Senco FinishPro 18 18-Gauge Brad Nailer, Sequential, with Case

It is a descent gun, we have 75+ of them at work and they are descent except for a few very common problems.

1. If you have one of the first ones off the line the triggers have a tendency to not work correctly. The safety doesn't keep the gun from firing, so in other words you can pull the trigger and the gun will fire without pushing it against anything. There was a recall for the triggers, so I am assuming the more recently built ones are fixed.

2. We have had problems with the guns not setting the nails completely. It happens in about 10% of them. When the gun is pushed against the wood, the tip of the gun won't go all the way against it, doesn't matter if you have the depth set to the deepest setting. This can be fixed by grinding down the safey and the nose a little bit.

3. Sometimes the gun won't shoot a nail. It will fire, but the firing pin will go between the nails and the casing. I am not sure if it is the nails not sliding ahead far enough or something else. This could be the brand of nails.

But overall nothing that would keep me from buying another one.


Nice price for SENCO   March 26, 2003
42 out of 42 found this review helpful

Decided to get a brad nailer for case and baseboard molding, with the intention to use it for cabinetry and other woodworking in the future. (If I only planned on using it for house trim work, I would have gone with a 16 or 15 gauge nailer, yes.)

I didn't notice anything obviously better between the Senco, Porter Cable, Bostitch, etc. But when you read the reviews, no one ever seems to be able to dislike a Senco nailer. Have you noticed this trend? So, this was enough reason for me to spend the few extra dollars on the Senco.

I must say that I am in no way disappointed with this nailer's performance. I put up baseboards around a 21x21 room with some funny angles, as well as casing on a couple doors. It always sunk that little 2" brad just right. No surprises at all. Never a jam. It didn't mar that pre-primed soft molding, either. I really felt this thing was on my side, trying to accomplish the same thing I was. One nice feature is the rear exhaust. The exhaust air comes out the back of the tool, just above the air inlet. Not much chance of staining your work with the oily discharge air.

The only complaint I can come up with is the way the cushion grip is designed. The grip is a cushy material that is wrapped around the body. But the material overlaps itself on the bottom side of the grip, near the trigger. It feels a little funny at first, and I wonder if it will forever remain stuck to itself, or if this will someday seperate and start peeling away. Oh well, I can't take points away for something I only fear will happen.

I definitely recommend this nailer to anyone in the market for one.