A reader asked a tough question the other day, about choosing a new brad nailer. Should they go cordless, or air-powered?
Koko wrote:
I’m setting up a shop, and I have a cheapie air-powered brad nailer. So I’m looking at compressors. I like the quiet ones, so that’s $150 to $200. But another option is a cordless brad nailer. My batteries are mostly DeWalt 20V Max, with a few M12s.
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So what should I do? Get a compressor? I might use it only for one or two nailers. Or buy the DeWalt brad nailer, which is more expensive? Or the Ryobi AirStrike, which is cheap but I’d need to use a battery adapter. I need advice!
I’ve been giving this some thought, and I haven’t come up with a confident recommendation.
Generally speaking, air nailers are smaller, lighter, and less expensive than cordless ones.
With respect to power and performance, cordless nailers come close these days.
Cordless nailers do away with the air hose that has to drag behind pneumatic nailers. With a cordless nailer, you don’t have to figure out where to plug in the air compressor, where to place the usually loud and noisy compressor during use, or where to store it away between projects.
With air nailers, you don’t have to worry about charging a battery pack, or limiting yourself to battery platform compatibility.
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Cordless is convenient. But there are “gotchas” to where air nailers aren’t yet obsolete.
In this particular scenario, the user is “setting up a shop.” This suggests a fixed workshop type location.
For a carpenter setting up trim around a kitchen or throughout a home, cordless will make a lot of jobs easier.
For a woodworker using a nailer to help set up glue joints, is there much difference between cordless or air-powered?
I think that, for longer projects, air-powered has advantages. Dragging a hose around is a small price to pay for being able to maneuver a smaller and lighter nailer wherever it has to go. There’s still that hose to deal with.
What about for shorter projects?
Speaking about my own use, I bought a set of air nailers, but also use cordless – there’s always a test sample floating around.
The benefit for cordless nailers in a workshop setting is in being able to forego the setup. My small shop is often cluttered. My portable air compressors are often stored away. Pulling out an air compressor to drive a couple of nails or staples can be a hassle. It’s not necessarily time-consuming, but it’s usually at least an interruption.
With a cordless nailer, I pull out the tool, grab a battery, load it with nails, and it’s ready to go. With an air nailer, out comes the air compressor, the plug goes into an outlet somewhere, I grab the hose, connect everything, wait for the compressor to fill, drive the nails, empty the tank, drain the condensation, and put everything away.
(A lot of air nailers require oiling, some don’t.)
Which would I buy today?
Honestly, it’s good to have both. I bought a set of air nailers (Hitachi/Metabo HPT), and expect them to last for a very long time.
But I also use cordless very regularly. Come to think of it, I use cordless nailers far more often. I haven’t purchased a set yet, and don’t know which brand I’d go with.
I thought pneumatic nailers made better sense for me, and they do.
I think that I would use my air nailers more if I had a more convenient semi-permanent air compressor placement, and even better hard-plumbed air line around my workshop. But I don’t.
If I had to drive in say 10 brad nails right now, it would take me under 5 minutes with a cordless nailer from start to finish. With an air nailer, it might take me 10-20.
That all said, Dewalt’s 20V Max cordless brad nailer sells for $349 for the 1-battery kit, or $299 for the tool-only.
You can get a compact and quiet portable air compressor AND a good air brad nailer for the same money – or less.
If you need a brad nailer often enough to justify $299 to $349 for workshop use, you’d definitely be able to justify semi-permanent air compressor placement for quick and easier access, barring space limitations.
At the time of this posting, Home Depot has the Ryobi 18V HP brushless brad nailer for $189. OR, buy a Ryobi 18V 3-battery and charger starter kit for $199 and get the nailer for free. They also have another bundle with the air nailer and a battery and charger for $189. There’s a kit with the older version nailer for $188.
You could get the Ryobi and a Dewalt battery adapter – I shy away from battery adapters – but I’m not sure that makes a lot of sense, seeing that you can get a native battery at no extra cost, or 3 for just $10 more than the tool-only.
With $150 to $200 to spend, what would I do?
I’m not sure. I think I would get situated with a quiet air compressor and pneumatic brad nailer, and then keep an eye on cordless options. The Milwaukee M12 Fuel compact brad nailer is coming out soon, but it’s priced at $249 for the tool-only.
I think that would be a great combo – the M12 for quick tasks with nails up to 1-1/2″ long, and then an air nailer for bigger projects.
