Hitting the gas

by Tom Hammel

The power and versatility of “gas” fuel-cell-powered nailers continues to expand. This year, contractors will have more tool, fastener and application choices than ever.

Manufacturers of fuel-cell-powered nail and fastening systems have a message for building contractors: You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

It’s been a long time coming with 20-plus years since ITW Paslode first introduced fuel-cell-powered cordless nail guns to the market. The technology has now reached critical mass in the construction market. Wood-nailing tools from ITW Paslode (and their concrete driving cousins from ITW Ramset) now duel with tools from Powers Fasteners, Hitachi and Max USA.

As the elder players in the market, ITW and Powers have well-established tool and accessory catalogs. Each company also has new tools in design or roll-out stages right now. Hitachi and Max USA plan to play aggressive catch-up with new tools this year as well.

Wood, concrete or both?
Today’s fuel cell guns fall into two basic camps: wood-to-wood and steel-to-concrete. Wood-shooting contractors can choose between systems from Hitachi, ITW Paslode, Max USA and Powers Fasteners. The steel and concrete market is currently served by two players, ITW Ramset and Powers Fasteners.

Although they use the same underlying technology, guns for steel-to-concrete fastening are more heavily constructed than their wood-shooting cousins. Depending on their intended applications, some concrete tools are more heavily engineered than others. Not every tool has the same firepower as the next, and, although they look alike, fuel cells are not universally interchangeable, either.

ITW Ramset has gone a step further and designed a fuel injection system for its new T3 series tools’ fuel cells. The system senses ambient temperature and automatically adjusts the air/fuel mixture of each shot for maximum efficiency. This and other refinements gives T3 series tools 20 to 25 percent more firepower than prior Ramset tools.

Task- and trade-specific tools are becoming the norm on the wood and concrete sides of the gas divide — with some exceptions. Powers says its new Trak-It C4 is the perfect tool for attaching wood 2x4 sill plates to concrete, but it can perform several jobs commonly handled by its sister C3 model, such as attaching metal track to concrete or block, plywood, membrane or ISO to concrete, metal or block.

Cross-over functionality
However, the crossover functionality in applications between the Trak-It C3 and C4 is the exception among Powers tools, not the rule. As if to underscore this, fuel cells and fasteners are not interchangeable between the Trak-It C3 and C4 tools.

Following Powers’ marketing logic, other gas tools soon to be in the family are expected to be specifically recommended for steel connector or siding work.

ITW Ramset also targets tools to specific trades. Ramset’s T3 SS is designed for electricians and HVAC contractors, based in part on the line of preassembled electrical fastening accessories that work with the tool, and in part because the T3’s added firepower makes it more versatile than prior models.

Overhead looking up
“Many contractors have used gas technology to fasten floor track but then switched to powder-actuated tools (PAT) to do the overhead work because the gas tool either didn’t have the power to shoot overhead or the pin diameter was too small to shoot into hard aggregate,” explains Matt Davis, marketing manager for ITW Ramset. “Our T3 tool’s added power allows it to shoot more overhead shots into hard concrete and steel, so the contractor doesn’t have to swap his gas tool for a slower PAT as often.”

Another gas tool advantage: Unlike their PAT relatives, the gas guns do not require special training or licensing to operate.

Hitachi sees its wood-to-wood framers as mainly punch-out tools, but Powers sees its concrete tools as serious production workers.

“For metal framing and steel-to-concrete, our Trak-It tools are definitely production tools,” says Mark Ziegler, director of engineering for Powers Fasteners. “They’re holding up well on jobsites in terms of durability and reliability, and our customers are happy with them.”

Perhaps the biggest difference between wood and concrete nailers is what they shoot. Wood guns shoot framing nails, but concrete tools shoot nails, pins, washers, fixed- or adjustable-diameter conduit clips, rod hangers and other accessories in dozens of sizes and styles. These greatly enhance the versatility of the already useful tools. Although many contractor’s accessory needs have already been met, the end is not yet in sight.

Adding solutions
“The Stick-E accessories we’ve created so far were answers to contractor issues, but if our customers and end-users run into new applications, we’ll add to the line to fill and provide additional solutions,” Ziegler says.

Innovation is also driving new tools in the wood-to-wood category. For example, dial depth of nail adjustment, now common on traditional air nailers, was not available on fuel cell guns until the Max SuperFramer debuted in late 2005.

