Nailing It
Pneumatic nailers make installing molding as easy as pulling the trigger—far faster and easier than pounding nails with a hammer. These battery-powered nailers rely on gas “fuel cells” or motors to drive a piston that sinks 18-gauge brads, so there’s no compressor or restrictive air hose. Here’s what This Old House readers had to say about the latest nailer models.
Senco Fusion FN55AX
Price: About $350
Highlight: Shoots nails instantly; no wait for the motor to ramp up. Needs no fuel cells.
Tester: Anthony Sheffer, Traverse City, Mich.
Skill level: Pro (“I’m a trim carpenter.”)
Used tool for: Installing cherry casing around a window.
My two cents: “This one fires nails just as fast as the pneumatic nailers I’ve been using for years.”
Tool stats: 6 pounds, 18-volt lithium-ion battery with 45-minute charger; holds 110 nails ⅝ to 2⅛ inches long; drives 600 2-inch nails per charge, two to three per second. Includes nose-mounted LED, adjustable drive depth, single or sequential nailing, two-year tool warranty.
The Senco Fusion’s motor-driven design is a key differentiator in the cordless nailer category. Unlike combustion-type portable nailers that require fuel cells in addition to a battery, this tool’s flywheel mechanism fires nails instantly with no ramp-up time—a significant advantage for trim carpenters who need the same rapid response they get from pneumatic guns. As article author Sal Vaglica noted, these battery-powered nailers eliminate both the compressor and the restrictive air hose, giving pros full freedom of movement on the job site.
Paslode 901000
Price: About $260
Highlight: Drives the most nails per charge.
Tester: Michael Venaski, Miller Place, N.Y.
Skill level: Beginning DIYer
Used tool for: Dressing up a fireplace surround with 1x pine.
My two cents: “The nailer is precise and well balanced.”
Tool stats: 5 pounds, 6-volt nicad battery with 120-minute charger; holds 100 nails, ⅝ to 2 inches long; drives 1,200 2-inch nails per fuel cell, 4,000 per charge, two to three per second. Includes adjustable drive depth, single or sequential nailing, one-year tool warranty.
The Paslode uses a gas fuel cell and combustion-driven piston system. As described in This Old House Magazine, inserting the fuel cell, snapping on a rechargeable battery, and loading a strip of collated nails is all it takes to get started. The 6-volt battery operates a spark plug and a tiny fan, igniting the fuel-air mix to drive the piston against the nailhead at lightning speed—no compressor or hose required.
Dewalt DC608K
Price: About $280
Highlight: Needs no fuel cell; uses a motor-driven piston to drive nails. Has the best warranty.
Tester: Loren Petty, Boise, Idaho
Skill level: Average DIYer
Used tool to: Assemble pine cabinets.
My two cents: “While it worked well with pine, it struggled in oak scraps. Much quieter than a compressor.”
Tool stats: 7½ pounds, 18-volt lithium-ion battery with 60-minute charger; holds 110 nails, ⅝ to 2 inches long; drives 800 2-inch nails per charge, four to five per second. Includes adjustable drive depth, single or sequential nailing, three-year tool warranty.
Unlike other cordless brad nailers in this test that rely on disposable gas fuel cells to fire the piston, the DeWalt DC608K uses a motor-driven piston mechanism. That means no recurring fuel-cell costs and no waiting for a fresh cell when one runs out mid-project—a key advantage for DIYers tackling longer jobs like cabinet assembly.
Hitachi NT50GS
Price: About $300
Highlight: It’s the lightest of the bunch.
Tester: Gary Burns, Rio Rancho, N.Mex.
Skill level: Pro
Used tool for: Building oak cabinets and a staircase.
My two cents: “Great tool. It successfully sank brads into iron-hard ipe stair treads.”
Tool stats: 4 pounds, 3.6 volt lithium-ion battery with 60-minute charger; holds 100 nails, ⅝ to 2 inches long; drives 1,200 2-inch nails per fuel cell, 2,000 per charge, two per second. Includes adjustable drive depth, single or sequential nailing, one-year tool warranty.
Another This Old House reader tester, Michael Venaski, a beginning DIYer from Miller Place, N.Y., used the Hitachi to dress up a fireplace surround with 1x pine and reported: “The nailer is precise and well balanced.”
Bostitch GBT1850K
Price: About $240
Highlight: Offers the longest warranty of the gas-powered nailers tested.
Tester: Cedric Rose, Cincinnati, OH
Skill level: Beginner (“I’ve installed some trim.”)
Used tool for: Installing pine and MDF shoe molding.
My two cents: “The gun fired consistently, without jamming. I was concerned that the brads would split or shatter the MDF and the narrow, smaller strips of brittle wood molding, but the brads didn’t damage either one.”
Tool stats: 4 pounds, 3.6 volt lithium-ion battery with 60-minute charger; holds 100 nails, ⅝ to 2 inches long; drives 1,200 2-inch nails per fuel cell; 4,000 per charge, 2 per second. Includes adjustable drive depth, single or sequential nailing, two-year limited warranty.
Pro Tip: This Old House general contractor Tom Silva recommends brad nailers for exactly the kind of work tester Cedric Rose described: “The thin, 18-gauge nails that brad nailers shoot have less chance of splitting or marring the wood surface than the thicker 15- or 16-gauge nails that finish nailers use, and brads leave a much smaller hole to fill. That can be a real advantage when installing small or delicate trim pieces like shoe or crown molding.”
