Tool Test Battery Powered Brad Nailers

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.