C.R. LAURENCE SG70038 CRL Air Filter, Regulator, and Lubricator

• Operates from 0-160 PSI
• Includes Oiler
• 1/4" NPT Fittings

At 135lbs it does leak slightly from the plastic cap on top center between two polycarbonate bowls. I lose about 5lbs an hour. Set the line pressure but depending the pressure in compressor, the line pressure can vary and not stay stable. Better than some cheap ones i've had, if I wanted to spend $200 plus i'm sure I could find better.

Porter-Cable CFFN250N 16-Gauge Finish Nailer 18-Gauge Brad Nailer Compressor Combo Kit

This kit is my first exposure to air tools, so this review is aimed at fellow novices. Here's some information that's not included in the Amazon.com product description or the product manuals.

There's no manual for the combo kit. There is a manual for the air compressor and for each of the two included nailers. The serial number for the compressor is what you'll use when you register the kit, which you can do either by mail or at Porter-Cable's web site.

The air compressor has a standard 120V 3-prong grounded power cord. Many larger compressors use a non-standard 3-phase cord in either 120V or 240V. But you'll need a full 15A circuit, so find one that's got no other devices drawing current, or a lightly-loaded 20A circuit.

The compressor's drain valve isn't as depicted in the manual. The manual shows an extension "T" handle. The drain valve on my compressor is just a knurled brass barrel. Turn it counterclockwise by hand to open it.

Included with the compressor are a 25' hose, a male 1/4" quick connector end, a female (brass) quick connector end, and a spool of Teflon plumber's tape. There are no extra parts; you'll need all of these to get started. Wrap a couple of turns of Teflon tape around the threads and screw the female quick connector end on one extreme of the hose, and the male quick connector end at the other extreme. There's no instruction about how much pressure you need; I used a 6" crescent wrench on the connector and held the hose by hand. (That seemed to work fine, as I didn't damage anything or have any air leaks when I hooked it up.) Insert the male quick connector end of the assembled hose into the female quick connector on the air compressor. You'll need to pull back the barrel of the female quick connector to make the connection. Repeat on the other end, inserting the male quick connector end that's already attached on the nailer into the female quick connector end you attached to the hose.

Each of the two nailers includes a box of 1000 nails. These are of middling size (2") for the finish nailer and maximum size (1 1/4") for the brad nailer. Both nailers include 1/4" male quick connectors (attached) but their manuals mention that you'll get better performance with 3/8" connectors (not included). The connectors come with dust covers to keep them clean when not attached to your hose. The safety features work well, requiring you to depress the safety shoe against the nailing surface before the nailer will fire. The nailers also won't fire when there's inadequate air pressure; with the small compressor included you may need to wait a few seconds after firing a dozen nails in quick succession.

Each nailer comes with a "single sequential actuation" trigger; you can also get a "contact activation" trigger, at no additional charge, by calling Porter-Cable's toll-free (in the U.S. and Canada) phone number and reading the serial numbers off your nailers. Estimate 10 days for the alternate triggers to arrive.

The two nailers worked just fine for me right out of the box. The nails seated to just the right depth without any fiddling when the nailer was held perpendicular to the softwood I was working with. They're quieter than I was expecting, too -just a quick hiss when wearing good hearing protection.

I found the compressor to be shockingly loud compared to the deep rumblings of larger compressors. I went to the other end of the house to get away from the noise during the REQUIRED 15-minute compressor break-in cycle. Even wearing hearing protection when using the finish nailer (as instructed by the nailer manual; eye protection is a must, too) I was startled when the compressor started up. This is a SMALL compressor. It has a maximum 135 PSI pressure, which is enough for most any air tool. But the flow rate is below that required by many tools: only 2.6 CFM at 90 PSI. It's enough for the nailers but you'll need to upgrade if you want to expand your air tool collection beyond these nailers. On the plus side, there's no maintenance required other than to open the drain valve when you're done with the compressor.

Summary: Very good nailers, and an adequate compressor to run these nailers. A really good starter set if you want to spiff up the trim in your house. Just be mindful that the compressor is going to be the limiting factor if your air tool aspirations grow.

