From joist hangers to strapping, to A35 framing angles and other seismic connectors, my company shoots on a lot of metal hardware, so positive placement nailers are invaluable on our job sites. Last fall, Max USA sent us its new SN438J SuperLocator positive placement nailer (which I had first seen at last year’s International Builders' Show) to try out.
This is a lightweight, compact nail gun with a purposely short, straight magazine to allow it to squeeze into small places. It comes with a plastic belt hook that swivels, and it has a fully-adjustable exhaust cap, a useful feature when you're working in tight quarters. The gun shoots only 1 1/2-inch-long metal connector nails, but in 0.131-inch and 0.148-inch diameters. Instead of using a probe to locate the hole in hardware, this gun uses the tip of the nail to find the hole, which I think is more accurate.
The company says that it designed this gun for durability, with a driver blade that is 21% thicker (I don’t know if this is a big deal, as I’ve never broken a driver blade in the 17 years that I’ve been using positive placement nailers). Max also says that it built the gun with a thicker contact arm to provide more protection from breakage due to nail jams or accidentally dropping the tool. In our experience, Max has always produced high-quality tools, of which we own many, and they have always been reliable and durable, so I don’t doubt the company's claims.
Like other Max nailers, this one has a filter that self-cleans when the hose is disconnected. For safety, the gun cannot double-fire, and it has an anti-dry fire mechanism that prevents operation when the magazine is empty.
In short, this lightweight gun does exactly what it is designed to do: reliably and accurately shoot nails through the holes in metal hardware. At a retail price of about $280, it’s more expensive than similar nailers but – at least for my crew – well worth the price. maxusacorp.com
