Senco FinishPro 23LXP Headless Pin Nailer Review
The folks at Senco recently redesigned their pin nailer and released the Senco FinishPro 23 Gauge Micro Pinner. In the residential and commercial world of remodeling my favorite part of any job is always the finish trim.
My very first set of pneumatic nailers was a Senco 325 framer and a SFN30 finish nailer. For many years my go-to, low- impact nailer was a brad nailer, that was until I came across pin nailers.
Like other pin nailers, the Senco 23LXP pin nailer shoots a thin metal “sewing-needle size” pin fastener. The beauty in pin nailers is that they can improve your trim speed and quality because the fasteners leave very small holes many times not needing to be filled. The Senco pinner we reviewed accepts 23-gauge headless pins in various sizes from 1/2 inch to 2 inch. Being able to shoot 2 inch nails means that I can effectively use this pinner to install molding or casing and penetrate plasterboard and structural framing.
This pin nailer is ideal for intricate finish and trim work, woodworking and cabinet installations and will no doubt improve your speed and quality as a finish carpenter or woodworker.
First Impression:
I gotta say I love the vibrant bight red color. The red lightweight aluminum housing is sharp looking and stands out, screaming – “hey, look at me!”
One thing we immediately noticed was the Senco 23LXP angled pistol grip design. According to Senco this design was to assist the user by reducing wrist fatigue by canting the handle slightly. Additionally it helps increase maneuverability of the tool in real life, tight spaces instead of the standard 90-degree straight handle grip seen on competitor pinners.
Using The Senco FinishPro 23 Gauge Micro Pinner
At 2.7 pounds we immediately found the the 23LXP to be light weight, well balanced and easy to load fasteners. The 100 pin capacity magazine has self-adjusting pins which eliminate the need to manually reset the tool for different fastener lengths which was always a major hassle on older models.
We used the 23LXP to drive pins in plywood, pine, oak and maple all with no issues. At 70 to 120 PSI the Senco 23LXP has plenty of power to penetrate materials.
While testing, we the 23LXP on a project where it was super handy assisting in the gluing and clamping larger pieces of wood together. When clamping components parts tend to move side-to-side and a few well placed pins eliminated this movement and allowed us to focus on the clamping alignment and application.
Being able to use a pinner to instantly clamp materials is a key feature of this tool. Many a time when installing small and intricate moldings the pinner holds the molding until the glue dries! Additionally, on a cabinet installation the small nose piece allowed precise placement of pins in molding and other intricate parts.
The negative comment I can say about the 23LXP is that it failed to sink the pin during my compressor recycling. This happened at least twice and can be expected to happen to any nailer.
Safety and Accuracy
The 23LXP has an ultra-narrow nose piece that allows the user to place pins precisely, accurately and exactly where needed. A 4-point alignment guide is integrated into the rubber tip no-mar pad, which tapers down to the contact point, providing a clear line of sight for precision pin placement. This type of precision allows me to install pins in molding that require virtually no filling or sanding – that’s sweet!
The pinner has a sequential, double trigger, safety lock to engage the nailer. The business end of a pin nailer is typically much different than what you find on every other kind of pneumatic fastening nailer. Other nailers have a retractable nose-piece that must be pressed down against the workpiece before the gun will fire, but newer pin nailers typically do not.
Senco addresses this with a dual safety trigger to prevent accidental misfiring. You need to depress one trigger to engage the tool and another to fire a pin.
The reason for this non-retractable nose is that it allows a more precise and accurate pin placement. With older models you engaged the retractable nose by pushing it against your trim piece and many-times this action moved your trim piece, which was frustrating. As a result many a trim carpenter overrode the nose safety by shimming it back, making the tool dangerous.
Even with a dual trigger, you still need to be careful. Once you activate the safety trigger and pull the trigger this pinner will shoot pins regardless of contact with wood. This means that the pinner will shoot pins anywhere it is pointed if both triggers are activated. Across the room or in someones face.
Safety first here folks, follow these two rules to avoid accidents:
- Finger always off the trigger unless your installing a pin
- Observe the laser rule for firearms. Never point the pinner at anyone.
The Senco 23LXP has an auto lock-out feature when the tool reached six pins and prevents the tool from dry-firing and damaging the firing pin. an over ride switch on the side of the tool will allow you to fire the remaining six pins if you depress the override and the trigger at the same time. A rear exhaust with an embedded muffler reduces noise and directs air and dust away from the work surface.
We found the reversible belt hook easy to deploy and use carrying, onboard storage for the no-mar pads and jam clearing wrench, and come with a carrying case.
Senco FinishPro 23LXP Specifications
- Tool weight: 2.7 lbs.
- Fastener Range: 1/2” – 2”
- Reversible belt hook
- Rear exhaust with embedded muffler
- Firing Mode: Sequential dual trigger safety
- Operating Pressure: 70-120 psi (4.8- 8.3 bar)
- Air Inlet: 1/4″ NPT
- Height: 8.89″ (226 mm)
- Length: 7.87″ (200 mm)
- Width: 1.85″ (47 mm)
- Fastener Capacity: 100
- 5 year limited warranty
Overall Impression:
The Senco FinishPro 23 Gauge Micro Pinner is one tool that will make you a better installer and perform trim installations faster and with minimal impact. We thoroughly enjoyed testing and using the pinner. It performed as well as any of the higher quality pinners we’ve seen.
How Much And Where To Buy?
The Senco FinishPro 23 Gauge Micro Pinner is available online for approximately $219.00 here: Senco-FinishPro-25XP-8-Inch-Nailer At $150.00 this nailer is a no brain-er, you’d have to be a “pin-head” not to get excited about this one!