This combo nail gun/air compressor set is a great product combination and wonderful value. I really like it. Each nail gun comes complete with a sturdy plastic carry case, a supply of nails, and tool oil. Everything comes pretty much ready to use. Just break in the air compressor (which only takes 15 minutes) and you are ready to go. The air compressor moves around from vibration when it starts up I had to put it on a rubber mat to keep it from scooting along my basement floor. It probably wouldn't be a problem on a job site where the floor is not so smooth. The guns load easily. I used the finish nailer to build a display rack for my wife and had no mis-fires or jams using Porter-Cable nails. (I bought the B & C nails that Amazon advertised for these guns, but after later reading the negative reviews about them, I have been reluctant to use them don't waste your money on them like I did you can buy Porter-Cable nails at local big name home centers, which are not all that expensive).

This is a great value and well worth the money spent. However, UPS handling has gotten so bad with heavier items that you will be taking a chance by buying it online.

Buy Porter-Cable CFFN250N 16-Gauge Finish Nailer 18-Gauge Brad Nailer Compressor Combo Kit Now

Porter-Cable has put together the ultimate trim package. I bought the brad nailer/compressor combo about 2 years ago, then bought the FN250 about a year later. I just finished trimming out my new house, and everything worked flawlessly. This package would have saved me about $80.

The compressor can easily support 2 guns running simultaneously without cycling constantly. Both guns have depth-of-drive wheels which are simple and accurate. And the fastener range (5/8 to 1-1/4 inch for the BN125, 3/4 to 2-1/2 inches for the FN250) should handle almost any job you have. For this price, you can't pass this up.

Read Best Reviews of Porter-Cable CFFN250N 16-Gauge Finish Nailer 18-Gauge Brad Nailer Compressor Combo Kit Here

It's hard to imagine how you'd get a better deal on a quality compressor and nailers. I bought this combo to do the trim and finish work on a significant addition to our house. I've since added a crown stapler, so I've been working the compressor pretty hard.

The positives:

Both nailers are top quality tools. If you read the woodworking mags, both the brad and the finish nailer are rated in the top 3 in all of the 3 tests I've read.

They do everthing as advertised. I especially appreciate the ability to very precisely place brads due to the rearward design of the safety foot. I've never jammed either nailer.

The compressor works and it's nice to have a small compressor that develops 135 PSI. Read the fine print carefully on other compressors and you see that many smaller units only go to 90 or 100 PSI.

The compressor is surprisingly fast for a small portable unit. It goes from 0 to 135 in just a few minutes. I can drive crown staples into subflooring at 100 PSI as fast as I can pull the trigger and I still can't staple fast enough to make the compressor run constantly. It's faster than I am.

Now a few minor complaints. As previously mentioned, the drain valve is in an awkward location in the back of the unit. Basically, I have to turn the compressor on it's head every time to find the stupid valve. Why not put it in front?

The biggest issue by far is this: The unit is loud. In a new additon job site where the room is sheetrocked, but with no carpet or other stuff to deaden the sound, it's uncomfortably loud. Even in a large room, after a while it bothers me. I will add that this is a common issue with oil-free compressors, but it is a problem still.

Finally, the real proof for me is longevity.

Update Feb 2008: I've had this a couple of years now, and it's still going strong. I've driven tens of thousands of nails, staples, and roofing nails. The compressor has basically outlasted all my expectations, this is a solid unit and deserves praise.

I would consider myself in the heavy home user category. I'm not a pro, but I think I use things like this more than the average homeowner because I did all the trim, finish, and flooring work in a 6 room addition. I'd recommend this combo set to anyone because after 2 years, it's still delivering.

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Two friends and I just finished building a 1350 square foot cabin in the mountains. We used ONLY this combo set plus a framing nailer that one of my buddies already owned. We put down over 9,000 linear feet of pine tongue and groove v-joint and all pine flooring, using the finish nailer that came with the set for 99% of the work. We used over 21,000 nails and neither the nailer nor the compressor ever hiccupped a single time.

HIGHLY recomend.

In-Line Air Flow Regulator 1/4In F x 1/4 In M NPT w/ Gage

• 1/4fx1/4m inln regulator
• To regulate air pressure to air tools from full flow to complete shut-off
• Use as shut-off valve for air and noncorrosive liquids
• 1/4" Female NPT x 1/4" Male NPT.

This unit is well made and the pressure gage is pretty accurate. Using this with compressor to winterize Motor home plumbing; does this job well. Easily attached air hose fittings. Surface mail shipping, however, was very slow.

