I have been using Ryobi tools professionally and in my home for 30 years. I even have some blue and yellow ones that still do their job well when called on. I am not surprised that Ryobi was at the top.
Ryobi tools often get a kneejerk criticism but I have many of their tools and find them useful and reliable. I am pleased that Ryobi scored well in this test.
you know I had that same feeling for a while but not anymore. I had a friend who was a pro contractor 10 yrs ago call the ryobi drill I had a "tinker tool" but they have really come a long way and I have a number of products like their glue gun that no one else makes
I picked up a Ryobi cordless saw, it's a bit plasticky and delicate, but if you don't throw it around it hasn't broken so far, put a decent Makita blade in it and it cuts great, had it 3 or 4 years
Yep. I have a lot of higher end tools (Festool and Bosch, mostly) and bought some oddball Ryobi tools. For the tools that I don't use often, they're great. The heat gun is great for heat-shrink tubing and peeling labels. The hot-melt glue gun, work lights... My wife is very partial to the tire inflator. I love the brad and pin nailers. I'll likely buy a 16ga trim nailer soon, and if I have any framing to do, the 21-degree nailer as well. Then I can pretty much junk my compressors. Just having the nail guns on the wall, ready to go if needed, makes them 100x more useful than pneumatic nail guns. I have a Bosch cordless circular saw but it's a left-handed saw and I just can't get used to it, so recently bought the 7-1/4" brushless Ryobi for a decking job. The plastic could be a little nicer but it works as well as any _corded_ saw I've had. The same goes for the reciprocating saw. For the money, you can't even come close to Ryobi.
Agreed. I have several of their nailers... pin, 18 GA staple & brad and their 16 GA finish. All bought on sale. For my heavy home and work shop use, they work very well. I have done several tongue-n-grove ceilings and full re-dos of all trim in each room of my house with thousands & thousands of shots each, only a few miss-fires and not a single jam.
I work with a flooring installation company that is die hard yellow tool. Compressors, vacuums, pneumatic nailers, tape measures...you get the idea. I brought my 23ga Ryobi to a job where we needed more than one pin nailer running. Boss grabbed it, laughed at me and shot a couple pins. Raised his eyebrows and used it during the day. At the end of the day he offered my twice what I paid for it. Sold...lol. He found a battery converter module on the big online retailer and uses his yellow batteries now. Also...has two 18ga Ryobi's now with converters. Still uses pneumatic nailers for flooring, but pulls out the battery shooters for MDF baseboard and trim work. He is also using his yellow pneumatic 23ga shooter with 2" bullets for blind-nailing the first and last rows, shooting those at a +/- 15° angle for better grip after coming to like the lack of visibility. So, I can say that he is sold on Ryobi battery shooters, and Ryobi sold him on 23ga pins. Now...if I could just get him to put tools away after he uses them...😂😂😂
That’s hilarious. So I was doing the same thing for a while using that battery converter. There is one thing and that’s those converters only send the electricity over. They don’t allow the data pin to function which means if you let the battery fully drain, it can permanently just kill the battery. So if you’re using these guys all the time he might want to bite the bullet and just buy a few batteries for it.
Yeah I am getting an adapter my extra Bauer large 5 ah batteries onto my new purchase of a Hardt which only comes standard with 1.5 ah battery. they do work fine
I have had the Craftsman for a few years and have never had 1 misfire with it ever. Always sets nails properly on almost every shot. Occasionally I'll get a protrusion but very rare. I upgraded to the Metabo HPT Gen 2 recently and it's absolutely amazing to use. Plenty of power, shorter and way lighter than the Craftsman and the kit is only $149 at Lowes right now! You have the Gen 1 Metabo. I've never used that one but seems to be a good contender here! Thanks for the test good video! Lastly the Gen 2 Metabo has bump fire, anti dry fire protection and has almost same power button setup as the Milwaukee I don't mind it though its easy to use and very straightforward and it's smaller than the gen 1 win win
Oh cool, thanks for all the feedback! Yeah, I didn’t have any misfires with the craftsman. It just seem to be very large and had a very strange spool up before firing compared to something like the matabo. That is a great deal on that kit! Prob a father’s day promo!
Excellent review of these brad nailers. Thank you for taking the time to share. When my Hitachi 16g nailer - gas and battery - stopped working, I decided to go for a battery only model. In the end, I opted for the Ryobi, as I already had a number of tools and batteries. Must say, I've not been disappointed by the performance of this very affordable nailer. When I'm pottering in the garage, I use the 18g air nailer. I took the plunge last year, and bought a small, quiet compressor. The nailer itself only cost me £29, is compact, light weight, and works a treat.
