# Buyer Beware!



## msmith1199

Why didn't you take it back when you found the problem? Home Depot is pretty good about things like that. Do the instructions say it is supposed to be able to drive a 1" staple all the way into wood? I have a couple of cheaper model staplers and brad nailers myself and they work just like they are supposed to. I don't think I have a Bostitch anyplace. I bet it's still not too late to take it back to Home Depot right now. It may take manager approval but explain to the manager what you just explained on here. My guess is they'll exchange it for you without much grief at all. Probably won't give you a cash refund, but I think they would exchange it. Let us know how it works out.


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## tooldad

Can't say I completely disagree. I too purchased this same combo nailer/stapler on clearance. However my shop classes 100+ students use it on a weekly if not semi-daily basis from September to May. We have had no problems. We only use it as a stapler for 5/8, 3/4" and 1" staples in the back of luan, 1/4" oak ply and occasionally 1/2" plywood.

yes I too agree that you have to break the clips to get them to fit, but a full clip regardless of manufacturer will fit. If you buy the bostich staples they do fit if I recall, however I buy whatever is on the shelf due to convenience.

sorry to hear about your bad experience, I will keep your warnings in mind.


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## cstrang

It's supposed to be able to sink up to 1 1/2" staples, never even bothered trying that out. As for returning it, I had lost the receipt so I didn't bother but maybe Ill take a spin by home depot the weekend, im always looking for an excuse to enter a hardware store lol.


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## Fallon

I always toss my receipts… Lowes & HD are great about returns if you have the original credit card. Big Brother is watching, they keep track of all your purchases for years if not forever these days. Trivial recieptless returns for credit card purchases is one of the few direct benifits to the customer for the privacy invasion.


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## msmith1199

I bought one of those cheapy Coleman generators once from Orchard Supply. I didn't use it for about 3 months. When I finally did use it saw it was leaking oil. The warranty said you had to take it back to one of their approved repair facilities to have it fixed. There was one not too far from me so I put it on my to-do list and promptly forgot to do it. About a year after the purchase I finaly decided to take it to the repair facility. I explained to the guy I really never used it. He called me back the next day and told me the case was cracked and it would need a new engine and it wasn't covered by warranty since it looked like the thing had been dropped. Well I never dropped it, I had never even used it. The location of the crack looked to me like it had been damaged before it was ever assembled. Anyway the guy said Coleman wouldn't cover it.

So I figured what the heck and went back to Orchard Supply. I figured I'd have to deal with the manager so I went straight to him. Told him I lost my receipt and explained the story to him and he took the thing back. He even gave me a cash refund on it because I told him about when I bought it and what I thought I paid for it and he was able to confirm that was the price at the time. They didn't stock that generator anymore.

The moral of the story is it doesn't hurt to try.


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## Howie

I bought my stapler at HF. Use it all the time and no problems…..$19.99 less 20%
On the plus side, I have a Bostich pin nailer and it works great too.


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## tierraverde

Back to wether Bostitch produces good products, they have been in business for a long, long time, making heavy duty products.
I have their pin nailer and am very happy with it's performance.
You got a dud. Take it back to H.D. and get a refund or replacement. If you exchange it for the same stapler, and results are still unsatisfactory, then I would write a 1 star review. I think you're too fast on the trigger knocking them.


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## pintodeluxe

Sorry to hear about your experience. Don't give up on Bostitch though. I have the 1855k 18 gauge / 2 inch brad nailer. It is so lightweight, and has oil-free and anti dry-fire features. I much prefer it over my P.C. nailer. 
Sounds like yours came with a defective plunger or bad O ring.


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## Beginningwoodworker

You can always take it back and get another one.


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## americanwoodworker

You had to have gotten a bad one. I bought the compressor combo last year and it came with that gun. I have yet to experience one problem with any of it. Actually, I am so impressed by what I have that I was thinking about buying a pin nailer next.


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## waho6o9

Contact Bostitch and maybe they will help you out.


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## cutmantom

if HD won't help you then try bostich


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## cstrang

Depth adj is all the way up and I even took off the rubber on the end of the safety/depth stop which gives you a couple more mm. Talked to a manager at Home Depot and there is nothing they could do, I even found the old receipt, tore the house apart for it lol, he directed me to the tool repair shop near me and in order to get it repaired if it is defective it would cost me because I purchased it so long ago, guess I'm stuck with it, oh well, I see a new one in my future and it won't be bostitich.


