Best Cordless Framing Nailer
If you are a do-it-yourselfer guy like me who at one point had given a hand to a friend or had taken a job at various woodworks or carpentry, then you may have probably reached a point where you needed to choose the right framing nail gun for you.
Since I have been doing a lot of framing and subflooring lately, I decided to give myself a treat and get my own cordless framing nail gun. I already had my hand on several cheap framing tools and I would say it cost me a lot of headaches and more time spent in unjamming nails and troubleshooting the tools. Not to mention the energy it required me to finish the process!
So this time, I decided to go for the premium framing nailers. But considering it will eat a good chunk of my savings, I need to do a quick research on my options. I narrowed down my choices of cordless framing nail guns to the following:
- Paslode 902600 CF325Li Lithium Ion Cordless Framing Nailer
- Hitachi NR90GR2 3.5-Inch Gas Powered Plastic Strip Collated Cordless Framing Nailer Gun
- Dewalt DCN692M1 20V MAX Brushless Cordless Lithium-Ion Framing Nailer Kit
A Quick Review of the Paslode 902600 CF325Li Lithium Ion Cordless Framing Nailer
After reading nearly every review I could find on Paslode 902600, this Paslode framing nail gun seem to garner a good satisfaction rate among the framing nailer users. So I hope that after you read this paslode 902600 review you’ll understand what a great bit of kit this paslode 325 li really is!
Taking a look at its specs and features, this $331 framing nailer indeed seems to be a fairly well-made gun. For one thing, it is cordless, so you will love the advantage of having to carry it around without having to drag a compressor and a hose. Guys who have been doing carpentry for decades will most fully appreciate this convenience.
It promises to deliver the basic feature of sending the galvanized nails right through pressure treated hardwood and other sheet materials with its powerful engine. It can fire nails in quick succession after you try to line the shot.
Users have a common complaint, however, on this paslode cordless framing nailer due to its relatively louder noise than some pneumatic guns. This is kind of funny because it’s supposed to have improved that certain aspect considering it runs on 7.4 volt (not short of power!). If you’ll be working on the basement or the attic, be sure to get yourselves some ear plugs. Anyway this should be just a minor nuisance.
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The cf325li has the Occasional Critic
One critic of the paslode cf325li mentioned how the nail gun would not work on higher elevations of 5000’ and above. Since I barely work at that level, I guess it will not be of any issue to me. It runs on gas cartridge so you will just need to buy another cartridge when it nearly runs out.
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A Quick Review of the Hitachi NR90GR2 Gas Nailer
The Hitachi NR90GR2 is a 3.5-Inch Gas Powered Plastic Strip Collated Cordless Framing Nailer Gun. Hitachi is an established name in the power tools industry owing to its reliability and durability so it came as no surprise when the general public gave raving NR90GR2 reviews upon it’s release.
There is a common sentiment, however, regarding the small gas explosion the Hitachi nail gun makes with each nail so you probably will need ear protection when using it. It is slightly cheaper than Paslode and can be purchased at $308 but it has an equally good nail driving power owing to its 7.2 volts engine.
The nailer is ideal for high nail usage with which you can fire 4,000 nails on a full charged battery.
It runs on gas cartridges like Paslode 902600 and you can use any of your cartridges from Paslode or Bostitch. Both should work just fine. Or you can buy framer cartridges below $20 from Home Depot or Amazon. It comes with Nickel Cadmium battery so it has quite shorter battery life than Paslode’s Lithium Ion-run nail gun.
I particularly like the feature of indicator light which gives you a heads up if you already need to recharge the battery. At least you will not be nonplussed when your nail gun suddenly dies on you while you are in the momentum.
Another interesting feature of the hitachi nr90gr2 cordless is its collapsible rafter hook which allows you to hang the nailer when both of your hands are occupied. I already imagine myself swinging from ladder to ladder with no problem in hanging and recapturing the Hitachi nailer. It weighs about 8 lbs so I just have to be sure on the stability on where I hook it.
