Factory-Reconditioned Porter-Cable FR350AR Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer

My wife and I had the ambitious plan of finishing our basement. Since neither of us had any experience with home construction or woodworking, we decided that in order to do this right, we needed the right tools.

Considering the amount of framing we needed to do, a framing nailer was going to be a valuable tool. Being an important part of the process, I was concerned that a reconditioned tool might not be a good buy. I reviewed the details and as far as Porter Cable is concerned, a PC reconditioned tool has the same factory warranty as one fresh from the factory. Previous good experiences with PC tools helped me make the decision to get the FR350AR.

The nailer arrived in a large black plastic case. It came with a manual and a small bottle of machine oil. An inspection of the tool showed a little surface wear, probably from being put down on concrete or other abrasive surfaces, but PC molded sacrificial ridges on the tool body that take most of the abuse. The magazine mechanism was in good shape. It looked like the touched up some of the paint where it might have been chipped. All in all it was in excellent condition.

Saturday finally came and I was able to give the FR350AR a workout. I hooked it up to my PC pancake compressor that comes with the extremely popular brad/finish nailer kit, dialed in an initial pressure of 100 psi and hooked it up to the tool. There was a small hiss as the tool pressurized and was ready to go. I put on my safety gear and grabbed a stick of 3″ ring plastic collated nails that I picked up from the neighborhood Lowe’s. Nails are inserted from the rear of the magazine and pushed towards the front. You then grab the follower and pull it towards the back of the magazine and while still holding it, let it pull itself forward, pushing the nails into the firing mechanism.

While using the plastic tip, I pushed the tip against the 2×4 up on the ceiling joints and pulled the trigger. I heard a ‘pop’ with a little recoil and a nail was sunk 1/8″ into the 2×4. The next test came when I started installing the studs. I removed the plastic tip to expose the spiked safety foot and put the plastic tip into the holder in the magazine. With the stud all centered, I placed the tip at a 45 degree angle and inch from the base of the stud and pulled the trigger. I nail shot into the stud and down into the base plate. It was left sticking out of the wood about 3/8 of an inch, enough to get at in case I needed to remove it. Excellent! The PC FR350AR will stop firing when you are down to four nails left in the magazine so you realize you need a refill. Insert more nails, readjust the follower and you were off and running again.

The pancake compressor seemed to do a good job holding up against the work I was doing with the nailer. I had it outside with a long hose run into the basement, so I couldn’t hear it running. I didn’t get any complaints from my neighbors so it must not have been running very often.

I only have two complaints with this nailer:

1) Although the tool is pretty balanced in my hand, the grip isn’t spongy enough for my palm. The area between my thumb and forefinger was sore after all the nailing was done.

2) The plastic collation bits come shooting out of the nailer (from where exactly, I am not sure) and landed all around. I did find many bits in my hair afterwards so watch out for them.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with how well this reconditioned framing nailer has worked so far. I have plenty more work for it, so I will post an update another time for some long-term observations.

I used the nailer for framing a sun porch and was very happy with its performance. The nails were always driven fully and as of today, the nailer has never jammed. As with all framing nailers, it is difficult to get into very small corners. This is the only negative thing I have to say about the Porter Cable. I would buy the same nailer again.

Got this reconditioned nail gun a few days ago, was like new out of the box. So far have shot a few hundred nails but so far it hasn’t missed a beat, works great. However, if you’re building a deck around a pool as I am this gun leaves the plastic shards all over the place, alot were ending up in the pool. Some of these little shards are fairly sharp. I went back to my clipped head nailer, that’s not to say this gun isn’t a good one, it is. It just isn’t compatible when working around a pool.

Received my Porter Cable FR350AR framing nailer today. I’ve been looking a while for a nailer, but didn’t want to spend $400-$500. So I thought used would be OK for a tool that would be used for the now and then weekend project. I did the 2 day delivery and it was here at noon the 2nd day (pretty good). When I opened the box the nailer came in a new case which is very nice. What I didn’t expect was to find a new nailer! If this nailer was used I couldn’t find a scratch on it any wear. It did have a reconditioned label on it. So I kinda feel like I got the full meal deal—–$400 plus nailer for $159 plus some change for shipping. Thanks Amazon

I purchased this because I needed to replace the framing and decking on a large porch. The nailer arrived in perfect condition and has worked well with both 3-1/2 and 2-3/8 nails. I am very satisifed with the purchase.

Was a good deal and worked as good as new. Built a 8 x 12 shed from floor to roof and it worked great and saved hours and hours and hours of time. Not to mention several smashed fingers.And I didn’t nail my self as my wife feared. I have used it several times sence I built the shed. I didn’t realize all the uses for it.

Came with nice case

This is a great nailer for the price. Never had a jam while using it.

The Factory Reconditioned Porter-Cable FR350AR 3-1/2″ Round Head Framing Nailer Kit is a great bargain. The nailer is working to my expectations and will give me great service for years to come.

I bought a reconditioned FR350 in 08, to frame up a small guest cabin I was building. To date (2012) this baby has framed the guesthouse, six 10′x16′ screen cabanas, a 16′x24′ food shed, a 76′ deck and other misc projects. The gun has only jammed a couple of times, and it’s usually been my fault. Yes, the nails do leave lots of plastic debris, but little sweeping or a shop vac takes care of that. This gun is a workhorse and it is still going strong. If you’re not a professional carpenter/framer, at $150.00, you can’t go wrong. This nailer will last a handyman/homeowner a long time!