# what screw gun should i get



## kylemanley1

trying to decide on what screw gun to get. have always used my dads dewalts and i like the 255 but ive been searching around on here and seems like you guys really like the hilti. does the hilti corded sd4500 have the same clutch system as the dewalts?


----------



## kylemanley1

plus it says something on the specs of the hilt about it being pneumatic?


----------



## moore

Whatever you go with ..GO CORDLESS!!:yes:


----------



## Mudshark

We see very few Hilti's this neck of the woods but I am like you and curious as well. Still like my DeWalt but open to trying a new tool. Almost all DeWalts around here. Boarded with a guy with a Milwaukee and he really liked it.


----------



## Mudshark

moore said:


> Whatever you go with ..GO CORDLESS!!:yes:


Got the corded and the cordless but prefer the 110 volt. Faster in my opinion.


----------



## kylemanley1

ya same thing here everyone uses dewalt, don't hear people having problems with them around here but maybe cuz it's not like were hanging 1000 sheet apartment complexes or anything mostly 100-350 sheet jobs


----------



## PrecisionTaping

Ya, I'm going to have to disagree with Moore on this one. Sorry buddy.
As much as I do like cordless drywall guns, and don't get me wrong, they are great. I'm still a big fan of the Makita LXT I bought a while back. Works like a charm. Here it is if you're curious.





But in my opinion I still haven't found a cordless drywall gun that really compares to a corded. You just can't compare the two.

You also have to ask yourself what you're going to be using it for.
The majority of the time I'm the guy who's cutting the sheets, so I'm not screwing off all the time. It's great for me because I just always have a cordless hanging off my tool belt. That way it's always readily accessible, when I bring in a new sheet, I can screw my side right away with my cordless and go start getting the next piece ready when my guy screws off the rest of the sheet.
They're great for closets, bulk-heads and if you're working by yourself.

If there's 2 or 3 of you boarding, a cordless just won't cut it in my opinion. I still love my cordless Makita, but if I switch spots with my partner, and he starts cutting and I start screwing off the sheets, we switch guns too. He'll take the cordless and I take a corded gun.
Cordless is great for part-time screwing.

If you want production and want to move fast, then nothing can beat a corded gun.
If you want to move even faster, buy a collated screw gun. We just started using them and truthfully, it's amazing for ceilings! 
Saves your shoulders because you can screw so fast you can almost immediately let go of the sheet.
Check out this video if you want an idea of how fast you can screw off a sheet. 





As far as brands go, that's all preference.
I've always just used Dewalts.
Sometimes Home Depot will have a sale on Dewalt drywall guns where they're like 2 for $100. I haven't seen that sale in a while, but last time it was on I bought like 10 drills. So I've been good for a while.
The sale usually comes on around this time. Keep your eyes open around Christmas time at Home Depot or Lowes. Those big box stores sometimes get amazing deals in the flyer!
Just last week at Lowes, Stanley measuring tapes came on sale.
My favourite ones too. You got a combo pack, 16' and a 25' for $9.99
I just about crapped myself when I saw that.
Needless to say I stocked up. :thumbsup:







So keep your eyes open for sales around this time of year! 

When it comes to corded, I always choose Dewalt. They're cheap, durable and allot of stores carry them. I'm pretty sure I've had one Dewalt screwgun since I've been 16...so 8 years now..going on 9 soon. The one down side to them is sometimes the connection gets a little loose after a while, at which point I'm happy because it gives me an excuse to take it apart and add a 100' extension instead.

Oh! and if you do decide to go cordless anyways, might as well go with collated. Kill two birds with one stone.
Do like the boys from down under do. They love those collated Makitas.




Makes a 20ft sheet seem like not such a big deal.

Goodluck!


----------



## chris

16'Fatmax:thumbsup: Aussie Hangers:blink:Hilti corded:thumbup:


----------



## PrecisionTaping

chris said:


> 16'Fatmax:thumbsup: Aussie Hangers:blink:Hilti corded:thumbup:


I love the 16'ft Fat Max's!!!
Best tape ever.
I never need to measure anything over 12' so why would I even bother with anything bigger.
Those 16's are nice and small, they fit perfectly in my hand, I'm not ever trying to struggle with it to get it out of my pouch...the retracting speed is faster..Just all around a sweet tape! :yes:


----------



## fr8train

The guys that I followed at the plant used these. Grabber superdrive attached to a Grabber driver. Nice thing about the Grabber system is that it gets into corners better than some other collated systems that I've seen and tried.


