Best Palm Nailer
Although technically not a nail gun due to the fact the palm nailer shoots only one nail at a time, and requires each individual nail to be loaded, while a nail gun holds a magazine of nails or brads which can be ‘fired’ in quick succession. Very useful both for the workplace as well as for a variety of homebuilding tasks. Surprisingly Palm nailguns are quite new to the power tool marketplace.
Palm nail guns come in different flavors – cordless palm nailers (battery powered or electric cable) and the more powerful variety the pneumatic palm nailer. That aside what’s the best palm nailer around?
The Best Palm Nailers Reviewed
Well we’ve come up with two popular palm nail guns which were impressed with – the 1st is the pneumatic Porter Cable PN650 and the other is the battery powered Milwaukee M12. Both regularly get awarded 5 star ratings! Let’s compare their characteristics:
| Nailer Model | Type | Operating Pressure | Nail Size | Dimentions (inches) | Weight | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Cable PN650 | Pneumatic | 50 - 120 PSI | 1 ¼ to 6 ½ inch | 3.2 x 10.5 x 14 | 2.5 lbs | 1 years |
| Milwaukee M12 Cordless | Battery (Cordless) | NA | 2 - 3½ inch | 2.5 x 6.5 x 7.5 | 3.4 lbs | 5 years. |
As you can see they are quite different from one another. The more powerful Porter Cable naturally delivers a better range of nails (1¼ to 6½ inch) compared to the M12 (2 to 3½ inch) but it is corded by the compressed air delivery system. If you already have a compressor and you can work around the cord issue then this is the way to go.
If you don’t have a compressor (and don’t want to purchase one) and you can get away with a more limited range of nail sizes then the cordless Milwaukee M12 is a good option. You’ll need to plan for periodic recharging (unless you purchase a spare battery), which is only an issue if you are working on a long drawn out project. The M12 nail gun has the benefit that you’ll not be hampered with a cord so you’ll be better able to work in confined spaces.
Personally I would tend to go for a ‘cordless option’ with ‘all things being equal’, but that’s not the case here – they are quite different power tools which lend themselves to different set of circumstances. To check availability click below.
Here are the product review summaries:
| Palm Nailer Model | Nailer Product Summary |
|---|---|
 | Porter Cable PN650 The Porter Cable PN650 Palm Nailer Kit is a very compact and easy to use nail gun. It’s light weight and compact design makes it the ideal choice for use in very restricted areas where space is at a premium and a larger nailer may not a practical solution. The Palm nailer is a reasonably versatile pneumatic nail gun, with the ability to accommodate a wide range of nails from 1 ¼ inch to 6 ½ inch nails and with 4 different nose tips the Porter-Cable PN650 Palm Nailer Kit is one of the most versatile nailers on the market. Overall the low Porter-Cable PN650 price makes it an excellent buy, its light weight, ease of use and practicality make it the ideal choice for working in confined areas, while the ability to cope with nails of such a wide variety of sizes makes it as useful as a traditional hammer, it can hit just about anything you care to throw at it. |
 | Milwaukee M12 The Milwaukee M12 Cordless Palm Nailer Kit is a cool new product on the market. The cordless electric nailer is powered by a 12v battery pack. For its size it delivers decent power at 2-1/5 foot pounds of driving force. A perfect power tool for any homeowner. The Milwaukee M12 Cordless Palm Nailer Kit makes a great power tool for any hobbyist or homeowner at just under 100 bucks. The palm nailer is actually quite powerful and will happily sink nails 2 inch - 3.5 inches, but don’t expect it to replace a standard nail gun. The palm nailer is best suited to hard to reach spots, where a hammer or nail gun won’t fit. We really liked the cord free design, and as such this nailer can be used almost anywhere, including tree stands. For light woodworking we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this product. |
And here are the full palm nailer reviews if you want to visit them separately:
Other Best Nailer Comparisons
- Best brad Nailer
- Best finish nailer
- Best flooring nailer
- Best framing nailer
- Best palm nailer
- Best pin nailer
- Best roofing nailer
