Bosch 23 Gauge Pin Nailer FNS138-23

By Robert Robillard on Tool Reviews

Bosch FNS138-23 23 Gauge 1-3/8-Inch Pin Nailer ReviewBosch 23 Gauge Pin Nailer FNS138-23

The folks at Bosch recently sent us their Bosch 23 Gauge Pin Nailer FNS138-23 to review and evaluate.

What’s The Hype With Pin Nailers?

Pin nailers seem to be getting more and more popular with woodworkers and trim carpenters and there is a good reason for it.

A 23 gauge pin nail is the smallest pneumatic fasteners available and have no head.  They are used to fasten small parts on trim, small furniture parts, bead trim, as well as crown and trim returns.

The best part of a pin nail is that it leaves a smaller hole than a brad nailer which requires no or little filling and is especially important on pre-finished materials.

First Impression:

At 6.7 pounds, I loved the weight and balance.  It is a well designed and solid nailer with a great line of sight and fastener tip visibility.

When I first tried this pin nailer, I became annoyed with the double safety trigger.  I felt it should be 1/4 – inch longer but as I write this I can tell you that I no longer feel that way.     We all resist change – including myself, I quickly got used to the safety trigger after some repetition.  Now activating the safety trigger is second nature.

The pin nailer unit dimensions are 16 x 14.5 x 4.8 inches which seems to be a common size among pin nailers, nothing new there.

Using the Bosch FNS138-23 23 Pin Nailer

While I’m a big fan of pin nailers, this nailer was a really joy to use.   It had plenty of power to secure maple trim parts as well as pre-finished cabinet crown I was installing.  The no-mar tip stays secure and doesn’t fall off – a plus!

An in line self-cleaning air filter / exhaust is located in the bottom of the handle where the air hose connects.  This location is perfect and does not exhaust into the users eyes, contaminate the tool o rings, or stain the work piece.

The dry fire, lock out feature is a nice feature, and appreciated but it is pretty common in nailers these days and now has become an expected feature.

Loading the pin nails was easy and this nailer has built in spring-loaded rails that automatically adjust to the pin lengths, holding them securely in place.  This allows the magazine cover to easily close without jamming.  The magazine automatically adjusts to pin nails and accepts pin sizes of 1/2-inch to 1-3/8-inch long.

 

Overall Impression:

The Bosch 23 Gauge Pin Nailer FNS138-23 like all Bosch products was well engineered and a really nice pin nailer.  We really enjoyed reviewing it and are continuing to use it on our job sites.

My wish list for improvements would be to include a belt hook and maybe a fastener window.

How Much And Where To Buy?

The Bosch 23 Gauge Pin Nailer FNS138-23 sell online for approximately$149.00 here:  Bosch-FNS138-23-23-Gauge-8-Inch-Nailer

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

About the author

Robert Robillard

Carpenter / Remodeler / Editor

Rob Robillard is “The Concord Carpenter” Rob is a builder, general contractor, carpenter, woodworker, and editor of Concord Carpenter and ToolBoxBuzz As a General Contractor and carpenter, Rob owns and operates Concord Carpenter LLC. A full-service remodeling and construction company. Rob is a recognized leader in home building best practices and a source for how-to information for building professionals. On this website, Rob covers all aspects of home construction, building science, home improvement, woodworking, remodeling, and some of the best product and tool reviews. Rob is in charge of our Tool and Product Review series - Concord Carpenter Videos where we post all of our tool reviews and video tutorials. Rob approaches remodeling and building construction with a pragmatic and problem-solving approach. He enjoys using his knowledge and experience to help and educate building professionals as well as DIYers on best practices in the construction and remodeling industry. He's a strong advocate for "raising the bar" in the construction trades and promoting the trades to youth. #BeAMentor #Green2Great Craftsmanship, quality, and pride guide his journey on this channel The Concord Carpenter's motto: "Well done is better than well said!" : Read more about Rob

All posts by Robert »

Not what you're looking for?

Search for more articles here. Enter keywords like roof leak, bookcase, deck, etc to find your topic.

© Copyright 2019 A Concord Carpenter · All Rights Reserved