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by Peter Brett - November 2006
For more information call Christine
01444 440188
01444 440188
Duraspin DS275-AC
Machine Gun Performance
The tools are outwardly simple, to-the-point and straightforward to use. This Duraspin DS275 does not break the tradition. When it says on the box that you can hang a 4’x12’ sheet in 60 seconds, you bet your life that you can, although you may need to learn to work like an American Tradesman first.
To get the specs bit over first… The tool weighs in at just over 2Kgs, important to those who have to carry it around all day and comes in 110v or 230v formats.
The motor is a powerful 530W unit but the overall dimensions of the Senco are quite compact – the length being just 41cm including the screw delivery nosepiece. Two nosepieces are included with the tool, the drywall and wood to wood versions ensure that end users can have the right nose for the job!
What these specs don’t tell you of course is that the machine feels comfortable and compact in the hand when you pick it up for the first time. The rubberized trigger handle and supplementary grip on top of the body make you instantly feel as though you have a workable tool in your hands.
I have got used to the current fixation for having a belt hook on many tools, even ones that are so heavy that I am surprised that we don’t have many more builders’ bums on view as they collectively clip their power tools to their belts. But on the Duraspin, this is a realistic possibility and doesn’t put you in danger of losing your trousers. It is also a useful feature bearing in mind the places where this tool is likely to be used.
All the other features are in place too – for example the quick release system for changing the driver bit, the adjuster that sets the depth to which you want to drive the screws and the adjuster on the nose that needs to be set according to the screw length being used. All these features are clear, easy to use and Americanly functional. No BS as they say!
A few Trade Shows ago, as I gingerly tried out a new Senco machine, I was given a lesson on how to use one.
It might not surprise you that it involves taking the job by the horns and approaching with confidence. Start the machine, place it where you want the fixing and press confidently and firmly. When that screw is driven home, lift the tool, place it again and do the same. The person who showed me how, just kept the machine running continuously and got through a strip of 36 screws in a few minutes. He managed to get them all driven home firmly, more or less where he wanted them and in quite a neat row. I didn’t quite manage that at the time, but I did a lot better when I used the DS275 on a practice decking session this time. In fact it became very clear to me that with minimal practice, you can work very fast with the DS275 – which is where the American influence gets in. Oh yes, and for those of you like myself who don’t get it right every time, there is a reverse feature on the trigger that allows you to unscrew the fixings that you don’t put in right first time.
I tried out the Duraspin DS275 in a variety of applications. Fortunately, I had been supplied, as ever, with a generous number of screw fixings, so I was able to be very rigorous in my demands on the tool.
As I have mentioned before, confidence is all, 50mm screws were soon being laid in neat rows into a large beam of softwood. The more I used the tool the easier it became to line it up correctly and also to know when the screw was firmly home without being fussy.
The clutch mechanism saw to that. With greater experience I am sure that end users could customize the driving power to their needs without even using too much trial and error. Using the adjustments for screw length and depth of fixing it is possible to get a pretty well perfect result every time. If you don’t, its usually your fault.
It helps if you use the original fit Duraspin screws with the tool. They are very easy to load. The strips of screws are just fed through the series of guides into the nose. A screwguard fixed to the trigger guard ensures that a stray hand doesn’t get spiked by a sharp screw point, but this guard folds out of the way when it is time to load up a new strip.
The design of the screws themselves ensures a quick and even start, as well as good fixing strength. The ones I used were phosphate coated, so were ideal for outside use, on a deck for example.
I get ribbed all the time for my enthusiasm about what tools are capable of, and there is deep inside all of us, I hope, a bit of an anorak about certain things.
My anorak side came out here when I set myself a challenge of how quickly I could set a row of 36 screws into my beam. My best time was 90-ish seconds, just under 2.5 seconds per screw. With practice, I could improve this time, because I was in fact managing to drive individual 65mm screws to full depth in softwood in just over a second. When you are working hard to place the screw correctly, then absolute times are indeed slower. Because I made a few mistakes I was also able to test the reverse facility.
By placing the noseguide carefully and fitting the driver to the head of the screw, removing the screws is remarkably easy. It’s just not something that adds to the fun!
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications