Freeman PFL618BR Pneumatic 3-in-1 15.5-Gauge and 16-Gauge 2" Flooring Nailer / Stapler with Flooring Mallet, Interchangeable Base Plates, and Case

Other reviews here go into the features so I won't bother to repeat them. The nailer appears to be well made (certainly equal to my Porter-Cable pneumatic nailers, staplers, etc.) and was well packaged in a useful carrying case with all the necessary accessories. We chose to purchase rather than renting so we could install 1,400 sq ft of hard maple 3/4" flooring over several weekends, also hoping to end up with a tool we could use for another 1,200 sq ft later and then resell. So far we've run about 9,000 cleats through this nailer with zero jams. The only times it has failed to properly set a cleat were clearly due to user error (i.e. not hitting it hard enough or not setting the nailer correctly). It loads easily. It sinks cleats perfectly. Even the provided mallet has held up well. I consider this one of my best tool purchases as it's saved us a huge amount of money on avoided rentals, is easy to use, and has been very reliable. Not sure if I'd recommend it for commercial work (would it hold up for 90,000 cleats?) but for a homeowner this is clearly the best deal available on Amazon. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this unit to friends looking to install hardwood floors and will be loaning mine out soon. Update 8/2011: we've now used this to install hard maple in yet another room (for a total of five, about 1,700 sq ft). For the latest room there was not one jam nor a single cleat that failed to seat. While this nailer may not be up to commercial quality, for DIY use around the home or even shared among friends you can't go wrong. It works well, holds up over time, and is easy to use. I remain quite pleased with the purchase and while I'm not looking forward to starting the hardwood on the second floor (another 1,200 sq ft this winter) this nailer is not among the issues that are keeping me from starting that project. Highly recommended.

I have had this nailer for about a year now and I really like using it. Just like you, I have done a lot of research on various brands and decided for 200 bucks I have to see and try this nailer. It looks very similar to the Bostich brand. When it arrived I looked everything over first and was surprised for this price how everything screamed quality to me. The paint, bolts and instructions were perfect. I oiled it up and started to lay 3/4" rustic white oak t/g flooring. I was using L shaped nails and used them for the whole floor which was about 1,200 sq ft. I had no problems with the nailer and I forgot to mention that the mallet that was provided was of top quality as well. My next job was 800 sq. of oriented strand bamboo prefinished flooring. I used T shaped nails and again not one problem. My next floor was about 1,000 sq. ft. of unfinished red oak. For some reason I have never liked using staples. I have always liked the cleat nails because I feel that they hold better based on there design then the staples, but when I went to my local DIY center they only had staples left. I bought the Bostich brand and so when I got back I loaded them up like the nails and away I went. After the third clip of staples I jammed. This jam required me to take apart some screws in the front which removed the shoe part of the nailer. I got to the problem and noticed it sheared a staple in half the long way. I have never seen that before. This caused the driving pin to stick in the downward striking postion and not come back up. I put everything back in place and thought this was a fluke and back to work I went again. So, nail, nail, nail, etc, then jam again. I went through the same routine 4 times. It was frustrating and I thought the nailer was broken. I was ticked and thought I over paid. I decided to go to another home center and buy L or T shaped nails. I am glad I did, because when I put them in I was back to work and not a jam after that. So, the conclusion for me is that it only works on L and T cleat nails and I am okay with that even though they are more money to buy in the long run compared to staples. Even with that fluke, I would buy this again no questions asked. Great price and overall great quality. Update on 4/1/15 I just want to update how incredible this nailer is that I decided to buy another one. This time from Amazon. The case, hammer and fittings are really well made. The new nailer has nailed down 3,000 Sq ft with no problems and the other Freeman nailer is up to about 8,000 Sq ft. I will repeat one thing though and that it won't nail staples. It shears them off. It is great for L and T leat nails.

I have used this flooring nailer to install hardware flooring in my kitchen and in the adjacent hallway. Comparing to using drill/hammer/nail-set to nail down a flooring board, this flooring nail works great: It is way faster, and it makes much less mistake than my way of using drill/hammer/nail-set. Therefore, it works faster and works better. When you use it to nail a floor board, the floor plank will be forced into close contact with the floor board behind it; hence, closing up any gap. This also makes the result looks much better than otherwise. I don't have a problem using this flooring nailer as long as I remember to do these: (1) Hold down the flooring nailer tight to the floor, otherwise, the recoil can cause the nail not to set all the way. (2) Hit it with authority; otherwise, the nail won't go all the way in. If there is not enough space to hit it well, I moved the obstacle away to make room. If I cannot move the obstacle away, I will have to hold the mallet closer to the weighted end and hit with it in high speed to compensate for the lack of leverage. Please also note that it doesn't need a lot of air to operate. I simply use a 1-hot-dog-style 1/2-hp 1-gallon air compressor to operate this flooring nailer. Of course, sometime I need to wait for the air compressor to catch up. But honestly the air compressor waits for me more than I wait for the air compressor because I simply don't work fast enough. Sorry if you want to find an excuse to upgrade to a bigger air compressor, it is not the one. The case that comes with it has plenty of room inside. I can pack everything inside including one box of flooring nails, a flooring nail set, and some miscellaneous stuff that I don't remember what they are now -- in addition to the flooring nailer itself. Finally, this flooring nailer is cheap as comparing to other named brand. Therefore, it is cheap and good -- just what I like the most.

This was the first of four freeman tools I purchased. I ended up purchasing the other three because I liked this one so much. Originally it was purchased to install 1500 square feet of hickory flooring in an old schoolhouse I've been converting into a house. If you have ever installed hickory flooring, or even worked with hickory, you know it is hard stuff. It will bend nails, break screws, and dull bits and blades faster than you can change them. Like many people, I first thought about renting a flooring nailer. I quickly decided against that when I saw the price of one day and knew I would need this several times because I couldn't simply lay the whole floor at once, it is more of a one room at a time project. So I figured I would just bite the bullet and buy one of those fancy expensive "made in America" bostich nailers, until I realized they were no fancier than this one, and not made in America either. The only thing was that it was expensive. So I figured I would take a chance and try the freeman for the first room. I decided if it didn't work as well as I hoped I would upgrade to the Bostich in the future. I will not be "upgrading" in the future. This tool has driven every flooring cleat (I have not tried it with flooring staples) that I have put through it without a problem; It has not jammed, misfired, or caused me any problems whatsoever. I have only used it with 3/4 flooring so I can say nothing about the 5/8 adapter that is included. The worst part about this tool is the flimsy plastic case that comes with it, I used it until the hinge broke in two then I built it a nice wood case to live in. I don't consider this a reason to knock it down to 4 stars since I bought it for the tool and not the case. It also includes safety glasses, a small bottle of oil, and a mallet. Some people have complained that the mallet broke, mine hasn't, and even if it does the next time I use it I would not change my review, I would buy a new mallet and be perfectly happy knowing how much work it has already done. The instructions tell you this is an oiless tool but for better performance use oil...just go ahead and use the oil, and when you run out go to your local hardware store and buy another bottle of air tool oil. No air nailer is oiless, there are moving parts inside that like to be oiled. The safety glasses are surprisingly comfortable and are actually safety glasses and not those goofy looking goggle things that come with most chinese tools. After using this tool I would not even consider paying 3 to 4 times as much for the "name brand" tool. Since the purchase of this freeman nailer I have bought three other freeman products: Freeman PFR2190 21-Degree Full-Head Framing Nailer , Freeman PMC150 1-1/2-Inch Metal Connector Nailer , and Freeman PP123 23 Gauge 1-Inch Pinner , all of which were purchased because of my pleasant experience with this tool.

I lucked upon a large volume of gently used (just a couple years old) 3/4" oak flooring, so bought this nailer to put down the flooring. It worked great for my entire job; I was quite pleased with the results. Flooring looks awesome and I saved $1000 or so on wood. When I carefully removed the flooring from its source, it came out with the L-cleats stuck through the oak. Rather than risk damaging or marking up the wood by attempting to pull the nails, I chose to use an angle grinder to cut the nails on the bottom of the pieces (worked great). Thus, the flooring I was installing had just a little bit of the L-cleat remaining in it, through the tongue, but otherwise, was good as new. Though I was able to work quickly, it was easy to be careful enough so that the new cleats would not hit the old cleats (this happened only twice in a medium sized living room.) I thought nothing of the feet of the nailer being against one of the existing heads of a cleat. When I was done with the room, I discovered that the feet (whatever the bottom part of this nailer that presses against the wood is called) had become dinged up a bit. I was surprised, because I would have expected a little harder steel to be used for the base, instead of a softer steel. That's the only reason I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5. If there's a reason the nailer should be made out of a softer steel instead of a harder steel, then I am incorrect in this assessment. I suspect that if the wood were brand new, this nailer would still appear to be brand new, and when I purchase more matching wood to finish the next two rooms of my house, I do not think that this will affect its ability to complete that job as well. 0 misfires, 0 jams. And, for what it's worth, the included safety goggles were quite nice, though don't fit over prescription glasses.