Thank you and that’s very cool! What size compressor did you get? I have a small pancake in the shop, but it’s mostly for dust clean off. I think I’m gonna have to play with some set ups for some future videos
I went with the Hyundai 24ltr model. The unit costs around £140 plus the cost of a hose and adaptor. I chose it because it is extremely quiet and still small enough to use on the go if needs be. I did consider a 23g headless nailer, but the cordless options are far too expensive, not to mention heavy and cumbersome. The air options are a fraction of the price, compact, and super lightweight.
Great video with surprising results. I especially appreciate that we didn’t have to sit through 30 min of nailing and no count down before the test (3,2,1) that gets super annoying. Subscribed!
Awesome! With those converters, just make sure you don’t run the battery all the way dead, I’ve had those converters too. It only takes the positive and the negative prongs for the electricity not the data prong, and that’s the one that protects the battery from completely being exhausted. You run the risk of killing the battery permanently if you take it all the way to zero. 👍
I have a number of air and battery nailers of all different gages. I have rebuilt one porter cable 10 gage gun, i have 2 hitachi staplers that were rebuilt (1 needs to be rebuilt again) that get very little use, 1 wen 18 ga.., 2 harbor freight guns, and an old senco roofing stapler. Ryobi guns are great.
I have had both milwaukee and dewalt brad nailers. Was not really happy with them when it came to the rapid fire mode. I sold both of them. But 2 years ago I bought the ridgid brad and finish nailers. It took me about 3 weeks to get use to using them, but since then, I have been very happy with them. And using them with hard woods they work great.
I have the bauer 18 ga and the crown stapler. They work great, did all new trim on a 2500 sq foot home. but they are heavy and if it jams from hitting something hard. You have to take bolts out to fix it. I got the dewalt 18 ga brad nailer anf the 21 degree framing nailer, but have not had a chace to use them.
Bought my Ryobi 18ga in 2014... Still going strong. Used commercially for a job that was room to room in hospitality. Not having to carry my compressor and deal with hoses on tack strips and everything else. Heck, just to temporarily hang stuff it's amazing.
@BitnerBuilt I have seen videos of some that have failed and done teardown on, but they're $150, and I have MORE than made my money off of it. If it fails now it's not the end of the world, don't do commercial work anymore. It was never a super high volume gun, but it's great for working on a ladder etc. Used it for trim repairs as a painter a LOT, and for setting door casings and such. Takes away excuses of getting out the air rig lol
I'm on my second ryobi 18 gauge nailer , thought the first died only to realize later it was bone dry needing oil . it would cough when fired and not drive the nail . The new one has a thinner tip which is amazing when installing moulding , would never go back to the old one with the wider tip . The 16 gauge miss fires contantly my friend has one which he has returned twice . I also own the 18v milwaukee 23 degree nail gun which is fantastic . never misfires . Thanks
Great review. You just verified my purchase of several of the Ryobi guns I've owned and used for 3-4 years now... all working just fine and very happy with them. I tend to keep with two battery systems and tool brands... Dewalt and Ryobi, to keep the numbers of chargers down and ability to swap batteries between tools. One exception is my Makita 2x18V track saw (because I love that thing - haha).
Very cool! In full agreement of the two battery systems to, gives people a lot of choice so if it’s gonna be something you use a lot you buy your more expensive one (typically) or if it’s a one off buying the cheaper one. Before getting every platform under the sun for RUclips, it was Milwaukee and Ryobi.
Hi! I was considering a Worx. Good to know about being able to see where the nail is going to hit the wood and Worx' problems on that front! 👍Quick question : any decent 2 in 1 tool please? I need to. Redo some upholstery and a combo brad/staples would save me some $. Thank you!
Thanks! So I always have mixed feeling on multi, I always think about the dvd / cassette dual player for the 90’s, if one breaks the whole things garbage and your out both. But I’ll see what I can dig up!
Should have tested the Ridgid. Its similar but better than the Ryobi. Ive trimmed out 5 homes, hardwood floors and tons and tons of projects. Never let me down.
Yea I have heard good things about but at the time of the video it was way over the price threshold of $199. I will test it at some point against the over 200 crowd
I just got the hpt nailer at Lowe’s form$99. It shoots through 3/4 maple no problem. I run Milwaukee guns when I’m set up and trimming out houses. This will be perfect for a beater leave in the van gun.
Great review! Yours are always so comprehensive. I broke my right wrist 5 yrs ago, so it is sensitive to weight. I look forward to your air tool video. Love my little metabo with a quiet compressor. The cost of both was less than my normal red brand with no batt.
