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by Peter Brett - May 2006
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01444 440188
01444 440188
Cordless Nailing and Stapling Freedom!
Personally I like the speed and power of compressed air driven nailers. I have found the results reliable and the tools fairly simple to operate. But there is no room for a compressor and no easy way to power it up a scaffold or on a roof. Gas-powered guns are the obvious solution here. They do work well, have sufficient power to drive a 90mm nail and they are self-contained. However, they are expensive to run in terms of nails and gas, and they do need regular servicing if they are to give optimum results in the longer term. And they are bulky! There are many smaller jobs where they are a form of overkill. Their bulk and power is just too much, and sometimes the jobs are just too small to fit them in.
That just leaves cordless battery power to consider.
There are few players in this field. The latest is TACWISE with their Cordless Ranger Duo. This has been some time in development, but I think the end result is going to appeal to many end users. It clearly is NOT a framing nailer, but is aimed at trade end-users who need the convenience and ease of a nailer for
“second fix” situations.
Being cordless and battery powered it has many advantages. It avoids the bulk of gas nailers, but has the freedom from compressors that bedevil air nailers.
It can also be used in a huge number of situations because it is powerful enough to drive a 40mm nail or staple into hardwood. Most of all, the price hovers at around the £200 mark. This is significantly cheaper than other similar products, so tradeseople and keen DIYers now have a chance to buy into cordless nailing technology.
As I mentioned before, the Ranger Duo has been a while in development, and it shows. There are many thoughtful touches that show an awareness of the situations in which potential end-users might work, and a sort of general satisfying solidity of build that inspires confidence in using the product.
A few features that I have found particularly useful, (and I find myself using it more and more often) are the stand and the light on the nose of the tool. When I was flooring my loft, the stand enabled me to have the tool standing upright just near my right hand.
Then by leaning the tool forward a bit I could fire a nail where I wanted it and leave the machine standing ready for the next one. Constantly having to lift a tool from its side to the upright wastes a lot of time and energy.
Also in the loft, the light was very handy in the dull conditions. I was able to pinpoint the position of the nose because the light comes on at the first touch of the trigger. I can imagine that tradespeople fitting kitchens, inside cabinets would find the light a very useful feature.
As for the rest of the features:- well, it’s dead easy to load with either nails or staples (15mm to 40mm) in the all metal magazine, it has a handy belt hook. It is safe to use because of the trigger lock switch and safety nose that has to be depressed onto the work before it will fire. The user can adjust the power of the machine according to the size of nail/staple being used. There is a spirit level on the top of the nailer and the 18volt 1.7Ah NiCad has an indicator to show how much battery power is left.
When I first started using the Ranger Duo, I experienced a brief and shallow learning curve. I was expecting a steep one in order to get the best results out of it. Other similar products I have used have a delay as the battery charges up the capacitor ready to fire. Although there is a delay in firing the Ranger, it is mercifully short and after a time one doesn’t even notice it. It merely becomes part of the rhythm of using the machine.
All the things I expected also didn’t happen. For example, used correctly, the nail or staple will be fired flush with the work surface every time. If you don’t need the nail flush, just ease off a bit. I had to get used to the weight of a cordless machine, but now I don’t notice it, in fact the inertia of it helps
it work properly.
I used the Ranger a great deal when I put up my garden shed. Everything from laying out and pinning the wooden formwork for making the concrete base to pinning in the windows and roofing battens became a simple repetitive task. It was especially useful when I was up a ladder doing the roof and I had only one
hand free.
There is no doubt that the TACWISE Ranger Duo is a very useful, robust, trade tool. For retailers, it is well presented in a strong bright orange case that holds the one-hour battery charger, the tool and it has enough space for a few boxes of staples and nails too. It should have instant appeal, especially at the price level. If I can use mine for so many things then I am sure that trade users will find a vast range of things to do with it. An Excellent tool.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications