Freeman Pneumatic Framing Nailer

This is my first compressed air tool, and I really deliberated on whether or not to get one. Well, what was I thinking??? I'm building a shed, and honestly I now couldn't contemplate doing it without a tool like this, hammering in every nail by hand! For any framing job, don't hesitate and get yourself a compressed air driven framing nailer. You absolutely won't regret it. I was not familiar with the Freeman brand, but my research of amazon.com reviews made this my choice, at around the lower-to-middle end of the price range. Reviews were good, and I was drawn to the 7-year warranty and the fact that it comes with a case. I like to really take care of my tools, and I couldn't imagine purchasing an item like this without a case - which eliminated a lot of the competition. One of the reviewers I read commented on the look of the tool. I'm of the same mindset, in that a tool has to look good as well as perform well. After opening the shipping box and the tool's case, I was awed by the look of the tool. It was sitting there so snugly in the provided case, along with a small bag of Allen screws and a tiny oil container/dispenser (you use the oil to instill a few drops into the air inlet of the tool before every time you use it). The tool is a fine-looking piece of well-made craftsmanship, and really nice-looking. On to using the tool. Well, it is a lot bigger than I expected. Never having used one of these, I was expecting something about the size of an electrical drill. No, it's about 50% bigger! And kind of heavy (around 8.5 lbs). Not a problem. I am a 5' 5", 160 lbs male and had no problem with the weight. I just finished framing the floor of my shed, and wow, this wonderful tool performed flawlessly! It just drives those 3" nails in with a soft-sounding "poof"! It's easy to change the depth of the nail with a simple turn of the adjusting screw. When the tool arrives, it has a guard on the nozzle to protect the working surfacing from being marked. This is a great feature, but I found it seems to reduce the driving power slightly. If you're not worried about marring the working surface, then don't use it. I also love the feature that lets you direct the exhaust to any angle around 360 degrees. If you are new to compressed air tools, you will need a compressor to use this tool. I bought the Bostitch BTFP02012 6 Gallon Pancake Compressor and it has been perfect. You will absolutely need an accessory kit as well, like this one: Primefit IK2004-2 50-Foot PVC Air Hose with 25-Piece Air Accessory Kit and Storage Case. Just one word of caution - the manual is a bit short on instruction, so you will have to do a little bit of figuring out on your own. Well, I'm so impressed with Freeman's framing nailer - and NO, I have not been given any incentives to write a review. I'm just so pleased with this thing. Go ahead and get it!