I feel your pain! I broke mine in a car accident (a$$ ran a stop sign at full speed) three years ago and it hasn't been right since, despite two surgeries trying to get it all together. I worked on my deck for a couple of hours yesterday and today and I'll be paying for it for days. I have trouble dragging cords around, too. The wrist and fingers can only do so much.
Thank you for this video. I am hoping to buy one soon, since the one I DID buy to match my batteries was useless!!! it was a Bosch and it fired TINY nails that would not go right into the wood, so I had to use a hammer afterwards for ever nail. It is past the 1 year warranty as I used it a few times and gave up. That is a lesson for me, act immediately if something does not seem right. !!!!!
Thanks! Did the nail gun have a depth gauge slider in the front usually when the nail isn’t going in consistently every time that gauge is dialed back too far, or it’s defective, of course!
@@BitnerBuilt Thanks for reply - I didn't expect that. It has a dial on the top 1 - 8 and it makes no difference which one it is on - it does the same thing. I have only used it a couple of times to staple fabric, as the nails won't go in, and now the staples are coming out of the sofa that I recovered (probably because they never went in properly). It is a current Bosch - GREEN, (not blue which is for professionals) but I am in the UK so you might not get a visual or see a model, USA may not sell these.
Oh cool to know! Yeah, it really seems to be the dark horse with these nailers. If I had to be honest, I was assuming the Milwaukee was going to be better and this video was a good excuse for me to buy that one, but it seems I had an excellent nail so the is gonna stay the one that I always use
To be fair, it’s not a controlled test and you don’t know if those guys treat their Milwaukee’s with care or abuse them. I lot of Ryobi guys take good care of thier stuff so who’s to say that an M18 in your hands wouldn’t last decades? Just saying. We don’t get to say Ryobi is more durable based on what you’ve seen. Too many variables.
I have had the Craftsman 19.2 Speed Shot for close to 10 years, I have used the absolute heck out of it, it is what the Ryobi was based on, practically the same, just much better looking (the Craftsman). Awesome tool
Congratulations! Thoughtfully planned, smoothly presented, and articulately explained, so I'm a new subscriber. Help me understand how the Craftsman can do so poorly on the MDF and pine ply tests and so well on the hardwood test.
I have the Craftsman, it's great. It is sensitive to how much pressure you apply for consistency. You have to either press fully or just barely - if you're consistent then it's consistent.
Great video! I’m in the “cost prohibited” camp. I’ve been considering the Ryobi since I have some batteries after absorbing my mother-in-law’s leaf blower and drill into my garage. This helped me decide that the Ryobi is indeed the way I want to go.
Thanks! yea I wouldn't hesitate, it is a great nailer and hasn't let me down in all this time. even after this video and I have several of these nailers now (I can't return) the ryobi is still going to be my main brad.
I have close to 10 finish nailer’s air and cordless. I bought the Ryobi a couple years ago doing some delicate trim work on a Victorian house 30 feet off the ground and I’m still using that thing. It was only $89. I thought what the heck &it impresses me every time I get it out. MyPaslode has more power, but usually has a bad fuel cell.
Good comparisons. I have a Porter Cable which they rebranded into the Craftsman. It has been flawless over 10 years of light use. Surprised the Porter Cable brand has been relegated to has been status.
Thanks! I think once battery really took over then it became platform wars, and if you aren’t offering 50+ tools on a platform you were looked over because people didn’t want to buy a battery for one or two tools, I think that was porter cables fate.
Yea when starting this one I was thinking about it, I will nab some later this year and do a video. I have never really been an air tools guy so only have a pancake, prob going to have to get a bigger comp
@BitnerBuilt Similar to my having some Ryobi batteries. I have 3 and 2 chargers. That's quite an expense for 1 tool. But I have maybe 10 Ryobi tools at this point. So that dramatically reduces the cost of the batteries on a per tool basis. Same goes with a compressor and hose. Quite an investment for 1 tool. But I have 15 or 20 air tools so it makes the compressor cost per tool much lower. Thanks again.
My tools are half Orange and half Red but my nailers are Green. Use them professionally and have had no real issues. Crown stapler died on me after about 2.5 years of use when left with helpers for the day, go figure, lol. I bought them as just an entry into battery nailers with intent to replace with Red later. Not only did i never switch, i bought more in other gauges.
