Have no fear in purchasing this nailer.This nailer is very well made and buying one vs renting one made more sense to me.(At $40-$50 per day to rent). I am installing Brazilian Walnut 3/4" by 2 1/4" solid hardwood flooring. This wood is 185% harder than oak. This nailer had no problem driving the nails. I purchased the "L" shaped cleat nails at my local Lowes. This is my first attempt at installing a wood floor. One tip for DIY'ers, practice on a scrap piece of flooring, I had to adjust the air pressure on my compressor to 90 psi. Also when hitting the nailer with the rubber mallet you need a nice firm swing,not to hard,not to soft, a few practice hits and you will get it. Now about the seller, great service, nailer arrived in 1 week, nailer is exactly as described, was delivered by Fedex in perfect condition. What sold me on buying from this seller was their great price and the fact that they did not charge an inflated shipping rate. To all readers of this review, Good Luck in you flooring project. Akuzuki Contractor Pro Series Dual Hardwood Floor Cleat Nailer and Stapler
I purchased this nailer for use when installing 640 square feet of strand bamboo flooring, in conjunction with Bostich 'L' cleat flooring nails Bostitch FLN-150 1-1/2-Inch Flooring L-Nails, 1000-Per Box. As expected to use the tool over the course of days, with an eye toward utility for future projects, I chose to buy a nailer rather than rent.
Pros:
1. heavy-duty feel
2. budget price
3. changeable baseplates for different thickness flooring
Cons:
1. two of the four allen screws that hold on the base plate simply refused to budge and stripped in the process of trying to remove them to change the plate- completely rendering useless the feature of changeable baseplates for various flooring thickness. (no worries- I added strips of duct tape to suit my 5/8" bamboo strips) This is a manufacturing quality issue. Either the screws should have been properly torqued, or should not have been installed at all, leaving that to the purchaser.
2. Halfway through the flooring project, the unit began to leak air through the head. Not a lot, just a whisper- but enough to cycle my compressor and make me wonder about the tool's longevity.
Despite the cons, it drove the cleats flawlessly and never misfired. I would purchase this again, given the price and balancing the use I would get from it Vs. renting costs.
UPDATE -01/2010
After having written my review I received a very nice, and unsolicited, note from the manufacturer. They were kind enough, based upon my review, to fully repair the small issues I was having with my tool. When was the last time a manufacturer rung you up and offered to fix what was wrong with your tool without having to spend hours on hold or navigating a phone tree? THAT is customer service, folks. Got the tool back in double time: baseplate screws fixed, and rebuilt with new seals. I tried it immediately and it performed flawlessly, as it was before. (remember, it performed perfectly before, with no misfires, even when the nails ran out of the magazine) It is rare indeed to find a company willing to stand behind their product these days, let alone to this extent. I am impressed. Curious to know whether new buyers experience too-tight screws on the baseplate or whether they have actually changed the manufacturing process. Pros: Seriously consider this tool.
A decent floor nailer and a great value, especially with the ability to use either cleats or staples. The construction of the nailer was solid and well made. I was however disappointed in the mallet, the wooden handle was very loose and not well finished and doubt it would hold up well in the long run, fortunately, I recently purchased a Stanley graphite handled mallet and have used that.
The nailer arrived in just under a week and I was ready to start putting down my bamboo floor. The base plate needed to be changed (bamboo is 5/8" vice 3/4" for most hardwoods), but was quickly accomplished by removing the 4 allen screws with the wrench supplied. After adding a few drops of oil, I made a few test nailings and was pleased that no further adjustments were necessary. The nails were set perfectly in the tongues of the bamboo. The starting wall clearance was excellent, with the 3 5/8" wide bamboo, I was able to use the nailer on the second row! Do be careful when installing bamboo as the nailer needs to be set flat and square to prevent damage to the edges.
I did run into one nail jam as most floor nailers are infamous for. It occured between two strips of cleats. It took about five minutes to clear the jam (breaking out the directions just to be sure). Future jams could easily be accomplished in under two.
I've only installed about 150 square feet, but so far I've been very happy with the performance of the nailer.
Awesome...I have been renting guns for years and decided to buy this one before installing about 500 SF in my house. I am a homeowner - not a pro - but I have installed thousands of feet of wood. I wish I bought this gun a few years ago. Not a single miss-fire, as a result of the gun, in 500 SF. I have never had a more consistent floor nailer. The gun is easy to use and really does not require a hard hit to work. If you are planning to install any decent quantity of wood, I would highly recommend this unit over renting. Good Luck!
During a major remodeling job of our home, we hired a carpenter crew, that was well respected in our area. They put down the hardwood flooring in our kitchen and dining room area with a regular air nailer. We noticed after a couple of weeks that the floor made squeaky noices when we walked on it.
Having to still complete another area with the same hardwood flooring, we decided to try and do it ourselves. So to Amazon.com we went and purchased the Akuzuki nailer. Upon arrival we began the project. We found the recommendations on Amazon from other buyers to be true and the instructions in the box were easy to follow. Within a couple of days our flooring was down and it doesn't squeak. It looks really professional.
Thank you for offering a great product.
The Bishop's
West Michigan - Hardwood - Cleat Nailer - Floor Nailer - Hardwood Floor Nailer'
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