Withย the rise of cordless finish nailers, Senco takes a different approachย by using a sealed nitrogen cylinder and a lithium-ion battery to keepย them powered. Recently, we had the chance to try out the Senco FN55AX Fusionย F-18 Cordless 18-Gauge Brad Nailer. We found that this nailer packsย in a pile of useful features, has plenty of power, and will keep upย with pneumatic nailers like the Senco FN55AX 18-gauge finish nailer. More and more, we are turning to brad nails for our finishing projects because of their great holding power combined with their very small head size. A smaller head size meansย less patching and putty when you are done. There is a lot to likeย with this nailer, and it comes in near the top of our list ofย must-have tools.
Editorโs Note: The Senco FN55AX has been replaced by the F-18XP
Senco FN55AX Fusionย F-18 Cordless 18-Gauge Brad Nailer Features
The Senco FN55AX Fusion F-18 Cordless 18-Gauge Brad Nailer, like theย Senco F-15 FN65DA cordless 15-gauge finish nailer,ย came packed inside a large black zip-up padded tool bag. Inside the bag, there is more than ample room for the tool, the charger, and the battery. Inย fact, there are extra pockets inside and outside the bag that makeย it handy to store nails and other small parts and tools. The overallย body of the nailer is made of what appears to be ABS plastic withย black rubber over-mold on the handle area and on just about any partย that might come in contact with your sensitive trim materials.
On top of the tool is a red aluminum cylinder. Inside this cylinder is aย permanently sealed charge of nitrogen gas โ and this is where theย โmagicโ happens. The nitrogen gas actually gives thisย nailer its pneumatic-like punch to drive the nails. As we mentioned,ย the gas system is permanently sealed, and by way of battery power, the nitrogen is continually compressed and recycledย within the cylinder. While this might sound like a perpetual motionย machine, the laws of physics still prevail because, over time, thereย is a slight pressure loss of about 5 psi for every ten to twentyย thousand nail shots.
Sencoโs engineers claim that the cylinder willย hold its useful charge for around 100,000 nailing cycles. For theย scope of this review, we are going to have to trust Senco on theseย numbers (we just donโt have that many projects lined up, or that kindย of time!) besides, for those of you who are trim carpenters, you knowย that after 100,000, youโll have worn out your nail gun anyway and beย ready for a new one. And by that point, if you have been doing thingsย right, this nailer should have paid for itself many times over.
Justย like any professional quality tool, the Senco FN55AX 18-gauge finishย nailer has all the functionality and features that you would expect.ย A sliding switch on the lower part of the handle makes itย easy to adjust between single fire, off, and bump-fire modes. Nailย depth is also easy to configure by way of an adjustment wheel locatedย on the top front of the tool. Thereโs even a visual gauge to show itsย current position. If the magazine ever becomes jammed, there is aย release button that opens the magazineโs business end for easyย access to the nail channel.
The included 18-Volt lithium-ion batteryย has a built-in LED battery level gauge so that you instantly know howย long your tool or power source has before it needs a recharge. Sinceย the nailer only came with one battery, it makes it easy to check the status of the battery before you get into a project. Also,ย it takes just 15 minutes until the charger brings the battery up toย 80% of its capacity. In about 45 minutes, you get a full charge. Lastย but not least, there is a belt hook located at the base of the handleย that can be easily removed or repositioned to either side of the toolย to suit any user.
Testingย and Use
Givenย the versatile size and availability of straight 18-gauge brad nails,ย the Senco FN55AX has endless possibilities for light to medium-duty trim work. Plus, the idea of not having toย drag around an air compressor, hose, and drop cords is huge. We usedย this nailer to trim out some custom-built-in bookcases. We firstย built the individual bookcase sections in our shop and thenย transported them to the office, where they were to be installed.
Once we had everything lined up and secured to the wall, we used the Senco FN55AX to secure the crown trim around the top edges, the ribbed trim between the shelves, and the trim around the base. At first glance, weย thought the nailer looked a little large for being a brad nailer, butย after completing this project, we actually found it to be quiteย balanced. Not once did its size become an issue when installing anyย of the trim.
The tip was easy to see, and precise nail placement wasย not a problem. The built-in LED light was also a welcome feature that will make nailing in the dark obsolete. The battery life wasย more than sufficient, as we did not need to charge it through theย course of an entire day of doing trim work. The power level gaugeย built into the battery is also a helpful feature that we wish moreย manufacturers of lithium-ion-powered tools would take note of.
Conclusion
Theย Senco FN55AX is a wonderful cordless nailer that can totally replaceย its pneumatic counterparts. After getting a lot of good use out of it, itโs really easy to recommend this nailer. While it does have a highย initial cost, given the long warranty and no need for compressors andย hoses, itโs still a compelling choice. If you are on the market forย a portable trim brad nailer, we suggest you put this tool at the top of your list. Professional features, precision nailย placement, and complete portabilityโฆ what more do you want?
