is not the one. The case that comes with it has plenty of room inside. I can pack everything inside including one box of flooring nails, a flooring nail set, and some miscellaneous stuff that I don't remember what they are now -- in addition to the flooring nailer itself. Finally, this flooring nailer is cheap as comparing to other named brand. Therefore, it is cheap and good -- just what I like the most.

Great Pneumatic Flooring nailer. I've already used it to nail 200 sq ft of Yanchi Carbonized Strand Woven Bamboo flooring, and it works extremely well. Before I started (as I've had experience installing strand woven bamboo previously), I nailed a test board to ensure I had optimal air pressure setting. There was some initial 'splintering' of the wood (on the tongue), but after adjusting air pressure and the force/tempo of mallet hit, I was able to minimize splintering to almost nil. In my case, 80 psi (unit has recommended range of 70-110 psi) was the best setting. In the 200 sq ft already completed, I experience one jam, but that was my fault. Regardless, the jam was easily fixed (easy access to nail channel by simply lifting clip). It took me 3 days to complete 200 sq feet (I'm not a pro, and took my time), I still have 2 other rooms (~150 sq ft each); by the time I'm done, this purchase will have more than paid for itself (when compared with renting from big box store). From what I can see, it's a solid unit and will last a long time (I'm sure I'll be loaning it out to friends and family for years to come when I'm done with my house). The 7 year warranty is a testament to this company's confidence on the sturdiness and quality of this nailer. Definitely has my recommendation!

I had over 1k sq ft. of hardwood floor laid and not a single misfire. I still had about 500 sq ft to go and confident that will not have an issue. This comes with case and safety goggles which is really a bonus at this price range. I am using 3/4 hardwood, and resting the nailer's other end on another 3/4 hardwood will always make a perfect angled shot. I hope there was a way of fastening a piece of hardwood on the nailer, instead I place another piece parrallel to pieces I am nailing while I move along to prop up the nailer and not worry if it is properly leveled. Of course, i never seen any nailer which has this option but for a DIY guy it is another bonus. Also, i tried calling the customer service for a question and it took me less than a minute to get connected to a person and got my answer.

Tool is amazing. I've done two rooms and a hallway and has yet to jam. I've tried other tools and this is the best hands down and one if the cheapest in price. The bonus is the case it comes in to store. Truly great product. Oh ya, and 7 year warranty.

I'm doing my hardwood floors using the staples and I have done approximately half of the 920 square feet. Not one jam as of yet. A couple of times the staple didn't go all the way in but that's due to a bad hit on my part. I'm using this on 1/2" engineered hardwood and all I had to do is lower the air pressure to 7 1/2.

Worked great for 200 sq. ft. of hardwood flooring I installed. Just make sure you hit the button hard enough with the mallet or you'll get nails not going in all the way. The instructions that were included were poor, but I watched some youtube videos on where the nails went. The carry case that's included is excellent for storing it away.