Last Modified on January 3, 2021
If you don't want to buy multiple nail guns for interior trim, baseboard, and crown molding works and looking for a versatile nail
gun that can handle these jobs and offers a good holding power than 16 gauge finish nailer might be the best option in the market
today.
These nailers are very useful in home improvement and for any type of construction project. They save your time and keep you
away from injuries that can occur while driving the nails with a hammer, but only if you are using it carefully.
As there are lots of options for 16 gauge finish nailers in the market today, but due to these many options, most of you can make
a mistake while choosing a perfect nailer to fulfil their requirement, that's why it is very important to do a little research
before buying it. So in this best 16 gauge finish nailer list, we will try to answer all the questions you have or might rise while
buying a good finish nailer.
The 15 and 16 gauge nails are the most common nails among the woodworkers, but because 16 gauge nails are a little bit smaller and offer
almost same holding power as 15 gauge nails, most people prefer to use 16 gauge nails.
Let's start with the DEWALT DCN660B 20V 16 Gauge Finish Nailer. It does feature a brushless motor and some really nice design features
that make it very easy to use. Pretty much everything that it is going to be tool-free so you can adjust the depth, clear jams, or even
clear a stuck piston, which makes it easy to use, especially if you don't have other tools with you.
Now also keep in mind because the
only thing required to power this tool is a fully charged battery pack, you don't have to replace expensive gas cartridges, run airlines,
or deal with the compressor. Dewalt is offering this nailer with two different configurations.
One is going to be as a bigger tool,
which would be just the nailer by itself. And the other is a kit form that's going to include the nailer, a 2 amp power compact battery
pack, a dual voltage charger that will charge the 12-volt batteries as well as the 20-volt batteries, and then the plastic carrying case.
The case does have a handle built-in, so you can carry it around wherever you want. If we talk about its body, then the yellow parts of
its body are made of tough plastic, and then all the rubber part is made of softer rubber. You do want to keep in mind that the
dimensions of this finish nailer are much larger than any other finish nailer.
Weight - 6 pounds
Options of color - Yellow
Pros
Cons
The next tool on our list is the Ryobi's P325 16 gauge air strike finish nailer. This is part of their 18 volts one+ series of tools and what
that means is it's completely compatible with all the other 18 volt one+ batteries and chargers. So whether you're using an older NiCad battery
or a brand-new lithium-ion battery, the gun will function exactly the same way.
It comes with a high capacity four amp-hour lithium battery,
which can get up to 800 shots on a single charge. So what that pretty much means is you'll be able to go all day long without recharging.
You're not going to have to bring a generator and compressor to the job site to run air hoses to a nailer, and you're not going to have to
buy replaceable fuel cells and keep spending your money to make the gun work. They did design this tool to be completely tool-free, meaning
any adjustments you need to do, you're going to be able to do them with your own hands, and no special tools needed.
It literally takes 1
or 2 seconds to clear a nail jam in this. It also has an LED light at the top, which can be activated in two ways. With a simple trigger
pull, it will shoot a nail and light the light up, but if you only want to light an area with no chance of firing a nail, you got an extra
button underneath the normal trigger.
The gun does come in at about six pounds with no battery, and then when you add the battery, it adds
roughly another pound, but it's very well balanced, and it doesn't feel awkward in your hand.
Weight - 7.99 pounds
Options of color - Yellow-green
Pros
Cons
The NuMax SFN64 is a pneumatic finish nailer that comes in a very affordable price segment. In this price segment, you get almost every
feature that a 16 gauge nail gun should have. This gun can shoot 1 to 2.5 inches nails giving awesome holding power in different finishing
tasks like trim, cabinetwork, baseboards, window casing, shoe and crown molding, and much more.
This gun weighs only 4.5 pounds, which
is very lightweight for any finishing nailer that means that you can carry it with ease and work as long as you want, but only if it is
getting enough air from your compressor.
It comes with an ergonomic handle, which gives you a very comfortable grip while holding and
doesn't slip from your hand. One of the essential features that a nailer must-have is the quick release jam feature. Yes, it has that
feature, so you don't have to carry any other tool to fix it like you need to carry with other old models of nail guns.
The aluminum
body design makes this tool highly strong and ensures you that it will stay with you for a longer time, depending on the way you use
it. This kit includes a Pneumatic 16-gauge 2-1/2" straight finish nailer, air tool oil, and some adjustment tools.
NuMax offers you a
one-year limited warranty with this tool and 30 days warranty on its wearable parts. At last, you can't beat this tool in the price
segment.
Weight - 4.5 pounds
Options of color - Silver
Pros
Cons
Another pneumatic finish nailer in our list comes from a brand that is famous for providing high-quality products in affordable price segments.
