The increasing number of DIYs are bringing the tools of professionals in our hands. Framing nail guns are thus being modified and getting modernized with extensive features. And it is the same reason why picking one even among the best framing nailers makes you get overwhelmed.
We are therefore here to guide you towards the nailer suiting works at your hand. Let’s get through the buying guide and then encounter some top picks of the market.
Table of Contents
Best Framing Nailers
1. NuMax SFR2190 21 Degree Framing Nailer
Why choose it?
Air exhausts in the case of pneumatic nailers are fundamentally important. This 8.5 pounds framing nailer has got a 360-degree air exhaust with an adjustable feature. This would not only keep the air and debris away from your face while working but also blow the mess away and keep your workplace fresh.
Sturdiness is the word that comes into anyone’s mind who operates it. The Magnesium built body is light as well a durable without compromising any part of toughness.
With a great ergonomic handle, the nail gun has become a trademark of quality. Nailers face constant vibration which is tackled with improved anti-vibration ease. Ergonomic design ensures a secure grip on the handle.
Whether you are indulged in a long rough project or a smaller and delicate one, you’ll find this 21-degree nailer by your side. The single-fire trigger helps in the perfect placement of nails. You may easily change it to bump fire mode for quick firing to find pace in your work
Every project has a more or less unique nailing depth. The driving depth of the nailer can be thus adjusted before each task at hand. But fresh and clean finish, a more important aspect, is assured due to no-mar tip. This prevents the surface of nailing from any kind of dents.
The no-mar tip can be removed to ensure further secured nail driving and greater grip on nails. But on the back of the handle will find ¼inch NPT fitting that fits with almost any hose coupler. Just beside that air filter cap is always ready to keep the inside clean.
Firing stops completely as the nail count reduces to low. This prevents damage due to dry firing.
What puts it behind?
NuMax offers only a 1-year warranty with this pneumatic nail gun. This is certainly a drawback since nailers having such features (PFR2190, 7years warranty) comes with a greater warranty.
The stick is plastic collated. Besides, you would find no rafter hook and selector of actuation mode. Jam clearing should have been featured tool-less. That’s not available too.
2. Paslode – 905600 Cordless XP Framing Nailer
Why choose it?
If your workplace does not allow you to bring or keep a compressor, this Paslode cordless framing nailer is the best choice. Cords and hoses are sources of a lot of trouble including tipping, tangling, and bending of the cords themselves. Luckily, the overall weight of the setup reduces due to the deduction of the compressor.
To run this powerful nailer requires a 7.4-volt battery as well as a fuel canister. A single fuel canister can serve you until 1,200 nails exhaust. A full charge helps you penetrate about 9,000 nails. But to recharge to full again it takes nearly 1.5 hours.
A quick charging feature has been added to this nailer to avail nailing for up to 200 plus nails.
The nail gun can co-operate with nails sizing between 2 to 3 ¼ inches. All nails are paper collated and having round heads with 30 degrees of inclination. Both hot dips galvanized and bright variants are available.
Both depth adjustment and jam clearing tasks are performed by this high-end framing nail gun. Though it contains all the weights of 24 nails magazine as well as that of battery, it just weighs only 7.5 pounds. For greater control and further weightlessness, a great ergonomic grip in the handle has been featured.
A number of accessories come up with this fast-performing framing nailer. For the more accurate and larger format of framing works, you will find both battery and charger along with carrying case and safety goggles.
What puts it behind?
For long-term usage, especially if you are working in an echoic environment, you would probably need hearing protection. Being a non-pneumatic framing nailer is quite unexpected.
Certainly, you need to pay for easy portability. And buying fuel is the cost of convenience.
3. BOSTITCH F21PL Round Head Framing Nailer
Why choose it?
F21PL is the name of a combination of both a framing nailer as well as a positive placement nail gun. If that really matters to you, and often that’s the case, then get to extend your budget in terms of-of some extra bucks. It’s two in one!
The positive placement tip of this Bostitch framing gun comes a lot in help while connecting metal connectors. It can fit into the connector holes with ease.
So if your project really makes the use of connectors, having a nailer like it means greater stress less period. Even if anything blocks your vision, you can still feel the positive placement tip getting into the connector hole.
Tool-free adjustment of depth and jam clearing refers to a hands-free nailing experience. But the addition of an adjustable rafter hook lifts the level of this nail gun to another dimension of appreciation. Though no actuation mode selector is available, you’ll surely find a stout contact trigger.
What puts it behind?
Bostitch did not hand over the users the mode selector option. So you will not find any actuation mode selecting an option.