I don’t think I’d buy into another cordless power tool system for just a nailer. However, the Dewalt is priced well outside of the reader’s mentioned budget.
Hold on.
I recently came across these Metabo HPT 18V cordless brad nailer kits, and they’ve been on my “is this a DEAL?!” consideration list.
The kit on the left is $149 at Amazon, and the one on the right is $199 at Amazon. The less expensive model has a mechanical spring, and the more expensive one has an air spring drive system. They both work with 18 gauge brad nails 5/8″ to 2″.
If it’s a question between $200 for a Ryobi cordless nailer, or $200 for Metabo HPT, I’d go with Metabo HPT without hesitation.
I have a feeling that the $149 kit is built around the lower price point, and would spend a little more for the $199 air spring model kit. I sent my contacts at the brand a quick note just now asking if they can share more about the differences.
Air compressor plus air nailer vs Ryobi 18V Airstrike cordless nailer vs Metabo HPT 18V cordless brad nailer?
If I already had an air compressor, just not a quiet one, I’d lean more towards the Metabo HPT cordless brad nailer. That’s my gut “don’t think about it” instinct.
There’s no wrong answer here. I think it’s a question of what to buy first.
Here’s the criteria again:
Workshop setting. $150-$200 budget. Got a cheapie brad nailer already in-hand. You’re looking at a quiet-style air compressor or cordless brad nailer. What do you buy?
Jared
Those are good points to consider. I use my cordless brad nailer WAY more often than my pneumatic one – for the same reason you mentioned. It’s just fast an easy to toss a battery pack on it and drive a couple nails. That’s true even when working in my shop.
However, if I used a brad nailer more often, had to drive lots of nails or needed my compressor charged up regularly anyway, I’d prefer my lighter pneumatic. Plus a decent air compressor is handy for other tasks too.
If I had to give one up, it would be the pneumatic nailer. The cordless nailer is too darn convenient.
Jared
P.s. I wouldn’t hesitate to use an adapter on a cordless nailer. I have lots of adapters because I have tools from so many platforms.
Don’t use them on high-draw tools, check whether the adapter you bought has a parasitic drain (and don’t leave it connected if so), make sure it will physically fit and not make the tool cumbersome and generally they work well.
However, it’s hard to recommend an adapter to someone else since they’re not as foolproof as the genuine article.
MFC
Yeah, a cordless brad nailer is the way to go for most DIYers who are rarely going to use a pneumatic one and know that they’re primarily going to reattach a piece of trim that comes off the walls.
I’m a carpenter/contractor though and I will not give up my air nailers. They are 5x more reliable, cheaper, and they last longer. No comparison. And if I was a serious hobbyist/wood worker, I’d get pneumatic guns for my shop as well.
However, I have a cordless brad nailer for little punch list jobs and it is great for those things. I even see larger crews using cordless guns, but they tell me repeatedly that they have to throw them away or ship them off to get work done on them. Every brand. Mine have occasionally needed a gasket/seal, trigger, etc. but I’ve thrown away one nailer in the last decade and I bought it used, so no telling what abuse it went through before me.
As to cost, right now, to go to Home Depot and get a brad nailer (18ga), finish nailers (16ga and 15ga), a pin nailer (23ga) and a framing nailer (21 or 30 deg.) in Yellow or red, and that would set you back about $16-1700 and you’d have a couple batteries that wouldn’t even last you a full day’s use if you were actually working.
Whereas you could get a pancake air compressor with an 18 ga brad, 18 ga narrow crown stapler, and 16 ga finish nailer for $270 right now. Throw in the 15ga, 23ga and framing nailer for another $450 and your collection is quite complete.
I can outfit two crews for less than the price of one on batteries and I won’t have half the problems. Now, if I need to get them a generator too, then that would up the cost, but they’d be running saws and other tools off of it, which again, is waaaay cheaper than buying the cordless versions if I’m going full out cordless. A $300 generator is a lot cheaper than 10 batteries of any flavor.
MM
For workshop use I’d go air all the way. In my opinion plumbing air to the workshop–hoses with QDs hanging from the ceiling and/or retractable hose reels on the wall–is nearly as important as having electrical power. You shouldn’t have to spend time to find and drag out a compressor when you need it, the compressor should be plumbed in. You should be able to plug an air tool into a hose that’s already there just as easily as you might plug a corded tool into a wall socket.
