I don’t have a compressor. I don’t have a finish nailer.
Some projects - like putting on molding and the like would be easier with a finish nailer. At $179 for a tool only cordless nailer (another $99 for battery and charger), I begin to wonder if cordless is the way to go - or if I should bite the bullet and get a pancake compressor and pneumatic nailer. Thoughts?
The alternative is to just use a hammer, nails, and a nail set. Much less expensive and I am used to that.
Part of it is noise, another is space. I have the space for a cordless - the compressor and hose, not so much.
Often times you can find sales on various brands of a pancake compressor and nail gun. Sometimes they include 18 gauge brad guns and other times 18 and 16 gauge guns. Many times the combos are below $200. May be worth watching and waiting for.
I see lots of them on eBay. Some new, some used and some needing work. I would also check Craig's list. With the tight economy that we are in, there are probably lots of used tools for sale .
For your needs, I would recommend pretty much any small compressor that'll deliver 90-100 psi and a conventional pneumatic gun. Great for occasional use; you're in the shop not on a job site. I'm assuming you have the room for this.. Sure there's a hose, but there's no charger or batteries to keep up with ... compressor are noisy, unless you get one of the California Air Tools (or similarly) 'quiet' ones. CAT ones come highly recommended often. HD carries them, or used to.
Pneumatic is much cheaper I think, and very usable.
Regular use, off site and for paid work and the equation changes - although I do all of those regularly and I still run pneumatic tools.
Hey JL, I have this little compressor to take onto job sites where one of the larger ones isn't needed. It only weighs about 20#, and is quiet enough to talk on the phone while standing straddle of it.
This gun ought to take care of what you need and then some.
When my PC electric brad nailer finally got beyond economical repair I bit the bullet and bought a light oiled (not pancake) compressor from HF and bought a decent enough Bostitch 18-gauge nailer from Amazon. Yes, it cost more overall than even a good electric nailer but that electric nailer won't inflate tires and when I need a bigger nailer I won't need to re-buy the whole thing over again.
I use 23 gauge to framing nailer. They are all pneumatic. I'd go cordless in a heartbeat for occasional use. If I was a professional that needed to lug the nailer around all day, I'd stay pneumatic.
Well,,,,,,,, Since you mentioned noise level, I think you ought to at least take a look at how many db their units make. Sometimes I go out on job sites where other subs are running their compressors which are so loud that I can't be in the same room with them. I'll take one of mine and encourage them to run their air lines off of mine.
In a small shop, that sweet taste of a low price is long forgotten while the bitter taste of dissatisfaction lingers a LONG long time.
If you haven't ever had a compressor, you are probably going to wonder how you ever got along without one, so let me also offer the suggestion of another slightly larger one. Rolair makes some good quiet models. Here is a 1 hp link at 60 db. They also have a 2 hp that is 70 db.
I have read some 'I hate these' comments about low end greenish color brand cordless guns, and much better comments/reviews of 'higher end' red ones named after a city in WI.
Interesting experience - I believe the Ryobi 18 ga trim gun is the one that I have read complaints about. The complaint was that it was inconsistent in driving home the nail.
Note that this is not statistically sampled, just a user review that I read. I do not own, nor have I used one of these tools; they look good to me for small jobs of a few pieces because my compressor is both 'heavy' and noisy).
I agree fully with "small jobs or a few pieces", knock out something right now, and don't bother with lighting up the compressor or snaking out the hose.
