In this DeWalt 1st fix nail gun review, I will be discussing my opinions since I purchased this tool earlier this year (2022).
The review will include its performance, battery life, as well as how I think it compares to a gas-powered 1st Fix gun, such as Paslode.
For anybody who has been on a big job, where they are nailing by hand or even screwing timbers. You’ve probably had this exact thought, “I wish I had a nail gun right now”. We’ve all been there I’m sure.
This type of tool can save you a huge amount of time, especially on jobs where you have to do a lot of nailing. For example:
- Studwork
- Building a roof
- Decking
- Or any other large framing project
It can also save you a lot of energy and effort. Let’s face it, nailing hundreds of 4-inch nails, all day long, by hand, is hard work.
Basically, the difference in time taken and energy spent with a nail gun vs a hammer is night and day.
If you were doing this kind of work on price, you would definitely be making far more money with a framing gun. I’m going to say it again, the time it saves is huge.
So, why did I buy this DeWalt nail gun?
In the past I have owned a Paslode gun. However, I don’t work on building sites anymore, so when this gun eventually packed in, I never bought another.
However, I do have lots of personal projects, and time and time again I found myself thinking, “I wish I still had my nail gun”.
With a couple of projects coming up, where I knew I would be thinking the same thing. I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new one.
My first instinct was to buy another Paslode. However, they are not cheap. The ones I was looking at were anywhere between £550 and £600. I didn’t really feel I could justify the price, as it’s not a tool I will be using every day as part of my job.
The first thing that attracted me to the DeWalt nail gun was the price. It was under half the price of the Paslode guns I was looking at.
For the nail gun only, it was around £280 and with batteries and charger just over £400.
This is the beauty of owning multiple DeWalt products. All the batteries and chargers are interchangeable.
I personally already owned a cordless drill and an impact driver made by DeWalt, plus several batteries and chargers. Therefore, I could just opt for the naked version (just the gun).
The 3 main reasons I chose the DeWalt nail gun
- Price – It was just a lot cheaper than a Paslode which was my original first choice.
- Brand – I know DeWalt tools, I have owned cordless drills, chop saws, and various other tools by DeWalt in the past, and I have always been happy with them. There tools are designed for daily professional use, and I have owned certain tools for years. In fact, my chop saw and SDS drill are both well over 10 years old and still work great.
- I heard good things – Firstly, I had a friend who I discovered recently bought one. He is a full-time joiner, working on site every day and he told me he preferred it to his Paslode gun. I also watched a few YouTube videos and read some reviews. All seemed positive.
These three things combined, made it an easy decision for me to buy it.
DeWalt framing nailer performance – DeWalt DCN692 vs Paslode
So far, I have used this nail gun for 3 jobs:
Some studwork for my office
Building the frame for a bin store
Making some heavy-duty shelving for my shed
For every one of these jobs the DeWalt nail gun worked like a dream. I can honestly say the performance is really good. I found it to be just as good as a Paslode. Some of the main benefits include:
- Its slightly lighter than a Paslode from what I remember.
- Nails can be fired in succession pretty rapidly without jamming
- Two power options which is handy for longer and shorter nails
- It has nail depth adjustment. This means you can have nails finishing flush with the surface or buried below it.
- Battery life was good with an 18v battery
- I can easily rotate batteries with my cordless when a job requires nailing and screwing (this is very handy)
- No need to replace gas, as it doesn’t use any
- You don’t have to smell gas (which I never liked with my Paslode)
- It will take Paslode nails if you already have them.
- Has a handy reversible hook that is thick enough to hang over a joist or rafter (or your belt)
In my opinion, it is a really good product. It’s definitely my favourite power tool purchase in recent years.
I also think it would be perfect for daily use on a building site. Compared with a Paslode it is very comparable, in terms of performance and battery life.
As I understand it, with a Paslode nail gun, the battery only powers the fan, and the gas fires the nails. So, even if the Paslode battery lasts slightly longer, it is doing a different job and you still have the hassle of changing gas in between.
Therefore, the performance before you need to change either batteries or gas, is basically the same for either tool.
With everything taken into consideration. I would say for the price, the DeWalt is far better value than the Paslode.
Even if they were the same price, it would still be a tough choice, but at ½ price without batteries and a charger, or 2/3 the price with them included, I would pic the DeWalt every time.
To see more details about the DeWalt Framing Gun and read lots more customer reviews Click Here
I hope you found this DeWalt 1st Fix nail gun review helpful
