Top 5 Best Cordless Framing Nailers 2020
Whether you work construction, are a contractor, or are just a weekend Do-It-Yourselfer that likes to save money working on your own home, at some point in your life, you’ll find yourself needing a framing nailer. Let’s face it, trying to move about the job-site with a hose connecting you to a compressor somewhere is a real pain in the #$%!!! The alternative is a cordless framing nailer. Don’t find this out the hard way. Take a look at some of our favorites before wasting your time and money on junk.
Paslode XP Cordless Framing Nailer
✔ Battery & Fuel Cell Powered
✔ Best Option For Framing Hardwoods and Engineered Lumber
✔ Great for Professionals
✔ Lightweight & Fits in Tight Spaces
✔ Extremely Powerful
✔ Up to 9,000 Nails Per Charge
10/10
Dewalt DCN692B 20V Max Cordless Framing Nailer
✔ Battery-Powered
✔ Sequential or Bump Operating Modes
✔ 3-year Warranty
✔ Dual Speed
✔ Drives up to 3-1/2″ Fasteners
✔ Long Motor Life
9.9/10
Metabo HPT 18v Cordless Nail Gun for Framing
✔ Battery-Powered
✔ Metabo HPT was Previously Hitachi Power Tools
✔ Low Maintenance & Durable
✔ Includes (2) 18-volt Lithium-Ion Batteries
✔ Rapid Charger with USB-port Included
✔ Small & Lightweight
9.6/10
BOSTITCH 20v Max Framing Nailer Kit
✔ Battery-Powered
✔ Brushless Motor w/ 2-Speeds
✔ 2.4GHz Remote Control
✔ Comes with Carry Bag & Charger
✔ Drives Up to 3-1/2″ Fasteners
✔ 3-Year Warranty
9.4/10
Dewalt DCN21PLM1 20v MAX Cordless Framing Nail Gun
✔ Battery-Powered
✔ Dual Speed Motor Optimized to Drive a Wide Range of Fasteners
✔ Tool-Free Depth Adjustment
✔ Perfect Kit for the Weekend DIYer
✔ Sequential or Bump Modes
✔ Uses 21-Degree Plastic Collated Stick Framing Nails
9.4/10
Our Proprietary Ranking System Takes The Following Factors Into Consideration
Source of Power
Size & Weight
Features & Kits
Price Point
Feedback/ Reviews
Brand Reputation
Cordless Framing Nailer Buying Guide
Getting the right tool for the job can make so much easier at the site. Have you heard the saying, “buy once, cry once”? I’m not sure where it originates from, but basically it means that you’d be better off buying the right item, and one of good quality so you only have to purchase it once. Yes, it might cost a bit more, but in the long run it’ll save you money.
We’ve all been there before where we’ve bought something because it was cheap. Then what? You’ll buy another one sometime in the future because the cheap on doesn’t work or broke already. Hopefully this second time, you’ll buy a good one. What we all figure out eventually is that we could have actually saved money by just buying the best one first.
What to Look For in Cordless Framing Nailers
Some of us thoroughly enjoy buying new tools, knowing that they’re going to make life easier on the job-site. But, that’s not true for everyone. In fact, many dread making such a purchase. They feel the pressure of possibly making a mistake and buying a piece of junk or wasting money.
The good news is that we’ve taken all the guesswork out of buying a cordless nail gun for framing. In this guide we talk about the critical few criteria to keep front of mind. They include the power source (battery, fuel cell, or a combination of the two), the framing nailer’s size and weight, and the features or accessories that come with it.
Source of Cordless Power
Cordless framing nailers are awesome because there is no need for an air compressor and the inconvenient hose you’d normally have to drag around the job site. There are 3 different ways cordless nail guns are powered.
- Battery-Powered
- Fuel Cell Powered (Also called gas-powered)
- Combination Gas/Battery
Each power source has it’s pros and cons, and we’ll cover the basics right here. Battery-powered nailers are most common. They’re similar to what we’re all used to in a cordless drill. They’re convenient and relatively inexpensive to operate, but they may lack the power for some hardwoods or engineered lumber, and also may “run out of gas” before the job’s done if you’re a professional using it all day.
Conversely, those powered by fuel-cells require cell replacement from time to time which is an added task and requires their purchase as a consumable item. But the benefit is more power and the ability to drive nails into a wider variety of woods.
A 3rd source is a combination of the two, battery and gas. These combo units have the greatest logevity and most power. They are really the best fit for a professional contractor that will be using it a lot when compared to most weekend warriors. Those DIYers are probably a better fit for the battery-powered units that don’t require you to buy fuel cells.
Size and Weight
What many contractors forget to consider is how heavy their framing nailer will feel after carrying it around and using it all day. Please consider the weight of the unit when purchasing. You’ll thank me later!
Another item of discussion should be the framing nailer’s size. Most are huge! But, when doing framing, you’re often trying to squeeze between studs, so a smaller nail gun is better in this situation.
Our top pick above really embodies both a lightweight unit and a smaller platform that allows for squeezing in places to get the job done. These are less critical if you don’t plan on using the cordless framing nailer day in and day out.
Features & Kits
There are tons of features that are built into framing nailers including different operation modes (sequential or bump mode), how big of fasteners they can drive, and brushless motors for longer life. You’ll have to decide which of these are important to you, but not knowing what you’ll run into down the road, they can be nice to have.
Kits are great for non-contractors that don’t have all sorts of other tools. A combination framing nailer, charger, carry bag, and battery or batteries would be considered a “kit”. Many contractors have other tools that will utilize the same batteries, chargers, and already have a way to haul their tools around, but DIYers really like the kit concept. Just another thing to think about.
Conclusion
Besides the main consideration factors above, warranties are also important. In tools, you’ll find that warranties commonly range from 1 to 5 years, depending on the manufacturer.
We hope this guidance helps you with your search. As we said at the outset…buy a “good one” and you won’t need to buy “another one”.
As a reminder, we strongly recommend the Paslode XP Framing Nailer for professionals. It’s the most powerful and long-lasting. It also works the best in cold temperatures (down to 14-degrees F).
For our weekend do-it-yourselfers, we recommend the highly rated Dewalt DCN692B Cordless Framing Nailer. It gets the job done and is easy and convenient to use. The 3-year warranty is also nice to have.
