We’ve come to h ave h igh expectations of the AEG range, purely because of impressive advancements the brand has made over recent times. The introduction of the highperformance FUSION brushless motors and FORCE 18V lithium-ion batteries has left any memories of lesser-performing AEG products well and truly in the past. I’m pleased to report this combination is also achieving impressive power and performance in the 18V framing nailer.
The gun tested here is a pre-production sample, but that didn’t seem to have any negative implications at all. The instant power was impressive and fired the nails with zero lag or pressure build-up.
- Weight without battery: 4.2kg
- Firing modes: full sequential mode or contact actuation mode
- Maximum firing rate: 3 nails per second
- 18V convenience
- Accepts 50mm-90mm nails
- Standard magazine capacity is 67 nails (3.3mm diameter)
- Extended magazine capacity is 86 nails (3.3mm diameter)
When it comes to power and speed, you can set the gun into bump fire mode, hold down the trigger, bump fire the gun as quickly as possible, and get three nails per second at the exact depth and perfectly in place – all without using gas! Just a high-performance FORCE brushless motor and the 18V FUSION battery system.
The 18V 6Ah battery will give around 1000 shots. If you want to reduce the weight of the set-up, you could go down to the 4Ah battery for 750 shots, or even the 3Ah battery.
AEG sells the framing nailer either as a skin or in a kit that includes two 4Ah batteries. There is also the option of an extended magazine. That will be a plus for some users as it takes the magazine nail count from 67 nails of the standard to 86 (or max. 102 nails if using 2.9mm diameter nails). If you are blazing away in bump fire mode for extreme performance, you may just find that those extra nails in the extended magazine come in handy.
TEST #1: PERFORMANCE AND POWER
I wanted to get a feel for the gun in everyday framing applications.
After shooting a few frames and nogs for myself at a friend’s renovation, I visited Zane and Wiz from Woodley Constructions. They were framing up a job in Newport, and, after running them through the basics, they were off and running and stood two wall frames in next to no time. They were more than impressed with the nail penetration into the timber and the nail depth and adjustment was spot on.
The gun performed exactly as they would have hoped.
TEST #2: BALANCE AND ERGONOMICS
Both Zane and Wiz had tried other brands of battery nailers and hadn’t been impressed with the balance and shape of the guns. But on the feel of the AEG, Zane shared, “This gun feels nicely balanced. It’s not significantly front-heavy like other battery guns I’ve tried. You can also place it down on the ground and it will stay up-right.”
Asking Wiz about his thoughts on the gun, he commented, “I’m not getting any strain on my wrist from the gun pulling forward, the grip feels great, and it feels like a natural & well-designed process to activate the trigger.”
TEST #3: RAPIDFIRE TIME
Three nails per second might not sound impressive, but when you watch someone try it over 5 seconds to 10 seconds it’s pretty amazing.
When you’re laminating or have a clear run of nailing to perform, you can let rip as fast as you like. Every nail hits the perfect depth. This is due to the F-RAPIDFIRE technology not needing to ramp up, as would be the case with air hoses or gas cartridges.
The feature is quite impressive.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
An excellent feature worth mentioning is the dry fire lockout which reduces jams and dry shots, but what stood out was the ‘user refillable canister’.
This very clever feature means that if you notice a reduction in pressure of the gun, usually after shooting around 20K-30K nails, you can simply open the seal and topup the pressure using a high-pressure inflator – like AEG’s high-pressure inflator – to 125PSI. Your gun will be back to original power and performance without having to send it to a service centre for repressuring.
All in all, we couldn’t fault this gun. It’s the lightest of its battery-powered competitors and delivered aggressive power and excellent comfort and control.
AEG’s latest FUSION tool, the F-RAPIDFIRE Framing Nailer will be available for purchase in Sept, but if you’d like to pre-order yours now, reach out to AEG Onsite via their website https://www.aegpowertools. com.au/trade-solutions or give Matt a call on 0438 110 636. AEG Onsite can deliver and transact tools direct to your site!
Visit: www.aegpowertools.com.au