Arrow Fastener ET200 Heavy Duty Electric Nail Gun, shoots up to 1 1.4-Inch Brads
by Arrow Fastener
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Arrow Fastener ET200 Heavy Duty Electric Nail Gun, shoots up to 1 1.4-Inch Brads
Customer Review: Useless
Summary: 1 Stars
To begin with, there's not much to choose from out there. If you want an electric gun that shoots both staples and brad nails, these only fit nails up to 9/16. This ET200 is the only one I found which will hold a longer 1.25 inch brad but no staples.
So I bought the Arrow ET200 yesterday, thinking Arrow's been in the business for a long time and make perfectly decent manual staplers so they should have this down by now. Electricity is not new technology, Arrow must have come up with a very good product here.
WRONG!! I read all the instructions, properly loaded the inch and quarter brad nails, plugged in the unit, released the safety switch, firmy placed the gun against the pine wood work surface to be fastened and pulled the trigger.
Not only did the nail not fully penetrate the soft wood but, the unit failed to fire another nail upon pulling the trigger again. All I got was a clicking sound but no power. I thought I must have a jammed nail (very disappointing after the very first use). I followed all the directions for clearing a jammed nail but there wasn't one. Everything seemed to be in perfect working order but the gun just would do nothing when I pulled the trigger. It seemed as if the unit was getting no power. I checked the plug, the outlet, went to other working outlets in the house... still nothing.
Today I returned the item to the store thinking I must have gotten a defective unit. I exchanged it for a new one, brought it home, checked it thoroughly, read the directions again, proceeded to load nails and use as directed. The same thing as yesterday happened. One nail shot about 3/4 of the way into the soft pine and then the gun quit working. No power, just a click from the trigger. No jammed nail, no defective parts, no nothing. The unit does absolutely nothing. I can't figure out what's wrong. There must be something I'm overlooking but I've looked over and over and re-read the meager instructions and nothing! That's two in a row: Nothing. I don't get it. I recommend that you don't get it either.
Customer Review: No more a nail gun than I am a carpenter.
Summary: 1 Stars
Sometimes, a product is so well designed, so well made, and fulfills its function so beautifully, that it is a joy to own. While not one of these products, this one looks so capable and fails so completely that it enhances the experience of owning something that really does work. It comes in a terrific case that has little slots for all the brad sizes the gun can accommodate. The case has a slot for the instruction sheet and the gun fits so well, it's actually possible to get it back into the case. So, 5 stars to the case. In fact, opening the case and looking at this tool and the marvel of organization this setup is, I was confident that I could nail a thin strip of molding to a fence. But I couldn't. The nails wouldn't go through the 1/4 inch molding.
Since the brads this thing shoots are so fragile, I had a hard time hammering them into the wood without bending them. What this thing did do well is hold the brads, keeping me from dropping them into the weeds; and setting them, keeping me from hammering my fingers. It also makes a great tool noise.
I should have read the other reviews before buying this thing. I have no standards for workmanship, unless it's important enough for me to pay someone competent to do it. So, I'll keep this thing and use it. I'll just keep firing, hammering, and bending as many brads as it takes to hold something in place. If it really matters, I'll hire somebody who knows how to do it. Also, I'll already have the tool if I'm ever faced with the need to nail Jello to sheetrock.
Customer Review: I found a cheaper, better substitute
Summary: 1 Stars
I got one of the second generation of these at Lowe's to put in some shelf trim. I found it only drove 5/8" brads about halfway into the trim, as has been pointed out in reviews before. I don't mind sinking them manually, though, so that was okay. What was NOT okay is that the gun stopped working and popped the circuit breaker after a hundred brads or so, as has also been pointed out here.
I figured that, since nothing could be worse than the Arrow ET200, I would go generic to finish the project. To this end, I bought the "Task Force" brand brad gun that was fifteen bucks cheaper than the Arrow and came with a free electric stapler to boot. I was surprised to find that with gentle pressure the Task Force gun slammed 5/8" brads all the way into the maple trim, while with no pressure it'd leave them sticking out a little. There was no way I could have made the Arrow do that. Also, the Task Force gun is still working well a few thousand brads in. The "no-mar" plastic tip has long since fallen off, but that's the only problem I've had with it.
Arrow can just stick to making staples for all I care; I've had it with their brad guns! If Task Force can outdo your product with one hand tied behind its back, then, well, you shouldn't be making that product.
Customer Review: Look elsewhere
Summary: 1 Stars
I was looking for a reasonalbly priced brad nailer to put down some quarter round molding. An electric model seemed a good choice - cost-effective and easy to carry around. I purchased the ET200 at my local home improvement store, and to second the opinion of other reviewers - what an awful product!
Before I got started, I tried out the nailer with a scrap piece 3/4" quarter round molding. Attempting to fasten it to the baseboard with a 1 1/4" brad left atleast 1/2" of the brad sticking out. (This was Pergo molding, real soft stuff - my backsaw went through it like a hot knife through butter). Just to confirm the shoddy performance, I also tested it with a block of soft wood (the kind you can easily dent with a fingernail, probably pine), again with the same result - atleast 1/2" of the brad was left in the air. This was with a good part of my body weight bearing down on the workpeice as I pulled the trigger.
Luckily, I had also purchased a tube of Liquid Nails adhesive along with the nailer, and the adhesive alone got the job done just fine.
Next time I tackle a job that absolutely requires a brad or finish nailer, I will invest in a air tool and compressor.
The ET200 is going back to the store.
Customer Review: Awesome when you follow the directions
Summary: 5 Stars
I almost took the ET200 back to the store. I pulled it out of the case, loaded it with 1 1/4" brads, and started shooting into walls and trim around the house. I experienced the same problems that are often cited here, i.e. brads refusing to drive fully into the surface.
Then, I read the instructions. Guess what! It worked, over and over again! The biggest change came when I changed out the extension cord I had been using to a new 12 gauge heavy duty extension cord. The power out of the nail gun must have increased two fold. Secondly, I made sure that the nail gun was up tight and flush with the wood and angled as close to 90 degrees to the wood as possible.
Now all the 1 1/4" brads are being driven fully into the wood window casings and base trim I am currently installing around the house. And I am so glad I didn't go out and buy one of those $300 pneumatic nail guns to complete my personal projects. This is NOT a gun for professionals. But it is perfect for the homeowner who has some weekend projects to complete.
The ET200 warrants a five star rating to me because of the utility it delivers for the price. This is "cheap entertainment" as they say, and great value.
Enjoy!