The 16GA Brad Nail Gun is an 18V 20-degree-angled brad gun with impressive power that drove our 50mm 16GA brads perfectly into pine and hardwood and paired up perfectly with the ProCORE18V batteries.
The design team at Bosch produced a narrow nose which offers great line of sight to the nailing area, ensuring excellent accuracy in either single-fire or bump-fire mode.
Being powered by the 18V battery system means the compressor and air hose can stay on the back of the ute, and in even better news, there are no expensive gas cartridges to buy.
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A dry-fire lock out protects timber from damage by preventing blank firing when the magazine is empty, and toolless jam clearing means any jams are quick and easy to remove.
A flywheel drive makes for less recoil than nail guns with gas-spring drive trains, it’s easy to adjust the nail depth with precision, and an integrated belt hook mounts on the left or right side.
For our testing we grabbed Patrick Jacobs from Cre8ive Building Projects and asked him to give the Bosch a thorough workout.
SPECS:
- Dry-fire lockout
- Narrow nose
- Toolless jam clearing
- Flywheel drive
- Integrated belt hook
- Weight 2.9kg (without battery)
- Single-fire and bump-fire modes
- Maximum freedom with 18V system
- Accurate nail-depth adjustment
TEST #1: POWER AND PERFORMANCE
Pat had cut all the pine architraves to size and was ready to nail when we arrived.
“The first thing I noticed with the Bosch was the grip and balance,” said Pat. “It felt great in the hand, and when squeezing the trigger it fires with an impressive crack. It’s not loud, but it just sounds good.
“But it’s the nail depth that really impressed,” he continued.
“I had the gun set on medium depth and it was sinking the brads nicely beneath the timber surface, leaving them in the perfect position for filling at a later date.
“Some of the timber I was nailing to was hardwood and the brads still penetrated to the set depth without having to make any adjustment. Even at this medium-depth setting into hardwood the gun wasn’t struggling at all.”
TEST #2: FEATURES AND ERGOS
Bosch has included a great combination of features that add to both the performance and handling of the gun.
The balance is impressive and the gun handles nicely when firing, but also, the gun is extremely well-balanced.
It will stand steady when stood upright as well as when down upside-down on the head as most would normally do with a pneumatic nail gun.
We asked Pat about his fav features.
“The rapid-fire option is great when you need it,” he beamed.
“I would normally leave the gun in single-fire mode as I tend to go more for the precision and exact placement rather than rapid-fire, but again, it’s an awesome feature to have when you are focussed on speed, and the Human Machine Interface at the base of the grip means a simple press of the button toggles you between the two modes. I liked that a lot.
“I was pretty impressed to see how well the narrow nose has been designed. It allows for very accurate nail placement, and from an ergonomics perspective the Bosch feels as good in use as it looks. The grip and trigger are well positioned for a natural grip and easy activation.”
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The Bosch 16GA Brad Nail Gun is an impressive addition to the Bosch range. Its design, features, material and construction all work effectively and efficiently together.
Bosch hasn’t over-complicated things by trying to add too many features, but has ensured the 16GA does a good job, feels great in the hand, is easy to use, and has more than enough power to do exactly what it has been designed to do: finish off arcs, skirts and trims with accuracy, speed and precision.
It’s a top-shelf effort from Bosch on the first try.
Visit: www.bosch-pt.com.au