Declaring My Independence (From the Air Compressor)

I have a long history of hauling the hundred-and-fifty pound air compressor around behind me as I try to hang window trim, door trim, and baseboard. I also have a long history of swearing at it.

This weekend I finally decided to break the cycle, and– you knew this was coming— bought a new tool:

 

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This is a Paslode cordless 16 ga angled finish nailer.

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And she’s all mine.

Cordless nailers run with a combination of battery power and disposable fuel cells.

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They’re more expensive to buy and to run, but not if you put a price on how much hair I pull out trying to haul the compressor around, or how many years get scared of my life every time it kicks on.

And of course, the real nice thing about the cordless variety is, uh, no cords. Obviously. Which means I’m way less likely to damage my hardwood or tile floors dragging heavy equipment over them.

I bought this one at my local big box, and while I also checked out the DeWalt version, I could barely control the thing it was so heavy, even without the battery. This Paslode is nice and light.

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I spent this weekend away from my house helping my mom finish her bathroom, and I got to play with my new toy do some serious work on her baseboard.

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Which was full of all kinds of fun cuts. It might have taken me three hours to finish, but this cordless nailer made it super easy.

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It is louder than it’s pneumatic cousins when you shoot, but far quieter without a compressor constantly running, which means I can sing out loud to my iPod way more accurately. Also, I can’t say I love how it smells. (Yes, you read that right.) The fumes remind me vaguely of standing behind a propane fueled forklift and get to be a little old when you’re in a small bathroom for a couple of hours.

However, the convenience of cordless is so well worth the fume-high, I hate to even complain about it. If anyone else is thinking about declaring their independence from the oppressive weight of air compressor hoses, I’d highly recommend it.

5 Responses

  1. I think you’ve infected me with your tool-loving ways! We just got a new cordless circular saw via Craig’s List and I was more excited about it than my husband.

    And – is that a toilet I see in your tub? Good times!

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