Accessories

Can't Believe It!
I also own a Stanley-Bostitch Quik-Drive which is 2 or 3 times larger but will handle up to a 3-inch screw. That one has a coil-type magazine which was nice, except that the fasteners it used were discontinued several years ago. (Plastic strip coil collation rather than this current head-type collation) The Makita 6832 uses a clever sprocket hole arrangement like a movie camera that places the screw in position under the bit. It cycled flawlessly in my tests and combined with its compactness, was a breeze to set-up and use. I also like that it has variable speed, as my Quik Drive didn't. The Makita bit appears to be a standard 1/4" hex, long bit, whereas the Quik Drive uses an odd 7/32" hex bit only available from Stanley-Bostitch. An extension is available for the 6832 but I like the tool just as it is. This was an older model which requires a few hex wrenches for adjustments, but is well worth the extra effort to get such a great value.

Makita 6832
I've used the gun for decks and some subfloor work as well as drywall/kal-board. Works very well as long as you are aware of a couple quirks. One is not to put any pressure whatsoever on the nose until you're ready to drive the screw, or it skips and there's no backing up the belt of screws easily. For the most part, once you know the adjustments and initial setups for the different length screws, it is a real time saver. For small drywall repairs tho, you're still going to just use a drywall gun or other screwgun rather than break out this one. But for the bigger jobs, this is great. Be sure to write into your job the cost of screws, it gets a bit pricey for a large deck. I find my partner, who's from the old school, grabbing the gun and enjoying the speed and consistency of the screw set.

25.000 Screws
I have drive thrue teak planks more than 25.000 1 5/8" galvanized screws on decks and the screw gun never have failured even once. I already order the new model 6834. Great tool!