Goingย cord-free with trim nailers is the way to go, and the Paslode 900600ย Cordless 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer makes this easy to do. Thisย nailer is best suited for the pro who focuses on remodeling and trimย work. With an excellent line of sight and an angled nail magazine,ย getting fasteners into difficult-to-reach places is easy and can beย done with great precision. The idea of not having to drag around aย compressor, cords, and hoses is a very compelling argument for goingย cordless. Not to mention, this Paslode is lightweight and compact,ย comes with a built-in hanging hook, and is incredibly easy to use.ย This nailer makes our list of must-have tools!
Editorโs note: Check out the Paslode IM250A 16-gauge cordless angled finish nailer for an updated model.
Paslode 900600 Cordless 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailerย Features
Theย Paslode 900600 Cordless 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer arrived in aย very sturdy blow-molded carry case that provides space for the included nailer, battery, charger, fuel cell, and even a pack of nails. Beyond these items, there is additional space for another battery or two and spare fuel cells. This nailer weighs in at just under 5 pounds when completely loaded with the battery, fuel, andย nails. Thatโs super light, particularly when you remember that youโreย not dragging a hose.
At the heart of this nailer is Paslodeโs patented fuel and battery system, which gives some pretty impressive results since the Ni-cad rechargeable battery will drive 4,000 nails on one charge, and one of the Short Yellow Trim Fuel Cells will drive a total of 1,200 nails. The main body of the nailer is mostly made ofย a durable plastic with metal parts in critical areas like theย magazine, the internals, and where the nails come out. The grip angleย is comfortable to hold, and there is a reversible belt hook that comesย in very handy when going up and down ladders.
The nailer drives 1-1/4โณ to 2-1/2โณ 16-gauge 20-degree angled nails, and the magazine holds up to 100 nails (two strips). To prevent blank firing, which can damage the internal mechanism, there is a 10-nail lockout, and the tip comes with a quick-latch cover that makes clearing jams a tool-free and almost instant process. The tip of the nailer isย designed to offer a very open line of sight, and it includes twoย no-mar tip covers. Depth of drive is also tool-free, and the nailer operates in a single fire mode only, which is actually safer (and for all the guys out there that think that they need a trim nailer that works in bump mode, how often do you really use that anyways?)
Testingย and Use
Weย had the perfect project to try out the Paslode 900600 Cordlessย 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer to show off why you want one of theseย (come on, we know you want one!) It was a bathroom renovation projectย where we found ourselves in extremely tight quarters and had a windowย to trim out and a crown to install. It is one thing to work in a largeย open space, but when in a cramped area, with limited access, lessย clutter, and things to drag around all of a sudden become seriousย considerations. In this particular case, we also had to squeeze in a 6-foot step ladder to reach the 10-foot high ceilings for the crown trim.ย
Before we even attempted using the nailer, we threw the battery onย the included charger to make sure that we were operating the tool atย its peak potential. Loading the fuel cell was pretty easy in that itย only required a little bit of careful attention to the orientation ofย the fuel cell discharge and manipulation of the latch on the back ofย the tool. The battery slips neatly into a cavity at theย bottom of the magazine. Loading the 2โ long nails was easy as well.ย They enter the magazine from the back, and once the nails are inserted, all that is required is to pull back the nail tensionerย to force them forward.
In a spare piece of wood, we set the depth ofย drive, which was done by turning the thumb wheel just behind the tip.ย Now we were ready to wor,k and we started with the crown trim. Forย those that might not be familiar with fuel/battery-powered nailers,ย there is a pretty loud pop when the nail is fired, which is a littleย different than some of the other cordless nailers on the market.
Oneย thing that quickly became evident was that this nailer does not haveย a problem with driving nails to the proper depth when dealing withย different materials. The reason I mention this is that in this particular 1920s home that we were working on, the walls are made up of multiple layers of materials that include rock-hard fir 2x4s, lath, plaster, and drywall. Never once in hanging the crown did weย have to go back through and set any nails by hand. We had the sameย results with the window that we trimmed out as well. What we also like about this nailer is that the 16-gauge nails are a perfect compromise between the larger 15-gauge finish nailer and an 18-gauge brad nailer.
The 16-gauge nails have a slight head, which makes it easy to โsuckโ the trim in when it is against uneven walls and hold it in place once nailed. The nail heads are small, though, which madeย it very easy to putty and patch before we painted. We quickly found ourselves using the belt hook, which wasย very handy when working up on the ladder. We were able to hang theย nailer on the ladder and keep it within easy reach without fear of itย falling. There were no misfires or jams to report in the batch of nailing that we did.
Conclusion
Whenย selecting a cordless nailer, there are a few things to look for, likeย size, weight, power, and ease of use. With Paslodeโs 900600 Cordlessย 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer, we think that they did a great job inย all these areas. On the surface, it might seem that this tool mightย cost more than corded nailing solutions. If you take into account theย cost of a compressor, a nailer, cords, and hoses, you might beย surprised to find that the Paslode is actually a truly viableย solution.
This is not to mention the space that is saved in yourย truck or job site trailer and the convenience of not having to dragย all those other things with you. For our Performance rating, we gave this nailer a near-perfect 9/10 since it performs well, weighs little, and is easy to use. Our Value rating gave this tool a very high scoreย of 8/10 since we think that its worth is really contingent on the newย level of convenience that is found. Cordless is the way to go, and theย Paslode 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer is a great choice.
