# electric brad/ pin nailer.



## RDufner (Jun 23, 2011)

Unfortunately i do not own an air compressor yet and was wondering if anyone had used the electric or the hand powered brad nailers out there??? I'm on a tight budget so...


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## RDufner (Jun 23, 2011)

Anybody? I've seen some in the $15-20 range. Any thoughts???


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

I had one for staples. If the wood was soft and placed on a solid backing, the stapler almost worked. IMHO the electric drive can't match the pneumatic ones. The problem is that the nails, pins or staples are driven by speed vs. inertia transfer.


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## raskgle (Dec 10, 2007)

*craftsman*

I started with electric and for 1" to 1-1/4" it works fine. but the air will use longer brads. don't stop use electric. carl.


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

RDufner said:


> Unfortunately i do not own an air compressor yet and was wondering if anyone had used the electric or the hand powered brad nailers out there??? I'm on a tight budget so...


I've had a couple and haven't been satisfied with any. My latest one is a Powershot Pro, about $45 at the BORG. It shoots T-50 staples but not very well. With a lot of pressure on the head, it will flush set a 1/2" staple in pine. I bought it to put up plastic window weather proofing and to tack the backs on some el cheapo bookcases, my pneumatics punch right through the cardboard. Worked fine for that but an exercise in frustration trying to woodwork with the thing. :thumbdown:
Now, there are some contractor versions I've heard of that use rechargeble batteries, Ni-Cad or Li-On, that should do a better job but dollar wise you are in air compressor territory for those. I think I've heard DeWalt mentioned...


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## Corbin3388 (Jan 22, 2011)

Buying pneumatic will save you the $$ from upgrading later.

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

I have an electric brad nailer. Cost me about $40. I got it to put base board around a bedroom. It works OK but needs lots of pressure against the head to properly seat the brad. It also tends to "jump" when it drives a brad. 

I also have a pneumatic pin nailer and if I don't turn the air pressure way down low, it drives the 23ga pins completely through 1/4" thick hard woods.

Both work well enough but for my money, pneumatic is the way to go. Of course you'll need a compressor before getting air tools.


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## schnitz (Sep 5, 2009)

I'm glad that this was asked as I'm kind of in the same boat. I've got my 6.5 hp 60 gallon in my auto shop, but the wood shop is compressor-less. The local tool outfits all seem to have electric guns starting at about $40 up to $65, and bare-bones 1.5 hp 2 gallon airless compressors with 18 ga. guns are about $50 on sale. The price/ performance lines sure get blurry with prices like that.....


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## mikeintexas (Oct 25, 2011)

Pneumatic is the way to go if you are working with wood. Electric staple guns/brad nailers (unless you're talking a $200 electric contractor tool) are for hobby stuff like hanging decorations and such. Every tool has it's proper place. A 2", 16ga brad nailer is overkill for hanging Halloween decorations on the fence. An electric staple gun with 1/4" staples is perfect for that application, for example.

I own an 18ga brad nailer that will take up to 1.75" brads. With either a 30-gallon/6hp compressor OR an Ingersoll-Rand, tiny, cheapie always-on "tankless" compressor it gets great results in any "nailing wood to wood" application. Find a hobby type compressor that will deliver at least 90psi and you'll be good to go. The cheapie IR compressor I mentioned is definitely a homeowner type deal. Run constantly it will inflate a pool raft in about 5 minutes. Maybe. But shoot a brad every 3-5 seconds or so and it's perfectly happy too. You can't run a sander off it. Or an air ratchet. But for a brad nailer it's perfect. Spend about 3x that and get a 120+psi compressor with a tank and you're good for whatever you want to do short of a full production line shop. Nailers/staplers use very little air vs. all other air tools.

Invest now to be happy way down the line. You can't go wrong with a good compressor. So many uses. Brad nailer/stapler, sander, air ratchet/impact wrench, cutoff grinder, painting or just blowing sawdust around. Best money you'll spend is getting acompressor of some kind.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mikeintexas said:


> Pneumatic is the way to go if you are working with wood.
> 
> Best money you'll spend is getting acompressor of some kind.


Besides being the efficient way of fastening, pneumatic fasteners are the way to go. For a wood shop, a compressor can be regarded as a necessary tool. Picking one out that will operate fasteners and able to handle a spray gun can make your work more versatile.












 







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## RDufner (Jun 23, 2011)

I think i might do both now that i have heard some comments. I am starting to do a little bit of everything and i can see how they would both have their own benefits. Now i need to find out if the power in my shop will handle a compressor. It needs rewired but that's a project for later down the road. I want to level the current shop and start over. Can you ever have enough outlets>?? My father in law offered me a free compressor so that is a definite plus. Can you say WINNING!


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

RDufner said:


> I think i might do both now that i have heard some comments. I am starting to do a little bit of everything and i can see how they would both have their own benefits. Now i need to find out if the power in my shop will handle a compressor. It needs rewired but that's a project for later down the road. I want to level the current shop and start over. Can you ever have enough outlets>?? My father in law offered me a free compressor so that is a definite plus. Can you say WINNING!


With me, electric circuits are kinda like clamps,,, can always use one more:blink:
If you omit spray painting, just a small compressor for wood working will do fine. I got around that by picking up a small HVLP system which has it's own air supply. I have the $200 twenty gallon HD compressor in the shop and a 6 gallon Porter Cable pancake for portable work. Either will run anything I have and both run on 120 fifteen amp circuits.:smile:


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Slight tangent............FYI,one of those standard size portable air tanks pumped to 125# will shoot about that many(125) 6's and 8's from my PC pnuematic gun and a short coilhose.

Got a bunch of AC's here,sm,med,large.....but every once in awhile we'll just snag the air tank.Think lazyiness and that'd be pretty close.BW


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