----------



## Mudshark

Wow PT - looks like you are set for a while with screwguns and tapes. Gotta love that deal on the Stanleys - cant go wrong there. Saw that same deal a while back on the DeWalts at Home Depot of 2 for $99. Got 3 DeWalts, thats enough.


----------



## SlimPickins

PrecisionTaping said:


> Ya, I'm going to have to disagree with Moore on this one. Sorry buddy.
> As much as I do like cordless drywall guns, and don't get me wrong, they are great. I'm still a big fan of the Makita LXT I bought a while back. Works like a charm. Here it is if you're curious.
> Product Review: Makita LXT 18V Cordless Drywall Gun - YouTube
> 
> But in my opinion I still haven't found a cordless drywall gun that really compares to a corded. You just can't compare the two.
> 
> You also have to ask yourself what you're going to be using it for.
> The majority of the time I'm the guy who's cutting the sheets, so I'm not screwing off all the time. It's great for me because I just always have a cordless hanging off my tool belt. That way it's always readily accessible, when I bring in a new sheet, I can screw my side right away with my cordless and go start getting the next piece ready when my guy screws off the rest of the sheet.
> They're great for closets, bulk-heads and if you're working by yourself.
> 
> If there's 2 or 3 of you boarding, a cordless just won't cut it in my opinion. I still love my cordless Makita, but if I switch spots with my partner, and he starts cutting and I start screwing off the sheets, we switch guns too. He'll take the cordless and I take a corded gun.
> Cordless is great for part-time screwing.
> 
> If you want production and want to move fast, then nothing can beat a corded gun.
> If you want to move even faster, buy a collated screw gun. We just started using them and truthfully, it's amazing for ceilings!
> Saves your shoulders because you can screw so fast you can almost immediately let go of the sheet.
> Check out this video if you want an idea of how fast you can screw off a sheet.
> Senco De Mayo - Auto Collated Screwdriver Review - YouTube
> 
> As far as brands go, that's all preference.
> I've always just used Dewalts.
> Sometimes Home Depot will have a sale on Dewalt drywall guns where they're like 2 for $100. I haven't seen that sale in a while, but last time it was on I bought like 10 drills. So I've been good for a while.
> The sale usually comes on around this time. Keep your eyes open around Christmas time at Home Depot or Lowes. Those big box stores sometimes get amazing deals in the flyer!
> Just last week at Lowes, Stanley measuring tapes came on sale.
> My favourite ones too. You got a combo pack, 16' and a 25' for $9.99
> I just about crapped myself when I saw that.
> Needless to say I stocked up. :thumbsup:
> View attachment 5755
> 
> So keep your eyes open for sales around this time of year!
> 
> When it comes to corded, I always choose Dewalt. They're cheap, durable and allot of stores carry them. I'm pretty sure I've had one Dewalt screwgun since I've been 16...so 8 years now..going on 9 soon. The one down side to them is sometimes the connection gets a little loose after a while, at which point I'm happy because it gives me an excuse to take it apart and add a 100' extension instead.
> 
> Oh! and if you do decide to go cordless anyways, might as well go with collated. Kill two birds with one stone.
> Do like the boys from down under do. They love those collated Makitas.
> Hanging plasterboard/drywall ceiling - YouTube
> Makes a 20ft sheet seem like not such a big deal.
> 
> Goodluck!


Dayum! I love the fat max 25'. But, we have to pay $19.99 for just the one......on a good day


----------



## SlimPickins

Oh, and I'm sorry....but Dewalt screwguns suck a dead dogs ass.


