Pro's Picks: Milwaukee Finish Nailer

Kris Griffin

Owner

Prestige Construction & Remodeling

Blairsville, Ga.

The Milwaukee battery nail gun I use fastens trim, paneling, and doors. It’s a great substitute for the older-style pneumatic air compressor-driven nail guns you would commonly see on a jobsite.

The battery nail guns are simpler and easier to carry around: All you need is your nail gun, a battery, and a charger rather than a bulky air compressor and long hose. It’s easier since the pneumatic gun somewhat limits you. With a battery gun, you don’t have to deal with dragging stuff around and potentially scuffing floors, furniture, and interior finishes.

There’s been a stigma with batteries in the past being unreliable, having a short charge, or being underpowered, which is why a lot of industry veterans are comfortable with pneumatic guns. But battery powered tools have come a long way.

This particular nail gun that I use is a 15-gauge angled nailer. At one job, we installed 600 to 700 square feet of tongue and groove paneling, and I used one battery, did not charge it until we were complete, and the project took at least a week. This project had scaffolding set up, and it was great not to have to weave the hose back and forth from one side of the room to the other to keep it from tangling.

Battery tools are heavier—which is an inconvenience to some—so make sure to use the gun with both hands so you don’t end up with one bicep bigger than the other, but at least you don’t have to carry around a 40 to 50-pound air compressor
and hose.

That does not even get to the fact that the jobsite is much quieter without the air compressor turning on every few minutes. There is also a cost involved as these are certainly more expensive than a comparable pneumatic gun, but if you have a matching brand of other tools, the batteries are interchangeable. It uses standard nails, commonly available at your local hardware store.