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3/4" Water Pressure Regulator

• 300 PSI max. inlet pressure
• 200 deg. F. max.
• Regulates pressure down to 45 PSI
• Buna-N disc & diaphragm
• Iron body & spring chamber

Unlike most of the non adjustable regulators they sell for RVs, this universal regulator is easily adjusted and has a great flow rate, unlike the cheapo ones you can buy at the usual RV places. Though you'll need to add fittings and a gauge, it is worth getting a great shower.

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Surebonder 9600, Heavy Duty Staple Gun with Case

• Use Surebonder #4 series, Arrow T-50 series or Stanley TRA700 series Heavy Duty Staples
• Drives 1/4" through 9/16" heavy duty staples
• Safety mechanism prevents accidental firing
• Quick release magazine for easy loading
• Adjustable air exhaust and staple viewer

I purchased this Surebonder 9600 stapler to use for completing an exterior remodeling job involving a lot of aluminum trim. I considered electric staplers but I needed the ability to finely regulate the striking force to make sure that the staples didn't shoot all the way through the aluminnum as well as that they didn't end up getting only partially sunk. Electric staplers don't provide very good regulation compared to an pneumatic/air tools. This stapler worked great. Worth every penney of its ridiculously cheap price. As far as I know Surebonder is the only company making an air powered stapler that is compatible with standard Arrow T50 fine wire staples. I highly recommend this product.

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Surebonder 9600 Pneumatic Fine Wire Staple Gun with Carrying Case

Picked this up for 28.60 shipped. I loaded standard, easy to find, Arrow T-50 narrow crown staples in and set my compressor to 100 psi (max it's rated for) since that is what my roofing gun likes to run at. This way I can run both guns off one tank setting on the roof. I sent two drops of pneumatic gun oil down the inlet. I also added a ball swivel connector (Lowes or Amazon) so that the hose flops around more freely off the gun. I then ran 200 staples through it into very old and hard fir and some super old oak at an unrealistic pace (fast as I and it could go) and it only fired a blank twice. What a great little machine. I need to restretch Harley seat leather on a plastic pan so I tested it on an old plastic pan with perfect results.

I'll add to this review for durability ratings after I've done an entire house roof with felt and batt insulation later this year, but with it's compact and sturdy construction I think it'll be fine for those applications. I have a lot of expensive quality tools, and this inexpensive little gun is going to probably turn into one of my favorites because it'll remind me that now and then you don't have to break the bank to get something that works the way it should. Great buy.

UPDATE: ONE YEAR AND ONE HOUSE LATER. This tool has never let me down and has been used extensively. It spent a lot of time on the roof getting tossed around. Insulation is a breeze a standard hammer tacker is just too brute force around insulation. Bunch of other little projects. Tough little guy. It has jammed only once in thousands of staples and it was due to the air pressure being much too low, not the gun. If you shoot a blank, its about 99.9% certain you didn't have the little tongue depressed all the way.

Only one problem this thing shoots staples so quickly and easily that you tend to blast through more staples than you need to.

UPDATE 21Mar2010: Still banging staples, and a pleasure to hook up to the hose. What a great little gun. Did that Harley seat modification and it worked fine sinking staples in the plastic seat pan. Have had three 'all-stop' jams in not less than 20,000 staples. One was the previously mentioned low air pressure. The others give the same result (a little piece of staple stuck on the firing pin). It is very obvious but it takes a little operation to pick that little wedged piece out of there. A non-issue really as the jams were simple to clear and who knows why the staples exploded... did they hit a nail, or was that particular staple a reject? I'll take one of those jams every now and then for a roughly thirty dollar gun, and 20k staples.

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Got this redo the seats on my jetskis. Works great. No more pushing like crazy to compensate for the kickback on electric staplers. I redid one seat w/ an electric and had probably 10% bad inserts. The seat base is pretty thick plastic and the staples loved to turn if you didn't give it major push when firing, but even then sometimes wouldn't go. No worries with this guy. Did a big seat and didn't have a single bad insert. Just hold this in place and let it rip, no upper body workout required. I've probably shot about 700 staples and it hasn't jammed yet or let a staple turn strange (except when I had bad angle, basically my fault). I'd definitely buy this again.

