Best Finish Nailers - Top Picks, Reviews & Complete Buying Guide
by Scott Miller Updated on
Being that there are a few different types of nailers which you can choose from, we have decided to give you a short review of finish nailers.
Every carpenter is aware of the importance of having a good finish nailer, as it makes carpentry easier and more efficient.
The tasks that you can do with it are crowning, molding, base boarding, and chair railing.
Finish nailers are designed for the aesthetics of your work.
Now, you can go through our list of the best finish nailers, and without wasting more time searching among plenty of models available, you can decide which one is good for you.
As you may think, the number one is definitely the best of the best finish nailers on the market.
The DEWALT D51257K is a pneumatic finish nailer, whose price ranges from $250 to $300.
You can sometimes find it on a discount for $150 and $200.
The DEWALT D51257K’ s quality is great and in line with the price, so we can say that its first advantage is that it is reasonably priced.
If we take a look at performance and functions, we should mention that this finish nailer uses 16-gauge nails between 1 inch and 2.5 inches long.
It allows you to use finish nails from size 2d to size 7d, and perhaps even size 8d, without any issues.
What is considered a weakness is the fact that this is a straight finish nailer which will not allow you to use it at an angle.
The DEWALT D51257K has some excellent additional features such as a tool-free depth adjustment, tool-free jam clearing, 360° adjustable exhaust, adjustable belt hook, and no-mar tip.
You can see that it has everything a good finish nailer should have.
A sequential trigger is pre-installed in this model, which requires buying and installing of the bump action trigger kit in case you want to run the machine in bump mode.
However, the bum mode is necessary only if you work on heavy-duty projects.
The above mentioned finish nailers come with a cord, while the third one on our list is a cordless finish nailer.
Carrying a compressor all the time wherever you have to work can be troublesome and irritating, so the Paslode 902400 model is ideal solution for you.
It is the best cordless finish nailer, but you should have in mind that it would cost a lot more than pneumatic finish nailers.
When it comes to the performance of the 902400, we should mention that this machine accepts 20° angled 16-gauge nails between 1.25 inches and 2.5 inches long.
This means that you cannot use 2d nails with this nailer.
What makes it even better is that it is an angled finish nailer, which will allow easy access to hard to reach areas.
Again, bear in mind that angled nails are more expensive than straight nails, which also makes this tool quite pricey.
However, if we consider the long-term cost of operating, an angled finish nailer is greater than a straight finish nailer.
This finish nailer needs a fuel canister so the unit comes with a gas canister and a 7.4 Li-ion battery.
The approximate life of battery is 6000 nails per charge, while the fuel lasts for 1200 nails per canister.
Those canisters are easy to swap and the battery is fully charged after only 30 minutes.
Another advantage of the Paslode model is that the manufacturer is offering a 5-year limited warranty and a 1-year “full” warranty.
The product is quite expensive and the purchase protection shows that the producer has a lot of belief in this product.
The fourth one on our list is a 15-gauge finish nailer – the Hitachi NT65MA4.
Being that it is a pneumatic finish nailer with a 34° magazine angle it is definitely worth considering.
The angled magazine is designed so as to enable your reach the places where a straight finish nailer cannot do the job.
Additional amazing feature is the actuation mode selection switch.
It allows you to easily shift from sequential mode to bump mode.
What makes the NT65MA4 model even more attractive is the fact that it has a no-mar tip, an adjustable exhaust, an integrated air duster and an ergonomic grip.
Now, you are wondering why it is placed on the fourth position.
Well, what this unit lacks is a tool-free jam release system, which means that you will need a screwdriver in case of the jammed nail.
One more disadvantage of this model is that it cannot use 1-inch nails, as the smallest size of nail that will be accepted is 1.25 inches while the largest size is 2.5 inches.
The best thing about the Hitachi NT65MA4 is a 5-year limited warranty which represents an amazing purchase protection for a product with such a reasonable cost.
Now, we usually put the least worth models on the last position.
The PowRyte Basic 100191 is the cheapest finish nailer which can be bought by anyone.
But, do you need this kind of tool is a good question to ask?
Being a straight finish nailer that accepts 16-gauge nails from 0.75 inches to 2 inches shows that it is designed for smaller sized nails
So, those who have heavy-duty tasks for this tool should avoid it, while those who will use it for light work, this unit would be suitable.
The great characteristics of the 100191 are that it has a no-mar tip, an anti-dry fire mechanism, a 360° adjustable exhaust, sequential actuation mode, and belt hook.
What it lacks is no tool-less jam release system and a depth selector.
Now, it is up to you to determine whether this tool will be useful to you without these features or you do not mind lacking them.
If you are looking for something durable, then this finish nailer is not for you.
Our aim was to get you familiar with all the important features related to finish nailers and in case you have never had a finish nailer, we believe that our guide will be very beneficial to you.
How to choose a good gauge?