I have the p321, and as I may have mentioned in another of your videos, I had constant jamming errors. Even after I exchanged it, the replacement had the same false jam errors. I found alot of people advising the errors would tail off with longer usage and they have fortunately been correct. It is now a really good nailer. I almost gave up on it for the much too expensive Dewalt nailer. Most of my tools are Dewalt, but the brad nailer just seems badly priced.
Yes remember you mentioning it. Well i'm glad it worked out eventually you shouldn't have had to do that honestly! Yea the dewalts pricey for what it is, I feel like the big contractor brands are just taxing their users on those nailers expecting you will just stay on brand ($325 for the akita was painful)
Good info! I've looked at battery nailers but haven't committed, I get it, if your just doing a quick nail job or making a jig. You can still get a compressor and nailer combo deals cheaper, plus compressor is useful for other stuff around shop or auto, even if it's just topping a tire up.
@@BitnerBuilt Yep, 2541-20. I think it starts shipping later this month or early next month. It can only fire nails up to 1 1/2", but that's plenty for what I do. 4.6lbs with a 2.0 battery. I have the M12 pinner and love it, so adding the brad nailer to the arsenal is a good fit for me since I already have the batteries.
@@NWGR very cool! I’ll have to pick it up and do a review on it, I primarily run on M2‘s on majority of my tools so I’m always excited to see another good tool for that line!
Now, with all the battery adapters available I use only Hercules batteries and chargers. They are reasonably priced, use Samsung cells and have a 3 year warranty. Now that I dont have to think about batteries,videos like this become even more important because now I can pick the best tool for the job and not worry about the battery system. Excellent video Thanks
Cool, just be careful with your adaptors that you don’t run it empty, charge often. The adaptor sends the positive and negative but not the data prong. The battery’s comp chip tells the tool I’m almost dead or overheating and the tool stops, to protect the battery. with the adaptor it can’t tell it that.and will run it dry and can brick it. Still use it just good to know this!
@@BitnerBuiltGood info, they had a deal, buy 2 5amp batteries and get a tool for free. I now own most Hercules tools and have 16 batteries. No need to run them dry.
I have an impartial sponsor ( doesn’t care if I say a tool is bad) that can get me flex, when they are up for a video again I will try it. I haven’t gotten into flex yet due to the high price but small number of tools
I have the craftsman and your results surprised me. I tend to use longer nails then your test. It would be interesting to see if there is a difference if you used longer nails.
I’ll be taking a look at the pin and finish nailers I think this year, so I’ll try and bury up the nail sizes a little bit as well, one and 1/4 is one of the most used since that’s what you’re using to adjoin three-quarter inch material
Can I use the ryobi brad nailer in this video on James Hardi lap siding? I have only a couple of pieces to put up as facia. If not which ryobi nailer do I need because I do have the 18v + batteries already.
You would more look at a finishing nailer so you can shoot longer nails to go through the hardi and into the wood behind with some holding power - mobile makes a version your battery can use
All these guns have bump mode, but they’re Brad nailers I mean, you would never use bump mode. It’s for finish work. I have the Bauer and it died after a few months I was using it mid project picked it up and it just stopped the light on the side wouldn’t light up. There’s nothing obviously wrong with it that I can see just electrical problem. So I just ordered the compact brushless Metabo on Amazon for $160. What a deal.
Yea I haven’t ever used bump on a Brad as well but didn’t want to not show it since it’s a feature. That metabo really is a great deal powerful as well
Ryobi definitely has some good tools and some crazy tools that nobody else has like crimp tool And jump starters and weird pumps and stuff like that But me Metabo Is by far 1 of the best when it comes to nailers They have the multivolt system and they sell in adapter plug so you can plug it into a wall if you run out of power And they're guaranteed for life And they're pretty cheap actually
Great video. Love the spreadsheet comparison as well. You mentioned that some of the models were almost identical to each other. Are any of the batteries interchangeable on any of the models? If so, that would be good to know and have added to the spreadsheet. Thanks for the Great Videos.
Thanks! No, they definitely make the batteries different on purpose, batteries are typically artificially expensive and used to lock you into a platform so that you continue to buy those tools only
Out of curiosity, did the Hart and Ryobi use the same battery? My main gripe with battery powered tools is that new tools bring yet another battery/charger combo. Great video, and thanks!
No, they don’t use the same lock you into a brand is the expensive nature of the batteries you can get legitimate factory authorized batteries though from other sources like one of my sponsors waysource.com sells Milwaukee batteries at 60% off. The stores inflate the batteries artificially. Personally for me, I started running Milwaukee as my primary brand and then Ryobi as my secondary cheaper brand that way, I was only investing in two types of batteries in between the two I covered most items and then it gave me the flexibility to choose between the two. (Pre RUclips when I buy it all now 😓)
I will take a look, I haven’t bought anything flex yet, they look quality, but at the price you want a more robust ecosystem of a lot of tools to be able to utilize, wall flex has most of the core items, there’s just so much more on a lot of the other brands.