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So far I am happy with my 9600. It works great on many surfaces. But do not buy the staples with it. The ones Amazon advertised to go with the 9600 are surebonder 300-38-5m 3/8-inch 22 gauge upholstry staples. They DO NOT FIT. Amazon change your ad!!!! F.Y.I. go to a home improvement store and by the Arrow T-50 staples. They FIT and work great and are available in multiple lengths as well as light duty to heavy duty, Arrow also makes a rustproof staple!

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I am a DIYer and using this stapler to install insulation in the basement ceiling. The stapler is light and compact, and has worked perfectly well for me, no misfires. I have Milwaukee and Senco nailers, both high quality, and this stapler has so far worked as well as either of those, for a fraction of the price. The company has also re-worked their instruction manual so that it is now written in comprehensible English. The Arrow T50 staples I used worked just fine. Perhaps the only down side to this stapler is the capacity. It is so easy to use that I have fired more staples than the job might require, towards ensuring the insulation stays where I installed it. While Surebonder has a similar gun with greater staple capacity, at a slightly higher price, I am happy with mine despite having to replenish staples more frequently.

Update 11/24/08:

After approx 3,000 staples, the unit crapped out. I was 97% complete with a project stapling insulation to the basement ceiling and the unit seized and would no longer staple. Fortunately I had the old reliable Arrow stainless steel manual stapler to finish the 100 or so staples that completed my project. The Surebonder was great while it lasted, making my job so much easier, but 8 days and 3,000 staples later, I have an ungainly paperweight rather than a pneumatic stapler.

After advising Amazon of my plight and being told by them to go away, and contact the manufacturer, I had little choice but to do just that. I contacted the manufacturer to advise of my problem, and to my delight, they responded right away with an offer to repair the stapler. I was surprised at Amazon, but the manufacturer made up for it with their handling of the situation. Kudos to them.

Wel-Bilt Air Needle Scaler - 5 CFM, 90 PSI

• Short barrel air hammer

The mere fact that this product exists is really the most helpful. I had to clean paint from old cast iron radiators. All the scroll work etc. took days and hours with our previous strategy of scrapers and dentil picks. This tool is great. However it starts to leak air after about 2 hours of continuous use and only works intermittently. That was kind of frustrating. I'd have gone with a better made scaler if I'd have known that. You have to give the tool a break for a couple of hours, then its back to normal operation. Really handy, Love the pistol grip for the job that I had. And even with the problems I had, it saved me days of work and did a very nice job.

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I was looking for a sandblaster when I read the reviews about this product. Like the previous reviewer, I had an old radiator to strip. I have stripped others with sandblasting, but had to build an enclosure to try and keep the surrounding area half way clean. Using the scaler, the job was faster and much cleaner. I was able to use a small Makita compressor, rather than a larger capacity unit. I did have to occassionally wait for the pressure to build, but this was a small price to pay for the convenience of using a more portable compressor. Unlike the previous reviewer, I had no trouble with the tool after hours of continuous use.

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I have tested this scaler but I have yet to put it to work on any large pieces. Looking forward to giving it it's first workout.

Solberg FS-04-038, Miniature Filter Silencer/Breather for Compressors & Blowers, 3/8" MPT,

• Increase lifespan of equipment
• Reduce noise levels
• Decrease maintenance costs

This size filter is adequate for a 6 gallon compressor.

The next size up will also fit.

The filter media is replaceable and the supplier shipped quickly.

Northern Industrial Tools Air Tool Accessory Kit - 18-Pc. Set

I bought this to replace a similar tool that had been borrowed from me--yeah, yeah, I know--because it had the rubber nozzle end for the blower. I really like having that soft end, and this unit also came with other attachments that made it seem like it was going to be wonderful. WRONG! When I attached it to the compressor, the rubber nozzle blew off the end and now it won't go back on securely. The threads on the various parts are stiff and tightening them makes you nervous because you feel like maybe they won't be able to be removed if you use the force necessary to attach them. Bad machine work is all that is. I usually think of Northern Industrial as a quality supplier. This piece gave them a black eye in my book.

