Electric nail guns, anyone used one?

I'm about to build another house, my compressor has died and I don't want to buy another so has anyone used any of the electric nail guns/

What's a good brand and where can I find a deal?

My finish nailer is a dewalt 20v and i would definitely recommend that to anyone.  Never tried a cordless framing gun, for how cheap the HF pneumatic ones are i have one of those and a porter cable pancake compressor.  My $$$ guns both died and the HF was an emergency purchase

Paslode. They are every bit as good as a pneumatic framing gun, and better because no air hose to trip over or inhibit movement. They use a gas fuel canister and battery, it's basically a controlled explosion to achieve what would be done by compressed air.

They're very popular with framing crews and other building contractors over here. They're spendy, but if you're going to get the use out of it, worthwhile. You normally buy a 1000 nail and 3 gas canister bundle. If you didn't want to spend that much to buy one, you should be able to hire one.

I've used a passlode and don't want one.

I've got a pancake compressor but the noise and the hose are the reason I thought I'd investigate the electric framing guns.  If I were to use a pneumatic I'd have to buy another bigger compressor and of course I'd want a good one and then there goes the price.

i was hoping someone had used one and could tell me definitively they are good or bad.

BTW Harbor Freight didn't have any

I've got the ryobi 18ga and 16ga nailers. 

They're a bit different than air nailers in trigger function but I really like not dragging hoses around. 

(Air nailers hit as soon as you pull the trigger, the ryobi ones you hold the trigger and it takes about a 1/4 second to hit. If you just tap the trigger the nail doesn't really set).

In reply to carguy123 :

Each to their own, but curious as to why?.  I'd have one in a heartbeat if I did enough to justify the price. then again, the dewalt framer is only 20-30 dollars cheaper than the paslode where I am. The dewalts about 20 percent heavier.

Dewalt makes sense though if you're already in that ecosystem or planing to be.

A good new compressor will run more than just a nail gun, so there's that going for a new compressor.

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

And you'd recommend them or tell me to stay away?

In reply to daeman :

It's the constant changing of supplies and the cost plus I've not always been able to find the supplies when I needed them

In reply to carguy123 :

Fair enough, makes perfect sense. due to their popularity here it doesn't seem to be much of an issue here.

Now time for me to eat some humble pie...

I looked into this about 18 months-2 years ago pretty extensively, but this thread prompted me to have another look.... And well... Times have changed big time... I'd still readily take a paslode if I had to choose tomorrow, mostly because of the weight and I'm already invested in bosch blues ecosystem and they don't have a framing gun at this stage.

However, based on  THIS video comparison, if I was about to buy into a brand based on their framer, it'd be milwaukee, then hikoki/hitachi (possibly metabo in the US?) The dewalt is no slouch either. Milwaukee gets first place for me based on the rest of the range they have. Have a good read thru the comments too, there's a bit of good user insight in amongst the chatter.

Pretty much, if you already have cordless gear, just get the framer that that brand makes unless you're due to replace your current gear. 

I'm not sure any of them, paslode included would be a total replacement for a good pneumatic gun if you were framing all day every day with them, but pretty much any of them would be more than adequate to get your house built.

Thanx for the video, I hadn't seen that.

I was worried they didn't have quite enough power or the batteries didn't last very long.  I'd prefer a corded one, but I haven't seen one.  An electrical cord is much easier to manage than a air hose

Corded electric nailer?  I don't think that is a thing. 
 

I don't think you've said if you want a framing nailer or a finish nailer. Cordless electric finish nailers are passable (except I find the major delay between pulling the trigger and firing annoying).  I have never used a cordless electric framing nailer that I thought was acceptable.  (Although I will admit this universe is changing)
 

Your pancake compressor is too small to run a framing nailer for a long time (yes, I know people do it)

Paslode is the only brand that I think accomplishes both framing and finish nailing well. I have both on my truck. But you ruled them out...

Cordless brad nailers work fine. Any brand. Cordless finish nailers work pretty good, except for the delay. Cordless framing nailers just don't have the balls to keep up with real framing (though they are nice for some repair work, especially when working on a ladder).