I bought this as a home owner - it seems as if it would be fine for a pro as well, but screen the rest of the reviews to be sure. Customer service was great. The gun stopped working and didn't seem to have a cleat jammed up, so I called them. They were ready to ship a brand new one but suggested a simple attempt to check for a jam first anyway, explaining how to unscrew three bolts on the bottom plate to examine the channel the cleats are shot through. It turned out there was one stuck and it was easy to take out. The instructions maybe could have included that suggestion, or maybe they did and I missed it, but it was no big deal in either case. Check for a sale code or promotion - I got $20 off from the company! Tips Before Starting Your Job Use a brad nailer and glue for your first few rows if possible! Nail guns need to be a bit away from a wall a bit because the nail/cleat slot sticks out. This one needs at least 9 inches, which seems typical. For the wood I used meant I couldn't use it until I was starting the fourth row. Many experts say to face nail the first few rows, which means you have to putty up the holes, but others confirm that a smaller gauge brad nailer is fine for this. I used an 18 gauge brad nailer at a 45 degree angle on the tongue to avoid face nailing, spacing the thinner nails every 4 to 6 inches and using glue on them to be safe. It worked fine - no way the floor is moving in my lifetime! If your gun jams, remember to release the spring keeping pressure on the cleats before clearing it, not that it was much of a problem that I didn't! Be ready for many small splinters! Next time I do a job like this I'll try a pair of very thin, stretchy gloves! Read a lot of websites and watch a lot of YouTube videos if you haven't done wood floors before - most have the same basic info, but I picked up a number of good tidbits I would have missed had I done less research.

This flooring nailer is simply the finest on the market, and absolutely the best value. Compared to its competitors that cost hundreds more, and come equipped with nothing more than a cardboard box, the Freeman comes in an industrial grade suitcase with numerous compartments, complete with everything. I have been a user of every sort of pneumatic nailer and fastener for over 30 years, and know their attributes and shortcomings across the spectrum. I can say that this Freeman shines in all regards. The construction, mechanical design, and finish is superb and well engineered. Feeding of fasteners was impeccable, with no failures of any kind in 2 cases of 2" L-shaped nails being driven through seasoned 3/4" oak flooring with 3/4" Advantec underlayment. Pneumatic performance is astounding and efficient. Using only a Porter Cable pancake compressor, fed with a lightweight 1/4 inch stock hose, the nailer consistently drove over 18 nails between compressor restarts. Of course, I was sure to purge any moisture from the compressor frequently, especially on humid days. As with all pneumatics, the need for regular lubrication cannot be understated. Regardless of usage, any pneumatic device should receive at the minimum a half dozen drops of pneumatic (mineral) oil daily, which will ensure unlimited life. Nailers are subject to heavy assault by moisture and friction, which are two of the greatest threats to any mechanism. This nailer is mechanically efficient, to put it mildly. It operates at minimum feed pressure (never operate any pneumatic gun at a rate greater than needed to sink the nail flush), and, due to its great weight and kinetic force, requires no more than a light tap to drive a nail to the hilt. I could not be more impressed!

The nailer is great. It only jammed once while I was working on a 60'x26' area with a 15-gal 5.4 SCFM Dewalt vertical compressor running at 110 psig and 2" nails. I took it apart and a small chip about 1/16" by 1/16 was practically welded onto the driver blade. I filed it off, put everything back, oiled the drive blade, and it works fine. I used both types of nails (T-cleat and L-cleat), but have yet tried the stapler. I like the fact that this kit's box has space for a box of nail and still have room for my pull bar kit. This helps keep everything together and ready for use each time I need it. This kit comes with the hex keys for use in maintainance, but the length of the hex key are not long enough for fast disassembly of the unit to clear the jam. I bought a longer hex keys and keep it in the kit for clearing the jam. I temporarily modified this tool to use in small spaces by rotating the handle 90 degree. It works very well for me. The instruction/spec stated that the working pressure is between 90-110 psig. I've noticed that this nailer still works when the pressure is down to 80 psig, but it may intermittently jam or not able to drive the nail down completely. Keep the air pressure above 90 psig and it works consistently and reliably. I prefer to keep the working pressure at 110 psig with the tank pressure between 140-200 psig. This help to drive the nails consistently and continuously.