FastenMaster has added a pair of cordless motor options to its popular PamFast autofeed screw gun. A corded Milwaukee version of the tool is still available, but users who already are on the Makita LXT battery platform now have a cordless option powered by Makita’s XSF05 18-volt LXT 2,500-rpm screw gun. Users who are on DeWalt’s 20-volt Max platform can choose a PamFast tool powered by DeWalt’s DCF622 20V Max XR Versa-Clutch 2,000-rpm screw gun.
When JLC contributing editor Tim Uhler reviewed the PamFast, Grabber SuperDrive, and Simpson Strong-Tie Quik Drive autofeed screw guns for Tools of the Trade back in 2017, he found the PamFast to be solid, reliable, and easy to adjust, as well as faster than the other two screw guns. He especially liked the proprietary PamDrive fasteners that the tool uses, which have a six-lobe design that increases the contact area between the bit and the screw head. In use, Uhler found that this reduced cam-outs and provided longer bit life compared with the fasteners in the other screw guns.
Uhler reports that the prototype version of the cordless PamFast screw gun fitted with the Makita LXT driver that he’s been using for the past couple of years performs just as well as the corded version of the tool for installing subfloor sheathing. The tool comes with both a short driver for drywall fasteners and a longer extension for stand-up work installing sheathing or decking. Suggested list price is $450 for the DeWalt version and $500 for the Makita version. fastenmaster.com
