Bostitch RH-S8DR131-HQ Hurriquake 21-Degree 2-1/2-by-0.131-Inch Plastic Collated Stick Framing Nails, 4000 per Box

by Bostitch

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Hurriquake’s cutting edge design makes a stronger nail that can stand up to Mother Nature.

Every now and then a special product comes along and turns the construction market on its head. The Bostitch Hurriquake™ Nail, designed to withstand the most prolific hurricanes and violent earthquakes, is one of those products. Not all nails are created equal, and many are simply not tough enough to do battle with Mother Nature when She really brings it on.

When Bostitch set out to develop the world’s most advanced sheathing nail, he focused on enhancing the head and the shaft. What he came up with won Popular Science's 2006 Innovation of the Year honor. Welcome to the next generation of nails.

The Head
The Hurriquake’s head is 25% larger than traditional sheathing nails. Why? Hurricane force winds create a powerful vacuum-like phenomenon called uplift that often rips standard nail heads through roof sheathing. The typical result after a big storm is an insurance and construction disaster: hundreds of houses without roofs, and many without walls, too. Thanks to the enlarged head, Hurriquake nails can withstand uplift forces of a whopping 271 pounds per square foot, substantially more than other nails. The head also has two other features worth mentioning. First, every head is marked for identification during code inspection (HQ1 or HQ2, depending on which thickness you’re using). This should save contractors a lot of hassle. Second, the patented design prevents you from driving nails in too deep. The benefit of this is significantly less counter-sinking and pulling through in bad conditions.

Shank Design
Discussions of nail shaft design don’t normally excite, but the Hurriquake’s shank is such a departure from the norm that it deserves a serious look. Typical nails are smooth near the bottom, and consequently they pull out when under stress. Hurriquake nails, on the other hand, feature a special ring geometry that grabs hold of the wood when pulled. Hurriquake nails are rated to hold in gusts up to 170 mph. and are strong enough to outperform Miami-Dade County’s code. Regular nails also have a series of parallel rings on the upper part of the shank. Unfortunately, these rings create voids (or spaces) in the sheathing they’re meant to hold in place, making the nails prone to losing their hold or breaking in hairy conditions. By contrast, the Hurriquake’s shaft actually fills voids in sheath ing, thereby increasing hold strength.

Earthquakes
Hurricanes have gotten the lion’s share of media attention recently, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Hurriquake is also designed to minimize structural damage wrought by earthquakes. After a major earthquake, it’s common for structures to lean or droop. That’s because earthquakes put a huge amount of stress at an angle perpendicular to the nail, a phenomenon known as shear load. When the load becomes too much for the nails to bear, they bend or snap and the structure fails. With Hurriquake nails, the chances of this happening are minimal. Hurriquake’s "ring shank" stops halfway up to leave the middle of the nail, which takes the biggest beating during an earthquake, at its maximum thickness. This additional strength offers up to 50% more resistance to earthquakes forces.

What’s in the Box
4,000 2-inch-by-2-1/2-inch-by-.131-inch plastic collated stick framing nails

Hurriquake’s shank technology provides a tight hold in gusts up to 170 mph.

The exceptional shear force capacity enables structures to better withstand earthquakes.

Product Description

4,000 Count, 2-1/2" x .131, Bostitch, Hurriquake Nail, Disaster Resistant Fastener Designed To Reduce The Potential For Major Structural Damage, Engineered For Up To 2 Times Resistance To High Winds, Rated For Hurricane Wind Conditions & Gusts Up To 170 MPH, 50% More Resistance To Earthquake Conditions Than A Regular Sheathing Nail, 25% Larger Head Area With Easily Identifiable Code Markings, Aggressive Screw Shank, Deep Ring Shank For Increased Holding Power, Improved Plastic Collation, Exceeds Miami-Dade County Code, Fits Bostitch F21PL True Value #632545, N88RH True Value #411135 & N88RH-2MCN True Value #373654.

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 41.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000JO6RLI
• Item model number: RH-S8DR131-HQ
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,732 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #100 in Home Improvement > Air Tools > Collated Nails > Framing Nails

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retrofitted my house, insurance company cut homeowner's premium, June 21, 2008

By 

J. Muraoka "Skywatcher" (Tokyo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bostitch RH-S8DR131-HQ Hurriquake 21-Degree 2-1/2-by-0.131-Inch Plastic Collated Stick Framing Nails, 4000 per Box (Tools & Home Improvement)

From some of the reviews from 2006 and 2007, it seems there were quality problems or counterfeits at that time, but the box of nails I received in May 2008 had none of the problems described. The nails appeared to be of high quality and were uniform.

Houses in Hawaii often have open beam construction, so I had a carpenter nailgun the nails at all structural joints, then had him install hurricane straps for good measure. The whole house took about 1/4 of the box, or about $15 worth of Hurriquake nails.

I also had a heat-reflecting titanium-oxide elastomeric roof coating applied to the roof because it was half the price of a traditional reroofing. This made the roof fireproof, blocks out almost all the heat so we do not need to use the air conditioner very much (it used to be like living in a toaster oven), and glues down the shingles so that the roof is windproof.

I showed the Hurriquake nails and hurricane straps to the insurance company, and they immediately dropped my homeowners insurance by $50 per year, so basically, IT IS LIKE THE WHOLE BOX OF HURRIQUAKE NAILS WAS FREE, and I save $50 a year every year from now on. Some people have reduced or canceled their hurricane insurance, which is typically $1,000 to $2,000 per year. I bought more boxes and gave nails away to neighbors... because I do not want their roofs flying into my house if we have a hurricane! Everyone is happy because they feel more secure and reduced their insurance costs, and the nails cost me next to nothing.

This is the kind of seemingly small unseen thing that makes a huge difference. Ed Sutt, the inventor of the HurriQuake nail, is a genius! No wonder this was Popular Science Magazine's Innovation of the Year for 2006.

When I ordered, the default was to pay for shipping, but if you qualify for Free Shipping, BE SURE TO CHANGE TO THE FREE SHIPPING OPTION if available!

[...]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific breakthrough, December 8, 2007

By 

ClickmeClickme (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bostitch RH-S8DR131-HQ Hurriquake 21-Degree 2-1/2-by-0.131-Inch Plastic Collated Stick Framing Nails, 4000 per Box (Tools & Home Improvement)

I know this product has had some poor reviews, mostly all related to beat up boxes and loose and broken nails. However my nails arrived in great conditon. The box was beat up but it didn't affect the quality of nails. This is a breakthrough nail that I first read about in Popular Science about a year plus ago. I was sold after reading the article and suggest you look for it online. I would think everybody loves these nails, except for the person who nails it in and changes his mind and tries to pull it out. I was only able to buy these in a smaller size then one would use to build a house; I'm not sure why. But after the Popular Science article I expected these to replace normal construction nails.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Repackaged Seconds, April 18, 2007

By 

A. Contracting "EddieBuilder" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bostitch RH-S8DR131-HQ Hurriquake 21-Degree 2-1/2-by-0.131-Inch Plastic Collated Stick Framing Nails, 4000 per Box (Tools & Home Improvement)

Whoever supplies for Amazon should be fired. These nails are obviously factory seconds. The nails were thrown in a generic box like a rat's nest (not the manufacturer's box) with most of the stick nails damaged. The nails could not be used in a nail gun as per the manufacturer....the nails were not complete sticks...just bits and pieces. (Think of trying to load a stapler with individual staples and you will get a sense of how these nails arrived.)