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Home > Archive > Building and Construction > January 2006 > Stanley F21PL, a quick review some of you may be interested in
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Stanley F21PL, a quick review some of you may be interested in
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| Hello all,
Our primary framer, a PC FR350MAG was getting due for another rebuild.
We had been meaning to drop it off for weeks but hadnt had a chance, or
the time to be without it. Well, a week or so ago it decided for us and
while sheathing a roof just started spilling air out the head. I cant
imagine how many thousand pounds of nails that gun has shot since the
last rebuild but it was way over due.
Anyway, being dead in the middle of a project we couldnt wait the 10
days for the rebuild and needed another FRH nailer. A month or two ago
in a full round vs. clipped thread the new Bostitch combo framer/metal
connector nailer came up. We had looked at the N88 version of it several
times wondering how well it worked. Given that we needed a gun
immediately we picked up on of the F21PL's which is the same as the N88
except its magnesium and has slightly more power.
The gun landed on the job the day after the FR350MAG bit the dust and
went straight to work. After a week or two of daily use we are very
impressed with the gun. The metal connector option is truly awesome. You
literally switch from metal connector to framer in 3-5 seconds. Push a
button and the MCN tip slips off and the framer tip slips on. You can
shoot up to 3 1/4" nails with the MCN tip. The first day I shot up 40
2x8 hangers in minutes. Additionally the magazine has a fiberglass
spacer rod which shifts the magazine width from .113/.131 to .162
fasteners. This is handy as we have had trouble with some FRH nailers
sticking when using .113 nails as the clips can sometimes slip slightly
by each other while they are sliding down the magazine causing them to
stick.
My only wishes for the gun, and they may be proprietary/patented PC
features, would be a bypass pusher and an empty feature. The PC framers
have a nifty bypass pusher where you load your nails into the magazine
then draw back the pusher. When it passes the last clip a spring/latch
catches the nails and pushes. It is MUCH faster than having to draw back
the pusher to engage a rear latch, insert nails, then release the
pusher. Additionally, in cold weather, releasing the pusher and allowing
it to "snap" down against the nails can cause the plastic collimating
strips to crack/shatter making them feed less smoothly. The other
feature the FR350MAG has is a stop which doesnt allow you to fire the
gun when its empty. This is very handy as your crew/help can not
inadvertently shoot the gun empty and not realize it. While we pay close
attention and can tell by feel/sound/sight that no nail was shot I often
worry that our guys wont catch it especially when nailing sheathing,
headers, or other things where your moving very fast. I find myself
listening now and pointing out that the gun is empty, or getting close,
which will get annoying to me, and them.
Other than those two gripes the gun is fantastic in every way. Light,
oodles of power, pushbutton MCN/Framer change, pushbutton depth
adjustment (with about 8-10 depth settings), a 16" o/c scale on the
magazine (not a great feature for us), and a good grip and rubber
bumpers on the head.
No affiliation here with Bostitch and I dont normally tout tools but
this was one that really impressed me and thought it may be useful
information for some of you.
Ciao,
Mark
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