This WEN 617564 16 gauge gun is a straight finish nailer with comes with a carrying case that plays an important when you are not using the
tool and want to keep it safe from your children and your children from this tool.
The case seems to be of decent quality, but it doesn't
have enough holding space at the handle. So, if you have bigger hands, you might face problems while holding it. This tool weighs only 4.8
pounds, which makes this tool extremely lightweight and easy to carry too.
This tool uses only 16 gauge nails ranging from 3/4 inches to 2-1/2
inches, which give an excellent holding power and an acceptable hole size. Its magazine can hold up to 100 nails at a time, which again is a
decent capacity.
The major disadvantage to using these finish nailers is that you need to lubricate them regularly. Otherwise, they might
start creating issues and use the noisy air compressors, limiting the range of these nailers, and also, you cannot take them everywhere with
you.
So, considering the price of this pneumatic 16 gauge finish nailer, it has enough features that can take your interior and exterior
designing skills to the next level.
Weight - 4.8 pounds
Options of color - Orange combined with black
Pros
Cons
This Paslode 16 gauge angled nailer is a trusted and proven trim nailer on the job site, which is mostly used by professional woodworkers.
This nailer loads quick load fuel cells that are super easy to install. They just insert, and once you close the latch door, they automatically
engage, which is a much faster way to load the battery.
The lockout feature on the nailer is convenient to prevent that parasitic drain that
happens on cordless tools. It also prevents the battery from falling out or getting lost. One nice thing about this tool's battery is that
it charges 80% in 20 minutes and a full charge in one hour.
It also has an inbuilt handy belt hook that easily hangs on your belt, pocket,
and even on the ladder, you are working on. Its depth of drive is much larger and smoother than most other cordless finish nailers and slides
easily even when you are wearing the gloves.
It has a little bit narrower handle, which gives you a much firmer and better grip and also
improves the trigger grip making it a really comfortable tool. It can drive 12000 nails with a 7V Li-ion battery in a single charge, making
this tool the best 16 gauge finish nailer for heavy-duty work. So if you are looking for a finish nailer that can countersink that amount of
nail, you can go with this tool.
Weight - 4.5 pounds
Options of color - Orange
Pros
Cons
The PORTER-CABLE PCC792B is a battery-powered straight finish nailer that eliminates the need for gas cartridges, hose, and compressor. Also,
you don't have to worry about its maintenance, which you need to do in pneumatic or gas powered finish nailers, it doesn't require anything,
except a charged battery.
This PORTER-CABLE finish nailer can shoot up to 1000 nails with one time charge when using a 4Ah battery. The belt
hook has an average look, but it performs very nicely and doesn't let your tool fall when it comes to attaching the tool with you.
It's easy
to hold handle has a rubber over-mold, which helps ensure a secure grip and gives you a great experience even on the first use. If we compare
this tool with other cordless nailers, we can say that it is much lighter in weight than them.
It weighs 5.7 pounds without the battery, and
after installing it, you can add one or a half-pound in its weight, which is still quite light. This nail gun has a compact design compared to
other heavy-duty pneumatic and battery-powered nailers.
If I talk about its dimensions, then it has a length of 14 inches, a breadth of about
4.6 inches, and a height of 13 inches. The main drawback of this tool is that it is costly, over which the battery and charger are not included,
which makes this tool even more expensive.
Total kit Weight - 5.7 pounds
Options of color - Combined black, white & red
Pros
Cons
This 16 gauge nailer is part of the Craftsman's v20 series. It runs on that 20-volt max battery system that works across saws and drills along
with the 16 gauge nailer, which can fire up to 375 two-inch nails per battery charge. Keep in mind the box does come with a single battery in it.
It includes a battery charger, which is not the quick charger that comes with some of the bigger toolsets, but definitely, it is more than
sufficient to be able to get that battery charged up for your nail gun. One of the added benefits of battery-operated tools you don't have
to worry about oiling these at all.
One of the cool things about this craftsman nailer is that it has a safety switch right on the handle,
so when you get it out of the box, the switch is on the top side in the lock position. Once you slide it down to the bottom part of that
switch, that disengages the safety and allows you to fire.
It also has LED lights, which helps to work in a darker area like corners. This
will work out great for DIYers or doing projects around the house and maybe some light construction as well. It has a three-year warranty,
so if you have any issues, of course, you can just take it back, and you'll want to make sure you register there within the first 90 days
of having the tool.
