Freeman PFR2190 Pneumatic 21 Degree 3-1/2" Framing Nailer with Case

This is my first compressed air tool, and I really deliberated on whether or not to get one. Well, what was I thinking??? I'm building a shed, and honestly I now couldn't contemplate doing it without a tool like this, hammering in every nail by hand! For any framing job, don't hesitate and get yourself a compressed air driven framing nailer. You absolutely won't regret it. I was not familiar with the Freeman brand, but my research of amazon.com reviews made this my choice, at around the lower-to-middle end of the price range. Reviews were good, and I was drawn to the 7-year warranty and the fact that it comes with a case. I like to really take care of my tools, and I couldn't imagine purchasing an item like this without a case - which eliminated a lot of the competition. One of the reviewers I read commented on the look of the tool. I'm of the same mindset, in that a tool has to look good as well as perform well. After opening the shipping box and the tool's case, I was awed by the look of the tool. It was sitting there so snugly in the provided case, along with a small bag of Allen screws and a tiny oil container/dispenser (you use the oil to instill a few drops into the air inlet of the tool before every time you use it). The tool is a fine-looking piece of well-made craftsmanship, and really nice-looking. On to using the tool. Well, it is a lot bigger than I expected. Never having used one of these, I was expecting something about the size of an electrical drill. No, it's about 50% bigger! And kind of heavy (around 8.5 lbs). Not a problem. I am a 5' 5", 160 lbs male and had no problem with the weight. I just finished framing the floor of my shed, and wow, this wonderful tool performed flawlessly! It just drives those 3" nails in with a soft-sounding "poof"! It's easy to change the depth of the nail with a simple turn of the adjusting screw. When the tool arrives, it has a guard on the nozzle to protect the working surfacing from being marked. This is a great feature, but I found it seems to reduce the driving power slightly. If you're not worried about marring the working surface, then don't use it. I also love the feature that lets you direct the exhaust to any angle around 360 degrees. If you are new to compressed air tools, you will need a compressor to use this tool. I bought the Bostitch BTFP02012 6 Gallon Pancake Compressor and it has been perfect. You will absolutely need an accessory kit as well, like this one: Primefit IK2004-2 50-Foot PVC Air Hose with 25-Piece Air Accessory Kit and Storage Case . Just one word of caution - the manual is a bit short on instruction, so you will have to do a little bit of figuring out on your own. Well, I'm so impressed with Freeman's framing nailer - and NO, I have not been given any incentives to write a review. I'm just so pleased with this thing. Go ahead and get it!

I haven't really put this thing through its paces yet, got it in and played around with it but thought I have a pretty good idea of how its going to work. The good is its made very well for the price, as good as guns that sell for 2x. It also includes a case (although pretty cheap) and magnesium housing that others costing 2x don't. Very nice. There are a couple of design faults that I don't really like, but can live with. First, I was surprised to see a trigger hanging off a tie strap when I picked up the gun. Confused I look through the book (which was hard to find, tucked into a slot in the case) and found out if you want to go to bump fire you need to change the trigger. Very unhandy. The Porter Cable I had been using just had a lever and my Paslode cordless didn't have any, it was always bump fire. I don't like bump fire on air guns anyways because they have a lot of recoil and can be very dangerous, and once you are used to it you don't really need bump fire anyways. The 2nd thing I liked much better on the Porter Cable was the way the nails loaded. Its not bad on this gun, and similar to what most guns do, but the PC design seems so much more practical when you get used to it. On the PC you just slip the nails in, pull the spring back and release and it snaps right up against them. On this gun you have to pull the spring back and lock it, insert the nails (which go in a slot in the top, not the back, which isn't as easy as they have to go in just right), and then release the spring catch to let it go back up. Just an extra, unneeded step. I didn't ding it any stars just because of the price, but if I had it to do over again I might just get the Porter Cable refurbished. Its about the same price, but to get the PC with magnesium housing was much more, and the reurb didn't have a case (and I really like fitted cases for my tools, it takes much better care of them). I do think the weight is some better with this gun, even though its really large. As far as comparing it to my Paslode cordless I have come to like air better. No fuel to buy, air uses full head, heavier gauge nails that do make a difference, and 22 degree nails are much more standard and often cheaper. Every cordless I have ever used works great sometimes, and sometimes they seem to loose power when they are either hot or the fuel gets cold. I actually like to have an air hose sometimes, it keeps the tool from sliding around, and a week ago I was using the PC on a 28' ladder, left it on top to run down and get something and it fell and the hose stopped it before it hit me. I know, I know.... but we all do stupid stuff like that from time to time! 4 1/2 stars FOLLOW UP After using it more in the field I haven't much else to say. It has been very reliable and never jammed. Its pretty big and hard to lug around, but that's to be expected. I set it to drive just below flush and its very consistent. One thing I did notice is it comes with a really high gloss paint, not the best choice for something that gets banged up as bad as a nail gun does! Would buy again.

