Senco XP41 Disappointment...

kris jusnes

We got one of the new Senco XP41 finish nailers about 2 months ago, since we needed a new 3rd 2" angle nailer and this one toted the no-oil capability.

And it has worked just fine without being oiled. Nice and light, too.

However, in the past few days here, the feeder has been an enormous frustration for me. It simply does not want to keep pressure on the sleeve and push it forward after each nail is shot, leaving me with the painstaking task of keeping my other hand on the sleeve to make sure it feeds when I am doing some rapid nailing.

Twice in three days, i tried removing the sleeve, holding the feeder back, and using my pencil to get some graphite on all the exposed areas of friction. That worked for a day or two each time, but today my efforts were fruitless. It seems the bottom part of the feeder shoe is where the hangup is; it seems to be pinching the slide a bit too much. I tried gently prying each side away ever so slightly, but they wouldnt budge. Finally, I gave up on it and grabbed one of the porter cables that wasnt being used, and remembered how much I love those things!

So, am I missing something here? Or is the marketing hype for the XP41 heavy enough to overshadow any questions of long term reliability?

Bella D

Kris, I feel your pain. Every Senco gun I have has given me problems whether it's the framer or my finish guns. I have slowly been replacing them all with Hitachis and I haven't had a problem with one. I'm turning into a big fan of the green.

kris jusnes

i cant say i've used a hitachi, except for an older roofing coilgun we used to have.

our porter cables never give us any problems, but perhaps in the future if something goes awry we might try the green

Nail Geek

Kris,
It's true that the "new" Senco tools are not the greatest. Over the years I've seen them progressively cheapen their design. They made the mistake of farming out to Taiwanese factories losing their quality control and good reputation. Old school Sencos like the SFN1 and some versions of the SFN30 are really good. They max out at 2" though.

I would definitely recommend the Hitachi NT65MA3 if you need a good contractor grade 2 1/2" finish nailer. They have a lot of power and will prove to be one of your favorite tools. And replacement parts shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.

behrco

I've used senco for years and currently run a senco gun as my primary . I do have a porter cable that i brought into the shop for a "feed problem" as was described above. Thats when I went back to old trustworthy senco(my own preference) I do agree the older ones were alot better.

JTKoury

THE GREEN IS GOOD! and cost less too!
I have a senco, portercable, Bynford, and Hitachi. I only have to replace some parts that's common with heavy use. Though one Bynford pin nailer's nailing head (bought from Canada) never weared on me??? And it only cost me 21.99+6.00 shipping on ebay. Go figure huh?

Krazy Johnni

I seem to be the odd one here, but I have nothing but good things to say about my senco gun experience. Compared to every other brad nailer I've tried the cheaper senco pro10 has been the most dependable and best performing, that's just my opinion though. Senco guns tend to be a little heavier than most which most people seem to frown upon although I think it helps set the brads below the surface better.I also really like that exhaust goes out the back of the gun which is much less likely to kick up dust in your face.

I'll this time I thought my opinion about senco guns was the majority who knew

chezer

I have twenty plus years in Pneumatic repair and have seen and heard many complaints about several brands of tools.

Some warranted and some not.

The Pneumatic Tool business has been run down to a degree by cheap import tools and contractors buying the cheap stuff to save a buck. generic fasteners that are not made to spec. cause a large amount of problems.

Every Nailgun manufacturer and I mean every one of them has had thier lemons lately.

Senco makes two lines of tools, Pro and Extreme Pro and they are hard to distinguish.
Basically, if you are a Making your living with your tools buy the Xtreme Pro line.

The Pro line replaced ACCUSET tools that Senco had in the late nineties.

The Gentleman that had problems with his FIP41XP needs to just loosen the feed rail and push the ribbon spring holder back into position. It may have slammed forward and flipped up.
When that happens you cant get the feedshoe to push the last two inches of nails.

FYI. Most fifteen guage Finish nailers copied the Senco Magazine off thier SFN40.

Of all the Tool Companies I have dealt with Senco has the finest customer service and can often help you over the phone.

My Senco representative has thirty five years with the company and is a wealth of technological knowledge.

I asked him to solve a problem for me at a local cabinet manufacturer. Not only did he solve the immediate problem he totally corrected their air system.

Most other Reps wont even get thier hands dirty!!

bevs

I have owned Stanley/Bostitch nailers and two are broken, the third one is nothing to brag about. I have a Porter Cable, it's ok, but the best are the Senco guns I have. Finish, brad, or pin, all have given me excellent service. For what it's worth, I even wear a Senco cap. It's good too.

MarcP

I have a Senco SFN40 that I have had for almost 13 years. The gun gets used ALOT, since mostly all I do is trim. This gun is also "oil-less" and it has never leaked air. The only part that has ever been replaced is the driver. I do agree with the others though, I don't think I would buy any of Senco's current guns. Quality has seemed to go down hill.

JLTrim

I've had a great run with my Hitachi 2 1/2" guns. Not one problem in over two years since switching from Senco. They're priced right, and the little dust-blower button is handy too. I do like the Senco brad nailers though.