Ryobi 18-G Cordless Brad Nailer (Tool Only)

Yet again I have been given another reason to disown others, I have completely changed from DeWalt to Ryobi and they have not disappointed me. The P321 has made short work of this last project. You can imagine how much work this would have been without it

Brad Nailer Misfired

I do not know why this product has such good reviews. I own several Ryobi tools and have 8 batteries to power them all. So when I saw the Brad Nailer I was very excited about getting one as I'm in the middle of a basement reno and this would be perfect. We I started using it and the first 6-8 strikes went fine. That was as good as it got. It would misfire more then it would hit. I tried going over the manual hoping I was going something wrong. I changed the battery several times but still misfire after misfire. It was beyond frustrating. In no way am I putting down the line of Ryobi products as I have many and have never had an issue. But this one does not do as promised, avoid at all cost.

Decent Nailer; no complaint; inexpensive.

My second one. The first one (P320) I had for eight years and fairly heavily used; but it tipped over and broke the tip of the application tip off. This plunger needs to be depressed in order for the unit to fire. Was in the middle of a project and bought this replacement (P321) on sale for $148; normally $199. I plan to to repair the first on eventually (small welding project) as the part does not seem to be available online, unless you purchase the whole cartridge assembly - $90.But I like this nailer. Have used it for many projects. Has all the power I need for what I do; the adjustments for depth and power are simple and work well. With two batteries, I never come close to running out of battery power. No complaints. Great product for the price as well. ... MoreMy second one. The first one (P320) I had for eight years and fairly heavily used; but it tipped over and broke the tip of the application tip off. This plunger needs to be depressed in order for the unit to fire. Was in the middle of a project and bought this replacement (P321) on sale for $148; normally $199. I plan to to repair the first on eventually (small welding project) as the part does not seem to be available online, unless you purchase the whole cartridge assembly - $90.But I like this nailer. Have used it for many projects. Has all the power I need for what I do; the adjustments for depth and power are simple and work well. With two batteries, I never come close to running out of battery power. No complaints. Great product for the price as well. Simplifies SO many building projects large and small.

Does Not Work

Bought this to do the baseboards. After putting in five nails it stopped working. Followed the instructions. Clean and oiled it, and it still did not work. I have never had a problem with Ryobi unit this. After looking on other message boards this seems to be common with Ryobi nailers. Very disappointed. Returned for a refund.

Doesn't fire properly.

Just bought this. Installed proper nails then battery. It fired 3 nails and stopped working. Makes a noise but won't fire nail. Not jammed. Tried every trouble shooting option available. Need this tool but now am off to return it. Disappointing. Happy with all of my other Ryobi tools.

Easy to use

Fantastic nail gun. Bought it the other day and have tested many 1 to 2 inch nails and they always go in flush without any need for further adjustment. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because contrary to the description, their were no sample nails included.

Good for experienced people, trouble for beginners

Tool have some flaws, but you don't need compressor and hoses, no noise from compressor, you don't need line electricity to work. Fast start fast packing. But to use it you definitely need some experience with nailers, to understand why it doesn't shot nail. Sometimes it works perfect, sometimes you dance around it for minutes trying to make it work. But it not Ryobi exclusive problem. DeWalt nailes have same issue, and Pasolde to, from my experience with particular tools I use. Tool is solid build, nothing trying to feel apart, it comfortable in hand, controls are easy accessible and clearly marked. Defenetly problem is lack of consistency - one nail go deep and next need to be hammered manually to flat. It surely not because of material - I work with pine window ... MoreTool have some flaws, but you don't need compressor and hoses, no noise from compressor, you don't need line electricity to work. Fast start fast packing. But to use it you definitely need some experience with nailers, to understand why it doesn't shot nail. Sometimes it works perfect, sometimes you dance around it for minutes trying to make it work. But it not Ryobi exclusive problem. DeWalt nailes have same issue, and Pasolde to, from my experience with particular tools I use. Tool is solid build, nothing trying to feel apart, it comfortable in hand, controls are easy accessible and clearly marked. Defenetly problem is lack of consistency - one nail go deep and next need to be hammered manually to flat. It surely not because of material - I work with pine window trim 1/4 to 1/2 thickness, nails go to MDF board.

RE - Works Great - Some of the Time

Regarding the dry firing problem I reported below. Changed the brads from Everlast to Porter Cable.The Porter Cable brads fixed the dry fire problem. It now dry fires maybe once in 20 brads...much much better performance. I would now rate this tool a 4-5.

Some misfires but feels like it'll do the job.

Just tested, haven't done a full project yet, will update review when I do. Works fine most of the time, get a few misfires and the battery seems to deplete quickly, will have to monitor that with a real project. Also the HD product listing says it includes sample nails but my box didn't. Ryobi didn't seem to be concerned about this discrepancy. Was looking for an alternative to dragging out the compressor and hose for smaller jobs. I think this will be suitable.

Works Great... Some Times

When it fires a brad it does a very nice job with depth adjustments and does now mar the working surface. The problem is that it will fire five or ten brads in a row and then dry fire or sometimes you can hear the tool nicking the brad and not firing it. Sometimes these dry fires will go on for five or ten cycles until it fires a brad again. Pretty frustrating. The manual says this behavior may be caused by glue residue where the brads feed and suggests cleaning and oiling. Cleaning did not make any difference. Maybe I got a dud.