Choosing the Correct Nailer

Unlike many types of tools, nailers are not meant for general purposes - there is no all-purpose nailer that you can use for all your jobs. Nailers are designed to perform specific jobs, so before buying a nailer it's important to understand the job for which it will be used. The types of nailers available are:

1. Framing nail guns - These are designed for driving large (1-1/2" to 4") box-type nails into large pieces of material. These types of nail guns tend to be big and heavy and are usually stick-type nail guns.
2. Finish nail guns - These are often referred to as brad or pin nailers. They are designed for nailing smaller finish-type nails into smaller pieces of material. These nail guns tend to be smaller and lighter than framing nail guns, and they tend to be used for finishing or trim work. These are usually stick-type nail guns.
3. Roofing and Siding nailers - These are designed for the specific task of putting up either roofing or siding. They store large numbers of nails that are designed specifically for the task at hand (roofing or siding). These are usually coil-type nail guns.

Once you decide on the type of gun you need, you'll need to select a triggering mechanism. There are several types of triggering mechanisms available for nail guns, and some guns allow adjustments to go between the different types of settings:

1. If you are doing work that requires lots of nails to be put in, like roofing or framing, you'll probably want the ability to hold down the trigger and bounce the tool on the material to be nailed with a nail being delivered on every bounce.
2. For more precision work, you'll want the nail to only be delivered after the tool is on the surface to be nailed, and then the trigger is pulled.
3. There is also the option to have a nail fired every time the trigger is pulled, regardless if the tool is on a surface or not.

Other features that are very nice to have and which you should consider looking for are:

1. A directional exhaust vent. When nails are delivered, air comes out the back of the tool. It's nice to have this adjustment so that this air is not being delivered into your face.
2. A large trigger. If you are going to be using your nailer outdoors in cold weather, you'll probably be wearing gloves. In this case you'll want to make sure you have a large trigger so that you can operate it with gloves on.
3. A swivel on the air connector. If you will be moving around a lot with your nailer, this will help reduce the tangling of your air hose.
4. An easy depth adjustment. Almost all nailers have an adjustment to control how hard/deep the nail is delivered. This way, your nail is not sticking out of the surface, or sunk in too deep. Many nailers require tools to perform this adjustment, others have an adjustment that can be done by hand. If you think you'll need to be making this adjustment often, the easier and quicker it is to adjust, the less time you'll waste on this.
5. If you are going to be delivering a lot of nails, you'll want to consider the capacity of the nailer as well as the ease with which nails can be loaded into the gun. Buying the right nail gun in this regard can save you a lot of time on a job... or cost you a lot of time if you make a bad decision.

Lastly, make sure you check the reviews for the nailer you are considering. Looking at a tool in the store or on the internet, it's really hard to know how well it will work in the field. By consulting the reviews of people that have actually used the nailer, you'll get a much better idea if this nailer will work well for you.