I am sure that I am not the only carpenter with “fond” memories of being an apprentice and beating my fingers up while hand nailing joist hangers and hurricane clips. That said, positive placement metal connector (PP-MC) nail guns are still an unsung hero of the framing nail–gun category. With the bulk of my career being spent on interior finish and commercial jobsites, a PP-MC was never a tool that found its way to my kit, until I decided to build my own house.
Enter the new Paslode F150S-PP pneumatic nail gun. The metal-connector takeoff on my house numbers in excess of 200; at an average of eight nails per connector, that’s a lot of nails and a lot of work. The Paslode F150S-PP shoots only 1 1/2-in. x .131-in. and 1 1/2‑in. x .148-in. brite or mechanically galvanized nails, but this spec satisfied 90% of my connector fastening scope. For the remaining metal connectors, joist hangers on my deck, I used both screws and Paslode’s F250S-PP nail gun, which shoots 2 1/2-in. x .162-in. nails as well as the 1 1/2-inch nails shot by the F150S-PP.
In addition to shooting into traditional framing lumber, we used the F150S-PP on LSL framing lumber, LVLs, and the new PT-LVL from PWT. From a power standpoint, the F150S-PP performed solidly, only occasionally requiring us to pull out a hammer to set a proud nail. Over a few weeks of testing, the gun never jammed and the new nose design gave all of the users, including my wife and father, confidence that the gun was placed correctly before pulling the trigger. My wife, who is no stranger to the jobsite, commented that the F150S-PP was the nail gun that she felt most comfortable using thanks to its balanced feel, which is the result of its light weight (6 lb. 4 oz.) and small size (11 5/8 inches across the head). Paslode does offer a magazine extension that increases the capacity from one clip of nails to two. While my gun wasn’t equipped with this option, there were times I wished it had been, especially when I was nailing off hangers from scaffolding.
At about $340, the F150S-PP and F250S-PP have similar price tags, and for some, that would make the bigger F250S-PP the obvious choice. However, if you are not a production framer or deck builder, the availability of other fastening options for the 2 1/2-inch metal-connector requirements of joist hangers, coupled with the light weight and well-balanced (yet powerful) specs of the 150S-PP, makes it a good option for remodelers, DIYers, and general contractors. paslode.com