Weight - 9.5 pounds
Options of color - Red
Pros
Cons
The words finish nailer has two meanings. The first is a generalized term for any nail used in finish work like baseboard casing, crown molding, wainscoting and cabinetry. The second meaning refers specifically to nailers that shoot 15 and 16 gauge nails. In the gauge system, the thickness or diameter increases as the number decrease, a 16 gauge nail is smaller than a 15 gauge.
The most common difference between finish and brad nailer is the nail sizes they use. Usually, Finish nailer can use both 15 and 16
gauge
nails, but the brad nailer can only use 18 gauge nails. When it comes to the 15, 16 and 18 gauge nails, it mostly boils down to holding
power and acceptable hole size. There is not much difference between 15 gauge and 16 gauge nailers.
But when it comes to 16 and 18 gauge,
there is a lot of difference. A 15 or 16 gauge nailers will give you the most holding power along with the biggest hole. When using the
15 or 16 gauge nailers in applications where you need better holding power, can't see the nail hole or in painted applications where
you can fill you'll get the most out of the 15 or 16 gauge.
If you're really concerned with the hole and you're putting smaller decorative pieces in or nailing into different profile 18-gauge comes in
handy, it also works well with tacking pieces or cabinets together before screw. And similarly, if you are concerned with the 18 gauge nails
holes too, you need to move to other small size nail shooting nailers like 21 and 23 gauge nailers. But remember the bigger the gauge size, the
less you'll get the holding power of the nail.
The finish nailer comes in two different types which are angled and straight finish ones. These are called angled and straight nailers
because of their magazine setup. The angled one has a magazine which is set to a small angle that comes towards your hand when you hold
it and works very efficiently in corners.
The straight nailer has obviously the straight magazine like any other nail gun which performs
well in any regular finishing work. As the angled nail guns can use 15 gauge nails with larger diameter and length, they are more pricy
than the straight finish nailers, but because of their larger nail size, they make a big hole in the wood which looks very ugly if not
appropriately covered.
On the other hand, a straight nailer is the most used nail gun than an angled finish nail gun only because
they are cheaper, and uses the nails which are easily available in any market.
If we talk about nailer type according to the power source required to make them work, then there are two types of finish nailers
used in almost every woodworking project, the pneumatic and electric finish nailers. The pneumatic nail guns are much cheaper and
lighter in weight than any electric nail gun.
These nail guns require an air compressor to drive the nails, which overall increases
their price for someone who doesn't have an air compressor. Usually, DIYers use the electric nail gun as they don't need to work
regularly with their tool. The electric nailers are much heavier than the pneumatic, especially the battery-powered nailer.
As
they use battery that's why they can be easily carried wherever the user wants but in the case of pneumatic nail guns if you want
to carry your nailer then you'll need to carry you air compressor too which most people don't like.
As we discussed earlier, cordless nail guns are the heaviest nail gun which usually shoots about 700-800 nails in a single charge and
takes almost one hour to charge that's why you cannot use them for a longer time for bigger projects or you'll need to buy extra
batteries.
On the other hand, the pneumatic guns are the lightest and easy to handle and can be used in any finishing work. The less
the gun's weight, the more easily you can handle that and carry it with you by the help of their inbuilt belt hook.
Tool-free jam release is the most important feature that you should look before buying any nail gun. This feature makes sure that you don't need an Allen wrench or any other tool to remove a stuck nail, giving you an uninterrupted nail shooting.
As we have discussed the types of nailers earlier, it's up to select any brad nail you want according to your budget. So, In short, If you want a brad nailer for occasional use, then a battery-powered nailer might be the best option for you, but if you need it for your shop or daily woodworking, then you should go with a corded or pneumatic nail gun depending on the budget.
The electric nail guns don't take much from you, but a pneumatic nailer needs regular oiling to work properly. You want to make sure
that you lubricate your tool with 5-8 drops of pneumatic tool oil. Next, you want to make sure that you drain you compressor tank
and hose daily this is going to prevent the accumulation of condensation inside the tank which could weaken your tank.
And lastly,
you'll need to clean the magazine, pusher and the contact tip because any type of dirt or debris that gets in these will not allow
the tool to function properly.
All the listed 16 gauge finish nailers above have the best features in the field of nail guns that can add good value to your woodworking
projects, but these nail guns also have some cons, which depends on how you will be using them. After considering all the main points, we
can say that If you are a woodworker or starting your career in woodworking, then you can go for a pneumatic nailer.
It is cheap and
offers a good performance despite the fact that it requires a noisy air compressor. As a woodworker, you might be already having an air
compressor, or if you don't have one, you'll definitely need to buy it later.
On the other hand, if you don't want to buy a pneumatic
nailer, you have no option left but to buy an electric finish nailer. You can buy any nailer listed above according to your budget but
remember, the more you pay, the more features you'll get in a tool.