Nails to be used in this framing nailer are plastic collated. Upon finishing the nails in the magazine holder, dry firing will start. That is, no dry fire mechanism is available.
4. Hitachi NR90AES1 Framing Nailer
Why choose it?
The Hitachi framing nail gun appears with an actuation mode selector. A single switch flip would exchange the modes between bump and sequential mode.
This lightweight nailer is especially noteworthy for its great industrially designed body. The head guard is an attention seeker due to its easy maintenance. This could never have been possible except for the design for ease in replacement and removal.
Though a few basic features aren’t available in it, the jam clearing option which is a tool-less feature is embedded into its system. The anti-dry fire and no-mar tip features can thus be overlooked as soon as the above features are invoked.
The 7.5 pounds framing nailer has a 5 years warranty which is quite satisfactory since it’s a fair choice between 7 and 1 year periods.
Like other best framing NR90AES1 is an acceptor of 21 degree round nails. The plastic collated nails may range between 2 and 3.5 inches. All kinds of tool-less adjustment features are fairly available in this mighty nailing machine.
What puts it behind?
Adjusting the depth of nailing is quite irritating while using this nail gun. This gets more difficult since the Mar tip is not available as well.
The anti-dry-firing system is not installed in this Hitachi framing nailer. So, a lot of stress will be indulged upon the machine as the magazine empties. Besides no support for adjustable exhaust can be found.
Having no rafter hook the portability is a bit affected. A case could have been the solution, but that’s not available too!
5. BOSTITCH MCN-150 StrapShot Metal Connector Nailer
Why choose it?
MCN 150 is a robust machine for framing and is especially appreciated for its metal strapping body. A tough body like this is always awake to deal with metals on a regular basis. Both pace and joy are ensured when tips of nailers are built to fit connectors well.
The firing of the nailer stops when two scenarios appear. The first one is when the tip does not align while the second one is when the nail count reaches 5. The second one is due to the anti-dry-firing mechanism to stop jamming. The first incident is the inherent design of the framing machine.
4.6 pounds! This is a dream come true for any carpenter or DIYer as far as the weight of a pneumatic framing nailer is concerned.
Tight and blind turns with narrow spaces are the perfect workplaces for a framing nail gun like it. Using 1.5 inches of paper collated nails this nailer machine is the perfect choice for many users.
What puts it behind?
Though this package comes with nails, they are considerable drawbacks of the nailer. The nail gun is just built for the 1.5 inch prescribed nails only.
The magazine consists of 25 nails only. Moreover, you can’t use the trailing 5 nails off the set before nails refill due to anti-dry-firing. Frequent reloading is much of an issue of pain.
6. PORTER-CABLE FR350BR 22-Degree Full Round Head Framing Nailer Kit
Why choose it?
Portability and storage convenience is a must for projects having a number of phases. Especially the DIYs that call for the need for a framing nailer should be both portable as well as lightweight. Weighing about 7.3 pounds and having a smaller yet powerful body and performance this pneumatic nailer is the ultimate choice.
As soon as nailing ends, users of this framing nail gun can store it comfortably and safely by hanging it using the provided rafter hook. Tool-less adjustments are all installed into the design of the nailer. Besides, both rapid and single firing modes are embedded in the system.
Collated nails of standard size are used in this framing nailer. This is especially noteworthy since it is available at almost every hardware store.
Trigger select mode has a great advantage in actuation control. Mode control can be toggled between contact and restrictive actuation with the help of trigger lockout.
What puts it behind?
Tight workspaces aren’t the ones for this pneumatic framing nailer. Complaints are also made about the tool-less adjustment features. Those are not up to the mark to be called precise.
There will still be some nails in the magazine chamber when the anti-dry driving mechanism prevents the nailer to fire. This is often annoying especially at the tail end of the project. Besides, removing the residual nails isn’t the easiest of the tasks at all.
Guide to Buy the Best Framing Nailer
Knowing about features of framing nailers that would really matter you need a bit of research. Going through the specs of the best framing nailers available in the market, touching the accessories as well as collecting user reviews are quite tiresome. Here’s where we play our role!
This comprehensive buying guide will not only touch on almost all the aspects of any framing nailer but also suggest you through every discussion. Let’s get some best choices before you begin nailing.
Type of Nail You Need
Reassess your project and match it to the nail you need. The job is undone even if you pick the best framing nailer unless the nails speak for your side.
The basics of a nail are the following-
Length of the Nails
Framing works are best accomplished using 3.5-inch nails. The nail gun you are to select should accommodate such nails. But nowadays, depending on the material used and the stature of the project you may reconsider the size.
