Harbor Freight 23GA Pin Nailer question

[ed vitanovec]

I have this Pin Nailer and used it today, it worked well for the small project I bought it for. My question is for those that have this same Pin Nailer. When I'm not using the Nailer and it is connected to the air line, it is leaking air from the top of the head....a slight hissing sound. Is this normal for this Pin Nailer?
Thanks!
Ed

[George Gyulatyan]

Don't have the pin nailer, but I have their 10 Gal. compressor along with the little kit that has tire inflator and several connectors as well as their air hose. I normally use it with a Hitachi 18Ga. nailer, and have used the tire inflator several times. I've used those white plumber's tape to wrap around the threads before making the connections, and it works fine. W/o the tape it does leak a bit.

HTH.

[Rick Lizek]

No, it's not normal. You did buy the two year extended warranty, didn't you?

[Jerome Stanek]

I had one that did that and took it back and they exchanged it the new one doesn't leak

[Curt Harms]

I had one that did that and took it back and they exchanged it the new one doesn't leak

Yup, there should be a 30 no questions asked return. Have you checked the screws to make sure they're reasonably tight? I get the impression with Harbor Freight that the customer is to a considerable extent quality control. Some stuff works quite well and other stuff, well...............

[david brum]

I have one of those. It was $20 well spent. Mine doesn't leak enough to notice. My HF will refund non functioning tools without raising an eyebrow.

BTW, there is a great article in last month's FWW, about veneering and inlay. The author shows a cool technique, where he uses a wooden block under his pin nailer to hold the gun off of the veneer an inch or so. The result is that the veneer is pinned down, but the pin is removable because it doesn't penetrate very far.

[ryan carlino]

Bought one this weekend for some trim work. It faintly hissed the whole time. I marked it up to HF quality and $20. More objectionable to me was that it left a larger mark in the wood than I would have liked. Instead of just the pin, there is a small line imprinted in the wood. I was using it on white painted trim and the tip was super greasy (typical for HF) and I kept leaving stain marks. I'm on the fence whether or not to take it back. Is it worth the 15 minute drive for $20?