Now you can’t fully plumb a shop and buy a compressor for $150 but you absolutely can get started buying a basic compressor, and that compressor will not only operate the lighter, smaller, nailer but will also open the door to many other pneumatic tools which generally follow the same lighter, more compact, and less expensive trend. I’m thinking a bit towards the future here. If the idea is to setup a woodworking shop then there are other tool needs to think about, like sanders. Pneumatic blow guns are must haves for any shop. Die grinders are incredibly useful and the pneumatic ones are very cheap. So going pneumatic isn’t just about the brad nailer, there are other tools to think about as well.
fred
I agree. I have a big old IR compressor in its own room – with black-iron piping bring air to both a ring around my basement shop and to an air station in my garage. I do some furniture reproductions in my shop using 23ga 21ga and 18ga pins/brads. I have a Milwaukee 2450-20 cordless 23ga. pinner and a Ryobi P320 18ga. brad nailer. Both are nice when I’m away from my shop – but I have had problems with both tools sinking fasteners in some hardwoods that I use. In the shop I mostly use a Cadex 21ga. pinner – sometimes moving to a Grex 23ga. pinner or a Porter Cable 18ga, nailer. All three of these are pneumatic and seem to sink pins/brads flush without any issue in both hard and softer woods. They are lighter and easier to maneuver than their battery counterparts – even considering the air hose. I do often use a short whip hose with swivel connectors.
Saulac
I was in the same situation. I had thought that my nailers will just be in the garage. And if I ever need something on the second floor, I can always use the good old hammer and nails. Found out these days, the regular nails simply do not work anymore. Lot of time, you simply do not have a strong enough base to hammer on. Pulling the pneumatic set up to the second floor once made me buy a cordless. So unless I am absolutely sure that the nailers are shop use only, I would go with cordless.
Tim
Cordless.
And I have both the air spring and mechanical spring Metabo-HPT cordless jobs and can’t tell a discernable difference in performance between the two.
If anything the mechanical spring unit misfires a touch less.
Steve
Cost keeps me from buying cordless nailers to replace my air ones, I simply don’t use them enough, or away from the garage enough, to justify spending like 1k on cordless nailers.
fred
Starting from scratch neither route is exactly cheap. If you already have invested in batteries and chargers for other tools that takes one cost element out of the equation.
On the other hand, if I were starting from scratch my air system (big stationary compressor, with desiccant air dryer, filters, oil injection, piping, valving, hoses, connections etc.) would add mightily to the cost
Ken
I think one additional consideration is the size of the shop. I have been slowly filling up my very small workshop (12 x 14) for the last few years. I initially purchased a good DeWalt compressor at deep clearance, but sold it because I couldn’t justify the floor space.
I think an additional consideration for nailers is neither battery or pneumatic, but the battery/gas models by Paslode. Those are still my first choice. Their advantages and disadvantages fall in between 18V and pneumatic and hit a sweet spot for my use cases. They are noticeably smaller and lighter than 18V but a bit larger and heavier than pneumatic. They are totally rebuildable like pneumatic but cordless like non-serviceable 18V models. The Paslode models are also pretty easy to find new or lightly used for bargain prices as retailers and pros get rid of them in favor of the 18V cordless nailer craze.
One limitation of Paslode is that they do not have a pin nailer. I currently have a Ryobi pin nailer to fill that need but it is too large and heavy for my taste. I am considering going to the Milwaukee 12V for pinning as I already have an M12 tool (PEX expander).
Mark M.
I was in a similar situation setting up a large garage that doubles as shop space. I ultimately bought a super quiet Makita compressor (2 gallon? something like that), hose reel from HF, and some Ridgid pneumatic guns (16g, 18g and framing) as I could find them on sale. Never regretted it. Also plumbed air to my workbench and that’s handy. I have maybe $500 in the whole thing and it’s money well spent, not to mention the Makita compressor is portable enough to lug outside or in the house if I have projects elsewhere.
Saulac
A bit off topic question, please. Does 15 gauge finish nailer with the longest 2 1/2 nails strong/long enough to use as temporary fasteners for framing? Just to hold things in place and free up hands to hammer. I don’t do enough framing to justify a cordless framing nailer.
Mark M.
I would think so. Even 16G would work just to free up your hands, as you mentioned, unless it had a lot of stress on it in place or was toenailed or something.