Head Type of the Nails
The most prominent nail heads are round and clipped. A round head nail takes up greater space compared to the latter. Cartridges of round ones aren’t capable of accommodating as many nails as the clipped nail cartridges do. So in space and carrying, it lags behind.
But the bright side is that round nails are stronger. Its usage often marks an important issue since framing in hurricane zones has no other alternative.
Collation of the Nails
Collation is the way nails remain stick or chained together. The usual three nail collation methods are paper, plastic, and wire weld. Among them, paper cartridges are the most useful and safe. But if you intend to use them, keep the cartridge away from water.
Plastic collated nails are cheaper but maybe the reason for workplace hazards. They are safe until the plastic bits hit your face! Also, their finished work isn’t as clean as paper collated ones.
For more rough workplaces upon extending the budget you may get wire weld collated nails. Though they do not provide a top-notch finish they are extremely durable.
Anti-dry Firing
A dry fire refers to a firing attempt of the nailer without any nails. This is straight away a harmful practice for both the machine and the working material.
Don’t miss out on the anti-dry fire mechanism in the framing nailer you are intending to buy. It stops the nailer from actuating for fire if the magazine is found a void.
Modes of Actuation
Framing nail guns that have got an actuation mode selector is the best choice. It is too narrow of a mind to intend a machine for sole functionality when it offers dual versatility.
Sequential actuation mode is the one that lets the trigger press to decide for nailing. And each time there will be a single nail hitting the surface. But bump mode helps you fire nails successively at a greater pace.
In bump mode, the other actuation mode, just trigger press will not be enough for firing. It is the bump of the contact tip that ensures nail firing. However, without pressing the trigger no firing will be there. That us you need both to nail.
Tip of Contact
The contact tip is an important aspect shed light upon in case of any nailer. Specialized contact tips are found in different framing nailers. Positive placement tips are highly appreciable if you are working with metal connectors or joists. Again, the popular no-mar tips are a great modification for a high-quality finish.
Driving Depth
Depth of driving nails can be varied in all the best framing nailers. But which mechanism to be used is up to your decision. The tool-less depth drive adjustment is an all-out recommendation.
Jam Clearing
Nails often go out of alignment and poses jam in the nailer. Nailing in such a condition is not possible and any attempt to do so deteriorates its health. So you must clear out the jam. Modern nailers come up with a tool-less jam clearing features. Of course, using tools in this regard is a great hassle.
Type of Magazine
Among the two magazine types- stick and coil, the former is more versatile in terms of accessibility. Coil magazines tend to block the way out while nailing at an angle. But they can carry a number of nails though. And that’s what makes them heavier.
Inclination of Magazine
Greater magazine angle helps you achieve tighter nailing. It is, basically the angle between the ground and the magazine itself while you operate the nailer in an upright position. But if tight and narrow places are not the ones you encounter much, you may get a lesser angled machine since it adds more bucks.
In simple words, tighter places ask for a 33-degree framing nailer. If that’s not your case, go get one that features 21-degree magazine angle.
Rafter Hook and Case
Framing works often lead a carpenter to work on rafters. Once you are up there, keeping a framing nailer may become impossible without a rafter hook to suspend with. It speeds up your work and provides ample convenience.
A case, on the other hand, is important in terms of storage and transportation. Having both of them will ease out hassles to some extent.
FAQs
Q: Can I use framing nailers to in finish works?
Ans: Finishing nailers are known for using smaller and lighter nails. Finish works include trimming, paneling or molding. Baseboards and interior crowns and molding usually need 1 to 2.5-inch nails of 14 to 16 gauge standard size. Framing nailers aren’t the best choice for such works and may result in cracks.
Q: How brad nailers are different from framing nailers?
Ans: Framing nailers make the use of much larger nails than that of brad or pin nailers. Brad nailers can be used comfortably for finish nailing in many cases like trim board fastening. Framing nailers would readily spoil the workpiece. Besides, the angling of the magazine often differs greatly.
Conclusion
Each nailer provides you versatility from a different perspective. Like the Paslode 905600 can be used irrespective of the freedom of wider workplaces. But Porter Cable FR350BR does not allow you that much freedom. But it provides the great trigger select mode which is not found in Bostitch F21PL which in turn have the ever-helpful positive placement contact tip
So considering every features a nailer offers or refuses to offer, each is a hero of its own realm. Do a balance between your budget and the features you get. We narrowed down the top picks even among the best framing nailers. We are in await of your final choice.
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