Bosch recently announced the launch of its line of fastening tools and compressors and invited a number of tool reviewing bloggers and press to try them out. From what I gathered, Bosch asked them not to actually release any full on reviews, so I had to gather all the snippets and try to jigsaw puzzle them into a response.
Overall: Good.
Here’s what you’ll find in this overly-thorough article:
1) Bosch Nail Gun Offering Overview
2) Early Impressions from Pros
3) What Differentiates the Bosch Nail Guns
4) Controversy and Leaked Videos…
5) Most Colorful Explanation of Bosch’s Entry into Pneumatics
6) More Bosch Nail Gun Coverage
1) Before digging into the early impressions, let’s look at Bosch’s new offerings:
Bosch SN350-20F Full Head Framing Strip Nailer (available: NOW)
Bosch SN350-34C Clipped Head Framing Strip Nailer (available: NOW)
Gas/Electric Wheelbarrow Compressors (available: May 2009)
Bosch RN175 Roofing Coil Nailer (available: July 2009)
Bosch FNA250-15 15 Gauge Angled Finish Nailer (available: July 2009)
Bosch FNS250-16 16 Gauge Straight Finish Nailer (available: July 2009)
Bosch BNS200-18 18 Gauge Brad Nailer (available: July 2009)
Bosch STN150-18 18 Gauge Narrow Crown Stapler (available: July 2009)
Hand Carry Compressors (available: July 2009)
2) Early Impressions from Pros:
So here’s what I could tease out of all the various reporting I found.
“I got to play with the brad nailer, and it’s easy to adjust the drive depth, and easy to clear if it jams.”
Megan Fitzpatrick at Popular Woodworking
New Pneumatics from Bosch
“The majority of the size reduction seemed to have taken place in the width of the tools, giving the line a very sleek and streamlined feel. And from what little we got to test them out, we really liked what we saw in the power department.”
Doug Mahoney at ToolSnob
Bosch Full Force Pneumatic Nail Guns
“…my initial reaction was very positive. These new nailers are smaller, lighter, and packed with some really thoughtful features that many other manufacturers will likely be incorporating in future models.”
Chris Baylor for About Woodworking
New Bosch Pneumatic Tools
“I got a chance to use these tools along with the competition and I was really impressed with the performance, smaller size and lighter weight. They also incorporated several new features including the strike plate on the back which is commonly used as a hammer to align beams. Also the nail cartridge is extremely easy to remove without any additional tools so clearing jams takes seconds.”
Jay Abram for CopTool
Bosch Pneumatic Tools – Full Force
“I had a chance to play with each of the new tools (my first impressions are very positive)…”
Justin Fink for Fine Home Building
Bosch unveils pneumatic nailers
3) What Differentiates the Bosch Nail Guns
This video says it all. In case you prefer words to moving pictures and sound, Bosch changed the nailer game when they quit relying on a single blast of air to shoot the nail AND re-cock the nail pin. Wow – I guess I should have just said to watch the video ;)
Bosch Full Force Pneumatic Air Tools
4) Controversy and Leaked Videos…
Well, maybe not controversy but there were two videos up of early reactions from home builders using Bosch’s air tools. They got pulled from YouTube. You can see their vestiges at the bottom of the CopTool post: Bosch Pneumatic Tools – Full Force. My guess is that they were Bosch-created and they didn’t want to start airing them yet.
5) Most Colorful Explanation of Bosch’s Entry into Pneumatics:
…comes from the ever awesome Doug Mahoney of ToolSnob. We became even bigger fans of his writing upon having this image slapped into the ole cerebral cortex:
“If the tool industry was an above ground pool, last week Bosch was the 300 pound man cannonballing into the center of it.”
Now THAT is a BIG splash.
Read Bosch Full Force Pneumatic Nail Guns from Doug.
More Coverage of the New Bosch Nail Guns
Bosch unveils pneumatic nailers
Bosch Pneumatic Tools – Full Force
New Bosch Pneumatic Tools
Bosch Full Force Pneumatic Nail Guns
Preview: Bosch Full Force Framing Nailers
New Pneumatics from Bosch
Bosch’s New Line Of Pneumatic Tools
BoschTools New Pneumatics Line
