Senco’s Fusion nailers are cordless, hoseless, fuel-less and lag-free. The innovation and quality of these nailers was enough to elevate it to the top spot of our recent Top 5 Kick-Ass Tools roundup. The Fusion looks phenomenal on paper, but how well does it perform?
I first tested the Senco Fusion finish nailer a few months ago and then used it for a few recent projects. In between my own evaluations, I passed the Fusion to a few nailer-wielding colleagues to see what they thought about it.
So How Does it Work?
The source of the Senco Fusion’s nail-driving power is its self-contained pressurized chamber, which is filled with nitrogen. When the nailer’s trigger is pulled, the enclosed piston is unlatched, lunging forward to drive in nails. When the trigger is released, an electric motor resets the piston position, priming the tool for the next nail.
Build Quality
Senco cut no corners with the Fusion’s construction – it’s as solid a nailer as they come. I would even go so far to call it one of the most robust and well built power tools that I’ve ever used. Senco’s product literature describes the Fusion as tough as nails, a claim I can’t really argue with. The nailer comes with a 2-year tool warranty and 1-year battery warranty, which is also reassuring.
Nail Depth Thumbwheel Adjustment and Marker
I was particularly impressed with the Fusion’s thumbwheel depth of drive adjustment, which was smooth to adjust and provided repeatable results. I also paid a bit of extra attention to the easy-clear magazine. It looks like jams are extremely easy to clear, but I did not happen to encounter any for the chance to test this feature out.
Performance
The hardest part about lending out the Fusion nailer for second, third, and fourth opinions was asking for the tool back. “One more week”, “one last project”, “nailer, what nailer”. None of my friends and colleagues that helped out with the review wanted to give the nailer back!
The Fusion operates extremely well and is an absolute pleasure to use. I had my doubts, but it operates with zero lag as a traditional pneumatic nailer would. The sample kit we received only included a single battery, but it provided a heck of a long runtime. According to Senco, the finish nailer can drive in 500 nails per charge. Even if the battery is drained mid-project, a 15 minute charge brings it back to 80% capacity.
Upon first picking up the Fusion F-15 finish nailer, its size and extra weight, compared to ordinary nailers, are definitely obvious. However, the extra bit of heft is soon easily forgotten about once you start sinking in some nails. The combination of power and hoseless freedom more than makes up for the additional weight.
I ordinarily only use the single-fire setting on finish and brad nailers, so that’s the mode I kept the Fusion in. Of my colleagues that had a chance to use the Fusion nailer, all but one used the single-fire mode exclusively as well. The one that used the bump mode on occasion commented that there was a slight delay between nail firings. Even so, I can’t really imagine why anyone would want to bump-fire a finish nailer.
Conclusion
Quite simply put, Senco’s Fusion finish nailer kicks major butt. As long as the battery is charged and nails loaded in the magazine, the Fusion is setup and ready to go. It requires no compressor or hoses to drag around, no smelly exhaust fumes, and delivers impressive driving power.
The F-15 finish nailer kit is a bit expensive at $400, but it’s worth remembering that the kit also includes a high capacity Lithium ion battery and charger.
We feel that the F-15 nailer provides an unparalleled combination of performance and freedom, and highly recommend it.
Senco Fusion F-15 Finish Nailer via Amazon
Product Info via Senco
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How will it not run out of the nitrogen ?
Just saw a review saying that Senco expects the cartridge to lose pressure eventually, but they don’t have a firm idea. They’ve fired 200,000 nails without a problem, so it’s far from an impending replacement worry. Replacement cartridge is currently $170.
The nitrogen is in a sealed cartridge and is not lost during normal operation of the tool.
when will the 16g senco fusion be released to the public for purchase?
The Senco F16 nailers are available now, but still a bit difficult to find. The straight version is available via Amazon, but I haven’t seen the angled version pop up there yet.