# Review- New DeWalt 18 volt, 18 gauge brad nailer



## JGCW (Oct 2, 2007)

I Saw this tool up on the DeWalt website a few weeks back. I immediately wanted one. My DeWalt 18 volt 16 gauge angled nailer has been a fixture in my daily work since i bought it 3 years ago.

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=17122

Picked the 18 gauge up online for 259.00 with free shipping. Kit comes with gun,one XRP 18 volt battery, case and charger.

Out of the case impression is that this tool is probably 1/3 the size of my 16 gauge. Fairly light and balanced with a battery in it. One of the better features on the gun is a 12 step rotary dial on the side to dial in your nail depth. Works perfect and the range of settings goes from slightly proud to buried almost 1/8 deep.

Nail range is 5/8"-2" so it definitely has the range one needs out of a brad nailer.

Actual use is favorable so far. I had to hang 60' of Cherry crown,finish a mantle with some small PM-3 type moulding, and install a bit of casing around a door and in all cases the gun worked admirably. The safety is open in the front at the nose so exact placement is no problem. It's made of a non marring plastic and is a bit flimsy, but so far I like it better than most other designs. The hook is removable or you can put it on either side of the gun and I find it quite handy when on a ladder.There also is a switch that lets you go sequential trip or bump fire

I officially will be retiring my air compressor when installing in the field. I might need it for my 23gauge sometimes but this DeWalt nailer is a better tool and the fact that it's hoseless is a no brainer

Highly recommended!


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## JGCW (Oct 2, 2007)

Bump for the ones who missed.

I installed about 100 feet of crown yesterday and I'm still impressed. Perfect deph setting and shooting the thin part on outside miters didnt split the wood. Battery lasts a long time.


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## TomFran (Jun 19, 2007)

Sounds like the next wave of nailers could be battery powered. I just finally got tooled up with some that run off my compressor, so I guess it was inevitable that the technology would change.

I saw a kit at Lowes the other day that uses a belt mounted small tank that is refillable, but this sounds even better. Congratulations on your purchase. Sounds like your a satisfied customer. I have to admit that I love my newly purchased nailers - especially my pin nailer!


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

JGCW, when you say the battery lasts a long time, I'm wondering how long that is. Any idea roughly?


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## JGCW (Oct 2, 2007)

Chip, I would say you could shoot 20 full clips of nails from the DeWalt guns.

I installed a kitchen recently and on one battery I nailed alll of the 1/4" toe kicks down. I also hung a 3 piece crown all the way around the kitchen. I put it away, so I dont know how much longer it would have went.

I'm pretty sold on Dewalt cordless. In the field or at home it's nice to have the same battery system.


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## Thuan (Dec 12, 2007)

I have the CO2 regulator from Lowes. It's not a perfect system, but I learned to work around it's flaws. For around $100 you can turn all your existing nail guns cordless. Hook up an airbrush and paint all night long without bothering anyone since it's so quiet. I blogged about it here.


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## TomFran (Jun 19, 2007)

Thuan,

Lowes has them marked down right now to $50 - from $90 (Kobalt brand).


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## Zuki (Mar 28, 2007)

Im a "yellow fan" but never did like the cordless Dewalt nailers. I picked one up at HD and found it to be heavy and clunky.

Neat setup Thuan.


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## JGCW (Oct 2, 2007)

Yeah I'll admit my 16 gauge is on the heavy side but it has a nice balance. And its much lighter than a compressor which is gathering dust in the shop now. 

The 18 gauge is alot lighter. A real joy to work with.


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