Freeman PFR2190 21-Degree Full-Head Framing Nailer

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.

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! Bostitch BTFP02012 6 Gallon Pancake CompressorPrimefit IK2004-2 50-Foot PVC Air Hose with 25-Piece Air Accessory Kit and Storage Case

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 starsFOLLOW UPAfter 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.

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 sharePro: redirect airflow (great)Powerful nailer (too good at times)molded cases ( a must)Cons:heavier than Bostitch magnesium castingno 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, etcDouble fire, it may be the airflow coming from your compressor or the sensitivity of the triggerno adjustable nailer firing rate, it will put through the wood at timesOverall, 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