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## Josh

I have the same gun and I agree with everything you said. The piece of metal that drives the staples also drives the pin nails. Leaves a horrible hole behind. When i bought this I also bought a trim gun made by Bostitch and that gun works a lot better.


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## skywalker01

I have a bostitch stapler, 18 gauge brad nailer and their pin nailer. I've never had a problem with any of them in close to 8 years. I didn't know they sold a combo stapler/ nailer. Sounds like you got a dud. Sry


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## MT_Stringer

I have the 18 ga brad nailer and the stapler. Both work great. And they both have the 7 year warranty. Doesn't yours?

There is a repair shop about 6 miles from me so I will take my nailers to them if anything goes wrong. I guess I don't understand why it would cost you to get your gun repaired.

Note: I bought Bostitch because I had a finish nailer back in the 80's. When a problem developed (bad o-ring), I took it to an authorized repair shop and they fixed it free. Took about 10 minutes.


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## Ken90712

I had 2 of these both were junk in my opinon. I took both of them back, they constantly jammed. I bought the Porter Cable and have never had a problem in 5 yrs. of use. I also bought a Bosh which works really well. Sorry to hear your bad expirance but been there done that as well. Good luck.


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## racerglen

My boys bought me that exact unit for Christmas a couple of years ago.
Works great.


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## Racer2007

Sorry to hear about your problem with this unit , I have a couple of older Bostich nailers (got them from my dad)But like Howie I have a HF stapler and it it has not missed a beat in over 5000 shots useing the HF staples and it cost no where near $110 .


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## robscastle

No problems with my Archer brad nailer, works every time and any material !!


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## dhazelton

Bostich framing nailer is the bomb. I have Porter Cable finish nailers and they are okay. As a rule I would shy away from tools that can shoot multiple types of fasteners as they aren't really optimized to shoot one over the other.


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## cabmaker

I have several makes and have used most types over the years and will say that bostich is my go too nailer. I think the combo guns may be sorta like combo machines.


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## CyberDyneSystems

*I lay odds on the staples being the wrong size.*
Bostitch, (and this is a totally different reason to not like them) loves to use proprietary fasteners.

The "18 gauge" staples their guns use ARE NOT the same as *every* other 18 gauge stapler made.

Myself, I find this absolutely maddening… and for that reason tend to avoid Bostitch pneumatics.

... but that said, if you go and get the very hard to find Bostitch 18 gauge staples, I bet it sinks them all the way.


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## Straightbowed

I have 3 Bostich nailers 15 years old and they work like brand new must have a cow paddy just kiddin take it back oil it up that may help


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## Gshepherd

I just used mine 2 days ago and it worked just fine, I have been told I am a nail gun freak well I am… They are good staplers….. I have every size they make except for the framing which is use a Hit 83a. Rest are Bostich,Grex,Nikle's…..... I oil mine every time I use them for the day….


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## joeyinsouthaustin

if I hadn't gotten mine for $25 on clearance I would have taken it back too…. Worked terrible, just like you describe until I tightened all the bolts on it… why they didn't bother at the factory is beyond me. And it feels so light and not durable at all. I have many older bostich brad nailers, and they don't look like they came out of the same company at all. This is just their name on some other tool for HD.


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## toolmantim

Keep an eye out at your local lumber yard for the next time the Bostich repair guys make their appearance. Once or twice a year Bostich sends these guys out to make repairs ( or replacement ) of their products in the public domain. Having a small home improvement business, I use framers,roofing guns,large and small pin nailers,flooring,palm nailers ect. Usually they will post dates in advance and I make it a point to take any number of guns in for repair. Of course there's a small push to purchase other Bostich products at the time of repair but your not required to do so. And, I've never been charged for any of the work preformed to put these guns back in service. This alone keeps me coming back to Bostich for my pneumatic needs. Good luck !


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## UglySteve

I have this same stapler that I bought refurbished from Rockler for $60 about 5 years ago. No problems whatsoever in all that time.


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