Air nailers VS. Battery Nailers (WORTH THE PRICE?)
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- Are battery nailers worth the price? I spend a few minutes talking about why I have switched to battery operated nailers for all of my small projects and finish carpentry work. Up until about 6 months ago, I was only using pneumatic air nailers. However, last spring I decided to take the plunge and dive into the world of battery operated nailers.
My tools (Affiliate links):
Router: amzn.to/3g4ZXPw
Brad nailer (newer version): amzn.to/2SJpNif
Battery finish nailer: amzn.to/3n9mgr1
Battery Brad nailer: amzn.to/33m5soX
Compressor: amzn.to/2YOpsyK
Air hose: amzn.to/2yH7DGT
Speed square: amzn.to/2A5dwxY
Hammer: amzn.to/2YT31sd
Table saw: amzn.to/2SRn2vn
Track saw: amzn.to/35JOQH1
Miter saw: amzn.to/3fC92zs
Impact drill: amzn.to/2SKVdEQ
Level: amzn.to/2SMMamO
Planer: amzn.to/2ZRQHJg
Our studio:
Homestud Studios: www.thehomestud.com/homestud-...
Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/homestud_stu...
Instagram: / homestud_studios - Jak na to + styl
Can battery nailers completely replace air nailers in your work?!
Yup, the gen 2 Milwaukee brad nailer made me throw my paslode in the trash 🤷 between that and the M12 23gauge pin nailer I simply have ZERO reason to find a live electrical source, lug around the compressor and hook up the hose
@@justauser total gamechanger 👍
@@hsdesignstudio oh man we're living the dream nowadays hahaha
@@justauseryou can always send me you unwanted tools 🤣🤣
Great comparison and a fair review.
I also used both pnuematic and milwaukee cordless nailers. And for ME pnuematic is better all the way.
1) I disagree with the cord argument. I consider the cord to be a blessing and a curse. Its a blessing when you are on a roof and you can use the cord to lower the gun and give it to a friend or have him load nails in it. Furthermore, this happens all the time, sometimes you might drop your nail gun and with the cord I am always quick enough to just grab a cord and not worry crushing someones head or having to come down to get it. However with cordless nailer dropping it is just enfuriating and very dangerous. The curse, is well the range and getting caught up in stuff. But... its not something that bothers me a lot.
2) The weight of cordless framing nailer is riduculous compared to pnuematic. My forearm gets super tired after a couple hours of cordless versus pneumatic.
3) the size of cordless is just... a bear. I always find a way to struggle with some tricky spots on the roof. With pnuematic, well I do not seem like i have any issues.
4) pnuematic lasts forever while cordless well i had to exchange mine after a couple months because it started jamming like crazy. They said it was a factory defect. But the new one still jams way more often than pnuematic. This is enfuriating also.
5) pnuematic performance is unparallel. Especially with older pnuematic guns that have rapid fire. Its awesome.
Thank you also for your detailed comments. It gives me a lot to consider being a rather slim, fit female, but older with compromised upper body strength.
Thank you so so very much!
You have saved me the cost/hassle of the compressor/hose attachment of a nail gun for my particular building applications, both on/off site.
Thank you!
Whichever you feel comfortable with!
As a trim contractor I think air wins. People forget to charge batteries, need different chargers for different brands. After 5 hours the electric one feels really heavy on hand. Air tools are simply smaller and even with cord, will reach tight spaces, and can have multiple guns on the same compressor for multiple users and different size nails. I think electric simply needs to get smaller and lighter. The compressor also helps when you get a flat tire. I think as a homeowner though, electric would be best (smaller projects). I also think if your in roofing electric is best as to avoid cord. Overall though, lighter and smaller tools are significantly more comfortable in my opinion.
Stick with 1 brand, forgetting to charge is a thing but if you’re using them or remind yourself or give your self 1 hr of set up time you can have a fully charged battery, and the. Charge 1 battery while using the other then just switch them out
Good video! Especially since I don’t have air or electric nailers at this point. But going through the comments I’m actually right back to where I was initially. 😬 luckily I have compressors/hoses and various batteries. I do like the grab a go theory!
