Customer Reviews

DEWALT DC618KN 18-Volt 16-Gauge 20-Degree Angled Finish Nailer

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

 

 

When I ordered this I assumed I would have to wait for it to charge a spring or something before I could shoot a nail, but it's ready to go as soon as you pick it up. When you pick it up and just feather the trigger, two little work lights come on and the motor spins up. It will shoot nails as fast as you pull the trigger. As with all nail guns, it won't shoot until you press the shoe against the wood. It also has a bump-firing mode where you can hold the trigger in and it will shoot a nail every time you bump it. It uses the Paslode 22 deg. nails from 1-1/4 - 2-1/2 . The 2 1/2" nails are great for large trim. I used them to tie doorjambs to the studs. Seems to shoot a zillion nails on a single battery. Much quieter than my air nailers. Nail depth control is the best I have seen. I bought the kit which includes batteries and charger. The case has storage room for 4 boxes of nails. The body is big, but it's very light. Get the angled model, not the straight one; they're the same price. I've had this about a year now and I love it. Hardly ever jams but is super easy to clear.

How the other reviewer can give a poor rating because of his incompetence, I'll never know. They're giving an option to current DeWalt tool owners to use their own batteries by not charging for the battery and charger. Regardless, I purchased this puppy during the holidays when Amazon was running its annual "20% Off All Power Tools Sale". I was a little reluctant because of the steep price but looking back, I would have paid full price. It is big and about the weight of a corded sawzall (if that helps) but it is very well balanced. Don't get me wrong, the pros far outweight the cons - of which I can find none. I use it primarily for home renovations and man-o-man is it convenient. No more drill, punch, tap, tap, tap with a hammer and nail set. No more hose and compressor to tack a jamb into place. No need for a second set of hands to hold molding flush while you predrill and no chance of molding or jambs shifting from hammer blows. Hold in place and pull the trigger. Bamm! Done. A huge time saver. I have fired tons of 2" and 2 1/2" and have not had a single jamb. The bump mode is very cool. This is an extremely well made tool. PS. Stay away from the cheaper Black and Decker version. That one is cheap junk.

Great Nailer. Easy to adjust depth and mode of operation for every job. Every bit as good as the Paslode angled nailer, but heavier. Best feature is the power source 18V battery used in other Dewalt tools. The Paslode requires a battery and fuel cell (which has an expiration date) and is an added expense. The Dewalt uses both Dewalt angled (20degree) nails and Paslode nails so they are easy to find.

This nailer works pretty good but at least with my 2 batteries it does not last very long. Shoots about half the nails its suppost to on a single battery. Maybe the rateing only applies if the depth is set to 1?
Ether way its great not haveing to dig out the compressor and hose everytime I have trim work.
It is severale times the size of a neumatic and a lot heaver.
Was installing some crown a week ago and boy did it give my arm a work out.
For one room jobs it works very good but for multiple rooms or a whole house the compressor gets dug out.

Put thosands of nails though this nailer in a very short period of time without any trouble at all.
This tool saved my [...] by allowing me to not drag my compressor and hose into tight spaces or places with restricted noise levels.
This gun drives 16 ga. finish nails with ease and leaves a substantially smaller set hole than any other gun i've used.
No air, oil or water blasts from my air powered finish nailer.
It drives nails precisely and accurately without splitting or cracking the most delicate of mouldings or trim.
I hope DeWalt comes out with a cordless brad nailer soon.

The only good thing about this gun is that it's cordless,no hose. It's heavy and awkward enough that no real contractor would use one all day. However, this might be great for a hand full of nails for a homeowner. I think for a homeowner after you figure on space consumption and cost of a pancake comp, hose, and a nailer this takes less space and cost about the same amount.

Dewalt says the 618 weighs 8.75 pounds, Paslode "cordless still" weighing in at 4.75lbs with the battery/cell in it. If you went with the "hose," the magnesium bodied Bostitch weighs in at only 3.8lbs.

The Paslode drives 1200 nails on a cell and 4000 on a single battery charge. I forgot to mention the Dewalt has a massive head on it, thats where the awkward came from. It's not a great tool for tight places.

I also ran into problems trying to locate the proper degree nails for this gun, no one sells Dewalt brand nails yet and Dewalt attempting to be different left me without nails. I traveled to both HomeDepot and Lowes and still had no luck!

Last, the led's that shine on your work area, so what! How many times have you nailed something together in the dark? Even if this was a good tool, I would have opened the housing and shutoff those lights, cause theirs nothing more I hate than having to grab another battery or even worse, charging one.

Even Workbench Magazine a year ago had an article giving tipss for shoppers for the holidays, tools to watch out for. Endorsed tools, tools with lasers, work lights, there was some others but you get the picture.

I bought this nailer at Lowes Nov. 18th & cashed it in on the 20th luckily they have a 30 sat guarantee. I tried the DC628 but Im sure this 618 is about as useless with the exception of possibly the nails. I bet it would be easier to find this angle than the 628.

I've now bought the Paslode and I'm very happy. I installed some Cove under a cornice assembly today and I thought it was great. But I'm not sure how bad it's going to smell indoors. The fuel cells smell like a propane leak.

Good Luck

I love this tool. I would have rated it a 4.5 if I could. The reason it doesn't get a 5 is that it frequently jambs at the end of the sleeve of nails (at about the second or third nail from the end).

I bought Passload nails to replace the Dewalt nails that came with it, and they actually work better - fewer jambs.

Although heavy, I have used it for large projects and one battery lasts all day. As a repair/handyman contractor, it is perfect for taking to small jobs. I save my air nailers for only the larger jobs.

The batteries are fantastic. I bought the complete kit and got two batteries and a charger. I was so impressed with the battery power and legth of charge, that I started replacing my 18V Ryobi tools with the Dewalt line of 18V cordless.

Like an earlier reviewer, I wish Dewalt would make a cordless framing nailer. I'll be first in line when they do.

I have had this nailer for just over a year. I consider this one of my best tool puchases. I agree that is a little heavier than its pneumatic counterpart. I do not find that its weight a detriment. I use it mostly for furniture and cabinet work. It is much easier than carting a compressor around or feeding compressor hose out a window. I used it all day on outside window trim work and it performed flawlessly. I am really happy with this nailer.

I've only trimmed one house before and used a borrowed miter box and hammer. Shoulda bought this tool for that job, too. Love the tool. It seemed heavy the first time I picked it up but gotta say that, even being a woman, the weight did not interfere with my slapping baseboards, window trim, chair rail and ceiling trim in one room all in the same day.

I didn't purchase the charger with my original purchase but should have. Lowes and HD only had the car charger (which works fine).

A poor attempt at trying to join the Paslode market....the sound the tool makes is weird and sound like it is going to break. This is not the DeWalt I am used to seeing and using.