This nailer comes well packaged and has it's own plastic "suitcase" full of little storage wells, a really nice feature. I'll give you a novices viewpoint. While I have Hitachi 18ga brad, 15ga finish, and 18ga stapler, this was my first purchase of a framing nailer. "Refurbishing" a 10' x 16' storage shed with new roof, some new wall studs, floor repair, etc prompted the need. It's bigger, heavier, louder, and less well balanced than a Porter-Cable I used briefly a few months ago while helping a friend. It's also about $50 less than the price of his nailer. While I love Hitachi tools I just couldn't bring myself to part with the money for just occasional use, hence the Freeman tool. For a DIYer tool for those projects that pop up from time to time, this fits the bill. If I was doing it for a living, using it long and hard every day, maybe not so much. Oddly in the manual it states that it's oilless, touting teflon seals, etc. yet molded into the air inlet it says "add 2-3 drops of oil". I shook my head and added the oil. So it's been a long day, ripping off shingles, pulling off wet plywood, knocking out a half dozen rotted wall studs,etc etc. I've put about 300 2-3/8" nails through it, and perhaps another 40 or so 3" nails from every position, left and right handed, upside down, straight on and toenailing, firing all with about 85 psi. The gun worked flawlessly except for one problem, like another reviewer mentioned, it would always, and i mean always stop with 4 nails left in the magazine. Now perhaps it's the nails I'm using, it's still a pain to have a dozen or so "4 round clips" laying about by the end of the day. Edit: I'm putting in an edit here because of a comment and additional research (Thanks Jesse) what I've learned is the four nails are a safety function so the nailer doesn't dry fire. The problem is if I slap in a fresh strip behind the four leftover nails it's a 50% chance the nailer will jam on the first nail of the fresh strip resulting in a few minutes of clearing and a few choice words. It's just simpler and quicker to strip out the four nails and start with a fresh strip. I'm still working to tune out that problem. It's still a great nailer for the price. Overall, the price over rides it's issues and for those household projects that come up from time to time it'll be nice knowing it's in the garage.

This was the second freeman tool I purchased; it was purchased for a complete renovation of an old one room schoolhouse. Actually it was more of a conversion than a renovation. After a great experience with the Freeman PFL618BR 3-in-1 Pneumatic Flooring Nailer , which will also be reviewed on its product page, I decided to purchase their framing nailer. There isn't really much to say about a framing nailer in a review, It works great, has never jammed, and uses standard plastic collated strip nails that are available at most big box stores and online. So before I wrote this review I read a lot of the negative reviews about this tool. I noticed several things a lot of them had in common. 1.) People complain that the nails they bought won't fit properly in the gun and jam every time it's fired. I have not had this problem and all I can say is make sure you are using the correct nails. This gun uses plastic collated nails, not the wire collated nails that seem to be more abundant at big box stores. In my area there is a lowes, a home depot, and a menards, all about the same distance from my house. All three of these stores carry the correct nails for this gun, however the majority of shelf space at all of them is taken up by wire collated nails...do not try to use these in this gun, it will jam every time. 2.) People complain because every fourth or fifth nail will not fire all the way. I have not had this problem either. I am no expert on pneumatic engineering but if this is happening at regular intervals, say every fourth or fifth nail, chances are it is not the gun that isn't working properly. It is probably the air supply. This gun requires about 85 to 90 psi to drive every length nail I have used into 2x lumber. More if you are going into hardwood. Many air compressors, unless specifically built for air nailers will not refill until they reach about 80 psi, this is not enough to drive most nails fully into a board. 3.) My favorite complaint people have is they cannot get the gun to fire at all because it doesn't have an air compressor on it. I do not even know how to address this issue other than to tell those people, and there were several of them, to buy an air compressor; this is a framing nailer, not an all-in-one-build-your-house-for-you tool. If it had an air compressor on it you could not lift it into postion. Overall this is an excellent tool that has given me no problems since the day I bought it.