----------



## fr8train

Specifically, I believe it was this one 
http://www.grabberman.com/ItemDetai...K304zwnHUwVGi3DBms5ye3F6CLOCYV0&itemid=5540IT


----------



## chris

SlimPickins said:


> Dayum! I love the fat max 25'. But, we have to pay $19.99 for just the one......on a good day


Dewalts are decent and cheap and everyone seems to be able to use them, but my personal gun is Hilti ( I have too many screwguns) I use my Hilti on steel only and my Dewalts on wood. You gotta train the guns and not confuse them . Nobody uses my Hilti, anyone can grab a Dewalt The 25' Fatmax is my measuring tape( boardcounts) thed 16' is the cuttin tape


----------



## Mudshark

fr8train said:


> Specifically, I believe it was this one
> http://www.grabberman.com/ItemDetai...K304zwnHUwVGi3DBms5ye3F6CLOCYV0&itemid=5540IT


Looks like a Dewalt in black with a fancy nosepiece. :whistling2:


----------



## fr8train

It's quite possible that is what it is, they also offer it with a Makita driver, so....

Here is a link to a page that shows all of them.
http://www.grabberman.com/CatBrowse...Ui5jOFa6uRByjBK304zwnHUw29i4hF+DuscUhMk1/egow


----------



## PrecisionTaping

SlimPickins said:


> Dayum! I love the fat max 25'. But, we have to pay $19.99 for just the one......on a good day


Ya, same here. On a good day.
Usually' they're a buck a foot.
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/25-foot-x-1-1-4-inch-tape-measure/925537

But the 16's are more for some reason...
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/fatmax-16-short-tape/953828



SlimPickins said:


> Oh, and I'm sorry....but Dewalt screwguns suck a dead dogs ass.


I love them! 
Never had an issue!
And for the price, I don't care if the dewalt break down every year. I rather throw em out and buy new ones than to drop 600$ on a cordless Hilti with 2 batteries.

But like I said, never had a problem with Dewalt drywall guns.
I hate absolutely everything else Dewalt makes though.
I've never ever been impressed by anything Dewalt.
Just 2 weeks ago I bought an awesome Dewalt power tool combo kit from Home Depot, I didn't need it at all...but it was such a phenomenal deal I couldn't pass it up.
Brought it back to the job site, sunk a few screws, cut a few 2x4's...I was disgusted by how gutless and cheap they felt.
Didn't even compare to my Milwaukee tool set!
I brought the set back the same day. Even though it was such a good deal, I didn't even want them...

But I love their drywall guns! :yes:


----------



## PrecisionTaping

chris said:


> Dewalts are decent and cheap and everyone seems to be able to use them, The 25' Fatmax is my measuring tape( boardcounts) thed 16' is the cuttin tape


Couldn't agree more! Same here!


----------



## fr8train

Does anyone make a 2 speed drywall gun? One setting for steel and one for wood? Or one for normal screws and one for long screws


----------



## Mudshark

All I can add Kyle is those DeWalts can take one heck of a lot of abuse. I have tossed mine off scaffolding, kicked it around the floor and generally abused it a lot, it takes a lickin and keeps tickin. Wonder if the fancypants ones can do that.


----------



## carpentaper

i bought the hilti corded gun. i bought it specifically so i could upgrade to hilti's collated system by just buying the attachment later. but i haven't had a hanging job big enough to justify buying it yet.


----------



## carpentaper

my favourite dewalt tools are my skillsaw and my compact table saw. both great tools IMO. i also have a 10" dewalt single bevel mitre saw that is great for any trim under 5". my real trim saw is the 10" hitachi dual bevel slider for all my bigger trim jobs.


----------



## PrecisionTaping

fr8train said:


> Does anyone make a 2 speed drywall gun? One setting for steel and one for wood? Or one for normal screws and one for long screws


I don't think they make a gun with a setting for wood or steel..I think that's more or less up to the user to just switch between coarse thread and fine thread.
As for long screws and short screws, I know the Senco Duraspin we show in the video can be adjusted between 1" and 2" screws.
Can't speak for other collated guns though..



Mudshark said:


> All I can add Kyle is those DeWalts can take one heck of a lot of abuse. I have tossed mine off scaffolding, kicked it around the floor and generally abused it a lot, it takes a lickin and keeps tickin. Wonder if the fancypants ones can do that.


That's exactly what I was thinking!
I've put some of my drills through hell and they still work great!
One of them's even had sparks fly out of it every now and then, but it's been doing that for over a year and still works fine so I don't care. lol.

