if you want something to use in your shed (rather than to build a shed with) look at 16ga finish nailers. 18ga nails mess up/miss-fire too much. There are a gazillion generic brand ones out there and I’ve never found a bad one. Stocks of 16ga nails are easier to get hold of than 18ga too.
I buy the guns by the half dozen when I’ve got large acreages of film scenery to build. Bit of time and motion thought and a team six of use can turn out 500sqm a day.
narrow crown staplers are handy to for thin materials as they’re less prone to fire right though. Supplies of staples can be a bit sketchy – especially from the outlet you bought the nailer from (I’m looking at you screwfix). Nails are very standard – one gauge of nail fits all the guns of that size – but staples need to be very specific.
If you want to build sheds rather than work in a shed the framing nailers are more your thing, but while you can pick up an air finish nailer for £50- air framing nailers seem to be really pricy. So much so I just bought a gas nailer instead. At the time there were good deals on Hitachi ones (which were the old model paslode inside fancy plastic) Think I got it for about £200. With gas nailers its the cost of the nails/gas that mounts up though.
Off the peg the guns always seem to come fitted with the ‘Quick connect’ bayonets but ‘BSP’ ones are preferable and an easy change (except with one gun I bought where the quick connect one refuses to budge)
Any of the 240v electric ones any good ?
I don’t know how they manage it but 240v ones are rubbish, they just can’t knock a nail in. Its weird as battery ones are brilliant.
Really, though. Unless you are doing high volume work, as in thousands of nails an hour, just use screws.
