Customer Reviews

Bosch BNS200-18 18-Gauge Brad Nailer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bosch's first foray into the world of nail guns seems pretty successful to me. This gun is light, comfortable, affordable (no fancy "angled" nails required), quiet, and has oodles of power. Even starving it at 80 psi, it has no trouble sinking (and setting) 2" brads into any of the MDF or Poplar stock I've got laying around. The adjustable exhaust port is a nice touch, and it refuses to fire at all once the magazine goes empty. The case is also roomy, leaving ample space for nails and other accessories.

Unfortunately, I can't say it's perfect. The pin that holds the trigger in doesn't seem like it's held on very firmly by that tiny little washer, and I shudder to think what will happen in the event that it should go out. Mine also came with a pretty severe cosmetic flaw in the form of what appears to be a gash in one of the metal surfaces. This gash was painted over, so it's more than likely just a flaw in the casting which should not cause any problems in usage, but still, QA should have caught it. And lastly, they don't give you any kind of fitting to actually stick it on the end of your hose. A minor nitpick to be sure, but come on, how much do these things cost? Don't make me drive back to the store to buy another coupler.

Nevertheless, it gets the job done and gets it done well. Even with the minor cosmetic defect, the fit-and-finish is notably superior to that of the equivalent Hitachi gun which I had been considering before these came out. I think anyone who routinely builds picture frames, cabinetry or puts up moulding would be extremely satisfied with this gun's performance. You'll definitely want to wear goggles, though; the exhaust is unbelievably powerful, so if you forget to rotate the port away from your face, you're going to be crying.

I am doing a full reno of my first floor and put up doorway trim and base molding; this nailer worked flawlessly.

I was using an 18 ga bostitch nailer before, and it was not very consistent. The bosch nailer sunk 2" and 1 1/4" nails at exactly the same depth every time.

I haven't used the bump feature yet, but I'm not sure if I ever will.

I was skeptical at some of the mixed reviews, however, I am not a contractor. There is no doubt that I will be looking at Bosch's finish nailer in the near future.

I have had this nailer for a few weeks now and put it right to work on a project that was awaiting its arrival. First thing I had to do was dial the pressure back to about 80+ using a 1 1/2" nail. Then adjusted the nail set adjuster to get it just right. It cruised through the job (in oak and pine materials) perfectly. It has a well built feel and fit and finish is excellent. Its also very light but I do have it on a urethane hose which helps a lot versus a pvc or rubber one. Thumbs up so far!

This is the second Bosch 18-guage brad nailer I've purchased, so both of us can do similar jobs at the same time. I have no idea how someone could not be able to drive nails with these; we've been working with ironwood and ipe for about six months and have no problems driving up to and including 2-inch fastners.

The first gun is a bit over a year old and while I am meticulous about tools, it hasn't been babied. Compared to the new gun, it's lost nothing after probably 5000 - 6000 nails driven at maximum depth settings and maximum operating pressures into the hardest woods. We've had one operator technique jam, and I think the Bosch naileers have the easiest and best jam-clearing of any nailer I've used or tried - you don't open the nose, you open the magazine. Wham, you're done.

Yeah, you can buy better 18-guage nailers - the Cadex comes to mind - for three times this price, and you can buy worse nailers for 50% more than these cost, but for daily use, in the shop, the Bosch nailers have proven to be rock-solid and totally dependable.

And they feel good in your hand.

This brad gun packs a punch. I really like it, it counter sinks brads regardless of the type of material you are nailing into. The tip sticks out a little far which makes it hard to get into position but I'm really impressed with the quality of the gun. Very lightweight, comfortable fit...

I bought this gun without any knowledge of its performance. I only went with the idea that all the Bosch tools I own have been great. This gun is not what is advertised. It's size nor its weight is not smaller than other 18 ga. guns that I own (Bostich, Porter-Cable, Senco). I was hoping to find an 18 gauge gun that would sink 2" nails consistently. I just finished a job trimming a house with 3/4" pre-finished fir for casing and base. The 18 ga. is used to diminish the size of holes that need to be puttied but if you have to set nails manually with a nail set your nail hole becomes noticeably larger. Not good when doing high-end stain-grade work. The time it takes to constantly set nails manually is not cost effective. I used this gun to trim out one door and put it away after I had to manually set 6 nails. The compressor was set to 115 psi and the depth adjustment on the gun was set to sink nails all the way. The Senco is still the gun I am going to use. It will shoot 2 1/8" nails and rarely leaves them proud. The Bosch looks good but needs some work before I will consider using it.

Just got this as a gift but find it didn't shoot any of the brads that I bought at Home Depot....which were branded with Cable Porter.....are these brand specific brads? Does anybody know what brand brads work in the gun or where I can buy Bosch brads for it? I tried it out but all I got was a hole in the wood and no brad. They seem to be loaded properly so I was surprised. Please advise
Thanks
OkieBart