12/9/04 My company owns 3 of these and they really do have a strong shot. We had no problems with getting the nails to set in the toughest materials. Our problems came after 8 mos of use. One of the units began having frequent jams and then started misfiring on a consistent basis. I'm a little concerned because another one of our DA250B nailers has also become somewhat unpredictable and sometimes jams. I definitely recommend the DA250B over the Senco SFN 35 or any Bostich nailers. The Senco SFN 30 and 40 are OK units. My top pick however is the Dewalt Angled Finish Nailer D51275K. All of our crews like this nailer over any of the finish nailers we've used. (Bostich, Porter Cable DA250B, Senco SFN 35, 40, 30). I will say that for the infrequent user either The Porter Cable DA250B or Dewalt D51275K will perform nicely.
br /Note: We use these finish nailers primarily in oak but sometimes in wood species such as Brazilian Cherry, Mahogany, Rosewood, Maple and other exotic wood types.
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br /Update 07/07/05: I have had each of the 3 Porter Cable DA250B in the shop for repair 1-3 times each within the 1st year. I think it's time to switch entirely to Dewalt. Porter Cable shouldn't mind now since it's owned by the same company now. Also I should add that the Dewalt finish nailer we have is still working flawlessly with the original driver and it gets more use than the Porter Cables.

I have been using Porter Cables 16 gauge finish nailer, and their 18 gauge finish brad nailer, for over a year now. It has performed great. I was doing some tongue and groove cedar on a wall, and wasn't able to get a the nail on the 16 to sit down flush in the upper corner of the tongue. I picked up one of these 15 gauge, the new DA250B, and this thing kicks butt. It is substantially more powerful, than the 16 gauge. POW, their is no mistake about it. What that amounted to, was the 16 gauge would not drive the nail all the way into the inaccessable corner of the tongue. When I tried it with the 15 gauge, it drove the nail in further, all the way to clean with the surface, down in the corner. The 16 gauge took it to the extent the tip would go, but the 15 gauge went beyond the restriction, all the way to a flush finish. So you could say, the tongue extends out farther on the 15, like beyond flush. It is not the air pressure, I'm running it on a 6HP 60 gallon tank, or the setting of the head depth, I played with all of those. It simply is a more powerful machine, and the tongue appears to extend more, to drive the nail deeper in situations where you can't get the head all the way in a corner. It drives it in anyway. br I would like to make a comparison. It is like comparing the 18 gauge to the 16, but moreso. Maybe it is the new technology, but this thing kicks. The second you fire the first nail, you know it, before you even look at the result. It does leave a larger hole of course, and it has a slight D-shape to it. Reminds you of the old hand forged nail look, but on a finish nail size, and it is a little hole, rather than an exposed nail. br You will notice that Porter Cable states that it is improved to accept other manufacturers nails. I think that may be the nature of the problem some others were experiencing with the older model. They put strange nails in the gun, but now it can accept them. br I highly recommend it, and I expect it will give me the same reliability the 16 and the 18 have given me over the year.

I just bought this finish nailer this weekend and love it. I was putting kithchen cabinets and trim together and needed to use the whole range of nail lengths (1 - 2.5"). I used the depth-of-setting gauge several times and that was easy. It's got a soft air blow out which you can adjust the direction on w/o an allen wrench. It's light weight, really light, compared to most that I use on the job but feels solid at the same time. The 15ga nails are remarkably strong and that will be helpful when casings help to set jambs. Besides the overall ease of use (e.g. loading and changing nails) I appreciate the single-firing trigger... It is quite a safety feature which does not allow you to fire if you're depressing the trigger just a bit before you engage the plunger: less chance of double firing, less chance of accidents.

I was building a cabinet the other day and using this nailer, and man, I tell you, you could feel and hear the power of this puppy throughout the shop. It fired rounds of 2" nails in solid oak and with every shot, there was a consistent message being sent out to the wood, "don't mess with me"! brWhen working with solid hardwood material, and finish nails, the last thing that you want is your nails to be proud of the surface where you have to go back and set them all manually, or the nailer leaving an ugly mar on the surface. None of that with this baby;) It sets the nails and does it exactly where you want them. Very nice tool!

I can't think of a single thing that I would change about this gun. It loads easily, it is well balanced and not too heavy, the drive depth is easy to adjust, and it has never jammed even though I drive mostly 2-2.5 inch nails. I also have a 2 inch brad nailer and that may be sufficient for most people who are only going to nail molding. But for applications that require a 2.5 inch long nail or more structural support, this nail gun is perfect. I bought mine reconditioned for about a 20 percent savings and it has worked flawlessly and looked brand new.

I would give it 4.5 stars but that is not an option. I got this one for xmas, I guess the wish list on amazon does work (hehe). Just finished up a basement finsish, shot about 4 boxes of 2.5" and 2" nail through it, not a one miss or jam (watch me jinx myself). I do know that porter cable has completely redesigned the "B" version of this gun, maybe all the negative feedback for it was for the "A" version. I can't complain about this nailer, not in the least, except it seems to be slightly inconsistent in the "blow out" in the wood. It feels light in your hand and the adjustable exhaust is great.

This is the best nailer I've ever owned. Looking to buy a finish nailer? This IS the one you want! I've fired over 10,000 nails with ZERO jams...none. You can drop it, kick it, throw it in the truck bed and it will keep on performing like a champ! Powerful, light weight and easy to reload!
br /What more do you want?!?

Before I purchased the DA250B, I used strictly "glue and screw" construction. A lot of time was spent drilling pilot and countersink holes, turning in the screws, and covering the gaping holes they left. Looking for a better way, I did a lot of research and settled on this Porter-Cable tool. It has exceeded my expectations. The DA250B has power to spare, driving a 1-1/4" finish nail so that the point protruded two stacked 3/4" pieces of oak... and the depth setting was far from maximum. Toenailing? No problem with this bad boy. Not one jam, not one problem - nothing but reliability and power to spare. This one is a real winner!

I do wish it had a trigger stop for the mag. empty. The Logo on the side has very sharp edges, need to tape if working on hardwood floors. The tool works great, 100% of the time.
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br /Jim

I have used this finish nailer for two years now. I have never had a double fire and it has never jamed up. It has a strong design and shows little wear even though I have used it on lots of finish carpentry. I however wish it had the bounce fire option. When nailing on long sticks of paint grade base it would be nice to be able to bounce along. Overall the gun has good results but I am a hitachi convert.

I am remodeling my second house and this finish nailer is still going strong. I use it for all my base and crown moldings as well as window and door molding. Has a good set not requiring you to go back and sink the nails more.

Great tool for most people, I don't think this is one you would want on the jobsite though (it might not stand up over time). Easy to use and is comfortable to use.

I have gone almost exclusively to Porter-Cable tools. I believe they are the best choice for contractors and heavy duty home use. The 15 gauge finish nailer performs better than any previous finish nailer that I have used. I would highly recommend Porter-Cable to any serious wood worker, or contractor.

Had this for a few years now. Great balance,even when in awkward positions. Depth settings work good. Haven't had a jamb up yet. Great product at a great price. Would deffitnetly recomend this product. Thanks AMAZON!

Bought this to finish up the trim on the tool shed and I was disappointed to see how fussy and flimsy it is. Before I could use more than a few sticks of nails (it comes with a box of 1000 nails), it stopped driving nails. After looking at it for a while, my tool expert friend figured out that the two shaft rails that hold the contact head were slightly bent. No idea how it got bent. Normal use. So he carefully straightened the rails and got it working again.
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br /Then, about 2 or 3 sticks of nails later, it jammed on the last nail of one stick, with another stick right behind. No problemo, it says in the manual, just flip up the easily accessed jam remover cover (oops, why do I need this?), but the nail turned out to be jammed so hard it could not be removed without disassemling the head. After a little more precious time down the drain, set this unit down and off to HD to buy some other brand.
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br /(This is all too bad, because my other nailgun is the Porter-Cable coil framing gun. It is a fabulous, reliable, heavy duty tool. Not a relative of the DA250, I guess.)
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br /In the end, I got a Bostich D51275K 15 gauge nailer, which has already outlasted the Porter-Cable. Visibly sturdier and it has a few nicer features, as well.
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compact light weight powerfull and economical what more do you need?

This is an excelent nail gun and will do what you need it to do. The low weight is an added bonus.

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This is one fantastic heavy finish nailer! Shoots just about any off brand nail and never jams up. We however suggest only PC Brand nails for this gun... Very little back kick and very well balanced.

The depth adjustment fine tunes your nail set to the fraction of the inch!

Great for just about any kind of cabinet, door, furniture, and window work to name a few. One suggestion is keeping it very clean and free of grit and dirt. Its a finish nailer not a framing nailer. A good clean H20 free air supply is also suggested.

It's a tad bit on the high side for nail guns in price but worth the investment. You can always check ebay on this gun for a great deal new or used, as well... Sorry Amazon...

Regardless I never leave home with out one!

I bought the DA250A after owning the Porter Cable brad nailer/compressor combo for over one year. I never had a problem with either one, and was expecting the same performance, but I was very disappointed. It worked fine with the Porter Cable nails it came with (about 500 nails), but it consistently jammed using Senco nails, gouging the magazine, rendering the nailer useless. Speaking of gouging, a new magazine is about [$], one third of the cost of a new nail gun! I can see why Porter Cable redesigned the gun, but I am now wary of buying another product from them despite the good luck I've had with their router and brad nailer because of these problems. Porter Cable should give a trade-in allowance on this poorly designed product.

I purchased the DA250A in May 2002, I have already returned one due to a broken part, and now in October I am going to have to replace the driver blade. This nailer has good power, and the balance is fairly good. I don't feel that this nailer will stand up to frequent use on the job site. I have probably only shot 400 nails and now the driver blade has broken. The nailer has worked well straight shooting, but has not performed as well toe nailing. Next time I will look for a more durable and reliable 15 guage finish nailer.

Excellent tool. Saved me a lot of time putting up trim work. Lightweight so you can use it all day and wonder where the time went.

Well I have had great luck with this nailer. Some other brands which cost more may have better balance, and seem nicer quality. Nevertheless this is a good tool. I will probably buy a makita, or a senco next time long time from now, maybe a hitachi, I don't know this one works fine shoots fast, works good but there is a critical element which I cannot define, a sense of high quality which is omitted from my feel during use the others makita,senco,hitachi have it. I would test handle a few before comitting to this tool. I must admit it works fine, it has been rebuilt once, cheap and easy, but next time I will probably give it to a helper when it needs work. That is my advice on this tool. I hope you understand what I mean.