Malco TNP3S Trim Nail Punch, Small, Pack of 1, Multi

I used this tool to install soffit around our small barn. Walked away without one blood blister or blacked fingernail. I wish we had this when we did the house. Much better then fooling around with needle nose. Good value and have used it for several other projects. Every DIY guy should have one.

This is the nail punch you want if you only want one in your bag - this one has almost no slop, excess between bore and punch - whereas the larger versions have quite a lot of wiggle between the punch and bore. The plastic is almost enough to keep it from rolling away, they could have gone a little wider or a little more tactile or a little more vibration absorbing. But still the best punch style tool on the market.

If youve never used these before, youll be amazed how well this allows you to put in nails into fine woodworking and dramatically reduce the chances of either damaging the wood or else bending the nail. I have both this mini size TNP3S (2.25oz) and the larger and heftier TNP2 (5.65oz). I originally bought them to quickly put in nails for bronze weatherstripping and immediately used them for all sorts of other nailing too. They both work remarkably well, although they each works well in different ways. The mini size does not seem that small to me and I like the size better. Its much more narrow. On the other hand, nails go in MUCH faster with the heavier TNP2. The larger size has a spring-loaded clip built into the barrel to help keep a nail from sliding out (if it has a larger head than a trim nail anyway). And I learned its far more durable (with the possible exception of the spring loaded clip, which I messed around with bending it to try to get it hold nails more tightly). So I was using the TNP3S yesterday to nail 2.5in trim nails (Maze HT250) into extremely dense old-growth oak thats 100-years old (this wood is so dense that ordinary nails pop the heads off with a claw hammer before they pull the nail out, and Maze nails are the only ones Ive found I can consistently pull back out...). And Im totally baffled how, but all of a sudden my Malco mini punch is jammed and nearly unusable. Somehow either the outer sleeve or the inner part that moves inside it got bent so it they dont always slide freely anymore, and tend to get jammed up. So the smaller TNP3S is not nearly as durable as the ordinary TNP2 version. Durability is critical to me, and ordinarily Id never want to buy a product again that got damaged so easily. However this small size is so incredibly useful and convenient, and the wood Im working with is so unusually hard, Ill give it another chance. I pre-drilled holes but the slender drill tip isnt 2.5in long and theres absolutely NO WAY I could have got 2.5in trim nails into this dense wood without a tool like this one. (some bent even so, going in the last half inch that wasnt pre-drilled) I immediately bought a replacement for the mini size. Its far easier to replace this tool than the original oak woodwork in a 100-year old house. Its that simple. Bottom line, I prefer the small one when I want to be more careful and am willing to take my time to be careful with wood in a really visible place that cant be easily replaced, and in tight spaces. I bought the large one first, then ordered the small one and never touched the big one again til this happened yesterday. I may use the larger one most of the time in the future, be very careful with the small one, and maybe Ill use the smaller version only in cases where the large one isnt practical (such as the really small bronze weatherstripping nails I originally bought this for).

These are the best trim nail punches I have found. Small enough to get into right spots but pretty heavy duty compared to some of the other ones!

Worked Great!

Broke while using it

I was unfortunately using trim nails the other day, the I ended up walking my fingers, not once but a few times. This is exactly why I decided to make this fortunate purchase. Now I can not worry about the old fingers, also can put those trim nails is very small places. Holds the trim nails good, and steady, few swings on the hammer, the trim nail is perfectly set in the desired position. Easy to use, small item to even place in your pocket, or nail bag. Definitely well made, so it can surely take a good swing of the hammer. Great item

Perfect for installing some trim coil around the house. This size worked well for me. I didnt need the larger punch.

I like the clear coating around it to hold it in place

I used this to set weatherstrip nails in Bronze weatherstripping. Its a little large for that but it does work. Also, this model doesnt have a nail retainer clip so you have to carefully hold the plunger back a bit so the nail doesnt fall out. I pre-drilled the nail holes with some small metric drill bits that I bought at Harbor Freight. Doing that and using this punch made the job go a lot easier.