Chose the cheap floor nailer over the top brand and paid for it in time

I had to decide between a $180 Harbor Freight floor nailer and a $450 Bostitch when I started doing hardwood floors three years back. Picked the cheap one to save money on my first big job at a house in Puyallup. First 500 nails went fine, but then it jammed every 10th shot and I spent an hour clearing jams per room. Took me four extra days on a 1,200 square foot job and the customer complained about the timeline. Has anyone else tried the cheap route and regretted it, or did you get lucky with something that worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_webb13d ago

Cheap" and "nailer" in the same sentence usually ends in pain, haha.

mary_foster9213d ago

Oh man, been there. Idk, you'd think saving $20 would be worth it until your trim piece looks like a beaver chewed on it.

reese_nelson8d agoTop Commenter

Gotta push back a little here. I've bought a couple of those cheapo nailers from the hardware store and honestly they worked fine for my weekend projects. Maybe I just got lucky, but the trim still looks good a year later. @mary_foster92 you must have had a real bad experience, huh? I'm not saying go buy the absolute cheapest thing on the shelf, but I think people get a little dramatic about needing top of the line gear for basic stuff around the house.