12/9/04 My company owns 3 of these and they really do have a strong shot. We had no problems with getting the nails to set in the toughest materials. Our problems came after 8 mos of use. One of the units began having frequent jams and then started misfiring on a consistent basis. I'm a little concerned because another one of our DA250B nailers has also become somewhat unpredictable and sometimes jams. I definitely recommend the DA250B over the Senco SFN 35 or any Bostich nailers. The Senco SFN 30 and 40 are OK units. My top pick however is the Dewalt Angled Finish Nailer D51275K. All of our crews like this nailer over any of the finish nailers we've used. (Bostich, Porter Cable DA250B, Senco SFN 35, 40, 30). I will say that for the infrequent user either The Porter Cable DA250B or Dewalt D51275K will perform nicely.
Note: We use these finish nailers primarily in oak but sometimes in wood species such as Brazilian Cherry, Mahogany, Rosewood, Maple and other exotic wood types.
Update 07/07/05: I have had each of the 3 Porter Cable DA250B in the shop for repair 1-3 times each within the 1st year. I think it's time to switch entirely to Dewalt. Porter Cable shouldn't mind now since it's owned by the same company now. Also I should add that the Dewalt finish nailer we have is still working flawlessly with the original driver and it gets more use than the Porter Cables.
I have been using Porter Cables 16 gauge finish nailer, and their 18 gauge finish brad nailer, for over a year now. It has performed great. I was doing some tongue and groove cedar on a wall, and wasn't able to get a the nail on the 16 to sit down flush in the upper corner of the tongue. I picked up one of these 15 gauge, the new DA250B, and this thing kicks butt. It is substantially more powerful, than the 16 gauge. POW, their is no mistake about it. What that amounted to, was the 16 gauge would not drive the nail all the way into the inaccessable corner of the tongue. When I tried it with the 15 gauge, it drove the nail in further, all the way to clean with the surface, down in the corner. The 16 gauge took it to the extent the tip would go, but the 15 gauge went beyond the restriction, all the way to a flush finish. So you could say, the tongue extends out farther on the 15, like beyond flush. It is not the air pressure, I'm running it on a 6HP 60 gallon tank, or the setting of the head depth, I played with all of those. It simply is a more powerful machine, and the tongue appears to extend more, to drive the nail deeper in situations where you can't get the head all the way in a corner. It drives it in anyway.
I would like to make a comparison. It is like comparing the 18 gauge to the 16, but moreso. Maybe it is the new technology, but this thing kicks. The second you fire the first nail, you know it, before you even look at the result. It does leave a larger hole of course, and it has a slight D-shape to it. Reminds you of the old hand forged nail look, but on a finish nail size, and it is a little hole, rather than an exposed nail.
You will notice that Porter Cable states that it is improved to accept other manufacturers nails. I think that may be the nature of the problem some others were experiencing with the older model. They put strange nails in the gun, but now it can accept them.
I highly recommend it, and I expect it will give me the same reliability the 16 and the 18 have given me over the year.
Buy Porter-Cable DA250B 1-Inch to 2-1/2-Inch 15-Gauge Angled Finish Nailer Now
I was building a cabinet the other day and using this nailer, and man, I tell you, you could feel and hear the power of this puppy throughout the shop. It fired rounds of 2" nails in solid oak and with every shot, there was a consistent message being sent out to the wood, "don't mess with me"!
When working with solid hardwood material, and finish nails, the last thing that you want is your nails to be proud of the surface where you have to go back and set them all manually, or the nailer leaving an ugly mar on the surface. None of that with this baby;) It sets the nails and does it exactly where you want them. Very nice tool!
Read Best Reviews of Porter-Cable DA250B 1-Inch to 2-1/2-Inch 15-Gauge Angled Finish Nailer Here
I can't think of a single thing that I would change about this gun. It loads easily, it is well balanced and not too heavy, the drive depth is easy to adjust, and it has never jammed even though I drive mostly 2-2.5 inch nails. I also have a 2 inch brad nailer and that may be sufficient for most people who are only going to nail molding. But for applications that require a 2.5 inch long nail or more structural support, this nail gun is perfect. I bought mine reconditioned for about a 20 percent savings and it has worked flawlessly and looked brand new.
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I would give it 4.5 stars but that is not an option. I got this one for xmas, I guess the wish list on amazon does work (hehe). Just finished up a basement finsish, shot about 4 boxes of 2.5" and 2" nail through it, not a one miss or jam (watch me jinx myself). I do know that porter cable has completely redesigned the "B" version of this gun, maybe all the negative feedback for it was for the "A" version. I can't complain about this nailer, not in the least, except it seems to be slightly inconsistent in the "blow out" in the wood. It feels light in your hand and the adjustable exhaust is great.
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