The Ramset RA27 powder actuated tool is designed for every day use.  It’s durable construction, good balance and reduced down force required to fire the tool will reduce down time.   We will cover a couple of basics that will help you decide if the Ramset RA27 tool would be a good choice for your application.  So here are the basics of the tool.  The tool weighs in at 5.3 lbs (without optional magazine) and uses standard .27 caliber strip loads.  The tool does have a power adjustment feature as well.  We have found over the years the power adjustment feature on P.A.T. tools is certainly nice when you need to down power but most of the time, you will find you tend to stick with one power level over and over.  The RA27 will handle up to a 1-1/2″ standard pin or a 2″ pin if it has a washer.  A really nice feature of the tool is the nose piece that is thin enough to fit into strut so you can shoot that to up with ease.    A 1″ pin with a washer would be a good choice.  The tool is also nice for deep track and other channels. The tool also features a swing away hook so you can hang the tool on your belt or on a lift.

The Ramset RA27 can also be fitted with an optional magazine to make for quick installation of drywall track to concrete and steel.  The magazine will hold 30 pins in lengths up to 1-1/4″.  The collated pins for the RA27 are the Ramset Tru Embedment pins, a high strength .157 shank pin designed to compete with the Hliti XU pins.  As a matter of fact, these will fit in you Hilti DX-351 and DX-460, magazine tools.  The magazine is an optional part for the Ramset RA27 tool.  Unless you have the application to shoot the same straight pins over and over again, you likely wouldn’t have a need.

The tools is relatively easy to clean and Ramset has a nice video showing how to disassemble, clean and then reassemble the tool.  You can find it on our site here.  Ramset RA27 cleaning video.  This is a well built tool designed for everyday use and you will need to replace your piston or driver once and a while.  I get the question every now and then “how often should I clean the tool?”.  I always use the analogy of a garage.  It doesn’t hurt your garage if you don’t clean it up regularly, but it sure is a lot easier to keep up on it!  It really depends on use and environment.  Try once a week and if you aren’t brushing off a ton of spent powder, stretch it out a  little further.

The Ramset RA27 tool is a great choice for many trades.  The only real limitations is the length of pin.  If you are shooting down 2x material now and then, consider a Ramset XT540 on the high end (an optional magazine is availalbe), the SA270 is a real nice mid range tool.  Still a great buy for all around contracting is the Ramset Cobra tool.  Any of the trades that would typically not need longer pins like electrical, data comm, glazing etc would do well with the Ramset RA27.  With the optional magazine, the tool lends itself well to more production type applications like drywall track.