Customer Reviews

Black & Decker FS1802BNB Firestorm 18-Volt 18-Gauge Cordless Brad Nailer

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Please don't purchase this nailer and expect to use it for contractor use. It just isn't that type of nail gun. Slow and methodical is the name of the game with this one. You are not going to be firing nails as fast as you can pull the trigger. It will countersink 2 inch nails through 3/4 oak plywood and into a 2x4. However, there is a delay when you pull the trigger and if you pull the gun away from your workpiece to soon, it will leave the nail proud of the surface. Also, if you don't hold it firmly enough against your work piece then the resulting kickback will leave the nail slightly proud of the surface. If you exercise proper technique and patience then this gun will meet the homeowner/hobbiest use. I use it to reinforce glue joints on some of my projects. I also use this every weekend as woodworking is a hobby of mine. I thought about getting the dewalt nailer but it is a lot more bulky than the B&D and I felt that some of my projects require something that can get into smaller spots. Something you might consider depending on what your application needs are. Also, the cost was 1/3 of the Dewalt and at least half of any other 18 guage cordless nailer I could find at the time. So after reading some reviews on this one I purchased two of them for a couple reasons. First, I like to use differnt size nails on the same project and this would allow me to not have to constantly change out nail sizes. Second, based on some of the reviews I read I felt that if one broke down I would still have one that worked while I sent it in for service. Which brings me to the 2 year warranty that comes standard with this model. 2 months and about 200 nails into it, one of the nailers stopped working. The indicator light was indicating low battery and wouldn't fire. It would do that with all six of my batteries as I have other 18v B&D products. I took it to a local authorized repair center and he said B&D would probably just send me a new one in the mail. No hassles. So in conclusion I would say that this is a decent product that might give you some mechanical problems but the 2 yr manufacturers warranty makes it worth it.

***Update***

July 16, 2010. B&D has had my nailer since 6/21/10 for warranty service. Found out today that they will not be replacing it or repairing it, they will be sending me a check for the purchase price including tax. I asked how they would know how much I paid for it and the rep said they use a regional sales figure that is the same for all authorized retailers. I'll update this review when I get that check.

***Update***

July 26, 2010. Recieved the check from B&D today. I was concerned about the amount I would get but, that concern was unwarranted. The amount covered my cost completely. After this, I am more than willing to add more B&D tools to my collection.

I like to consider myself some what of an expert on B&D Firestorm products. I own just about all the tools from the line and am fairly happy with the performance and price of them. I've written quite a few reviews, most positive. However, this is the worst Firestorm purchase I've ever made. Straight out of the box I loaded the unit with the manufacture recommended brad nails. It fired fine on the first shot then jammed. I cleared the jam, then fired again. It jammed again, I tried a third time, then forth and so on. It continued to jam every time. I took the unit back to Lowe's and got another one...same thing happened with the second nail gun. Even the experts at Lowe's couldn't get this to fire a second nail. They tried for half an hour different things but no luck. This is why I know it wasn't just me. I was very surprised to see B&D come out with a product that simply did not work. At the time I paid $200 for this, I'm sure by now the price has come down drastically. Even so, it's not worth more than $20. I'm sorry to say but you are definitly better off with another brand.

I just got this nailer, and now I don't know how I did without it! It's not available on Amazon at this time, so I had to get it on a well known auction website. This nailer works great for my around the house trim upgrading projects (of which I have many). It loads easily, doesn't fire too loudly (it wasn't loud at all especially compared to nail guns powered by an air compressor), and it doesn't leave a mark on the wood surface other than the small hole where the nail passed thru. This nailer obviously wasn't designed for major framing type jobs, but for trimming jobs it's perfect! I can't wait to start my next project just so I can use this gun more!!! It's sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

I was really looking for a cordless nailer that can help me get some house jobs done. I stumbled upon this firestorm nailer from B&D at Amazon. With the reviews it was getting, I was kinda leary to buy the product but finally I decided to get one and was amazed how fast they shipped it. I got it the following day I ordered it! Next day delivery and free! Can't beat that! So to speak, I tried it and works great for my home projects, so far. I love it and makes my work easier. Too bad that not all got pleased with it according to their expectation.