If you are looking for a bargain, I've got several pneumatic nailers I would let go cheap (mostly Senco), and an older Senco cordless electric that has never been used but needs a trigger.

carguy123 said:

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

 

And you'd recommend them or tell me to stay away?

Oh I like them. Mostly because I don't have to dig out the air compressor, fire it up, and drag hoses around when I need them.

I use them once a month or less - certainly not 8 hours a day 200 days a year.

That video review posted above is excellent. They did a really good job. A couple notes...

- There is no Hikoki in the US. That gun is sold as a Metabo here. 
- Based on the prices in that review, I'd be running out and buying a DeWalt. Except they are all wrong. Those are Australian prices. None of those guns cost $1000 in the US, and there is not a big price spread  in them. They are all sub $400 US. 
- NOBODY will ever use their gun in as many ways as they tested them in that video.  Get the gun that meets YOUR needs. 
 

One of the best quotes in that is regarding the Paslode... "Everybody who loves them also hates them a little". This is true. They are correct that the Paslode is slow and inconsistent in hard materials. I also think they didn't emphasize ergonomics enough. Paslode won that category, and it matters a lot to me. I wear myself out doing this type of work, and I don't really want a gun that is 25% heavier. I also find the greatest value of a cordless gun is to reach difficult spots (like soffit repair on a ladder)- another reason light weight matters.  They reviewed the lumber hooks nicely, but in the case of the Paslode, it's also a BELT HOOK. Because the machine is so light, I hang it on my belt regularly. Really nice when you're climbing a ladder. I couldn't do that with the heavier guns. 

They also comment on Paslode maintenance.  I don't do E36 M3 to maintain my Paslodes, and I've been working them  hard for 20 years.

Having said that, I agree with their other criticisms of the Paslode. 
 

Note that all of these guns shoot clipped head nails (D-head). These are not legal in many areas. If your local municipality requires full round head nails, NONE of these guns are an option. 
 

I wouldn't consider the Metabo. Service and consumables are gonna be too hard to find.

That leaves the DeWalt and the Milwaukee.  2 VERY different animals. The Milwaukee is an industrial tool with huge punch. The instant shooting is a huge win for me (and one of my frustrations with the Paslode).  But it won't be available in many locations (probably special order through Home Depot). Consumables may be hard to find. The DeWalt is the opposite. It is available at every big box store in the country, and all the nails and consumables are readily available. It has a bit less punch, and a cycle time (which for me is another thing I hate about the Paslode, so I probably wouldn't buy one). 
 

Me?  I'd buy the Milwaukee.  Because I am a pro, need the power, and the Milwaukee is the anti-Paslode.  I'd use them both for different jobs.
 

But for the average DIYer, the DeWalt checks a LOT of boxes. 
 

It would be really hard to frame an entire house with ANY cordless nail gun.  
 

Again, I've never heard of a corded electric nail gun  

Good luck!!

carguy123 said:

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

 

And you'd recommend them or tell me to stay away?

Note:

Those 2 guns are brad nailers, NOT framing nailers. They are trim guns.

My daughter has one. I really hate it. 

I need a framing gun and a finish nailer, I'm building a house.

My issue with an air gun is that I have to finish the unfinished 2nd floor before I sell this one and there's no 220.  If I bought another compressor it would be a 220 and pretty dang big but that won't reach the house.  This also means my expense will be pretty dang big.

I'm building a barndo on the other end so the big compressor would be doable on that end, buy I don't want the noise or hassle.

I'd never seen a corded gun either, but I had only just found out that electric was even a thing on nail guns so I didn't know if I just hadn't looked in all the right places.  I was presuming that the power level of a battery powered one probably wouldn't be adequate but the cord would solve that issue.

I guess I could always just use a hammer, I've got dozens of those.

In reply to carguy123 :

Couldn't you get your big compressor and enough hose to reach the house?  I've run guns on an awful lot of hose- hundreds of feet. Size down the last section to 1/4" tangle free hose- it is just as easy to handle as an electric cord. And if the compressor is a long distance away, it will be completely silent. 
 

Or, use the pancake compressor. It will work, but will occasionally need recovery time if you are moving fast. 

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

That's really good. 

More expensive materials wise but you could use screws and an impact driver.