I just bought a ridgid 16 gauge air nailer to replace my porter cable nailer which just died. I was nailing 2 2x4 pine stud blocks together using 2” nails (because I can’t find my 2.5” nails right now), and there was a spark near the point of contact most of the tries.

The nailer uses a compressor. I have been using the same compressor for several years.

Do you think the spark is a defect? Do you think it might go away with time?

The ridgid model is r250sff with clean drive, oil-free. The ridgid chat agent told me to take it to a service center. (I am not convinced that I chatted with an experienced person. Companies are understaffed these days. I could not get through on phone.) I can return it to Home Depot and replace it, but I wanted to get more opinions before I make the 30 mile trip. I am concerned that I will get another with the same problem, and that it may turn out not to be a problem at all. Ridgid has a lifetime warranty, so I would like to stick with this brand. The porter cable nailer lasted 10 years with infrequent use.

I didn’t find anything on the web about finishing nailers sparking - only framing nailers. Nothing in product q&a, nothing in product reviews (mostly 5-star), nothing on google search.

Any thoughts on this?