Rolair JC10 Super Quiet 1HP Oil Less 2.5 Gallon Air Compressor

• One of the quietest and most reliable air compressors on the market today
• 2.5 gallon tanks capacity means you can work longer with less waiting for the compressor to catch up
• Oil-less design reduces maintenance and downtime
• Compact and lightweight design makes it easy to transport to and from the job site
• Protective roll cage helps prevent possible damage when transporting

This is a great small compressor for interior trim work. Exceptionally quiet. So quiet if you are working in a house with a radio on and the compressor is in a different room you won't hear it. This compressor is slightly different than other small compressor I have used. It has a 1Hp motor and plenty of power. It has a high volume direct drive pump,producing about 2CFM @ 90psi ( sorry I do not have the exact specs). One motor and 2 compressor heads. It weighs about 38 pounds, light enough to carry easily, but slightly heaver than some of the other small airless compressors on the market. Rolair compressors have always been a top of the line unit, you can see they used top quality components, but you can see the bare bones approach to the design to keep the cost down. So many of the other compressors on the market use inferior components to keep the cost down, and it shows in the operation.

It has a typical cartridge air filter, very good quality gage's that really work, A high quality type M universal hose coupler, and good quality materials, and components throughout. It obviously is not a continuous run compressor, like most oil less units, but I was not able to find a duty cycle for this unit. It still has plenty of air to run 2 trim guns, or to do other small jobs. My complaints are minor. The hand grip could be improved, it would be just as easy to carry this with out any grip on it. The anti vibration feet on my unit were not installed square to the frame, so it dose not sit as well as it should. The electric cord has no place to wind up, if it had a cord snap on the plug at least you could wrap it around the frame and snap it to itself. I would also like to see 2 hose connectors in stead of one. All in all this is a top quality, provisional grade, compressor at a very reasonable price.

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Excellent small compressor. More quiet than any other I have seen; usable in an occupied room with few complaints. Very rapid recovery rate, and very little vibration.

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This compressor ROCKS!!! It's not made to run all day or run a lot of guns. But if you do trim or cabinets, this is perfect. It has enough power to run a 18ga and 15ga nailer and drive it into 2 inch thick oak. It will not disturb others in the work environment. I used it to install cabinets in a open office environment and no complaints of too much noise or oil leaking on the carpet. It really dose what it was intended for. I rate 5 stars!! Rolair knocked it out of the park on this one!! If you want a light weight and really quite compressor.this is the one!! Made in the USA!!

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The other reviewers were spot on, thanks folks!

I was worried this might be a bit overhyped, but holy moly! This thing is quiet! It came on with a purr, aired up in less than a minute and I sunk a good 10 or so finish nails before it cycled on again. It refills in about 8-10 seconds. Very consistent. Wonderful.

My last portable compressor was one of the cheaper pancakes. It did the job, sort of, but I hated that thing! Loud doesn't begin to describe that banshee! Imagine someone shaking a coffee can half full of bolts in your ear for 10 minutes. I'll make concessions for power, but that thing didn't offer any of that either. For all the noise it made, it couldn't keep up with this Rolair, I'll tell you that. I finally burned it up forcing it to keep up on a roofing job. Went Office Space on it. Good riddance. Worst money I've ever spent on a compressor.

This little compressor only cost $50 more than that howler monkey, so this little Rolair is a dream for me. Like complete opposites.

Not sure yet how it will stand up, but so far it has kept up with every nailer I use. From the finish nailers down, it keeps up easily. With the larger nailers, like my roofing and framing nailers, it will keep up at a slower pace, but I wouldn't put a continous duty cycle like that on one of these. For small jobs, no problem though, and the lightweight pleasant nature of it makes it a joy to use. It is no heavier than a kettlebell, so I can flip it over a shoulder and walk up a ladder with it. It is squarely framed and sits squat, so it is stable in the back of my truck or I can toss it on a seat for transport. I like to keep him on the seat so I can pet him while I'm driving. He likes that. Just kidding, but seriously, I'm loving this little thing. It's like R2D2.

The comments others have made about the viewing angle of the guages I would agree with. It sits so low that viewing the guages takes a tilt to accomplish and when you're swapping guns often that slows you down. I don't care, I'll relocate the guages. I love this little guy.

5 stars and a rebel yell from me!

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Actually got this for 189.00 at tools plus.At the time amazon was 200. It is whisper quiet and easy to haul around. I looked extensively at the Bostitch 1512 and the Mac 700 which are also excellent choices. Thing that sold me on this was Dave Reinhold's video for tool nut on you tube.It does everything I need it to do from light framing to extensive trim work,could not be happier.