BOSTITCH Framing Nailer, Round Head, 1-1/2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch, Pneumatic (F21PL)

This review is targeted at do it yourselfers of which I am one. I chose the F21PL primarily because it shoots full round head nails. I am a mechanical engineer working for a tier 1 automotive supplier in Michigan. When doing research for a framing nailer the issue of clipped heads not being allowed by building code in different states or cities kept coming up. Unfortunately I will probably have to leave Michigan if I loose my current job, and I don't want to own a clipped head paper weight because the local codes don't allow clipped head nail use. I elected to pay a little more for the Bostitch vs. the Porter Cable because of the 7 year warranty, and because both Home Depot and two other local tool rental places Rented Bostitch even though they sell other brands. All the guns in the rental fleet were really beat up, yet still going strong. HD was able to sell the used ones for $100+. I also saw a program on History Channel where they showed the Bostitch factory. The segment showed either an F21PL or F28WW being dropped 60+ times from 8 feet onto a plywood sheet and then bouncing onto concrete. They also pull a random gun off the line and fire it 1 million times as a quality control check. ( at 5K nails per box that's 200 boxes or maybe 50X my lifetime supply). Another reason for choosing this tool is that it shoots the Bostitch Hurriquake nails. (Overkill perhaps for Michigan, but cool none the less, and they could be required as code if I move.) Finally don't make your buying decision solely on the price of the nailer. The cost of nails is >$50 per box, and you will probably want to get a minimum o 2 boxes ( 3.5" and 2.5") right off the bat. If you plan to build any serious projects, the cumulative cost of nails will exceed the price of the gun.+ + Features that I like: having two separate triggers for single shot vs. bump firing. As a dad of 2 small but very curious kids I plan to run only with the safer single shot trigger. The Porter Cable had a little knob on the trigger which allowed the user to select either mode. Great feature for convenience, but bad for kid safety. Back to the clipped head argument, the big plus for clipped heads is that the magazine can hold more "ammo" thus saving time due to less frequent reloading. Since I am running in single shot mode, speed and reload frequency really don't matter. ( I suggest you buy a leather tool belt with a pouch to keep a few nail clips in that. A trick is to place a piece of cardboard or aluminum plate into the pouch to keep it flat so your single strip of collated nails don't snap in two.). I like the ease of setting the tip length for depth adjustment especially since toe nailing is all the way in, while flush nailing is 3 to 4 clicks out. Plastic tip is nice but useless when toe nailing. I just keep mine in the box. The rafter hanging hook is a nice feature also. Finally there are different diameters of framing nails. To change from large to small is extremely easy, just pull a plastic rod out of one hole and put it in another.- - What I did not like. : The Porter Cable came with a plastic case and oil. The F21PL had no case or oil, or pneumatic fitting. I looked on line for a case but all I could find was a generic Pelican 1600 with foam for $130. I guess either the pros don't use cases or the gun is just built so well it doesn't need one. It would however be nice for us weekend warriors who like to store our tools nice and neat if Bostitch were to sell a case for those of us who want to buy one. ( Better yet sell a model with case, oil, glasses, Pneumatic fitting and some sample nails so that tool could be used out of the box). Rafter hanging hook is nice but it would be nicer if the preset detents would allow it to be folded closer too the tool.Use So far : Main project to date has been repairs to my garage attic rafters, building a fence, & decking repair. The Tool despite its' large size is light weight and well balanced. There is quite a kick when firing a 3.5" nail into 40 year old timbers but it is less than the hammer shock to drive the same nail manually. The depth setting is nice because sink depth changes depening on what your are driving into. Once set correctly every nail seated perfectly. Let me say this in bold print. DO NOT OPERATE WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION!. THE PLASTIC COLLATION BITS FLY EVERYWHERE. If your kids want to watch you work get them glasses also! ( The free way is to go to a Lowes or Home Depot Saturday kids build project.) In reading other reviews before buying I saw complaints about the tool sparking and debris from the collated nails. Working in the low light attic I definitely saw the sparks, and felt several pieces of plastic shrapnel hit my face especially when toe nailing. When I was finished shooting 5 or 6 clips of nails there was little pieces of plastic collation debris all over the floor. If you can't live with a little clean up, this tool isn't for you. Go for a clipped head paper, or wire collated framer. If sparks scare you, then a framing nailer is just too powerful for you. I also own brad and finish nailers and their kick is nothing compared to this framer. Finally be careful when disconnecting the air line at the tool. The whole handle acts as a reservoir so there is a large back rush of 100 psi air when you disconnect the hose. Overall rating is great. - Nailer does the intended job of driving 3.5" spikes in a single blow flawlessly. It is well balanced, easy to load, and the depth setting is easy to adjust. It is a pleasure to use. The quality is pure Bostitch. Solid and reliable. I love it.-- Update after 2 years. Gun is still going strong with a few battle scars to the paint. I have probably cycled 4 boxes of nails through it on a series of projects and have had no issues. I am now running with a 150psi pancake compressorFactory-Reconditioned Porter-Cable C2002R Oil-Free UMC Pancake Compressor which can keep up when running flat out decking a roof every 8" compared to its' 120psi predecessor.

This is the first framing nailer I've owned. I owned and used brad nailers previous to this. I've been entirely happy with this nailer. I haven't used it for a big project yet. I'll likely start one in another month. I've used it several times over the 3 or 4 months that I've had it for small project such as adding shelving in a storage building, building a base for a large miter saw and installing a mantle in my daughter's house. It's well made (US made)and has been completely reliable. I pull the trigger and it fully drives the nail. I have not yet used the special nose that allows driving the special, hardened rafter hanger nails but I will use that feature in a project next month. It comes with a bump type trigger but I elected to leave the sequential trigger in place as I feel it's safer to do so. It's easy to use, does what I bought it for very well and I got it at a very reasonable price from Amazon.com.After nearly a year of using this nailer I am still very pleased with it. I did use it for building a wood patio cover for which I used the hardened rafter hanger nails. It worked very well for this - to the point if I didn't line up the nose in the bracket hole, no problem. The nailer slammed the hardened nail through the metal bracket and into the wood. That's not the safest thing to do and it wasn't intentional. Actually it's very easy to line up the nailer with the holes using the included nose piece for this purpose. This weekend I completed another project using 2 X 12's and nailing some angles that would have been very difficult with a hammer. It worked like a champ. 1/3/08 DLT

I bought this to do work around my house. Also, for my wood working shop. I have no complaints at all. The compressor works exactly like it should. All 3 nail guns work great. I just used one to put up my porch rails. All of them are durable and made of good quality material. All of the tools are light weight. Except for the nail gun I purchased. The compressor is pretty quiet for what it is. I recommend to others.

Only negative is switching between trigger modes...but Im not skip nailing sheathing, just general framing. Driving 2" ring shanks, 3.25" common framing and 1.5" hanger nails (very much like the tip that lets you nail off simpson joist hangers!It seemed that there were 2 or 3 top rated framing nailers- this was one of them. I have bostich pin and trim nailers, so went with this. Colors all match too, so thats sweet. (jk)

Contrairement au packaging présenté sur le site de Bostitch celui ci est livré en boite carton et sans le deuxième nez MCN et sans le raccord pour le tube du compresseur.Il manque donc presque 150€ d'accessoires par rapport à d'autres kit.

It works as expected

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Awesome just exactly what I was looking for

I bought this nailer because it handled more sizes. When I went into the hardware store they looked at me like I was nuts. BOSTITCH didn't make a 21° nailer! Well they do and so did a bunch of others.This nailer is a good one. Make sure you oil it right out of the box.It comes with the sequential grey trigger installed so we immediately changed it for the contact trigger. Took 3 minutes. Longer to read the directions...lolSo if you are buying on Amazon, order the nails at the save time. I went to five different places all right carry 21° nails! Gets there are at Lear 4-5 other top brands that make them. So maybe a new thing.Check and see if your close by supplier handles the nails.Amazon has next day delivery on a bunch of these nails so wasn't an issue for me.Just so you are aware. This is a good sturdy nailer.Do be aware that if you are nailing between 16" on center studs it is a tight fit. Other wise seems to be a good solid nailer so far.