Wonderful tool for small detail work. I used it on the detail work when I remodeled my kitchen. It performed like a champ. Amazon shipped it the same day as my order and had it in two days. It comes with every thing you need to get started. Carrying case, sample brads, charger, and a list of compatible brads from other companies. A great tool for a great price.

As I understand it, Dewalt is the upscale version of Black & Decker. I would have been much happier if this used the common XRP 18VDC battery on my dewalt tools, even though the color is different. I charged it overnight and used it the next day to construct picture frames to stretch artist's canvas over. The price was right and dewalt did not offer a brad battery powered tool, so I went with the B&D.

It can fire 2" brads, down to 5/8" and includes an assortment along with safety glasses in the hard shelled case. The charger is a slow charger powered by another wall wart. All my shop outlets have 8 plugs for this very reason.

There are a few other minor negatives worth mentioning - none are significant, but if you are accustomed to them we'll just mention them in passing. First, there is no LED worklight. Second the LED it does have is a red ERROR led that stays on steady for a dying battery and blinks for a jam. On the positive side clearing a jam is simplistic - just put the safety on, unlatch the driving channel, remove any bent brads, latch it back up, take off the safety and you are back to work.

Had dewalt sold a brad nailer I would have leaned that direction for battery commonality. In the $100 price range the B&D offers a great value. You may want to pick up some woodworking clamps to go with this since the force to push down the tip safety can moove parts out of allignment.

I love the whole black and decker firestorm line. they are great. Lowes stoped carrying them.. i dont know of any other place you can still get them exept Amazon.com

Here's the thing, most reviewers are comparing this to a professional product, which it is not, nor does it pretend to be. However, for the household product that it is, it is great. I just completed refinishing the woodwork in two bathrooms and building a window planter for the front of my house. I could not have done any of those things without it. I had been planning to use it for what I was doing, then sell it as used, but instead I bought another battery and a hammer drill from the same line, which also works great.

A 120V nailer I had bought before was unable to get a 1 1/2" brad through my baseboard molding, which is oak. This one can get a 2" brad properly countersunk through any wood I have tried including oak trim into maple flooring. It has not jammed once, and the battery has not died unexpectedly, though I do recommend getting a spare.

Once I received this nailer from Amazon, I fully charged the battery and started using it. After 10 minutes, nailer's lower battery light is on. I charged again, but same result which I had to return it.

The 18v battery does not work very long - like 50 nails and decreasing before the battery needs to be recharged. If the battery lasted longer this would be better for casual homeowner doing limited construction work. It is unsuitable for extended work or for a professional. I have used it to nail less than 1000 nails.

There is no way to know when the battery will need recharging. It just stops nailing and the red light comes on to let you know the battery needs to be recharged.

It works very well when the battery is fully charged. The battery is nailing less and less nails before it needs to be recharged. I read on the Black and Decker website the battery does not have a memory problem but that is not true.

It is much better than the 12V Black and Decker nailer. The 12V nailer does not have enough nailing power to consistently drive the nails in completely. You are left with the nail partially driven in. The 12V unit also has a kickback and the nails do not go in all the way. The low life 12v battery sucks too. The 18v nailer nails better than the 12V nailer and does it with more positive nailing power.

The 18V nailer has the partially driven nail problem if you do not carefully hold the nailer down or when the battery gets low.

The 18V nailer is heavy. The size makes it difficult to get into tight spaces. An angled nailer would be better.

If I could do it all over again I would get the 18V DeWalt nailer with the Lithiom Ion battery. Get the angle nailer to get into the tight spaces.

Update January 24, 2012
The unit still works. Because of the unit's weight it is hard to handle and use if you are in an awkward position.