The Hart seems to come with a battery, but not a charger. Sold at Walmart. If Hart and Ryobi are the same company, does anyone happen to know if you can swap batteries between the two brand’s tools? Just curious.
Thanks for the test, it is very useful. By the way, Home Depot offer the $159 Ryobi deal which include 2-4.0Ah, 1-2.0Ah batteries and one free tool (has the newly Ryobi P322 Nail Gun) now. I just get it, an unbeatable deal.
Sure, you need the right amount of air pressure to drive the nail and an air compressor big enough to support how fast you want to be shooting you nails. If you look on most they recommend bigger than the small pancakes otherwise it will just constantly have the compressor on recharging. This means more expensive /or bigger and less portable. That’s why so many go battery now however if your static in a shop, you can nab a big tank and your good to go
The hart brand is sold in the United States at Walmart, but it’s manufactured and owned by the parent company of Milwaukee and Ryobi, TTI. I took a look and there are some hard tools on amazon.uk. Their spare batteries work amongst all of the. Hart tools
Very nice review. In my experience, not all, but many nailers take a few hundred nails to 'break in', which can definitely be long enough for someone to simply return them or leave a bad review. Same goes for pneumatics. I had the pro grade metabo 7/16 stapler take almost 2k staples, pro grade framer take ~500, and pro grade roofer take 3-4 coils to finally maintain consistency. I've had the 18g porter cable 20v(now craftsman) for probably 10 years with no issues through 100k+ nails. I haven't used it in a couple years but I'm sure it's still fine. I replaced it with the 18g Ryobi so I could buy the cordless 23g as well. Both Ryobis were perfect out of the box for 2+ years before I gave them to a friend and replaced with metabo. ~3 years later and the metabo 18g is still going strong but 23g was a headache from day one. I replaced with the dewalt 23g which I returned for electronic issues. Went with the M12 23g that has been great. In my opinion, 1.5-2 years of professional use from a cordless nailer is a reasonable expectation. If I spend $150-300 on a nailer that lasts 2 years, that's $.20-40 cents per day. Time is money. Showing up and getting right to work has a direct monetary value. There is dollar value for every 5-10 minutes per day that I save from not needing to carry a compressor, let it fill up, run a hose, relocate a compressor, let it empty, wrap up the hose, and pack it back into the truck, and that value is a lot more than $.20-40 cents. There is also a value to that found real estate in the truck by not needing to bring a compressor and hose. There's also a safety value when you get into cordless roofing/framing nailers so you're not dancing around hoses on a roof. I now own every style of cordless fastener aside from a 7/16 cedar siding stapler and coil siding nailer. 99% of my work is done cordless and I don't expect them to last forever, I just know that when they crap out after 1-2 years I've easily gotten my moneys worth. Everything after that is a bonus.
You really should’ve tried the SKIL Brad nailer. It’s even cheaper than most of the ones you have in the video. I’ve had it for a few months and I’m in love with it
Very interesting results from a well thought out and executed test. Well done. I use pneumatic nailers (pin nailer, mostly) because I have a quiet and compact Fortress 2-gal compressor. I've thought about a battery powered nailer but I use the Ridgid line of cordless tools so I'd only consider their nailers. They don't come cheap, either. Even tool only. I know this was a comparison of inexpensive nail guns but since the Milwaukee was a disappointment, it would be interesting to see how the big boys (Ridgid included) stacked up against all these "lesser" models.
Thanks! Yea perhaps I might have a pricey comp against the hart next time once the budget allows because it was surprising. Not used to saying Walmart had the best one lol
Forgot to add something is not right with yours bud, doesn't matter ipe, mahogany, soft pine Milwaukee shoots the same every time super clean and consistent (mahogany i do increase the depth but that's guns)
So know what’s interesting is I reviewed the m12 and gave it a great review, however, in the first month of me owning it it’s already completely bent it’s hammer shooting into Pine plywood and I’ve had to send it in for repair already
@BitnerBuilt no your results i agree with you, but after having many, and 2 Milwaukee m18 18ga guns man honestly somethings not right with yours, could be the nitrogen needs to be topped off or maybe even simply broke in idk, but that's not the normal operation of the gen 2s....the gen 1 man I am the biggest hater of, but they manned up and corrected their idiot trash lol
I have that model nailer and have been pleased with it and even got their crown stapler and love it as well! Now my finish nailer is a Milwaukee and framing is a Ridgid. If Ryobi would have come out with their Ridgid clone framing nailer I would have gotten that one instead…lol!
