I didn’t run a battery out when using it all day but I did swap over at two bars – I felt as if I was losing power. I am not sure if this is the age of my batteries or not. I would say probably yes but it’s worth knowing as having two batteries is going to negate any downtime. Makita is one of, if not the largest manufacturer of power tools in the world while they are continually praised for their performance and quality. Today, Makita personifies reliability, durability and incredible power. They strive for innovation in products to fulfil the needs of professional tradespeople around the world.

The Makita DPT353Z 18V 23G Li-ion LXT Pin Nailer Bare Unit is the ideal tool for professional roofers, carpenters and upholsterers. The anti-dry-fire mechanism stops the nailer from firing when the magazine is empty which ensures the tool has a longer life. Adjusting the depth is easy and it has a low noise K factor of 3 dB(A). Pins tend to be headless and of a very small gauge (diameter), meaning they are not really ideal for applications where holding power is needed. Pin nailers are mainly used for fine finishing applications such as furniture making, attaching decorative mouldings, assembling picture frames or fastening delicate materials, veneers or trim to pieces of furniture.

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Pin nailers are generally smaller, lighter-weight nailers. Sometimes known as "Headless Pinners", "Pin Guns" or "23 Gauge Nailers". As the name would suggest, they fire "Pins" rather than "Nails".

At the same time I wanted to show you how easily this gun pumps 40mm 18 gauge brads into hardwood. The gun reloads itself much slower than the smaller pin gun but that is to be expected as it has to wind itself up to fire. What I did notice when using it all day was the occasional misfire. It would make all the noises but not let go of a brad – every time this happened to me was when I was testing the speed. It clearly needs a chance to wind up so don’t rush it – no nee when it’s twenty times faster than a hammer and panel pins already and leaves far less damage on the timber. If you look closely this finish is a decorators dream, most will fill that with a dab of caulk, if that. If you have large skirting, window board you want to fix down, architraves, and any general second fix work this gun is a big step up in power from the first 23 gauge pin gun and will hold timber very firmly. You could easily attach larger skirtings into a timber stud with this leaving practically no making good at all. It’s a very very accomplished bit of kit. Brian tells me he uses this on parting and staff bead on sash windows, putting trims on garden conservatories and all panelling. The AF353 is equipped with a conveniently located push button type air duster for continuous operation as well as a double trigger for safe and accurate fastener placement. I love the reload mechanism too. You simply release the clip in the picture below, insert the brads with the triangles conveniently showing you which way round (given the brads are headless you need that help) as you can see in the picture below: Available for next day delivery, our Makita Nail Guns are available as either 18V LXT / 40V MAX XGT Cordless giving you complete freedom of movement or the consistency of 110V / 230V Mains power.Relatively quiet and efficient, this nailer is also comfortable to use thanks to its ergonomic grip. When working in dimly lit conditions the LED light illuminates the workpiece for accurate and safer working. Sold as a bare unit without batteries or chargers. They give you the Allen key in the event of a jamb which is neatly stored on the side of the gun itself. Brian reliably informs me that he has never had a jam on this little pin gun so no need to open it up, not even for a clean up and he has had this one for 6 months or so. He did however mention the odd pin will curl up and do random things based on the knotty timber – so always wear your goggles. I have to say when I fired it I was really impressed by the power and accuracy. The live of engineering to accurately fire one little pin off at a time is really impressive. Here’s a look at this gun in action – a short video of the Makita DPT353Z Pin Nailer

Finishing nail guns are better suited for architraves, window casing, skirting board s, stair rails and MDF fixing. The Makita selection of Specialist Nail Guns includes a li9mited but powerful range of brad nailers and staplers. Mechanism to reload your headless pins is a simple but sturdy clip – notice the arrows to help you place pins the right way round I wish I had this for weatherboard on my shed – the time it would have saved, oh well hindsight and all that – another superb use I could get in was garden gates – look how neatly it finished the braces: Once I started thinking out the box I realised this is a superb bit of kit to hold fence panels together. I duly cut one down and rebuilt it with this pin gun. Have to say it beat a hammer and nails all day long. Very neat and tidy indeed: Tool-less depth adjustment and nail jam clearing LED job light for improved visibility takes 16 gauge 25 - 64mm straight brad nailsYou will be pleasantly surprised by the Ryobi ONE+ 18G AirStrike Nailer. Ryobi and relative newcomers to the cordless game and are playing each up with the professionals. Whilst this tool is far from a rounded and complete nailer, it does offer superb value for money and more than enough for your typical second fix at home. Let’s assume you are looking to do some skirtings, architraves, some glazing bead, or any of the lighter second fix jobs you will not be disappointed by this gun. As you can see softwood or hardwood the pins disappear leaving only the tiniest mark as a trace. So it won’t matter what material you are firing it, you’ll finish cleanly. For something heavier the requires more hold like a window board I would look to the 18gauge range which we will review next.