Maybe I'll buy a new dewalt gun and do like a torture test. See how much abuse the gun can take before it breaks.
Any torture ideas?


----------



## PrecisionTaping

carpentaper said:


> my favourite dewalt tools are my skillsaw and my compact table saw. both great tools IMO. i also have a 10" dewalt single bevel mitre saw that is great for any trim under 5". my real trim saw is the 10" hitachi dual bevel slider for all my bigger trim jobs.


I lean more towards Milwaukee and Bosch when it comes to power tools.


----------



## kylemanley1

chris said:


> Dewalts are decent and cheap and everyone seems to be able to use them, but my personal gun is Hilti ( I have too many screwguns) I use my Hilti on steel only and my Dewalts on wood. You gotta train the guns and not confuse them . Nobody uses my Hilti, anyone can grab a Dewalt The 25' Fatmax is my measuring tape( boardcounts) thed 16' is the cuttin tape


why hilti for steel and dewalt on wood


----------



## carpentaper

PrecisionTaping said:


> I lean more towards Milwaukee and Bosch when it comes to power tools.


i have individual preferences for every brand of powertool. they all have a certain tool that they make best. 

Bosch- jigsaw,hammerdrills,tablesaw
Milwaukee- sawzall
makita- cordless tools any many more

etc etc.....
just to name a few of my preferences


----------



## SlimPickins

chris said:


> Dewalts are decent and cheap and everyone seems to be able to use them, but my personal gun is Hilti ( I have too many screwguns) I use my Hilti on steel only and my Dewalts on wood. You gotta train the guns and not confuse them . Nobody uses my Hilti, anyone can grab a Dewalt The 25' Fatmax is my measuring tape( boardcounts) thed 16' is the cuttin tape


I was always a firm believer that you could train a dewalt gun, and then you could also avoid the loud brraaaaawwwwrrrtttt when screwing off. Then I found my Milwaukee corded gun :heart smiley:

I tried a Hilti a long time ago, before they modified their design. I should give them another go, and _maybe _I will if my Milwaukee ever decides to give up the ghost. Nah, probably won't happen :laughing:

I use a 25' for everything, not sure why, I just like carrying around one tape measure. I have smaller ones for woodworking, but I use a different brand for that. Lately I've been considering a much smaller tape for using in the wood shop....the 25' pulls my pants down!


----------



## SlimPickins

carpentaper said:


> i have individual preferences for every brand of powertool. they all have a certain tool that they make best.
> 
> Bosch- jigsaw,hammerdrills,tablesaw
> Milwaukee- sawzall
> makita- cordless tools any many more
> 
> etc etc.....
> just to name a few of my preferences


What, no Festool? :whistling2:


----------



## kylemanley1

carpentaper said:


> i bought the hilti corded gun. i bought it specifically so i could upgrade to hilti's collated system by just buying the attachment later. but i haven't had a hanging job big enough to justify buying it yet.


does it have the same clutch system as dewalt (on the non collated one right?)


----------



## gazman

Value for money, Makita is hard to beat IMO. As for dragging a lead around . I did try a cordless collated Hilti, very very nice but double the price of the Makita.


----------



## moore

Mudshark said:


> Got the corded and the cordless but prefer the 110 volt. Faster in my opinion.


 Cord for the router
Cord for the drill
Cord for the light [I'm going blind]

Fighting those cords is a PITA! I'll take a slow drill anyday.:yes:


----------



## PrecisionTaping

SlimPickins said:


> I've been considering a much smaller tape for using in the wood shop....the 25' pulls my pants down!


You sure it's not all those almonds? :whistling2:



kylemanley1 said:


> why hilti for steel and dewalt on wood


I know allot of guys like the Hilti's for steel. Depending on the model of either gun the hilti most likely has higher RPM's which is why you'd use it on steel.
Depending on the model though.
Dewalt also has a high speed model.
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/fastening-screwdrivers-dw255.aspx



moore said:


> Cord for the router
> Cord for the drill
> Cord for the light [I'm going blind]
> 
> Fighting those cords is a PITA! I'll take a slow drill anyday.:yes:


hahaha! I hear ya!
I use a cordless router and I would never go back to corded!
I have two batteries for it and I love it! It's just a rotozip, and I'm pretty sure they discontinued the model, but it's friggen awesome! Wouldn't be without it!
Just love it!