Going with battery. Thank you!!
You won't regret it 👍
I still luv the hose
As a newbie, I am leaning towards the air type. The compressor, hose, etc are extra costs but could be used to power other tools such as a paint sprayer.
I've been debating on air tools for a while now too. The compressor you need to get a good Paint Sprayer would be pretty big, vs an electric HVLP sprayer. And the only reason I could get the air tools is to inflate tires twice a year. Battery makes so much more sense cost-wise and you don't have to worry about the compressor exploding if it rusts where you can't see it.
Wrong. You’ll need decent capacity tank compressor to do any meaningful paint gun work and those tanks you’ll never be carrying around with nailer.
@@LaplacianFourier thanks. I never ran a paint sprayer. I got the pancake type now and even filling air in my truck tires was making the thing cycle!
I like both its good to start with pneumatic and work your way up to the CORDLESS eventually
I like the practicality of not having to drag a hose everywhere, easier to nail in tight spots
Couldn't agree more 👍
One thing that I think is important to mention if you’re just starting out (in favor of air powered) is if you need multiple nailers. The air guns are much cheaper than the battery guns.
Yes this definitely falls under a price win for air. The battery nailers can start to add up in price when you have 2, 3, etc.
Unless you just starting off and don’t have compressor or hose or gun, to buy all that
Agree looking at a £100 24L 9.5cfm compressor and a £45 18 Guage nailer, I can then get a framing nailer for £150 at a later date. Having trouble finding a reasonably priced 16 Guage pneumatic nailer though they seem to be rarer than the 18 Gauge.
I own 5 pneumatic nailer, a love to buy new tools, but the investment is not worth it. Great video. 👍🏻
Hard to justify for sure. It's not a cheap move at all..
Don’t discount the cool sound that the pneumatic guns make. It’s very satisfying.
Ive used both and I think they both have a use. I work kitchen building and on site the battery nailers are great. You dont spend huge amounts of time on site nailing often, so the lack of setup is nice. But at the shop or if you happen to be doing a lot of trim which does happen the pneumatic nailers shine. Once you get past the hose pneumatic nailers are a better tool.
To be honest though I would disagree with your cost comparison, because even if a hose/compressor and nailer get close to the cost of a cordless, the compressor and hose are multi use, they can also power tire inflators, air ratchets, blowers, paint guns, air hammers, etc, meaning it can deliver quite a bit more bang for buck.
this is one of the last areas I haven't gone electric with....
but now, do I get a new air one.... or bite bullet and go electric?
Hi Thank you for the interesting comparison, just checking out these nailers looks to be quite more usefull in comparison to the screw, I mean it depends on but if you are building these big project only with nailers well, doing small stuff, boxes would be better then using screw...
I was watching a guy put a roof together, the speed he was going with the pneumatic gun was incredible, can you achieve this with a cordless nailer
Both of the nailers I own do have the bump fire function. But I would not rely on this, especially with trim nailers. Personally, I would not even use this method for trim nailers, as you sacrifice accuracy and are likely to cause damage to fine trim pieces. On the other hand, a roofing nailer is a totally different beast.
I’ve used pneumatic all my life, the battery is nice but performance wise I think pneumatic wins all day. Great review 👍🏻
Thanks! A few days with a battery nailer, and no hose dragging may change your mind haha
@@hsdesignstudio I think you will be right. Currently shopping around for one ✌🏽
Great video. Really really made me think.. I just bought a battery frame nailer and found out i need a total different nailer for molding and trims in the house 😵 So now im thinking i should just go with air for pricing relief... What do you think and Whats the small air compressor i can use for a framing nail gun???
Haha yes definitely don't want to use that framing nailer for trim! I use a 4.5 gallon compressor for my framing nailer. This easily handled 2 framing nailers running all out while I was building my garage. As for battery nailers, I have a 18g brad and a 15g finish, and I love them- worth every penny spent. But I use those two all the time, where as I don't use a framing nailer all that much.
