Power Tool Buying Guide for Nail Guns

Coil Nail Gun Stick Nail Gun

A nailer is not only a fun power tool, but also a handy power tool. A good nail gun can sink thousands of nails a day without even breaking a sweat. A Pneumatic nail gun is the most common and works off air pressure. A valve opens and lets the air push the nail into the material you are working on. Their are two main types of nail guns used for four main applications.

Nail Gun Types

Stick - A stick nail gun uses nails that come in a single flat row. They are held together by a thin layer of glue, so they are easy to put into the gun.
Coil - A coil nailer uses a long flexible string of nails and a inserted into the round holder of the nail gun. A coil allows as many as 350 nails.

Nail Gun Applications

Brad Nailer - Uses smaller nails that are used for precision work
Finish Nailer - Long skinny nails used for trim and molding.
Roofing Nailer - Used for attaching shingles on a roof.
Framing Nailer - The granddaddy of them all. Uses large nails and is designed for high speed and high power work. Attaching large pieces of material together.

Nail Gun Features

Exhaust - Allows the user to direct where the exhaust air is expelled.
Jam Feature - These tend to jam, make sure there is easy access, which most have, to clear jams.
Depth Adjustment - Allows the user to adjust the depth or how far the nail goes into the material.
Trigger - Look for a large trigger, since you will have gloves on and will be using it a long time.
Case - Get one with a nice case that will hold a lot of nails, it’s easier to carry one thing instead of three.
Connector - Most models come with a swivel connector on the end. Make sure you get this. My first gun didn’t have one and it was awful.
Nail Adjustment - Make sure you can easily change the size of the nail the gun accepts.