With the rise of cordless finish nailers, Senco takes a different approach by using a sealed nitrogen cylinder and a lithium-ion battery to keep them powered. Recently we had the chance to try out the FN55AX Fusion F-18 Cordless 18-Gauge Brad Nailer. We found that this nailer packs in a pile of useful features, has plenty of power, and will keep up with pneumatic nailers. More and more we are turning to brad nails for our finishing projects because of their great holding power combined with the very small head size. A smaller head size means less patching and putty when you are done. There is a lot to like with this nailer and it comes in near the top of our list of must-have tools.
You can plan on leaving your air compressor, drop cord and air hose in your truck when you start using the the new Paslode CF325Li Cordless Framing Nailer Kit. Load in a fuel cell, the battery and a stick of nails and you are ready to go. Cord-free framing can't be any easier, especially for the tradesman, specialty contractor, remodeler and renovation specialist that is not concerned with production as much as precision, convenience and ease of use. An incredible 6000 nails per battery charge and up to 1200 nails per fuel cell combined with the recommended cleaning interval of 50,000 shots; means that down time is never an issue. The convenience that Paslode presents with this model makes for a very compelling argument for framing cord-free.
Going cord-free with trim nailers is the way to go, and the Paslode 900600 Cordless 16-gauge Angled Finish Nailer makes this easy to do. This nailer is best suited for the pro that focuses on remodeling and trim work. With an excellent line of sight and an angled nail magazine, getting fasteners into difficult-to-reach places is easy and can be done with great precision. The idea of not having to drag around a compressor, cords and hoses is a very compelling argument for going cordless. Not to mention, this Paslode is lightweight, compact, comes with a built-in hanging hook and is incredibly easy to use. This nailer makes our list of must-have tools!
The Milwaukee 2458-21 M12 Cordless Palm Nailer is one of those types of tools that you probably won't use every day, but it could prove to be a real asset when the occasion arises. We got a glimpse of this nailer at the 2010 Milwaukee Media Event where we were able to try out a few pre-production models - and they did prove very promising. We were slightly surprised that they were able to drive 16d common nails flush into 2x4 studs all day long. Finally a cordless, hand-held nailer that really drove nails. Up to now, the few battery powered nailers that we have seen, also known as auto hammers, have been more like gadgets than real working gear. The idea of being able to leave the air compressor, air hose, drop cords and nailers in the work trailer is rather compelling. Given its fairly compact size, you can drive nails in those difficult tight spots where you normally might not be able to fit a full size nailer or swing a hammer. To make it even better there is a LED work light built in that should make it easier to see what you are doing in a dim or dark work area.
For the first time ever, you can install flashing, vent boots and do roofing repairs without having to drag out a compressor, hose and nailer thanks to the new Duo-Fast Cordless Roofing Coil Nailer. This new nailer uses an exclusive gas and battery system to give you the full functionality that you would expect from a pneumatic roofing nailer; complete with coil nails. While we were a little skeptical at first, after some quality time with the nailer we concluded that this really is a must-have tool if you are in the roofing repair business.
The DeWALT DC608K 18 Gauge 2" Cordless Brad Nailer is ideal for all your trim work and furniture building adventures. You can just grab this nailer and go because there are no cords or hoses to hold you back. With plenty of power to drive long nails into even hard woods, we found this the go to tool for doing small trim jobs, repairs and anything where we did not feel like dragging out a compressor and air hose for our pneumatic brad nailer.
Ryobi decided to follow the Craftsman Nextec Hammerhead’s lead and came out with their own version of a cordless Auto Hammer just in time for the 2009 Christmas Holiday Season. Since this tool seems to be a popular gift item this year, and just about every Home Depot store has a sample station set up so you can test it before you buy it, we decided to put it through our own battery of tests. In the past we have been pleasantly surprised by the balance of quality, features and price of the Ryobi brand products. Read on to see if this tool lived up to our expectations.
The Craftsman Nextec Hammerhead Auto Hammer was the first battery powered nail hammering device to come on the market a while back and we figured it was time we put this tool through our series of torture tests. With all the hype and claims of what this tool can do, it was time for us to experience first hand the wrath of the Hammerhead.
Last year Craftsman released their Nextec Hammerhead Auto-Hammer which operates on a similar principal as a pneumatic palm nailer. Of course this new tool intrigued us, but there was nothing to truly compare it to - that is until now. This holiday season, Ryobi has released its version of the Auto Hammer. We decided to put it head-to-head against the Craftsman Hammerhead model... and to make things a little more interesting; we figured we would also compare both battery-operated products to a Senco pneumatic palm nailer and a plain old fashioned framing hammer.
Craftsman let us try out their 12V lithium-ion Hammerhead Auto Hammer. If you've ever pounded a nail into oblivion, you know that a magical tool that did it for you would be a god-send. Well, the auto-hammer is the first of its kind in the marketplace and aims to change the way consumers hammer nails. The hammerhead is hose- and cord-free and uses the power of a 12 Volt Lithium-ion battery to pound nails up to 3.5-in. in length with the press of a trigger. Coming in at just under 30 ounces, the Hammerhead Auto Hammer is a bit heavier than your typical 20-22 ounce framing hammer, but it didn't feel unwieldy during use.
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