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Thread: Cordless brad gun

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Islesboro, Maine
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    Cordless brad gun

    I was looking at the Milwaukee one at HD & the price was right but seems a little heavy...Does anyone have one & do you like it?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    Itapevi, SP - Brazil
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    I did not use (for actual applications) cordless brad nailers but some time ago I tried a couple of models in a balcony... and my first impression was it is heavy and big. I prefer to stay with my pneumatic Makita brad nailer.

    My suggestion is to try in a real job one of them. In the US you have some options besides to borrow from someone: usually it is possible to rent or even to buy one with a generous return policy. They are not for me but perhaps it can be good for you... only at use you can be sure.

    All the best.
    Last edited by Osvaldo Cristo; 08-10-2017 at 10:37 AM. Reason: Typo error

  3. #3
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    Feb 2009
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    San Francisco, CA
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    Had one, didn't like it.

    For those times it's tough to get air it will do the job and it's really convenient. Ergonomically I found it heavy and in use the biggest issue is it can't sink nails when shot at an angle. Visibility at the nose was a little less than ideal.

    I'm waiting for the next gen of these - they will only get better.

  4. #4
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    Nov 2006
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    Thanks for the reply's. H D has them on sale for 98.00....I have 2 air brad nailers that I like so I'll stick with them...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
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    Prairie Village, KS
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Jolliffe View Post
    I was looking at the Milwaukee one at HD & the price was right but seems a little heavy...Does anyone have one & do you like it?
    I got this a few months ago: https://www.craftsman.com/products/c...?taxon_id=2104

    I've used it quite a bit and havent had any functional issues. However, it is heavy and there is a lot of movement in it when firing the nail. Great for bigger stuff and things out of the shop because I dont have to worry about an air hose but it's hard to be delicate with it therefore I am going to be getting a air gun for use in the shop.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Rutherford Co., NC
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    I have the Ryobi #P325 16ga nailer, mainly because I already had a number of One+ tools and I currently don't have a compressor.

    It is bulky because it has its own "compressor" built in. I've been redoing our guest bathroom and it was a bit annoying when I was trying to nail a piece of shoe-molding behind the toilet. It was such tight quarters there was only one place along the whole length where I could successfully position the nailer to fire through the molding and into the floor. Everywhere else there was something in the way - the wall, the cabinet, the bowl, the tank.

    Other than that I have been fairly pleased with it. Most of what I have done with it has been molding, and for that it's been fine.

    It is not fast. It takes a moment to fire because the compressor has to cycle up, but I am slow and deliberate anyway so that doesn't bother me. It does have a rapid fire mode where you set a switch, hold down the trigger and every time you depress the bumper tip it cycles up and fires, but you still have to wait for it to cycle up.

    I also don't have to deal with a large compressor and hoses or listen to it cycle over and over. There's a moderately loud "kachungpop" when it fires (scares the dogs), but that's it. The rest of the time it just lays there quietly waiting for me to pick it up to use it.

    There are times, like the above bathroom situation, when I wished I had gotten the 18ga finish nailer (#P320) instead. Maybe later.
    "Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
    - Dave Ramsey

  7. #7
    They're useful when you have no choice, but otherwise, when you have a compressor just sitting there, they're heavy and honestly, a little slow, at least the ones that I've used. Most professionals don't use them in the field. When we just had our roof redone, the roofer used all traditional nailers with compressors. There was nobody on the roof with a cordless one. Nobody.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Jolliffe View Post
    Thanks for the reply's. H D has them on sale for 98.00....I have 2 air brad nailers that I like so I'll stick with them...
    At $98, it might be worth it for the occasional use, especially if you're already invested in M18 batteries. That must be a local store thing.

    Certainly wouldn't pay the $200-$300 for one again. By all accounts the Ryobi actually seems like a better cordless 18g, but if you don't already have Ryobi batteries it may not be worth it to get into yet another battery system. The Milwaukee is built to take more abuse though.

    I wonder if Milwaukee will come out with gen 2 of these, or abandon cordless nailers after having taken their lumps with gen 1. M18 is an awesome platform though.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    1,830
    I use my pneumatic nail guns with a tire inflater tank of air and one of those coiled hoses between it ant the nailer, when I won't be doing a large job. I've added quick connect fittings to the tank, so everything easily snaps together. With a 10 gallon tank I can drive about 100 brad nails before the pressure drops enough to need a refill. With a framing nailer I can get about 60.

    Charley

  10. #10
    I've got the Ryobi P320 18ga brad nailer & charger/battery - won it when I attended Weekend with Wood this spring. I also have conventional nailers (Bostich 16 & 18 ga). I've only played with the Ryobi so far - no real project, but it seems really handy - especially when you only have a few nails to do.

    I will agree that nails shot by the Ryobi are not set below the surface.

    Jim

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Rutherford Co., NC
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Laumann View Post
    I will agree that nails shot by the Ryobi are not set below the surface.
    I have not had that problem so far.
    "Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
    - Dave Ramsey

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Redmond, OR
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    606
    I have a Paslode fuel powered brad nailer... I will always grab my pneumatic brad nailer when practical. For an occasional base board the Paslode beats hauling out the compressor but for the most part the Paslode is inconsistent in firing. With a new fuel cartridge and a freshly charged battery sometimes it will fire and sometimes it won't. I have never tried a battery only power brad nailer.

  13. #13
    Charles, your response made me double check my ryobi......it was just barely setting the nail below the surface, like maybe a 64th or 32nd. So my apologies to all. One click of the adjusting knob was all it took.

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