Is a Cordless Nail Gun Worth It for a DIYer? - Our Review

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There are tools every DIYer would like to have, and then there’s tools every DIYer must have. In our eyes, a cordless electric nail gun falls into the must have category! Common projects like shiplap, beams, trim, or even board and batten can all benefit from the use of a nail gun. It’ll make your projects move along quickly and will help save your thumb from a slipping hammer.

We bought a Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless 18-Gauge AirStrike Nailer about 3-4 years ago and we use it on nearly every DIY project. There are so many other brands out there making this kind of tool now, so depending on your preference, you can more than likely find one that fits with your battery system.

Cordless vs Pneumatic - What’s the Difference?

A cordless nail gun, sometimes referred to as a battery powered nail gun, is the evolution of the compressed air (pneumatic) powered tools. With better technology, you can now get the same kind of power you’d get from compressed air, all from a lithium battery. And that’s really the major difference…one needs to be plugged in and the other is free range.

Benefits of Using a Cordless Nail Gun

No Air Compressor - First and foremost on using a cordless nail gun is the lack of a tether. No hoses, no cords, no large tank. It makes for an extremely portable system that is also much quieter.

Easy to Use - These things are extremely plug and play. With only a couple settings to figure out, like the depth the nail will go, in about 10 minutes you can be set up and ready to use this on a project.

Safety - Almost all of the cordless nail guns on the market today come with safety features that keep the tool from free firing nails. You typically need to press in the nose of the gun to the surface before it’ll fire off. Although it takes the fun out of trying to shoot some cans down, there’s no accidental nails flying all over the place!

Easy to Transport - You can take these things from room to room, or to other locations, all without much hassle. All you need is the tool, a battery, and some nails. Nothing else needs to be stored or lugged around with you.

Drawbacks of Using a Cordless Nail Gun

The only one that we’ve noticed in our years of using the tool, is that these guns are battery suckers. You’ll find yourself changing batteries every few hours of heavy use. But for the average DIYer, it beats having to lug a heavy tank around and find an outlet. These wouldn’t be all that suitable for large construction sites, but changing the battery on a weekend project is no sweat.

15-Gauge vs 16-Gauge vs 18-Gauge Nail Gun

It seems confusing, but just think of it this way, the smaller the gauge number, the larger the nail. So a 15-gauge nail is thicker, while an 18-gauge nail is thinner. There are different gauges, but these are the three most popular sizes. Which one is right for you? That mostly depends on your typical projects.

15-gauge nails are really suited for construction, so if you find yourself needing nails to structurally hold pieces together, this is where you start. 16 and 18-gauge nail guns are fairly similar, although a 16-gauge has a stronger hold. We’ve found for the types of projects we do, an 18-gauge nail gun has the holding power for a little thicker piece of wood (like in board and batten), but also the soft touch needed not to split more delicate pieces like trim.

There’s also nail guns that will angle in these gauges, but again, it all depends on your project type. Most DIYers will make use of an 18-gauge nail gun that shoots straight, but many folks also buy the different kinds to have on hand.

Why We Love the Ryobi Nail Gun

This was an easy investment and brand choice for us. We already had several of the Ryobi drills and tools that used their 18v battery system. So, choosing the nail gun that could plug and play with the batteries we already had was a no brainer. If you’re someone who has a series of Dewalt or Milwaukee tools, those brands would be an easier transition.

We’ve noticed with the Ryobi nail gun, it is a little on the heavier side, but you’ll find the weight comparable across its competitors. We’ve had a few nails not go in as deep as we’d like, but more often than not, it’s only one at a time and not a whole series of nails. Most importantly though, it’s a workhorse and we’ve never had a jam or an accident (knock on wood!) to cause us any panic. Every time we fire it up, it works!

We can’t recommend having a cordless nail gun enough for your next DIY project. You’ll be wondering what you did before you ever bought it!