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Comparing Bostich to Bostich

I have owned a Bostich BT-35 18ga. brad nailer for about 7 years. I wanted an 18ga. brad nailer with 2″ nailing ability and a depth adjustment. I already had appx. 15,000 Bostich 18ga. nails, and experience with 3 other Bostich nailers that I own (BT-35 Brad nailer), (FN-60 15ga. finish nailer), (SX-32 finish stapler), made the choice of which brand to buy a non issue. I bought their latest 18ga. model the BT-200 because of the increased nail length capacity and the on tool depth adjustment.The BT-200 can shoot a 2″ brad, the BT-35 only shoots a max. length brad of 1-3/8″. The BT-200 has a depth adjustment which the BT-35 doesn’t. You have to increase or decrease the power by adjusting the air pressure. As soon as I took the BT200 out of the box I compared them side by side. Since the BT-35 can’t load a 2″ nail I used 1-3/8″ in both guns. I used 200 1-3/8″ nails in each gun and 200 2″ nails in the BT-200. Several pieces of 2-1/2″ thick red oak were the test material.The 200 is somewhat lighter than the 35, but not by much. The 200 is oil free, the 35 needs lubrication.The 200 recoils more than the 35The 200 is the only air nailer with a sequential trigger that I have ever used that double fired!The 200 miss fired 5 times on the 2″ brads (out of 200) that came with it although it did not with the shorter 1-3/8″ lengths. In 7 years I have NEVER had a jam or a missfire with the BT-35, FN-60, or the SX-32.The 200 and the 35 will each countersink in oak any length that they can fire. If I did not have the BT-35 to compare it to, I would probably have been more satisfied with the BT-200. The BT-35 just feels and sounds like the high quality product it is. I don’t think, in my opinion, that you could by a better brad nailer than the Bostich BT-35 at any price. I am sorry that I can’t say the same for the BT-200. In my short test the 200 has more recoil. is louder, and for the first time ever I had a missfire in a Bostich nailer and a sequential trigger that double tapped.Adjusting air pressure and adding a few drops of oil suddenly doesn’t seem as much of an issue now as it did just one hour ago.

Update (2/6/2012): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen. I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Bostitch BT200K-2 18 Gauge 5/8-inch to 2-inch Brad Nailer Tools & Hardware, was written by Walter P. Wilson.

The average rating for this item is 3.3 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.