Cordless vs Air Trim Nailers

[Crazyjake8493]

I've got a lot of trim work to do in the house. I already have 16, 18, and 23 gauge pneumatic nail guns. My only compressor is a large stationary compressor in my detached garage.

I'm thinking of either going with a small, quiet compressor to keep in the house, or the cordless brad nailer for Craftsman's C3 line, since I already have 4 batteries for my other C3 tools. If I get a small compressor, it'll be the Senco PC1010 or something similar, not a pancake compressor.

I use a lot of 23ga pin nails for small trim, and the only cordless pin nailer I've seen is the Makita, which is steering me in the direction of pneumatic.


What does everyone prefer for indoor trim work: cordless or air nailers?

 

[KMdef9]

Air.

I haven't picked up a battery powered one in a couple years, but they used to be heavier and bulkier, two things I don't like dealing with when doing trim work. And, having a battery die on you isn't terrible, but another thing air won't have an issue with. Just wait till you're up on a 10ft ladder doing crown, you just got you're corner lined up for your first nail, and your battery dies....

 

[The Cobbler]

Air for me. cordless are bulkier, heavier and more costly to purchase & operate . we shoot hundreds of thousands of brads & staples per year tho.

PC1010 is a nice light , quiet compressor. I have 3 of them. ( plus 1 that's a donour compressor LOL)

 

[lotsoftools]

Cordless for me. I'm by no means a professional trim installer. When I had to do all of the baseboard and crown moulding on our last house I bought myself a cordless and it was great. I hate dragging out a compressor, pulling hose everywhere and having to listen to it.

 

[txvwnut]

I've got both air and cordless(Ryobi). The cordless unit has its limitations due to its size plus you really have to bear down on it when firing or it will leave shiners. This may be due to the fact that it's one of lesser line of cordless tools but I suspect it maybe relevant to all cordless nailers due to how they fire.

I also have a compressor in the attached garage which gives me air in the house but you have to drag a hose throughout the house when using the nail gun.

It really just comes down to what you want. I suggest going and putting a few of the cordless nailers in your hand and compare them to what you already have.

 

[Empty Pockets]

When I ran the formica shop, we had air EVERYWHERE. When working on a bench, I prefer air.

When we built the current house, I invested in 18 volt DeWalt nailers. Even though they are heavier, they're much more convenient when not working on a bench. The trick, is to have a 2nd battery charged and ready to go.

Now my 18volt batteries are old, and starting to fail, I'm converting to 20 volt.

Good luck

 

[sam.coll]

How far between compressor in garage and house? maybe run a large diameter hose between with a surge tank if reguired

 

[theoldwizard1]

How far between compressor in garage and house? maybe run a large diameter hose between with a surge tank if reguired

Use standard hose, but raise the pressure TO the surge tank and then add a regulator.

OR

Look into a CO2 bottle (like they use on paint ball guns). It will probably require a 2 stage regulator.

 

[rockwithjason]

my kid won a dewalt cordless trim nailer. it works really well.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

How far between compressor in garage and house? maybe run a large diameter hose between with a surge tank if reguired

I have a hose through conduit into the basement right now, about 50'. Works ok, the problem is that I need to link several hoses to come up from the basement and to whatever room of the house I'm working in. And then roll all the hoses back up when I'm done.

I think I'm going with a Senco PC1010 and a short hose. I already have 16, 18, and 23 gauge air nailers. If I go cordless the only brand of 23ga pin nailer I can find is Makita, and I'd rather not invest in multiple brands of cordless tools.

I haven't used the Senco myself, but it seems like it would be much quieter than a pancake style. I'd also be able to use it in the garage after work if I'm doing some small projects. My Craftsman oil-less inside the garage can be heard a couple houses away, and I really don't want to bother the neighbors.

 

[skruft]

I do either way and both work fine. I have an old beat up Speedaire compressor that is adequate for trim and I can carry, or I run a hose. A larger compressor is in a basement near a stairway that comes up into the house so it is not a big deal to use hose. I have toyed with the idea of a convenient outlet but have not done it.

 

[dutchgray]

I have the Bosch 16 gauge cordless one and its works well but is heavy. We have air guns as well but here in the UK the health and safety lot really hate trailing air lines on sites so a lot of them won't allow air guns.

 

[bcradio]

I like cordless fine, but prefer air for its consistency. I can set nails better overall with air. I have the 18v dewalts and those are the only ones I have used... New cordless may be better.

 

[Rickster]

Cordless everything.

 

[vavet]

I was thinking about buying one of the air tanks to use for low demand jobs like trim nailing. They're about $40 at HF....but, I just got a flyer in the mail. They have a coupon for either hot dog or pancake compressors ( 3 hp, 100 psi) for $40.

 

[Hagatronics]

I must be going nuts for tools...

I read this as Cordless vs Air Nail Trimmers and thought “how cool would it to be to have a pneumatic nail trimmer?”. Could go with a 12V beard trimmer set too.

 

[KnurledNut]

Paslode cordless all the way.
There are a lot of guys that look down on it, framers or trim.
Yeah, it cost more.
Yeah, you have to know how to charge a battery.
Yeah, you have to clean the cylinder every so often.
They are noisy, and blow out exhaust.
But the convenience is worth it to me.
More pros than cons.
Ive used both air and cordless extensively in a professional setting.