I had a ryobi trim gun and it was great, but it shit the bed after a year and a half. Not so great I’ve had my Milwaukee for three years now and it’s still kickin. I just recently bought a new one just because I felt like it
I don’t know what model numbers we are talking about here, but my experience with a ryobi 18g Brad nailer is that it misfires all the time. Like all the freaking time. And when I say “misfires” I just mean it goes through the initial noises but then doesn’t pop the nail. It doesn’t jam or shoot the nail incorrectly, so it doesn’t hurt anything. It just makes you lift the nose off the material and then depress it again and pull the trigger again. And that’s the other thing. It doesn’t have much grace period from when you depress the nose to when you have to pull the trigger. It you wait a second it will not shoot until you reset the nose. Compare that to my m18 second gen which has none of those issues whatsoever, at twice the price of course. Perhaps I’m talking about an older model and you have a new fixed version. But figured I would throw this out there.
Thanks for all the feedback - so what you’re describing is a dry fire, that can be the slide spring not advancing the clip. I did have the model numbers on all the lasers wood test pieces but let me add those to the discription just so it’s clear (did the work putting it in there so then subconsciously thought I had added it everywhere of course )
As a disclaimer, I’m a Milwaukee fanboy. Concerning the battery looseness, I actually find my Gen 2 brad nailer to be a rather tight fit, especially with the first runs of the M18 3 Ah HO batteries. I have found in bumpfire testing that you can get some proud nails but I believe in my case it was user error. That being said I only use bumpfire on my framing nailers personally. I’ve had very few misfires over the years using this and easily 15,000 nails. As of late I’ve had some jams which have been easy to clear and I believe my sticker needs replacement or maybe I just need to clean it.😂 I’d try some more test with that and either return for another if you’re within your 90 day window, providing you purchased from Home Depot. 😂 I don’t think it should have had such a bad showing. I’m not completely Team Red. I own Bosch, Ridgid, Makita and Ryobi tools also. But only Milwaukee nailers and staplers. Keep up the great content.
Yea it was prob a one off one the loose battery that’s why I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I’m mostly Milwaukee and to be honest I actually assumed with this video that it was going to be my excuse to buy that Milwaukee Brad nailer, figuring that it was going to be somewhat better than the Ryobi, but it’s really one of those things that you have to actually have them in your hands and use them Where it’s a more powerful nailer, but I still think I’m sticking with the Ryobi to be honest. The Matabo was a really nice surprise one as well. They honestly felt like the same gun, the matabo and the Milwaukee. But the matabos half the price
It’s also important to remember that just because something is technically better that doesn’t mean it’s the one true choice for everyone. The M18 nailers are fantastic and unless you’re so pretentious that your pinky doesn’t ever go down anymore, they are going to be a great choice. If you’re in the line and don’t want multiple platforms then just buy the tools in your line. They are gonna be fine. People can get super conscientious about things and demand “the best” forgetting that tools aren’t the point. What you’re doing with them is the point. Lots of guys end up being gear wh*res instead of craftsmen. With so much information out there FOMO gets some people to lose sight of the point. Building things.
Great video! I've always wanted an 18g brad nailer (I'm just a weekend beginner woodworker) but the options are always too confusing so thanks for the comparisons. Liked and subscribed!
The Dewalt exceeded the price point so I was mainly testing now I just that we’re under $200, the Milwaukee was only brought on to bring on a more expensive gun to draw comparisons from
I'm glad you tested out that newer metabo. Is spring driven, they brought this one out to be a more compact version to accompany the other 18GAGE Brad Nailer that has been on the market and has been extremely Reliable. It would be more forgiven to what you were talking about. I really want to see that newer compact 18 gage from Metabo as an update to this one i'm sure you already spent a lot of money but still
I have mixed emotions about Ryobi... Bought a large kit , not individual tools and with minimal use, three tools have gone in for repair 😠 and naturally its in the middle of a project. Repairs take 3 - 4 weeks for repair. My ¼" impact, nailer, sprayer and jig saw... I really rhink Murphy really likes me ! 😮
Well, that stinks to hear! It’s always going to be in the middle of a project 😭 I’ve noticed with all of the brands that a majority of the kit buys tend to be there lower end, models of tools, (exceptions of course) for example, I bought a Milwaukee kit one time and as soon as I took it out of the box, I noticed right away that these are not powerful at all compared to my other Milwaukee tools, and so I compared the ratings and things, and it was noticeably lower specs. If you can, I’d recommend buying singles in any brand in the future just because you can be pretty liberal with returns on those.
