I have been a contractor for almost 20 years now and I have seen my fair share of power nailers. My crews use all the different types of nail guns – brad nailers, finish nailers, roofing nailers, framing nailers, and flooring nailers. Over the years we have bought all brands of nail guns from Bostitch to Porter-Cable to Hitachi and of course we’ve had our favorites. New models come along, but the best nail guns are always easy to spot and we have posted several of the best sellers down below. The majority of nail guns are air powered so they need an air compressor to work, but the newer cordless nail guns are gaining in popularity and use battery packs to give them their power. The air nail guns are still preferred on larger jobs where we are working all day at a particular task, but a cordless nail gun comes in handy for jobs that only take a few hours or when having a cord trailing behind you is too much trouble. For example, when you are doing a framing job, a cordless framing nailer is much more versatile and easier to use and we prefer the Paslode framing nailers. Cordless nailers are more expensive since they are more versatile and have no cord to bog you down. On the contrary, using a cordless nail gun may require more hand/arm strength since they are heavier than their corded counterparts. RECOMMENDED – We shop online for all our power tools and Amazon.com has the lowest prices when we compare their site to others. Their customer service is first rate, their selection of brand name nail guns is unmatched, and you can read all the owner reviews before purchasing anything. Check out the most popular nail guns online here.
Top Rated Power Nailers: Reviews, Descriptions, and Pricing |
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Brad Nailer | Hitachi NT50AE2 Brad Nailer |
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Framing Nailer | PORTER-CABLE FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer |
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Finish Nailer | Hitachi NT65MA4 15-Gauge Angle Finish Nailer |
Best Cordless Nailers: Reviews, Descriptions, and Pricing |
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Cordless Framing Nailer | Paslode 900420 Cordless IMCT Framing Nailer |
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Cordless Finish Nailer | Paslode 902000 16 Gauge Straight Finish Nailer |
For our flooring needs when we install hardwood floors, the tool of choice is the BOSTITCH MIIIFN 1-1/2- to 2-Inch Pneumatic Flooring Nailer – zero complaints from this nailer. Another excellent alternative to the Bostitch is the PORTER-CABLE FCN200 Pneumatic Flooring Cleat Nailer. The FCN200 floor nailer works smooth and is pretty much “hassle free” installation. We just recently bought the Porter-Cable PIN100 1/2-Inch to 1-Inch 23-Gauge Pin Nailer and will update this article as we use it more. We usually like to test out tools for at least 6 months before posting any comments. When it comes to roofing jobs, we never attempt them without our Milwaukee 7120-21 3/4- to 1-3/4-Inch Coil Roofing Nailer – we have 2 of these and they both have performed exceptionally well and the 5 year warranty assures us of the durable and reliability. We feel that the Milwaukee roofing nailer outperforms earlier models of Hitachi and Bostitch nailers we owned. Read the reviews online and you will see what others have to say about the 7120-21.
Nail Gun Reviews
You can find nail gun reviews online at websites like Newwoodworker.com, Onlinetoolreviews.com, Toolsnob.com, and at Toolsofthetrade.net. We found excellent in depth reviews of framing nailers, finish nailers and brad nailers. Professional opinions are important when making a buying decision, but you also want to hear from non-biased power nailer owners who post their feedback online at sites like Amazon and Epinions. We say research all the top models and brands and make a wise purchase. We have used all types of nail guns for years and have at least given you a headstart as to which models work the best for us in the field and many of the same models are rated #1 or #2 on Amazon as well.