----------



## SlimPickins

PrecisionTaping said:


> You sure it's not all those almonds? :whistling2:


Nope....those made a nice little shelf for me to rest my pants (and my coffee) on.


----------



## dieselman350

Hilti sd 4500 with 50 foot cord is 124 bucks it lighter balanced better and way more comfortable to hold than a dewalt which is wat i used to use got the hilti in 07 its still goin strong lots of wood and steel it doesn't care


----------



## chris

kylemanley1 said:


> why hilti for steel and dewalt on wood


 When going over wood we use longer screws and that is harder on the guns ,I would rather burn up a dewalt. The hilti seems to punch thru quicker on steel and I dont want to buy another one. If you are doing mostly 1/2" drywall screwing on wood I would get the hilti, its pretty sweet


----------



## kylemanley1

damn now i'm looking at the makita with 50 ft cord lol it's the lightest and smallest but 6000 rpm! wow don't know if thats toooo much


----------



## mudslingr

PrecisionTaping said:


> Dewalt also has a high speed model.
> http://www.dewalt.com/tools/fastening-screwdrivers-dw255.aspx


I bought one this summer. Very nice gun. Hate to say it but much nicer than my beloved Milwaukee. :thumbsup:


----------



## SlimPickins

mudslingr said:


> I bought one this summer. Very nice gun. Hate to say it *but much nicer than my beloved Milwaukee*. :thumbsup:


 I'm very disappointed in you.


----------



## mudslingr

I REALLY did hate saying that Slim.:shutup: Honest !


----------



## SlimPickins

mudslingr said:


> I REALLY did hate saying that Slim.:shutup: Honest !


It's okay, those Makita collated guns look pretty damn sexy.


----------



## carpentaper

SlimPickins said:


> What, no Festool? :whistling2:


over priced. not sure about over-rated or not. i'll probably never find out. i'm not much of a woodworking guy. just framing and finishing.


----------



## carpentaper

kylemanley1 said:


> does it have the same clutch system as dewalt (on the non collated one right?)


i have no idea about clutches. the collated system is an attachment not a different gun. the hilti gun can be used either way. you just buy the attachment.


----------



## scottktmrider

I have hung commerical for about 15 years.About 90% of the companys i work for use the dewalt guns.I have seen them take alot of abuse and still keep going.We work at great heights and seen them droped alot and still keep going.And alot of times they might run all day long and never give out.I have used the hilti before and really liked it was ballanced good and light.

I have only used the auto feed guns a couple times they do not work to good on metal studs.


----------



## saskataper

I found a Hilti with he auto feed at a pawn shop last year for $120 and I love it, I used it on my one and only big hanging job (I'm a taper not a hanger) last Christmas, 7000' of board in a chiro clinic all 10' steel stud and that gun was my savior. I had a boarder lined up to help me but he bailed so I ended up getting a friend to help hold the other end so I screwed 95% of it, cause of that gun I was able to hang a couple days by myself including about 150' of 1'x1' bulkhead at 8' high. 
Now I'm just thankful I've got a good boarding crew that will hang for me when I need it, even crappy 20 sheet reno jobs. I much prefer the peace and quiet of taping.


----------



## SlimPickins

carpentaper said:


> over priced. not sure about over-rated or not. i'll probably never find out. i'm not much of a woodworking guy. just framing and finishing.


Expensive, yes. Over-priced, not so sure. Dewalt and Makita are asking equal or more for their track saws and they don't work as well.

I understand though. I will say, if you do a fair amount of finish carpentry it's something to look into. 

I don't know why I push their sh!t so much. It's an illness. I think they should compensate me. With free tools. But, perhaps this is the wrong forum for that :laughing:


----------



## carpentaper

i've just never had a problem in quality using the brands i am familiar with. track saws look cool but i've just always used a table saw or skill saw with straight edge.