@@hsdesignstudio wow ok!! Really appreciate you responding. So maybe I should keep the battery framing nailer and go buy a brad nailer with air compressor??? Do you think i should return the $350 battery framer and use that to get the air compressor and nailers or keep that one ? ? Help me decide bro 😂 im going crazy
Whatever you use the most, go the battery route- far more convenient. If it's an occasional tool, carrying a nailer and compressor is no big deal once in a while.
@@hsdesignstudio thanks!!!! Really appreciate you indeed! I bought the battery frame gun and went with the brad nailer with compressor because the framing is more laboring so I'll go with that as the battery but eventually i will get a battery brad nailer and finisher battery ... Thanks again for helping me decide!!!!
Is there any industrial battery operated stapler in the market?
I have some Makita Lxt tools. They are ok. I have Paslode nailers and am sick of flat batteries (old system) and gas running out. Ditching Paslode for battery brad nailer. Limited choice for first fix nailers so going for pnematic. Compressor and first fix a lot cheaper than battery..
Battery options are definitely not cheap. But depending on the nailer and compressor, that combo can add up quickly as well.
Have you ever showed up to a jobsite with a Bostich nailer and they only had Rigid brand air so you couldnt use it? So annoying.
But seriously, if you use the nailer a lot, probably the battery makes sense. The hose is annoying. But if you only occasionally use it, the pneumatic probably makes more sense.
Two issues you omitted: 1) What about battery life. I'm talking about how often you have to re-charge the battery. Also, batteries change...14V ,18V, 20V, 56V, 60V...while compressors never go out of style. And 2) What about when you really need to drive a finish nail deep into hardwood? You can crank up the pressure on a pneumatic nailer, but what's the limit of a cordless nailer?
My whole back kitchen wall is pretty much gone that goes out the back door and out onto the patio and back porch door frame needs replace door and all wall everything,,,on the plus side it’s only about 11 or 12 feet wide,,,,I’d have to measure it to know exactly how long it is and I will here pretty soon,,,,I’m thinking I might have to redo the floor a little bit nail some 2 x 4 pressure treated to the floor and come back up to the foundation because I think the tips of them are a little bit rotten the whole wall and I’m going to have to rip out some of the ceiling to see if the ceiling joists that hook onto the wall are ok or gone if gone I’ll probably nail some pressure treated two by fours from the good part of the joist out to where they hooked to the wall come out with fresh wood to hook onto the wall.... I have never done anything like this before I’m thinking it’s going to be a very tight area so I’m gonna need something like this,,,,I’m not a Carpenter I’ve built a couple dog boxes in my day and time they were ok they lasted for five years or so probably however,,,,wish I could find an affordable handyman that knows what he was doing that could be trusted they’re hard to find anymore.
That is quite the job. I would be 100% confident if your ability to tackle this because it sounds load bearing. Having a roof cave in and your safety is not worth saving a couple dollars. There are typically small carpentry companies around that can tackle these project.
What about in terms of power? Are they the same? I heard battery ones are less powerful. I don’t know.
I don't think they are. At least not for my uses. I'm thousands of nails through mine with 0 misfires and maybe 10 protruding nail heads, and these were poor firing by me- leaning sideways or reaching without enough pressure on the tip. I also have yet to run a full battery to empty in a normal working situation. That's my experience for my first year with them.
From my perspective:
Air Powered guns:
Pros:
*Multiple Nail guns can be used at once in a single Air compressor
*The whole Set (cable/compressor/gun/etc) will still be cheaper than a Battery powered gun
Cons:
* air compressors are noisy ASF Since most of us likely use the Rigid/Porter Cable Pancake version😂
* Setting up & Wrapping up can be a pain tbh… not to mention hold up more space in your car
Battery Powered Guns:
Pros:
* The privilege of 💰💰💰
* No need to set up🍺
*Better than the Paslode guns lol
Cons:
* Your bank account will shrink
* Electronics will likely wear down a lot faster than on a Pneumatic gun
*You’ll need to stick with 1 brand if you want a stress free Battery experience
Bottom Line:
Technically it’s a draw since some Pneumatic guns need part replacement, the hose may start leaking or some of the workers broke another air compressor which more or less sum up the price of a Battery powers Nailer gun… I recommend just buying a Battery powered Nail gun at Home Depot/Lowes, try it out and Return it if you don’t like it… or if you like it then return it and think long and hard as to what brand you’re going to stick with since Makita batteries won’t work for Milwaukee power tools… and I don’t trust 3rd party batteries lol
Most of the people I work with have mostly Milwaukee, Makita & Dewalt powered tools but in terms of Batteries, we mostly have Milwaukee batteries 🔋
Battery replacement costs are astronomical as well.
a pro framing crew uses a 1k compressor and a 250+ gun, a 80 dollar drop corp; and a 30 dollar hose… 10 dollars of gas. 10 dollars of oil. electric is the cheaper option
Not everyone works on a pro framing crew.. Even then, it's not necessarily true they are all on air nailers- the house framers on two of our projects this summer did everything with Milwaukee's new cordless framing nailer.
@@hsdesignstudio i’ve never seen a milwaukee framing nailer on a job site. haven’t even seen a cordless saw yet.
@@JohnSmith-xq6cv I haven't seen a corded saw (circular) in ages. Most of the mitre saws have gone cordless as well.
@@hsdesignstudio maybe on youtube not in the real world. you really trying to say all the construction sites you see have all cordless saws lol. quit lying
@@JohnSmith-xq6cv Haha what a weird thing to need or want to lie about? It's not like I gain anything from relaying what I have come across. Not saying every single site has all cordless saws, but it has been a long time since I've seen a framing crew working without a cordless circular saw. Why would you nowadays- the runtime/number of cuts has improved drastically with every new generation of battery technology. Also many of the construction channels on CZcams are real businesses...
use and price. Home workshop pneumatic. If it is your livelihood..cordless definitely
If they are never moving, then pneumatic is probably the right call
Battery being more expensive and needing so many different gauges, a pneumatic set is cheaper for home improvement. I am thinking of getting a set but I am researching brands as of now. I love Milwaukee but can’t spend so much money for each gauge when i can get a set of pneumatic for about the price of one.
@@Serafines21 a full set is a hefty bill no question
Electric guns vs pneumatic, I'd like to hear from someone that can REALLY use a nail gun. I'm talking about a framer shooting 12d nails at 3 per second like I was when I was 25. I'm talking about a roofing nailer shooting a full shingle in 1.5 seconds like I was doing when I was 25. I don't know how good these electric guns are, anyone that knows what real work is have comments here?
So you think moving fast is "real work"? I watched a crew frame the entire house next door to me using the new-ish battery milwaukee framing nailer. They had no complaints, nor were firing 3 nails a second. I framed my garage using my pneumatic Paslode,, and I wish I had a battery operated when climbing through trusses. I also wasn't shooting 3 nails per second framing...most people aren't.
@@hsdesignstudio In a massive manufacturing facility, where I learned to frame, if you didn't shoot that fast, you didn't keep up. Maybe electric is just not for that situation. As far as pneumatic goes, I haven't found a nailer quicker than Hitachi (now Hikoki), very quick. How spendy are those new 12d nailers?
@@shanetanner5063 That's fair, but I think that is a very specific situation. I'm also not saying that both styles don't have their place. I fall more on the reno spectrum where moving fast isn't ever the goal, or even optional half the time. Last time I looked that Milwaukee battery framer was about $500 CAD..not cheap, especially if you aren't already using their line of tools. I was actually trying to get ahold of the Hikoki battery nailers back when I bought my Milwaukee's, but you just can't find them in my neck of the woods.
@@hsdesignstudio Not too bad. A new Hikoki pneumatic is (was) almost $400. Simple components but they know they're unmatched. (At least in the pneumatic world.)
Can you shoot balloons with this gun in air ???