Duo-Fast DF350S Strip Nailer Review
Duo-Fast DF350S
The new Duo-Fast 20º Round Head Framing Nailer System is the latest pneumatic nail gun from Duo-Fast Construction. This new nail gun was developed to respond to construction professionals input direct from the field. This new nail gun comes packed with features that provide more power, better balance and superior reliability.
The Duo-Fast DF350S features:
- Top load magazine – made of engineered aluminum makes it easy and fast to load nail strips. It will take 70 nails or two strips.
- Tool-less depth of drive – adjusts nail depth quickly and easily.
- Dual-mode trigger – easily adjusts from sequential to bump fire mode.
- Rafter hook – conveniently hangs from framing structure or tool belt.
- Drives nails from 2” to 3-1/2” in smooth, ring or screw shank with shank diameters of .113, .120, .131 or .148.
Duo-Fast DF350S Review
One of the biggest issues today for our framing crews is power. Today’s homes are being built with more and more engineered lumber for increased structural strength and performance. As a result older pneumatic nail guns have a hard time consistently driving 16d framing nails flush into the dense engineered materials. That’s why power has become such a big issue for framers and why we make our tool decisions based on power and production.
The other big issue for us is reliability and comfort. Framers put a tremendous amount of stress on their bodies every day so a nail gun that offers comfort and less body stress is a big bonus.
Duo-Fast DF350S Power
The Duo-Fast DF350S performed beyond my expectations when it came to power. We tested the nail gun the only way I know how and that’s shooting two LVL’s together. Check out the short video clip of the nailer sinking framing nails consistently flush into the LVL’s.
Duo-Fast Weight & Balance
The other really great feature of this gun is it’s weight and balance. This nail gun only weighs 8.1 lbs which helps reduce fatigue and wear on the framer. I had two of my framers use the gun and both of them commented on the great balance and relative weight compared to other framing guns we use.
Rafter Hook
Another feature that the guys loved was the built in rafter hook. The rafter hook is especially useful when we erect wood trusses. When erecting wood trusses it’s often necessary to set the nail gun down while you’re helping stabilize the truss with the crane operator. The rafter hook makes it very safe and easy to hang the nail gun out of the way on the roofing members.
Paper Collated Nails
Paper collated nails typically don’t jam as often as plastic collated nails. This is something that we’ve certainly noticed over the years so the fact that this gun uses paper collated nails is a huge bonus. We also liked the long top load nail magazine that holds two full strips of nails.
Switchable Trigger
This nail gun features a switchable trigger to change from sequential to bounce fire. We’ve decided to change over to all sequential fire guns in order to meet current safety guidelines. However, there are folks that still want the bounce fire feature so this gun allows you to use both methods.
Tool-Less Depth of Drive
The tool-less depth of drive is a great feature. I really like this feature for a couple of reasons. We’ve started using a new product called the ZIP system sheathing. The manufacturers of the ZIP System require that the sheathing nails be set flush to the surface. With this tool-less depth of drive feature the guys on the crew are more likely to make a simple change as they’re working. The depth of drive is really easy to use and certainly a great feature.
Final Opinion
The new Duo-Fast DF350S 20º Round Head Framing Nailer System is definitely a pneumatic nail gun that I recommend. It’s not often that I bring a new tool onto a job site and have the guys talking about it afterward. In fact, the guys like this gun so much that I don’t think I’ll be getting it back from them anytime soon.
The consistent power and comfort make this nail gun a true winner for anyone doing framing on a regular basis. The only issue I have is trying to find the 20º paper collated nails as our local hardware store doesn’t have them yet. Having said that I’m sure this will be corrected as the gun hits the market this summer. So I definitely recommend this nail gun and will likely purchase additional ones in the near future.
Where To Buy Duo-Fast DF350S
The Duo-Fast DF350S nailer is being rolled out as we speak to distributors near you. Check out Duo-Fast DF350S 20º Round Head Framing Nailer from Amazon for $299.99 or call 888-631-2020 to find a distributor near you. The Home Depot will be carrying the 20º paper collated nails in their stores soon as well. So give Duo-Fast a call today if you’d like to add this great nail gun to your tool box this season.
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