----------



## kylemanley1

scottktmrider said:


> I have hung commerical for about 15 years.About 90% of the companys i work for use the dewalt guns.I have seen them take alot of abuse and still keep going.We work at great heights and seen them droped alot and still keep going.And alot of times they might run all day long and never give out.I have used the hilti before and really liked it was ballanced good and light.
> 
> I have only used the auto feed guns a couple times they do not work to good on metal studs.


do you prefer the hilti over the dewalt? i like the speed of the dewalt and it looks like you have to sacrifice that for the hilti but i like the idea of the 15 ft. cord on the hilt for small jobs like a bathroom that i can just plug right in w/out having to add a cord. the home depot around here doesnt carry the 255 dewalt or the sd4500 hilti so i can't just go in there and hold both guns to test the comfort


----------



## SlimPickins

carpentaper said:


> i've just never had a problem in quality using the brands i am familiar with.


I felt the same way for sure. What I also realized was that I didn't know what I was missing.




carpentaper said:


> track saws look cool but i've just always used a table saw or skill saw with straight edge.


I *dare* you to go and try out a TS-55. The last guy that used mine (30 year carpentry veteran) went and bought one less than a week later. 

Then again, maybe there's something to be said for not knowing what you're missing! It's cheaper in the short run, that's for sure!


----------



## carpentaper

i'll continue to hijack this thread with carpentery toolwhore talk slim.

at this point with what i do a track saw would just sit in storage. i rarely rip sheet goods. mostly framing lumber and trim so it would be an expensive luxury more than a money maker. if i was consistently ripping MDF for built ins maybe.


----------



## SlimPickins

carpentaper said:


> i'll continue to hijack this thread with carpentery toolwhore talk slim.
> 
> at this point with what i do a track saw would just sit in storage. i rarely rip sheet goods. mostly framing lumber and trim so it would be an expensive luxury more than a money maker. if i was consistently ripping MDF for built ins maybe.


Ha! Isn't that what we do around here? Hijack threads? At least we're sort of on the same topic :laughing:

I'll stop playing uncompensated tool rep now. :yes:


----------



## korby_17

Since we are talking screw guns I am going to ask a little bit about collated. I have a duraspin by sencO. I am looking at buying a makita auto feed. I use the sencO screws but are kinda hard to get. Is there a screw strip that I can use fOr makita and senco?? 1 1/4 screws. I think grabbed makes one that I can get locally but not sure if the work in both guns.


----------



## keke

korby_17 said:


> Since we are talking screw guns I am going to ask a little bit about collated. I have a duraspin by sencO. I am looking at buying a makita auto feed. I use the sencO screws but are kinda hard to get. Is there a screw strip that I can use fOr makita and senco?? 1 1/4 screws. I think grabbed makes one that I can get locally but not sure if the work in both guns.


I know nothing about duraspin but I've used makita for years and I haven't had any problem with the screws even though those were different sizes from different brands


----------



## fr8train

Korby, I'm pretty sure they use the same screws.


----------



## PrecisionTaping

korby_17 said:


> Since we are talking screw guns I am going to ask a little bit about collated. I have a duraspin by sencO. I am looking at buying a makita auto feed. I use the sencO screws but are kinda hard to get. Is there a screw strip that I can use fOr makita and senco?? 1 1/4 screws. I think grabbed makes one that I can get locally but not sure if the work in both guns.


Ya, the majority of auto collated screw strips all work with different guns. The odd company might not, but the majority of them do.
If you're having a hard time finding screw strips for the Senco I just discovered the Lowes actually carries the Senco Duraspin line. They have coarse thread and fine thread and a few different lengths as well.
Check em out when you get a chance. They might sell what you need locally.


----------



## fr8train

AFAIK, most collated guns take the Grabber/Senco type strips, the only odd ball out there that I know of is the QuikDrive


----------



## ukdrywall

this side of the pond a lot of hangers are using the Hilti impact driver 22v
http://www.hilti.co.uk/holuk/page/module/product/prca_rangedetail.jsf?lang=en&nodeId=-456863

small light and ajustable torque, that you can ajust for screwing into wood or steel


----------



## TonyM

ukdrywall said:


> this side of the pond a lot of hangers are using the Hilti impact driver 22v
> http://www.hilti.co.uk/holuk/page/module/product/prca_rangedetail.jsf?lang=en&nodeId=-456863
> 
> small light and ajustable torque, that you can ajust for screwing into wood or steel


Agree. I use the 22v with collated mostly but keep the 22v impact at hand for tight places.


----------

