I own a Grex 23 gauge Pinner which has worked great and looking of a 18 gauge nailer. Looking at review on the Grex Green Buddy they aren’t so favorable. Anyone have any feed back on this nailer? I trust opinions on here more then the Amazon reviews. Also looking at the Bostitch.
Looking at the Grex Green Buddy 18 gauge nailer
- Thread starter miclee15
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About a year ago I was looking for a new 18ga. I figured the Grex would be the one to get based on having the Grex 23ga. Same as you I stared reading reviews. In the process I decided to get the Bostitch Smart Point due to reviews of both and features on the Smart Point. I like it a lot. Sorry I don't have a Green Buddy to give any real info but I was doing the exact same shopping not long ago so figured it might be helpful anyway.
Seth
Seth
I've had the Green Buddy 18ga for 3 years and have never had a problem with it jamming or any other issue.
I have a two year old 16ga Bostitch smart point and hate it. It was fine for the first year but now it constantly jams and has always been a cumbersome gun
I have a two year old 16ga Bostitch smart point and hate it. It was fine for the first year but now it constantly jams and has always been a cumbersome gun
Naildrivingman
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Runhard said:
[member=13588]Runhard[/member] do you feel that the build quality is the same/similar between your Cadex and your Grex?
I have the 18 (green buddy) and 23 gauge guns and like them a lot, they've worked as advertised for me. The only issue I've ever had, actually I posted here for help, is that I accidentally inserted the wrong nails and jammed it. Completely my fault.
I plan on buying the guides that they have recently released. Let us know what you decide.
I plan on buying the guides that they have recently released. Let us know what you decide.
Getmaverick
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I have used them all. For me Omar makes the best 18 gauge.
ProCarpenterRVA
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I have both the Cadex 18 gauge and 21 gauge, both which came in a Systainer.[emoji106] I like the quality of the Cadex tools and the fact that they come with a belt hook, and an air outlet to clean the trim piece of dust.
I've had a Grex 23 gauge for years and would buy it again. The 21 gauge Cadex was a good compromise for me, which I was ready to do for the more robust fastener. The thicker gauge makes it harder to knock off the trim pieces than the 23 gauge yet still have extremely small unobtrusive fastener holes if you use the pins. The 21 gauge also has the ability to shoot fasteners up to 2-3/16"!! So if you can deal with that gauge size meeting your specs it may be worth considering.
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I've had a Grex 23 gauge for years and would buy it again. The 21 gauge Cadex was a good compromise for me, which I was ready to do for the more robust fastener. The thicker gauge makes it harder to knock off the trim pieces than the 23 gauge yet still have extremely small unobtrusive fastener holes if you use the pins. The 21 gauge also has the ability to shoot fasteners up to 2-3/16"!! So if you can deal with that gauge size meeting your specs it may be worth considering.
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denovo said:
I will be on the look out for mine to start jamming. But nothing cumbersome with the 18ga. I just remember being surprised that the reviews on the GB are not nearly as good as I expected when I started to look for a gun. The super narrow nose and not needing to press down with the Smart Point are the things I really like about it. I don't like the depth knob on the Smart Point ..... too small.
Seth
My GB has been junk since I bought it when it first came out. I should have returned it right away but I ordered it off tool nut and didn’t want to go through the hassle of shipping it back hoping it would work it kinks out with time.
The depth adjustment never worked and it occasionally leaked from the trigger area. Now it leaks air very badly from the nose piece and won’t fire a nail at all.
I replaced it with an Omer and it has worked flawlessly. I was able to use the belt hook and spare nose guards from the GB on the Omer so it wasn’t a complete $180 waste.
I also recently bought the 21g Cadex in a systainer and have had numerous jams and misfires. It won’t even fire a 1 3/16” brad unless there is a short clip of 2” brads underneath it.
The depth adjustment never worked and it occasionally leaked from the trigger area. Now it leaks air very badly from the nose piece and won’t fire a nail at all.
I replaced it with an Omer and it has worked flawlessly. I was able to use the belt hook and spare nose guards from the GB on the Omer so it wasn’t a complete $180 waste.
I also recently bought the 21g Cadex in a systainer and have had numerous jams and misfires. It won’t even fire a 1 3/16” brad unless there is a short clip of 2” brads underneath it.
mschmidt10k
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BBuild said:
I had the exact same experience with my GB. I purchased it because I love the Grex pin nailer and didn't look closely enough at all the bad reviews - out of the box it immediately had trouble with firing and would leak air like a sieve. Even after multiple calls to tech support at Grex, I never managed to get it working correctly.
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