Small nail/staple gun : electric vs air

I want to get a couple of small Nail/Staple guns.

First project to be used on:
Replacing plyboard around eves of my shop. My existing plyboard is getting really bad around the eves of the shop so I want to remove it & replace it with 1/4 plyboard. So, I need a small nail/brad gun that will shoot 1" or so nails/brads, whatever as well as staples. Now, I say that cause I have a little electric nailer/stapler thing that shoots both but I don't really like it. It doesn't seem to be strong enough for its purpose. So, that's what I am kinda looking to replace. To be honest, I dont know that I would use a stapler that much so a 1" nail/brad gun would be ok.

I also do little piddling things like bird houses etc with 1/2" plyboard. So, I kinda need something that will do these little small projects.

I have an air compressor so that's not an issue & of course we even have electricity around here. I'll be honest in that I probably wont use this thing a lot. Especially on a weekly basis, sometimes on a monthly basis. So, it could be 3 or 4 months between uses.

With that info, would you suggest an electric over air? I think I would prefer an air gun but, I am not opposed to getting an electric, but I've heard, you need to keep an air gun oiled or maintained even when not in use for periods of time, otherwise the seals etc will dry out & you'll have to have them rebuilt or something.... whatever.

I buy most of my hardware & project supply's at Home Depot.... but, I sometimes check Lowes too. Name brands? Other tips?

So....... Yes? No? Maybe? Air? Electric? What to you say?

 

Post a picture of these "ply board eves".
A simple narrow crown stapler would have far more holding power then any brad nailer (brads have no heads)

 

No question, you want an air gun. And on soffit, you will want to use a crown stapler. Not sure how they do it in Louisiana but around here, soffit will be 3/8" sanded ply, not 1/4".

 

I've painted a lot of houses in the south that use 1/4" plywood on the soffit but agree 3/8" would be better.
While I've not priced the electric guns, I suspect pneumatic ones would be cheaper and do a better job. I have a pneumatic staple gun that sometimes goes for months unused and after 10 yrs it still works fine. The only time I oil it is just prior to using it. Carpet guys are about the only tradesmen I've been around that use/like electric staple guns - they use them on staircases.

 

I agree. Air over electric. Narrow crown holds superbly, and the electric will often not drive nails deep enough, leaving you with the problem of driving them home manually.

 

Narrowed it down to two 18 gauge 1/2" - 1 1/2" in narrow crown staple air guns:

Lowes - Hitachi model N3804AB3S $90
Shop Hitachi Pneumatic Stapler at Lowes.com

Home Depot - Porter Cable model NS150C $90
Porter-Cable 18-Gauge Pneumatic 1-1/2 in. Narrow Crown Stapler Kit-NS150C - The Home Depot

I usually buy 95% of my DYI stuff at HD but not opposed to Lowes. HD is just easier to get to here in Monroe.

So, what say you?

 

I can only say what I use. I have the Porter Cable for a stapler. Bostitch for brads. Dewalt 18v and Senco air for 15 gauge finish nails. Having "brand" allegiance is good, but I find deals and have had good service with them all.

On the other side of the coin, I have 3 flooring stapler/cleat units. I cannot justify Bostitch at nearly $600, so buying one Freeman at HD made sense. I also have a couple of off brand from the internet auction site that all have functioned flawlessly.

Framing nailers, I have two Bostitch and one Senco. I prefer the Senco because HDG nails are more readily available for it. Bostitch brands only have electrogalvanized nails. General framing, Bostitch. Deck or outdoor items, Senco.