Not going to lie, I was hesitant when purchased it. This nailer is my first nailer ever. It has a beautiful finish to look at and you kinda don't want to scuff it up. As a DIYer who is turning into a novice construction person. this nail gun has performed excellently for my project of a 1200 sq house remodel. However, after purchasing a Bostitch 21-degree nailer, there are some differences I would like to share Pro: redirect airflow (great) Powerful nailer (too good at times) molded cases ( a must) Cons: heavier than Bostitch magnesium casting no rafter hook, this is a must feature because of the weight of the item, you need to be able to hook it to your tool belt, ladder, etc Double fire, it may be the airflow coming from your compressor or the sensitivity of the trigger no adjustable nailer firing rate, it will put through the wood at times Overall, it is a go, buy it up. For the price point, Freeman could even match Bostitch with the addition of an adjustable rafter hook and nailer fire adjustor. Now for the longevity of the item, I don't know, but it is built solid as a rock so I believe it will last a long time if you make sure to oil it every time before using

I bought this nail gun for a single project - building a catio (cat patio) for my two Bengals. I started looking and sorted by customer reviews. Not surprisingly, the top rated were names like Bostitch and Milwaukee, and costing $210 - $335. In the middle of them was this gun, priced at $113, and it included a storage case. I already owned a Bostitch connector nail gun and I was tempted, but I couldn't justify the extra $100 for a gun I might never use again. That's why the case is such a big deal. It's nothing fancy, but it holds the tool and will protect it until (if!) I need it again. Oh yes, it also came with a small vial of oil. That's not a big deal because that stuff is pretty cheap, but it could save a time-sucking run to the store just when you're getting started. If you're a pro, you're probably not looking here anyways, and this might not be the right gun for daily use. But, for the DIY that wants to control costs, I recommend this tool. Over the course of the Catio, I had no real issues. There'd be an occasional dry fire, usually after I'd reloaded. I'd also have occasional nails standing half-inch proud. I attribute that to my compressor. It's a small tank and designed for low-noise, not huge volumes. I think the gun asked for more air than the compressor could handle. I never tested the bump firing mode. I might be a skilled DIY, but I'm also nearly 70 and I'll leave that for the pros.

I bought this "nail gun" to replace the same Freeman "framing nailer" that I had purchased, a long time ago, in a set with five guns. After an amazing number of nails going through it, I bent the aluminum bar that holds the nails (something very heavy fell on the gun). I liked the quality (and good price) of my Freeman so much... I bought another one. I used this nailer for about two hours last weekend and it was just as good as the one that I had for so many years. I am happy with my Freeman nailers!!!!

First of all, this tool is gorgeous! I appreciate a good looking tool and this nailer gets top honors. It also comes with a sturdy carrying case full of pockets for all the accessories. It's nice touches like this that make me smile. It came with a single fire trigger attached, something I don't normally use, so with a simple removal of an o-ring (super easy to remove), I had the single fire trigger out and the rapid fire trigger in (yes, there are two triggers). It also came with a plastic bumper sleeve on the safety (where the nails exit the gun)and since I prefer the spiked tip for framing, I promptly removed and stored it in it's pocket inside the carrying case. Nice touch, those pockets. The nailer sinks a nail, no problem, with green lumber. On old, dry lumber (I was restructuring/reframing an existing, water damaged ceiling) it tends to balk a bit, but then again, there were knots and we all know how hard it is to drive a nail into dry, old lumber! Using my large framing hammer, I had a hard time driving the little bit of nail that didn't sink, so I don't fault the gun. The magnesium body on this tool is a godsend when you're framing for long periods of time. I'll never go back my old, heavy nailer. Another excellent feature is the nail depth adjustment. When nailing sheathing, it's critical NOT to sink the nail head below the first ply of the sheathing (inspectors will call for renailing if you over sink the head), so with this adjustment, I'll never have to fret. A simple turn of a knob near the tip and I'm good-to-go. The only "con" I have is that this unit doesn't like to "easily" load two rows of nails back to back. It seems as if it could use another quarter inch of magazine. I can make it work, but I have to pull the release and push the spring tensioner forward. You have to pay attention to the tension, and whether or not the nails are packed together properly. Now, it might just be the nails I'm using, or that I have to get used to this tool. It's just something I thought I'd mention, and nothing to get all worked up about. I recommend this nailer, and hope it gives you the same excellent service it gives me.

Fonctionne à merveille, très solide, facile d'emploi

I had no problem with the nailer framing my 12x15 workshop. It is a little heavy for over head work and a little bulky working between the joists but overall it did the job and I’ve no complaints, and it’s a good price. However in the UK 21degree nailers are not so common so getting the collated nails was not easy.

No nails are available at a reasonable price in Australia. Works well but you can't just go to the shops to buy nails you have to order them in at 8 to 10 time the price. Do not buy if you live in Australia

It was easy to set up and worked perfectly, which saved me hours to manually nail.

Works fine no problems