On worksites around Australia and the world, only the toughest and top-shelf products truly stand the test of time. If a tool or product doesn’t cut the mustard, then tradies simply vote with their feet and their wallet and buy something else.

So when a product has stood the test of time, there has to be a bloody good reason for it. Enter the Paslode Impulse FrameMaster-Li Powervent.

When it comes to nail guns it’s no secret a lot of tradies have been tempted to try the new gasless battery-operated guns after experiencing frustrations with replacing gas and gas-related issues in some of the older Paslodes. I’m as open as the next guy to trying new products to make up my own mind on what’s hot and what’s not. However, my experience seems to be the same as the majority of others out there after asking tradies about their experience with the new gasless guns compared to the Paslode. The factis the battery gasless guns range from on average 1kg to 1.5kg heavier than the Paslode FrameMaster. If you are only using your gun here and there, then that’s not a big deal, but if you are up on a roof in summer with the heat baking down on your shoulders then that added weight is going to make the day feel like 50 degrees, not 32!

The other important factor that needs to be addressed when having a serious look at gasless battery guns compared to the Paslode is nail driving power into hard timbers. If you are just shooting pine all day long, then you probably wouldn’t have noticed this point, but if you have tried to fully sink a 90mm nail into hardwood you will be the first to appreciate that the gasless battery guns are not yet in the same league as the Paslode Impulse FrameMaster-Li Powervent. To hear the experiences of more tradies I arranged a visit to the boys at Beach Houses Australia where I found them well into installing the roof frames on a great looking build.

I managed to get Rob Minus (foreman) down off the roof for a rest and asked him a few questions, which he was happy to answer, even if it was just to get a break because it was 42 degrees in the sun and it wasn’t even lunch time yet.
When I asked Rob if he had much experience with the Paslode FrameMaster he laughed and said, “You could say that. I own two Paslode Framers, the first one I bought when I was an apprentice over 10 years ago, and I still use onsite nearly every
day. It’s only been serviced once in that time and it’s still going strong.”

When I asked Rob if he had tried any of the gasless battery guns, he replied “Yep, I’ve pretty much tried them all, in all the colours. But as much as it’s a bit of a novelty at first, the extra weight just takes too much out of you at the end of the day.
When you’re up on the roof all day that extra 1kg or so can mean the difference between going for a surf at the end of the day or feeling too tired to worry about it. As well as that the power of the new battery guns just isn’t quite up there yet. So after trying them out, I just couldn’t justify buying an inferior product.”

Rob has been working and running jobs for the boys at Beach Houses Australia for several years under the guidance and expertise of owner Rob Hicks. He feels that most tradies he’s come into contact with over the time feel the same. To check out some of the boys work at Beach Houses Australia visit:

www.beachhousesaustralia.com.au

Who knows what the future holds in terms of new nailers and framers as technologies evolve, but one thing that does seem certain for now is that the Paslode Impulse FrameMaster-Li Powervent is still the top dog on work sites around Australia and the world.

Click Here to see the full article - BCM Magazine Tool Test - March 2019