@@BitnerBuilt you are SO right! I learned my lesson ... Fool me once was enough! 🥴 Back in the 70's things weren't that way 🤔 more pride in the name on a product - really knew what you were getting. Luv your content ... Thx ‼️
You absolutely have to look at model numbers for tools in a kit. Don’t buy Dewalt that isn’t XR but r Milwaukee that isn’t FUEL and then be disappointed when it’s not the good model you were expecting. I assume Ryobi is the same way. Unless you’re a homeowner that uses stuff once every few months, buy the higher end models if you’re gonna do major projects that add thousands of equity to your home. Or don’t be surprised when the cheapest tool on the market breaks on you.
Thank you for this. As a lightweight DIY'er, I would be interested in the Hart, but there's no way I want a _white_ tool. Keeping it nice-looking would be a losing battle.
Great video as always Justin I have the Milwaukee pin and Brad nailers I picked up off FB Market place used and got a good deal on both and they have both been very good so far. I got them because that’s the battery platform I’m on .
I bought the hart a while back as it was I'm sale for $129 as a kit. I mainly use flex tools and I've been waiting for the hart nailer to mess up so I can purchase the flex nailer but the hart won't give up 😂
By the way, what’s your feeling on the flex tools, I haven’t tried them yet just because they’re a premium price tag and they don’t have a very expensive line of tools to be able to use the batteries on every time I see them. I’m very tempted.
@BitnerBuilt if you go flex, buy the stacked Lithium batteries. I usually wait for deals on kits. For an example I got the rear handle circular saw for less than 300 and it case with a 10ah SL battery that's more than 300 on its own. I have the sander, rear handle say, turbo drill, quick eject impact, and the vacuum. The vacuum performs wells but it's the only one I have had a problem with but i just called customer support and they replaced it no questions asked. tools are heavy and so are batteries but the batteries look to be better built then the competition. Oh and the old Gen non stacked batteries tend to leak. If you get she newer Gen batteries or stacked lithium you'll be fine. I've left the tools out in she rain(by accident) and let the dry and no problems. Plenty of power and I also use the impact to take the nuts off of my truck. All in all they are really good tools and the fact that they are backed up with lifetime warranty on the tools batteries and chargers kind of justifies the high prices. I always wait on sales and deals though.
Very very interesting. I have been looking for a little time to purchase a brad nailer, but have found it a minefield in choosing, this has certainly helped me. Thank you for a very well put together guide.
Dang I am going to buy that Hart instead of the Bauer, though I have Bauer batteries but I need the reliable 2 inch drives of the Hardt, other than that Bauer is just fine for the smaller 1.25 inch brad lengths at half the price 89 of a Hardt 159
Not the one I tested in this - I just picked up the new m12 Milwaukee Brad and love it (did a video) but dumb thing has the on off button, I used it in my most recent video and again I keep going to use it and not realizing that I have to hit the stupid power button. Really annoying for me at least
@@BitnerBuilt yeah the metabo has the auto shutoff. So annoying for sure. Maybe if it was longer before shutting off would be better. Like an hr or more
I have been using Ryobi tools professionally and in my home for 30 years. I even have some blue and yellow ones that still do their job well when called on. I am not surprised that Ryobi was at the top.
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The old corded Ryobi blue stuff was really solid. I still have a couple but you can't get parts for them anymore
Wow - you REALLY KNOW how to compare tools - thanks for all that you put into this. Details matter for sure.
Oh wow thanks so much!
Ryobi tools often get a kneejerk criticism but I have many of their tools and find them useful and reliable. I am pleased that Ryobi scored well in this test.
you know I had that same feeling for a while but not anymore. I had a friend who was a pro contractor 10 yrs ago call the ryobi drill I had a "tinker tool" but they have really come a long way and I have a number of products like their glue gun that no one else makes
I picked up a Ryobi cordless saw, it's a bit plasticky and delicate, but if you don't throw it around it hasn't broken so far, put a decent Makita blade in it and it cuts great, had it 3 or 4 years
Yep. I have a lot of higher end tools (Festool and Bosch, mostly) and bought some oddball Ryobi tools. For the tools that I don't use often, they're great. The heat gun is great for heat-shrink tubing and peeling labels. The hot-melt glue gun, work lights... My wife is very partial to the tire inflator.