MM
Yes. I’ve used my 15ga nailer to brace posts while setting them in concrete and to temporarily hold 2x while building jigs where glue or screws is doing the real work.
IronWood
You could do that I suppose. If you’re not doing much framing it’s definitely not worth buying a gun. I’m sure there are good videos around to show hand nailing techniques if you’re struggling. You shouldn’t have to air nail to hand nail, it just takes practice, technique, and a good fit. If you really need a third hand you can use partially sunk framing nails to wedge or hold something, or use scrap wood as a prop or block.
Stuart
It really depends on what you’re doing. I’d use a structural screw sooner than a finish nail, even for temp holding.
Joe
As far as temporary fixes, I use my Brad nailer quite often. I have an active dog and a rickety fence in my rental home and will use it to make sure the dog doesn’t escape when something breaks or comes loose. Buys plenty of time to make sure it can be fixed right.
IronWood
I really like my air pin nailer, brad nailer, and staplers for in the shop. I have a couple coil hoses that hang out of the way and can cover most of my work areas. I don’t do much nailing away from the bench, but if I was doing a lot of trim or cabinetry installs I’d definitely get a cordless. So I guess for me it’s air in the shop, battery in the field.
Bob+Hinden
I first purchased an air-powered Dewalt 18 gauge nailer. Worked great in my shop.
I later purchased a Milwaukee M12 cordless 23 gauge nailer. It is so much easier to use, and I have brought it to another site (without having to bring the compressor and hose).
Milwaukee has recently realized an M12 18 gauge nailer, I am pretty sure I will get one of those too.
I don’t have any experience with larger nailers, but for 23 gauge (and probably 18 gauge), I think cordless ones are a win.
Lyle
I needed a framing nailer a long time ago for some small construction projects. I bought a Senco framing nailer. It performed well and I drove it with a small pancake compressor. It was a small job, outside, so the noise of the pancake running all the time wasn’t so bad. If I had to do a lot of work the pancake wouldn’t have been sufficient because the big Senco uses a lot of air to fire the big 16 penny nails.
Over time as I needed additional nailers I decided to buy Ridgid. They have a lifetime warranty, are fairly inexpensive (especially when on sale), had great features (easy clearing of jams, swivel on air hose, repositionable exhaust, etc.) and seem to work pretty well for my occasional DIY usage. I’ve looked at battery powered nailers, but haven’t had the need to replace what I have. I did buy a really small compressor when it was in sale and it still meets my minimal needs. I recently needed to buy a palm nailer to retrofit joist hangars for an attic project where I wouldn’t be able to swing a hammer easily. Ridgid had a mini palm nailer for $59 and it worked really well. I find that the air nailers work well for my occasional use.
Skylar
I went back and forth on the nailer question when I went to doing carpentry full time. I bought the combo set of craftsman nailers & pancake compressor that goes on special every 6-8mo in order to do trim work and plywood projects around my house, but those didn’t seem suitable for professional finish work.
I settled on a (M18) cordless framing nailer, cordless compressor, and used finish guns off eBay- you can pick up good brands (Senco, Hitachi, etc) for pretty cheap and rebuild them if you got an unlucky one. The cost of the compressor was about the same as a M18 finish gun so I went with the added flexibility of running most lower-power pneumatic tools. I usually use 15ga for trim work, so it’s easy for me to put the compressor in the middle of a room with a 25′ hose to base and case everything. I’ve brought the compressor up staging as well for doing a v-groove ceiling.
That said I think I’ll also pick up the M12 brad nailer, M18 finish nailer, and M12 pinner in the future if a job calls for it. One of the guys on our crew has the M18 finish nailer and it’s nice to be able to go through a whole house setting doors without dragging a hose.
TL;DR- There’s a place for both types and ideally a professional finish carpenter has both in order choose what’s best for each situation.
Josh Walters
In the situation you described I’d go Pneumatic, they’re cheaper they’re more reliable, in a work shop mobility is less of a factor and good functioning nailers and compressors can be found on sale or on the second hand market. It’s also a perk Pneumatic don’t care what brand eachother are, all can be fit with the same fittings.
For a professional Im gonna say the answer is both cordless and Pneumatic, cordless is EXTREMELY convenient. Like however convenient you think cordless nailers are double it. I cannot describe how nice it is to just grab one gun, rack the nails and get to work. One odd piece of base to go behind the toilet? Working up on scaffolding? Need to go from one end of the house to another not a problem.
