DEWALT20V MAX XR Framing Nailer, Dual Speed, Bare Tool Only (DCN692B)

Nail gun work great so far. Used paslode nails with no problems. Battery life seems great. helped get my project done in a weekend with out the noise of a compressor and saved tons of time of drill and screws. Would buy again.

I’m not a builder - just a regular DIY homeowner type. I ordered this about a month ago for a rather large remodel project, and I didn’t want to haul my compressor and pneumatic gun up into the attic. I’ve accumulated quite a few to the FlexVolt tools, so I’m pretty well invested in the batteries, and thy have been really solid and flexible tools. Admittedly, I love the ability to swap the batteries when needed, and I’ve pretty much got enough of them to run my drill, saw, nailer, and oscillating tool with minimal swapping.I read the reviews and was concerned over the number of negative reviews - complaints of frequent jams and inability to drive nails completely. But I made the purchase anyway (happy birthday to me). It arrived well packaged, on time, and in perfect condition - for MUCH less than the big box store.I read the directions (shocker there!) and headed up I to the attic. I purchased GripRite brand nails, 3 1/4” and 2 1/2” lengths. I loaded the gun with 3 1/4” and started happily firing away...until after the first shot. Yep - I was the victim of the dreaded incomplete drive and jam. Fired about 10 more, all with the same result despite adjusting the depth of drive to maximum. Was just about to chuck it across the attic, when the nail selector switch at the base of the handle caught my eye, and then it hit me. Short nails use setting #1, and longer nails use setting #2. Setting 1 doesn’t use as much power so it doesn’t overdrive the nails. Setting 2 uses full power, and is NOTICEABLY more powerful. Soooo, I switched over to setting 2 and adjusted the depth of drive, and voila - perfectly driven nails...and then I explained to my son the importance of reading the directions, aaaannnnddd then actually following them. I’ve had one jam since, and that was likely due to the way I was holding it. Otherwise, every nail has been driven perfectly.Most of the negative reviews seem to mirror my initial experience, so i could be wrong, but, I suspect they had the selector switch in the wrong position for the nail they were driving. Position 1 is how the unit was shipped, and I suspect most people are using longer framing nails. So it is a really easy mistake to make, but thankfully, just as easy to correct. The selector switch is tucked neatly out of view (behind/under your fingers) when you are hold the gun, though it is not hidden in any way.All in all, this is a very solid unit, and more than capable of DIY use, and I suspect it would be good for construction also. I’ve got the 6 AH battery loaded and haven’t recharged it yet, and am about 2 weeks into using it. It is MUCH more convenient than having to lug the compressor up stairs and deal with the hose, and waiting for the compressor to recharge. It is a tad heavy when working over your head though.All in all, I find this to be a very solid unit, that is more than capable of delivering on its promises. At the risk of sounding like a DeWalt fanboy...I HIGHLY recommend this nail gun.I was NOT COMPENSATED for this review, I DID NOT receive the item at a discount, and this review accurately describes my experience with the DeWalt FlexVolt framing nail gun.

I bought the DCN692B to replace my decades old Bostitch N80SB Framing Nailer, which has only needed a couple piston/trigger rebuilds over the years. Sold it, along with my bulky compressor and other nailers to my neighbor. No more hoses for me. I'm not a contractor, but I am a pretty active DIYer. And I do like good tools. This makes the 16th, and final piece of my Dewalt 20V Max collection of tools and accessories.The DCN692 weighs about 1/4 lb. less, without the battery, than my old Bostitch nailer. Some may consider that an unfair comparison, but try dragging a 50 foot rubber hose around a room all day. I like the fact that this model has two speeds as the higher speed (2) can sink a 16p nail (3.5" into (3) 2x4s without a problem. That's really overkill for 6p and 8p nails. Like a few others, I have found a mixed bag driving 10p (3 inch) nails at the recommended lower (1) speed. A few nails driven into a stack of 2x4s didn't sink all the way. But adding some 3/4" plywood to the top of the stack, allowed the nails to drive flush, or below the surface. Note that I am using galvanized nails which probably have a tad more resistance. Bottom line, if the material you are trying to drive a 3" nail into is fighting back a bit, change to speed 2 and your troubles are over. I would always start with speed 1 for a 3" nail though.I'm only using 30 degree, paper tape, Dewalt nails in this gun. After 150+ test fires into various materials I have yet to encounter any kind of jam. I did have one 3.5" nail stick up about an inch, sort of getting stuck in the tip, before I realized I was using the lower speed. That's one of the drawbacks of having two speeds. A little tug got the gun free of the nail and after changing speeds, I was back to testing again. The speed control is easily accessible at the bottom, back of the DCN692, but it could get hidden if you flip the plastic belt hook around. Which can be a tad inconvenient if you change nails sizes often.The depth control on the front of the gun is easy to use and access. You're not really fine tuning the depth of your nails, like you might do with a finish nailer, but it does allow you to keep nails from oversinking into softer materials like plywood. For small projects around the house I am usually using my nail gun in Sequential mode, but you can change to Bump mode with the flip of a switch. The switch is a bit difficult to slide, so this won't be moving accidentally. All Dewalt 18-20V nailers also work in a Bump hybrid mode called Place Actuation. In Bump (Actuation) Mode, you pull and hold down the trigger which powers up the motor, and every time you depress the contact trip against your workpiece a nail will fire. In Place Actuation mode, you press the contact trip against your workpiece first, which again starts the motor, and then you pull the tripper when ready to fire a nail. Saves the trouble of changing the Mode switch position when you need to work in both modes on the same project. Nice idea.I've got both my Dewalt DCN660 Finish Nailer & DCN692, in an 18" Dewalt bag, along with a small assortment of nails. Plenty of room for batteries as well. Everything I need to complete a quick project around the house. And it sure beats pulling out the compressor and hose, plugging in, connecting to the pneumatic nailer. And then being restricted, or tripped up, by that darn hose all day. The DCN692 is one tool you will look forward to using as often as you can.