Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer FN250A

Pros: Great brand, useful tool
Cons: I don't have a single one

I bought the Porter-Cable 2 1/2" Finish Nailer along with its quasi brother brad nailer. This tool has made short work of door trim and oak baseboards. Once you have installed molding this way, you won't ever want to go back. I have installed a lot of ...

Pros: Makes trim work fast... very fast
Cons: Can be a little awkward to handle in corners

I've been building a bathroom in the basement of my home and finally got to the point where it was all done except the trim. I can now say that the trim is done, thanks in large part to a Porter-Cable FN250A nail gun. I had not used a nail gun before ...

Pros: Fast, efficient and effective.
Cons: None.

Okay, first of all, I want all of you readers out there to know one thing. A finishing nailer was my fantasy. After installing 2 wood floors in our last house, (one before Hurricane Andrew and one after!) I wanted a better solution to hand nailing. On...

Pros: Light, durable, easy depth-of-drive control, uses wide range of nails.
Cons: Longer nails don't drive straight, trigger is flimsy, nose was misaligned, just feels weak.

This is really quite a good nailer, but I have a few complaints. After about three years of very heavy use it continues to perform about as well as when I opened the box. But this is not the unalloyed praise it might sound like: when I first bought it...

Pros: Light,accepts 3/4" to 2 1/2" nails,rubber grip,easy adjustable depth gauge,directional vent,complete kit.
Cons: Adapter needed for 1 1/4" and smaller nails, large trigger tricky for small hands.

A wonderful tool to own. It comes complete in kit form with a case (with a place to store the manual), nails, oil, 1/4" male nipple (I had to buy this on all of my previous nailers), and 3 allen wrenches.
The trigger took me a while to get used...

Pros: Complete kit, the Combo is a Great Value!
Cons: none

(This review is for the Nailer/Compressor Combo Kit - CFFN250A)

Don't pass up this great value. You get a top quality nailer and a good air compressor too - in one ready to use out of the box kit. The kit includes EVERYTHING (hose, fittings,...

Pros: 3/4" to 2-1/2" nails. Well built. Lightweight.
Cons: None I can think of.

My wife bought me the FN250A along with the compressor in a combo deal. She got an excellent price ...

Pros: Reasonable price, 16 gauge nails
Cons: None really

I've been on a nailer purchasing binge in the past year and picked up three air nailers. Not quite sure how I ever survived without them ... my thumbs sure appriciate these purchases I know that. Porter Cable has always made a nice product, and this air...

Pros: Only nailer that took 16gauge nails from 3/4" all the way to 21/2"
Cons: Minor-you must attach the adapter piece to use the 3/4" nails-small inconvience

I purchased the FN250A with the combo package, getting the 6 gallon pancake air compressor with it. Good deal from Home Depot. I have used other nailers, but this one was the only one I could find that would do from 3/4" nails, (great for small moulding...

Pros: Light-weight and easy to load. Great for most all moulding applications
Cons: Indeterminant depth gauge adjustment

I recently used my finish nailer for decorating my new baby's room. Decided to frame an eye-level border with a small decorative moulding on top and a shelf on the bottom. The shelf was made out of base moulding, 2 5/8 crown, and a 1x4 piece of #1...

Pros: Light weight, compact design, Porter Cable Quality
Cons: None

I purchased the Porter Cable FN-250A based on my fathers recommendation. My intended usage was as a hobbiest woodworker. I have since then put it through its paces by installing a whole house of base and case moulding. The gun has performed...

Pros: Still works after 3 years.
Cons: Sprays oil on work. Mars finish when nailing. Adapter required for shorter nails.

When doing a total renovation, I paint the walls, then before putting up window and door casings I prepaint them and then install them. This gets rid of a lot of paint cut in and leaves a very professional look when done.

Unfortunately, this finish nailer has two flaws that make this more difficult. First, if you put oil in it like your supposed to, it sprays it all over the wall. I finally quit putting oil in it. It still seems to work just as good as new--I figure when it quits working, I'll buy a new one.

The second problem is that it mars the finish at every nail point. I don't see any way to use this nail gun on a stain grade finish--at least with paint grade I can fill the marks, sand them and repaint.

The other thing that is a pain is that you have to install an adapter using screwdriver and wrench for shorter nails.

Next time I'd either get an oilless nailer or get one whose exhaust is redirectable away from the finished work. I'd also test the nailer out to see if it damages the area around the nail.

Pros: Light weight, good design
Cons: None noted.

I've used my Porter Cable finishing nailer on some trim and a couple of shelfing projects. Its a real time saver. I did a small room with nails a hammers and it really sucks to go back and dive the nails in with a nail punch. Once you go finish nailer you won't go back.

The Porter Cable finish nailer is very nice. I have no beefs with it. It has an adjustable air vent (so you can adjust the exhaust air away from your face) and a adjustment on the gun to control the depth of nails. If you got the cash, then a finish nailer is the way to go. Just make sure to add some oil when you use it. I really like the fact that it came with its own hard case.

I love mine and you will too.