However cordless dosent match the tried and true Pneumatics. Running and gunning Case and Base window trim etc where your going after rack after rack of nails? Still can’t beat Pneumatics for that. It takes the right set up, a good hose that dosent get caught as much but imo the trade off is worth it. Also I have some Nailers that are 15+ years old and still working. I don’t have confidence in my cordless nailers lasting as long before they need servicing.
Jbongo
One of the reasons I went with an air nailer is because I also wanted a compressor for my lawn mower and car tires. At the time my cordless tool brand didn’t have a nailer, so I would have had to buy both nailer and batteries from a different brand just to occasionally use in the garage.
Frank D
I have half a dozen air nailers, mostly porter cable for repeated or long work it is a no brainer. 15 years + of DIY later, never a nailing failure.
I have three of the Ryobi battery nailers. Sure they are convenient, but countless times they fail to sink brads properly. I did trade one back in as it would only operate on the max setting and still have issues. Replacement is better, but still …
David Brock
For small gauge nailers putting up trim I used my portable air tank, filled with my compressor in the garage. That tank will fire dozens if not hundreds of small nails before needing a refill. It sure beat moving the 30gallon compressor or stringing multiple hoses to reach the basement.
James
My own experience with the Ryobi AirStrike cordless nailer was miserable. First, it would intermittently not fire at all (even in ideal conditions), then after futzing with it (removing and reloading nails repeatedly) it would start working again. Second, it really didn’t like firing at any kind of angle because getting the nose to engage is tricky. And third, the depth consistency was terrible with brads sometimes above and sometimes below the surface. I returned it the same day I bought it. The reviews on the Home Depot website are pretty good and sure don’t reflect my experience so maybe I had a lemon.
I replaced it with a Porter Cable brad nailer, which has been reliable and consistent in every respect. I sure like the idea of a cordless nailer but I’ve spent more time fighting the Ryobi cordless nailer than using it.
Noah
Me too. What a frustrating tool to own. I replaced it recently with the metabo hpt 18ga nailer and it’s is great despite the annoying on/off button.
I’ve had mixed success with tool adapters. I bought an adapter for my metabo hpt nailer to run makita batteries and the gun would not recognize the adapter.
Philip+Proctor
Battery trim nailer most of the time. Air if working overhead on a T&G ceiling all day. Air framing nailer most of the time because battery framing nailers are heavy and suck.
JR Ramos
Since we’re talking $200 for a compressor, is it fair to assume this is a small home “shop” and not something larger or geared toward professional work/production?
Going by that I’d lean heavily toward cordless even if he already has the air nailer. And I’d probably tell him to wait a bit and see how the new M12 bradder pans out. Limited to 1-1/2″ but that satisfies most work for 18g. And I’m sure that will operate just fine even on the smaller batteries. Or, plunge into the 18V and get the bulkier 18g version with the option to expand to other nails if that might be a future need. I have the 18V bradder and it’s fantastic but the bulk is…bulky. I may pick up the new 12v, not sure yet. The portability and performance of cordless bradders is a joy really.
That said, having even a small air compressor is almost a necessity, imho. It adds time and complexity and cost but you can do so much with air. If nothing else, inflation and blow guns are essential and having blow guns at your disposal is fantastic – underappreciated until you have it available. In addition to the compressor cost, the hose and fittings and accoutrements like a filter/regulator, not to mention any hard plumbing that may be desired, so that $200 thought will quickly rise. And at that price you’re looking at a small oilless unit which usually won’t be cost effective to service if that day comes (may last trouble free for many many years if it’s not used a lot), so that can potentially make the cost comparison with cordless go way out of balance.
But every home should have at least a little compressor at the ready, and little compressors will run a bradder just fine. I can’t imagine not having a compressor anymore. I don’t really miss air hose or electric cords for tools, though…cordless is awesome and so capable now.
Koko The Talking Ape
Thanks, Stuart, for putting my question out there for the fam, and thanks to everybody who answered! The discussion has been very helpful.
Re Ryobi brad nailers, the brushless one is about $190 with or without batteries, as you say. But the brushed one is on sale right now for $110. That and a $10 adapter would put me in business.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-18-Gauge-Cordless-AirStrike-Brad-Nailer-Tool-Only-P321/315855110
I was inclined to go that way, just because it’s cheap and quick. But those stories of reliability issues are making me hesitate.