Max USA also claims to be the first tool on the market with true 21-degree round-head nail capability, an important innovation for two major reasons — codes and cost. First, some building codes do not allow framing with clipped head nails. Secondly, generic collated nails cost less than the dedicated nails some tools require.

“Our tool is compatible with a wider variety of nails,” says John Dominice III, national sales manager for Max USA. “Contractors favor plastic collated 21-degree round head nails because they cost less, so we try to make the best possible tool and let our customers choose their preferred brand of fasteners.”
Dominice also reports that there are more tools to come.

“Our second and third generation tools will be more powerful, durable and innovative,” he says. “They will include finish nailers, staplers, positive placement and coil nailers.”

Which to choose?
For simple wood-to-wood framing, punch-out and remodeling work, any of the wood-to-wood models from Hitachi, Max, Paslode or Powers will serve you well.

Just don’t forget to think about fastener availability and cost in your decision-making process. To mangle a cliché, in nail guns, it ain’t the razor, it’s the blade. Does the tool require dedicated nails or can you shoot generics? What types of nail shanks are available? Finally, consider codes. Not every fastener conforms to every building code.

Selecting tools and fastening systems for concrete applications is more complicated. For this reason, ITW Ramset and Powers Fasteners each post downloadable pin and accessory selection, approvals and troubleshooting guides on their Web sites.

ITW Ramset groups its tools and fasteners in downloadable visual Applications Guides specifically for acoustical ceiling, drywall and carpentry, electrical, mechanical and specialty contractors.

Powers also has a downloadable 172-page Fastening Handbook covering its complete product line, with descriptions, installation instructions, part numbers, performance data and product approvals.

Because usage specifications are much more complex for concrete fastening, ITW Ramset and Powers Fasteners each provide exhaustive approvals, specification and submittal data on their Web sites.

Your distributor is another good resource. Once the expert there understands what you need to do, he or she can recommend the exact tool and fastener system for the job.

Maintenance
Gas tools are different animals than standard air tools and, as such, they require different maintenance procedures. In cleaner work environments, Hitachi recommends schedules from every two months or every 10,000 nails/nine fuel cells up to weekly cleaning in dirtier, high-usage, high-dust situations.

Hitachi, ITW Ramset and Max USA provide downloadable visual instruction manuals for cleaning their gas fuel cell tools.

Cost versus convenience
Gas fuel cell nail guns, with prices ranging from about $249 on up to $599, are slightly more expensive upfront than their traditional pneumatic cousins, which range from $210 to $450. Gas guns are also more expensive to use: fuel cells cost about $6 each plus the cost of batteries and chargers, too. Powers offers two rechargeable long-life batteries and a charger with their tools at no extra cost.

Most contractors already own an air compressor and hose anyway. So, are gas tools worth the extra costs? Considering a gas tool’s freedom of movement, ease of use and ability to do work that a standard air tool just can’t do, the answer is, “You betcha!”

But isn’t this pursuit of gas technology misplaced? Won’t future generations of battery-powered tools eventually make gas tools obsolete? No, for the simple reason that gas tools pick up on the power curve where battery-powered tools drop off, report power tool experts. In fact, gas technology is expanding into higher and lower power tool applications.

Combustion beats cordless
“Framing needs tremendous energy and the only technology available today capable of doing this work — even with a large battery — is combustion technology,” explains Jacek Romanski, product manager, cordless tools, for ITW Paslode. “This is especially true with the laminated veneers and other engineered lumbers available today.

“When it comes to an electric or battery-powered tool, you need a big engine,” he says. “Even with a 36-volt tool you still need a very large engine in order to draw that energy. Our Impulse fuel cell technology strikes a happy medium; you still feel like it’s a lightweight tool. It is not going to be three or four times the size of a pneumatic tool, which is what you would need on a battery-powered tool.”

This is one point where all the manufacturers interviewed agree.

Expanding market
“I see the market expanding into more specialized tools that historically have not been gas powered,” says Chris Freeman, product manager for Hitachi. “We’ll be bringing more of these to market as well, starting this year with a concrete tool and some smaller gauge tools, too.”

ITW Ramset is not resting on its laurels either. A new version of the T3, the T3 MAG, featuring a 45-pin magazine, is in limited roll-out now and will be available nationally later this year.

Published in the May/June 2007 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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