The Paslode 500959 is the third 18 Guage nailer I have owned, and has been the best up to this point. For several years I have used central pneumatic and porter cable 18 gauge nailers without major complaints, but thought I would give paslode products a try by purchasing one on of their least expensive models. The paslode is much lighter than the PC CP (2.2lbs to 2.8lbs 2.9lbs on my balance. 0.6lbs - 0.7lbs doesn't sound like a big differnce, but becomes very apparent when using the tool for extended periods of time.pAlthough very light, I found the paslode just as powerful as its heavier brothers. I had no trouble driving 2 inch brads into some 1 inch thick oak face frames I was working with recently. pThe paslode's nose geometry is also great. Even with its rubber tip attached, it will fit into tight spots a bit easier than the porter cable or the central pneumatic. This nailer (like the PC CP)has its safety guard located behind the nose. This is actually the feature I always check first when looking at finish nailers. A few common models have their guard in front of the nose. The first finish nailer I ever used (borrowed) was set up with the guard in front, and it found it much harder to position the nose for toe nailing and other tight space tasks. pI would guess I have driven 2500-3000 nails with the paslode, and thus far it has yet to jam. I am sure it will eventually, and was happy to see that it uses a spring loaded latch (just like the PC) to remove jams. This is much easier to use than the series of hex screws that must be removed to clear jams on many finish nailers.pThe depth of drive adjustment on the paslode is similiar to most nailers that offer this option. It's a thumbwheel located behind the trigger, and works well. pThe exhaust port direction is also easy to adjust, although I have found that I generally just leave the port pointing towards the front surface of the nailer.pMy only complaints about this nailer are the kick back and its lack of a belt hook. Of course the kick back is the drawback that comes with the paslode's lack of weight. Overall, I'll take the lightweight nailer and make sure my wrist is firm before firing. pI would actually rate this nailer at 4.5 stars. I always hesitate to use the 5 star rating(as few tools are truely perfect). I think the Paslode stands up well against any commonly available finish nailer, regardless of price.

I bought this nailer a couple weeks ago and have put it to some use in that time. Although I was disappointed, to say the least, to see that it is actually made in Taiwan rather than USA like Amazon states, it is still a good tool. Mostly made of plastic and aluminum, it is very light weight and appears to be able to hold up to the light duty use I will be putting it to. I have shot various sizes of brads, of various brands, and haven't had any jams or problems. The air I supply to the gun is around 80psi and I've shot brads into very hard, very dense hardwoods, and very soft woods as well without a problem at this pressure. I figure it's best to use the lowest pressure you can as it saves wear and tear on both nailer and compressor. I've deliberately shot nails into knots (even though this should be avoided) and they have all gone in without a problem - 5/8" to 2" brads. The tool is very easy to use and comes with a case which is nice. For the price this brad nailer is in the top end of its class in my opinion - especially since all the others are also made in Taiwan. I'm confident it will give me years of good service if used and maintained properly.

This is an excellent product. It is very reliable and consistently sets even 2" pins without problem. The tool is light weight with a nice small tip for easy manuevering in tight spots. If I could change this tool I would make it oilless and it give it a built in hook. This is my second Paslode pinner and the first one is used everyday for the last two years with no problems. I highly recomend this gun.

I just picked up one of these to use in my trim carpentry business. It did not impress me at all.
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br /Pros,
br /It is plastic so it is very light.
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br /Cons,
br /It is plastic, so I have to question the longevity.
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br /Since it is so light, it has a descent kick when you fire it. also quite a bit louder than my other guns. I could stomach these "flaws" if it worked well. But it didn't in my case. What would happen is when firing a nail, the driver would shoot over the top of the nail about 1/4 of the time. So the nail would sit proud of the surface and you would also see where the driver would hit the wood above the nail, basically leaving 2 holes, and the nail itself not sinking. When I would use it to nail casings to the wall, if I shoot 8 nails, 3 would need to be sunk with a nail set. This was standard (7/16" x 2-1/2") casing through 1/2" rock in to the framing. So absolutely nothing that should hinder the nails setting. This is completely unacceptable, especially when your lively hood depends on time (having to go back and set the nails) and leaving as small of a hole as possible.
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br /So, maybe I got a dud, but I can't recommend this to anyone else.
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A recent Fine Woodworking review put this on top of all other brad nailers. So, I decided to buy one and was nearly ready to by from Amazon, but Menards had the unit for $69 (sixty-nine dollars). That deal was just too good to pass up, especially considering that PC's BN200A, Senco's 15XP and Dewalt's D51238K are all more expensive than this top-rated nailer.
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br /I'm looking forward to using it. I'll update my review once I've put it thru the paces.