I know air compressors can be used for other things, and the tools are light and very reliable, and run cool too. But for most tools other than nailers, I’m told I’d likely need a bigger compressor to run them. (I’m looking at a 6 gallon CAT.)
Paslode is an option I hadn’t considered.
Thanks again!
Vards Uzvards
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D8QR1RK/
This is the same Metabo-HPT brad nailer Stuart pointed to in the article, but kitted with an older 3 Ah battery. And at the moment I see it with a 10% off coupon, which brings its price down to $180.
Lyle
You’re looking at a 6gallon CAT? Wow. So CAT is known for being super quiet so that’s gonna cost a bit more, or at least it does here where I live. 6 gal is a perfect size if you’re just doing DIY stuff. I have a small 2 gal that works for me, even driving my big Senco framing nailer, mostly because I’m working fairly slowly. My 6 gal was even ok at running a HVLP paint sprayer for a bit. It wasn’t good for my homemade sandblaster though.
Noah
The ryobi gave me issues sinking nails and jamming – although they seem to get positive reviews. I now have the metabo hpt (the one that has been out for a year or two) and it is excellent.
JR Ramos
Buy tools now – buy more tools later. It’s the spice of life!
Yeah, the small compressors (regardless of tank size) are very limited in what actual tools they can run. Before you buy one, decide which tools you want to use and what kind of use you’ll likely give them. The CFM that the pump can put out is what you need to focus on for the most part. Things like sanders and paint guns take a lot of air (although airbrushes and *some* HVLP paint guns will do ok with smaller units for smaller workpieces). Tank size won’t really compensate for a tool that needs more than the pump can put out…depending on the tool it might buy you a little more run time but it’ll still work too hard (exceeding the recommended usual duty cycle of the pump) and will let the tool drop out at a certain point where you’ll have to wait for the tank to reach pressure again before continuing for another short burst of work. Usually ok with things like small die grinders and ratchets where the work is brief. But decide on the tools and look at their air requirements and then compare to the pump CFM on the compressors you’re looking at buying.
Ken
FYI, I was at my local Lowe’s last night and saw that their Paslode 18ga cordless nailer is on clearance for very cheap. It might not be on clearance at your local store, but might be worth checking. Item number 928947 . The website will NOT show whether it is on clearance – you will have to visit the store in person.
Nathan
I just can’t justify a cordless nailer. Cost or the weight size. I work out of the garage or in cases around the house. If I had to bang in a few trim nails yes i might take 5 minutes. Charge up compressor for 2-3 as it’s rarely used anyway. The get device from top shelf check nails etc. You know I shouldn’t be in that big a hurry anyway.
If I have to bang in some exterior 15ga that’s a hole process too. Do I want heft a heavier cordless device or heft the lighter air device and it’s 25ft cord. Well to me it doesn’t seem to matter
So I’ll save the money
Mateo
Dewalt’s cordless framing nailer is bad enough I wouldn’t trust any of their other ones. It’s bad enough I’m close to bailing on dewalt entirely.
Lyle
I’m fully invested in Dewalt 20V tools and I haven’t really looked at the Dewalt cordless nailers. They look so big and heavy. Most of the YouTube channels I watch have people using Milwaukee 15 or 16 ga cordless nailers and they look smaller (than Dewalt) and seem to operate really quickly.
Another Bob
I’ve got the DeWalt framing nailer, 16, 18 and 23 gage nailers in 20v. Definitely not small or light but non of them are compared to air. The convenience is amazing tho!
I love the framer. Will sink 3-1/2’s into most lvls which are a known pain in the &$$. Maybe yours is a lemon? Call SBD I’ve had good luck with them repairing stuff. I dropped a SDS on the concrete and cracked the housing. Out of warranty and totally my fault. Repair center guy was able to go into his graveyard of tools and swap me out a used clamshell for free.
I would say battery is about 90% of my use. Production framing or roofing, not a chance, pneumatic all the way. But even production trim work the electrics will keep up. At least with my admittedly medium speed lol
Adam
I had the Dewalt cordless second generation 16 gauge it was junk, i now have the Milwaukee 16 gauge it’s much better a lot more power.
Jeffrey Gleason
I run the newest DeWalt cordless nailers: 21 degree framer, 18 ga. brad nailer and 16 ga. angled finish nailer. I haven’t yet had a single misfire or jam. Last year’s cordless framer sucked.
