It IS fussy. Unless it's a Bostitch fastener you want to make sure the head of the fastener is exactly the same size. Another brand will usual tell on the box if it crosses over. For instance I use the Hitachi 18ga fasteners for my Bostitch,( their like half the price and a great fastener). I don't know if Porter Cable crosses over.

I use the PC 18 ga al the time no problemo. Make sure you keep yer fingers and hand away from the area your nailing into. I've seen them do U-turns in really dense hardwoods

I've shot 50 to 100 Porter Cables through the Bostich 18 gauge nailer. They seem to work fine. They look almost identical to the Bostich nail. I've had a couple "dry fires" where it didn't shoot anything into the wood, but I think I had a couple with the Bostich too. I'm happy.

Thank you for the tip on the nails being able to come back out of the wood. I would have never dreamed that possible. You've probably spared me a lot of pain at some point in my life. Thanks!

Are you guys using the 18 Gage brad nailer? Never had ant luck using a brad nailer on hardwood. Maybe I'll give it another try!

You need to use lots of PL Premium adhesive as well. Not just 18 guage. I'm usually pickin through the lot for the flattest planks for the starter rows and ending rows, plus I am standing on them as well.

Finish nailers range greatly in price, with the price depending largely on the size, make, model and power abilities. For normal household use, less expensive models with fewer features are often suitable for small tasks.