Hitachi boasts of its handle composed of an elastomer compound which reduces vibration from the gun recoil and prevents your hand from slipping. I find this very helpful as I feel my arm tensed every time after using nailers for couple of hours (which is probably due to the vibration from firing the NR90GR2 nails).
Based from the user reviews, the depth adjustment is easy to configure. You can adjust the setting to drive common 3 ½” galvanized nails through 2×4 pressure treated wood or on other varying materials.
In concluding this short hitachi nr90gr2 review, I suggest that this hitachi cordless framing nailer is certainly worth consideration!
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A Quick Review of Dewalt DCN692M1 20V MAX Brushless Cordless Lithium-Ion Framing Nailer Kit
The Dewalt DCN692M1 20V MAX Brushless Cordless Lithium-Ion Framing Nailer Kit so far is the most expensive framing nailer I looked into, with a tag price enough to buy me several good seats at a Lakers game. It costs $200 more than Paslode 902600 and Hitachi NR90GR2! But the users based from the reviews are all satisfied with the tool’s performance, giving the product an average rate of 4-5 out of 5. Let’s take a closer look with this dewalt dcn692m1 review…
It has a stellar engine of 20 volts so it is safe to position your nail on a double timber and bam! It drives through the wood. Despite the power in firing the gun, Dewalt has less recoil so no need to flex those muscles.
It also has a unique dual setting where you can use different lengths of nails like shooting 3 ½” and 3 ¼” into 1/8 and ¼ inch below surface of pressure treated wood.
It has a bump fire mode where you can switch the setting into successive firing mode. It can be really helpful if you want to finish your work fast but when you like to position your nails more precisely, then you can switch it off and revert to the setting where you can work closely on precision nailing.
If shopping for gas cartridges forever is not in your game plan, then Dewalt is for you. It is battery operated so there will be no fuss on operating the gas cartridges unlike the other nail guns. You will only have to worry about the level of your charge. Similar to Paslode, it runs on Lithium Ion so technically it has a long battery life.
Nevertheless, the Dewalt ensures that the brushless nail gun will not suddenly die on you as it has an integrated indicator light which will warn you if the gun is running on low battery. This is really helpful since it ensures that no job will be interrupted at the middle of the activity.
Furthermore, it leaves fewer specks so you don’t need to anticipate spending a lot of time cleaning up after your job. All in all, this Dewalt gun is highly recommended by the general public.
Click here to check availability.
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What’s My Verdict on the Best Cordless Framing Nailer?
I would have to say that all of them seem to be a good partner in small to medium framing jobs. They have a long shell life unlike the cheaper models that I bought which were good for only about an average of 2 months. All of them provide safety glasses so I wouldn’t have to worry about pieces of wood hitting me in the eye. They are all cordless so I wouldn’t have to carry around air hoses and worry about neighbors complaining on loud noises from compressor.
I guess the Dewalt nailer is on the top of the wish list for professional carpenters and handymen. However, I find the nail gun too expensive for a next-boy type DIY’er like me. I would rather go for the Hitachi since it fits right on my budget and it works just as fine as the Paslode and Dewalt for my fencing, framing, and subflooring jobs.
It does not have quite a big weight and it has a nice grip. I even find its additional features of indicator light and collapsible hook convenient for my taste. Considering I only work on small jobs, there is no need to find myself an extra battery anytime.
I am just not sure with the durability if it will still perfectly work after 24 months. Most users claim that it still works fine over several monthswith no jam or misfire so I think there should be nothing to worry about.Nevertheless, it has a one year warranty and I will keep close to it if it still works perfectly within 6 months of continuous use.
No need to financially bleed to get a good quality of cordless framing nail gun. I will definitely get the Hitachi NR90GR2 on my next trip to Home Depot, or ….. Amazon!
Click here to check availability of Hitachi NR90GR2
Other Cordless Nailer Comparisons That You Might Be Interested In:
- Best Cordless Brad Nailer
- Best Cordless Finish Nailer
- Best Cordless Pin Nailer
- Best Cordless Roofing Nailer