Kompahko
I’m a finish carpenter. I use a cordless compressor with a 50 ft hose when doing trim. It doesn’t take long to set up. I do it almost daily.
The guns are light, smaller footprint to reach tight spots, have very constant nailing depth, better controlled recoil and I can use all sorts of nailers (1-3/8 23 ga, 2 inch 23 ga, 18 ga, 16 ga, blow gun, 18 ga stapler, t50 stapler). It’s a lot less expensive to own all the different nailers with pneumatic and they are super reliable.
We have 1 cordless 18 ga nailer. It can make sense to use it to save time sometimes, but it’s not frequent. I think cordless nailers only make financial sense for pros who already have pneumatic nailers. In my opinion, a team should have 1 cordless nailer for every 3 or 4 pneumatic of the same type.
CA
I have never used a brad nailer. Finish and staples lots of times. My first air compressor I bought was a Craftsman that came with the brad nailer. It’s still new in the box. Same thing with the Bostitch pancake that came with 3 nailers. What are brad nailers for? Fine finish work?
Michael F
I own the Metabo HPT Brad nailer (the one for $199 with the air spring) and it’s incredible. Light, easy to use, powerful. I liked it so much I bought the Metabo HPT cordless 15g finish nailer. Both have been nothing but excellent.
CA
But what do you use it for. They are so tiny.
Michael F
I use the 18g for baseboard and door/window casing trim. Makes a small hole and has plenty of holding power.
CA
Do they shoot right through hardwood without splitting it? Honest question.
JR Ramos
Really should define what type of wood and keep in mind that no wood is homogeneous – and placement of the fastener sometimes matters as much as type of wood – but generally yes. Same is true of the larger 16ga and 15ga nails. With practice you can adjust air pressure or technique to help control depth (if the tool doesn’t have some depth setting helper feature). You can also often rotate 90° so the chisel tip of the nail enters the wood differently and sometimes that can help but usually it doesn’t matter and the force/speed at which they are popped into the surface just makes them go right in. Typical domestic hardwood lumber is no problem but some species, or knots, or some very hard exotic imported lumber can be a problem (and some of those you really want to drill and screw instead anyway).
To answer your first question, these smaller bradders are great for molding and some trim, some furniture assembly (wood or mdf, great for hardboard cabinet backs, etc), backing up glued joints during assembly, smaller stuff. Some prefer 16ga over 18ga because it can usually do all of the same plus more, although it leaves a larger hole to fill, and there are also the really tiny 23ga pin nailers which are headless pins that are mostly for assistance in assembly and backing up fresh glue as it dries…they leave a very tiny hole. But your 18ga has a lot of uses and is probably the most popular nailer people own, if I were to guess.
fred
For cabinet backs and holding sheet goods in place I much prefer staples. I have several pneumatic staple guns that shoot fine wire staples starting with 3/16 crown and running through 7/32, 15/16, 11/32, and 3/8 crown. I have both Bostitch and Fasco brand tools that work well. In our business we used 7/16 crown and 1/2 inch crown 16ga Bostitch pneumatic staple guns for sheathing
Fyrfytr998
I switched from air to cordless. Haven’t regretted it one bit.
Chip
I’ve had the Ryobi 23g for 4 years and no misfires.
The m12 for 2 and also good luck.
M18 staple gun is handy but super bulky and awkward.
Paslode 16g is extremely loud inside a home,often warn owners if they are home before shooting…very seldom use it.
There are two camps.
Corded,hosed and drills.
Second camp will deal with bulky for convenience of cutting both and use an impact…I use an oil driver without stripping or overdrive fasteners.
My jobsite is completely cordless.
Miter/table/tracksaw,vacuums and lighting is completely cordless.
It often is mobile vs shop work…and what industry you worked in.
I’ve run 600ft of waterhose and drug a generator around for coredrilling ,had chuck burn and stripped screws from a drill.
The Ridgid shopvac gets about 30 minutes runtime,cordless nailers are bulky,it requires experience not to strip screws with a driver.
I am mobile and will deal with carrying 20 charged batteries every time for the convenience in sporadic use for cabinets.
Tripping over a water/air hose and cords…rolling out/up every day is frustrating,especially tripped breakers and muddy conditions.
I save 20 minutes per day being cordless in my little piece of the world.