As there are all sorts of gauges, it is difficult to choose the ideal one.
Gauge size shows you the thickness of the nail the nailer uses.
If we explain it through an example, we can say that an 18-gauge nail, number “18” represents the number of nails per inch, while for a 23-gauge nail, the number of nails per inch is 23.
What you can conclude is that as the gauge increases, the thickness of the nail decreases.
If you want to choose the ideal gauge you should pay attention to its holding power and hole size.
The greater the gauge is, its holding power is lower.
This means that a 15-gauge nail can carry more weight than a 23-gauge nail.
On the other hand, the smaller the gauge is, the greater is the size of the hole that the nail creates decreases as the gauge increases.
For example, a 15-gauge nail will leave a hole much larger than a 23-gauge nail.
We are offering you a summary of each gauge and its application:
15-Gauge and 16-Gauge – those are thick nails with great holding power and they can be used for baseboards, chair rails, casings for doors and windows and crown molding.
18-Gauge: For people working on moldings with a thin cross section, 18-gauge nails are ideal, as thicker ones may split the molding. These nails are designed for light trims and finishes.
23-Gauge: This kind of nails are not designed to carry weight, as they are used for installing delicate trims on furniture and are more important aesthetically than structurally.
By using the given information, you can select the right gauge for your finish nailer.
Which one is better: a straight or an angled finish nailer?
We mentioned that some models are straight and some are angled, now we will explain the differences between these two types of finish nailers.
A straight finish nailer has a nail cartridge is perpendicular to the tip of the nailer, while an angled finish nailer has the nail cartridge angles towards the grip.
The result of this is that angled finish nailers offer easy access to hard to reach areas.
Another difference is the price, as angled finish nailers are more expensive than straight finish nailers and nails for angled finish nailers cost more, as well.
The angled finish nailer can do any task that a straight finish nailer can, but it is not the case with straight finish nailers.
The more experienced carpenters who work with hard to reach areas would find a straight finish nailer unsatisfactory.
Some brands have a pretty high difference in price between the nails that are used for these two types of nailers, and we noticed that DEWALT angled finish nails costs twice as much as DEWALT straight finish nails.
You will get a better and more efficient tool if you chose an angled finish nailer, but get ready to pay the higher price when buying it, as well as the higher costs of operating.
What should I have in mind prior to buying a finish nailer?
Tool-less Jam Clearing – In case a nail jams the finish nailer, you will have to clear the jam before using the machine again and it is easier to do it with tool-less jam clearing. Actuation Mode: Sequential actuation is the mode that all finish nailers come with. This means that you must press the contact tip on the surface of the workpiece and then pull the trigger to push the nail. However, some devices have additional mode – the bump mode. The bump mode allows you to press the trigger and then bump the contact tip against the surface to push a nail. As many times as you bump the machine, the nailer pushes a new nail. This feature is excellent for heavy-duty tasks.
Tool-less Depth Selection – The depth to which you want to push the nail can be determined by you, so you can look for a device which offers the tool-less depth selection process.
Anti-Dry Fire – It prevents the machine to fire when the magazine is empty in order not to cause damage on both your tool and the workpiece.
No-Mar Tip – A no-mar tip is very useful as it does not leave marks on your workpiece when the contact tip touches it.
Adjustable Exhaust – it happens with a pneumatic nailer that the air is released, but this would not be an issue if you choose one of the top pneumatic finish nailers on the market
Grip – For those people working long hours with this tool, it is important that the grip of the finish nailer is comfortable. You should look for a well-cushioned, sturdy and of the right size for your hands, and make sure to have enough space if you use gloves while working.
Warranty – The longer the warranty period is, the better quality machine is. The manufacturers who believe in their product would offer better purchase protection.
Service – Important thing to do is to check whether the company has an authorized service center in your area, as some less famous brands may not have it.
I think I got it, what are my options?
What we advise you is to go through the products on our list, as you will not find better finish nailers on the market.
If those mentioned do not suit your needs, you can take a look at the models not mentioned in this buying guide.
When doing your own research, we recommend looking at models produced by DEWALT, Bosch, SENCO, Hitachi, Paslode, and WEN brands.
Conclusion
In the conclusion, we can just go through the products and mention the reasons why are they on our list.
Firstly, we put the DEWALT D51257K due to the fact that its price is in line with its quality, it is a tool with all the essential features, and the producers give an excellent warranty.
If we speak about the NuMax SFN64 we can say that it is the budget friendly but still quality tool.
The Hitachi NT65MA4 and the PowRyte Basic are more economical solutions, but lack the performance of the previous two.
The last one, the Paslode 902400, is not a good choice if you want a quality cordless finish nailer.
If you ask us for the opinion, we say that buying the DEWALT D51257K is the perfect decision as its only disadvantage is the lack of bump mode actuation, which can be easily bought and installed.
We hope that this guide offered you everything you were searching for and that all the information was beneficial to you.