Joe
I never had a compressor. I actually started with Bosch 12V. Last year I got a similar promo, 2ah 4ah 6ah + new brad nailer by ryobi for 199 and damn I’m never going back. I ended up getting the framing nailer.
I hate the sound of a compressor so much. I didn’t want used air tools because I’m unfamiliar with them, and surprisingly the Ryobi stuff is competitive in pricing vs pneumatic.
Adam
In a workshop I would go with pneumatic air guns, if your buying cordless don’t get Dewalt I had a Dewalt 16 gauge not very good, get Milwaukee their much better.
Mopar
For brad nailers especially, I still like pneumatic. They are so much smaller, lighter, reliable, and cheaper than the cordless ones.
I would buy a cordless compressor in your fave battery platform with the money you save not buying a few different gauge cordless brad nailers.
With a lightweight coil hose, it’s almost just as easy to grab that and slap a battery in it if you need the nailer outside of the shop. By the time you carry it into the house the tank is full and ready to go. No, it’s not practical for a big framing/siding/roofing nailer or such, but for a brad/pin nailer and the type of work you are probably doing with it, it will keep up well enough.
Peter
I am an aging one man team remodeler in a half ton truck.
I recently switched to cordless nailers for anything but all day nailing.
While bulkier and heavier the convenience of not dealing with a compressor and hose to, on and off the job site makes it well worth for me.
Especially when it comes to small or unforeseen nailing needs.
CMF
The cordless nail guns are more “I want one” rather than “I need one”…in my mind. I have 2 brad nailers, a 15 gauge, a framer and a stapler, all air by Campbell Hausfeld, and have been great, never jammed and have worked great for over 15 years. CH is a very middle of the road brand, yet they have been great.
I have been looking at cordless framing nailers, and in battery models, they are big, very big, and also heavy. After doing some research for the past few weeks, I will hold off just because they are expensive. AND, according to many videos and contractor forums, battery, although in Gen 2 or 3, still are not as reliable, light in weight and as powerful as air guns.
Now, for Koko, he is looking for a pin nailer, totally different beast from a framing nailer. Battery will weigh more than air, but not much, and from what I saw would seem to be a bit closer to air in many respects, like power and ergo..
However, I also agree that having a compressor in a workshop is always good and practical. In a dedicated workshop, you don’t need to fill it, empty it, and stick it in a closet. In my shop it is always on aside from the rare oil change and moisture valve, quite maintenance free. Nailers only need small compressors to work, but if you are using it in a workshop, something medium sized like a 60 gallon putting out 5-6 CFM can work a good 90% of air tools, which could be practical. Of course, with his budget, there are kits with small compressors and a brad nailer for his price that aren’t bad.
This guy on YT is a finish carpenter, has half a million subscribers, and has some good points on various nailers. Also a big proponent of battery adapters. He has a video where he believes they are the future…not sure about that, but still interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/@FinishCarpentryTV/search?query=nail%20gun
This guy is a Dewalt guy and tells a story of how great the Dewalt framing nailers were about after a while started jamming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_0cINLzfA&t=55s
The Dewalt framing nailer has many negative reviews on the web. What I find important is that most of us will base decisions on reviews, or shootouts between various tools. But this guy, bleeds yellow blood and loved his framing nailers. Only after 6 months or so (which for many of us could be 10 plus years), he found them to jam every 10th nail or so. Again, there are others who have Dewalt FRAMING nailer problems. They just came out with a new model in the last couple of weeks that maybe will be more reliable.
Anyway, I capitalized framing, because from what I saw, other sizes seem to work well.
Then again, my point was that reviews and shootouts tell us about mainly performance, ergonomics, but not long term reliability.
Anyway, the most important thing; FATHER’S DAY is coming and many specials should be available whichever way he goes.
TZ
We switched from air to cordless Ryobi nailers for the 18 gauge nails and 23 gauge pins back when those things came out, and never had an issue with them. That said, we don’t work in a shop environment. We bring the tools for mostly on site remodeling.
The only real drawback is that they are heavier and bulkier than air nailers. Also, I doubt they would survive a drop off a ladder (though I haven’t tried). We’ve had an air nailer drop off a roof, and it had no problems after.
One more note, none of our Ryobi cordless tools have every failed. However, we have had a lot of Ryobi batteries fail over the years. They fail so often it’s expected, lol. It’s a stark contrast with Dewalt where we’ve has several Dewalt tools fail over the years (and warranty sucks too), but the Dewalt batteries never fail.