I love the brad and pin nailers. I'll likely buy a 16ga trim nailer soon, and if I have any framing to do, the 21-degree nailer as well. Then I can pretty much junk my compressors. Just having the nail guns on the wall, ready to go if needed, makes them 100x more useful than pneumatic nail guns.
I have a Bosch cordless circular saw but it's a left-handed saw and I just can't get used to it, so recently bought the 7-1/4" brushless Ryobi for a decking job. The plastic could be a little nicer but it works as well as any _corded_ saw I've had. The same goes for the reciprocating saw. For the money, you can't even come close to Ryobi.
Agreed. I have several of their nailers... pin, 18 GA staple & brad and their 16 GA finish. All bought on sale. For my heavy home and work shop use, they work very well. I have done several tongue-n-grove ceilings and full re-dos of all trim in each room of my house with thousands & thousands of shots each, only a few miss-fires and not a single jam.
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I work with a flooring installation company that is die hard yellow tool. Compressors, vacuums, pneumatic nailers, tape measures...you get the idea. I brought my 23ga Ryobi to a job where we needed more than one pin nailer running. Boss grabbed it, laughed at me and shot a couple pins. Raised his eyebrows and used it during the day. At the end of the day he offered my twice what I paid for it. Sold...lol. He found a battery converter module on the big online retailer and uses his yellow batteries now. Also...has two 18ga Ryobi's now with converters. Still uses pneumatic nailers for flooring, but pulls out the battery shooters for MDF baseboard and trim work. He is also using his yellow pneumatic 23ga shooter with 2" bullets for blind-nailing the first and last rows, shooting those at a +/- 15° angle for better grip after coming to like the lack of visibility.
So, I can say that he is sold on Ryobi battery shooters, and Ryobi sold him on 23ga pins. Now...if I could just get him to put tools away after he uses them...😂😂😂
That’s hilarious. So I was doing the same thing for a while using that battery converter. There is one thing and that’s those converters only send the electricity over. They don’t allow the data pin to function which means if you let the battery fully drain, it can permanently just kill the battery. So if you’re using these guys all the time he might want to bite the bullet and just buy a few batteries for it.
Yeah I am getting an adapter my extra Bauer large 5 ah batteries onto my new purchase of a Hardt which only comes standard with 1.5 ah battery. they do work fine
@@BitnerBuilt true
I have had the Craftsman for a few years and have never had 1 misfire with it ever. Always sets nails properly on almost every shot. Occasionally I'll get a protrusion but very rare. I upgraded to the Metabo HPT Gen 2 recently and it's absolutely amazing to use. Plenty of power, shorter and way lighter than the Craftsman and the kit is only $149 at Lowes right now! You have the Gen 1 Metabo. I've never used that one but seems to be a good contender here! Thanks for the test good video! Lastly the Gen 2 Metabo has bump fire, anti dry fire protection and has almost same power button setup as the Milwaukee I don't mind it though its easy to use and very straightforward and it's smaller than the gen 1 win win
Oh cool, thanks for all the feedback! Yeah, I didn’t have any misfires with the craftsman. It just seem to be very large and had a very strange spool up before firing compared to something like the matabo. That is a great deal on that kit! Prob a father’s day promo!
Excellent review of these brad nailers. Thank you for taking the time to share. When my Hitachi 16g nailer - gas and battery - stopped working, I decided to go for a battery only model. In the end, I opted for the Ryobi, as I already had a number of tools and batteries. Must say, I've not been disappointed by the performance of this very affordable nailer.
When I'm pottering in the garage, I use the 18g air nailer. I took the plunge last year, and bought a small, quiet compressor. The nailer itself only cost me £29, is compact, light weight, and works a treat.
Thank you and that’s very cool! What size compressor did you get? I have a small pancake in the shop, but it’s mostly for dust clean off. I think I’m gonna have to play with some set ups for some future videos
I went with the Hyundai 24ltr model. The unit costs around £140 plus the cost of a hose and adaptor. I chose it because it is extremely quiet and still small enough to use on the go if needs be. I did consider a 23g headless nailer, but the cordless options are far too expensive, not to mention heavy and cumbersome. The air options are a fraction of the price, compact, and super lightweight.
Great video with surprising results. I especially appreciate that we didn’t have to sit through 30 min of nailing and no count down before the test (3,2,1) that gets super annoying. Subscribed!
Haha yea tried to get right to the meat of it and just montage the boring stuff in a pip so people know the tests weren’t fluff. Thanks!
I love my Ryobi brad nailer too, coupled with a (yellow) battery converter it has done really well for the past three years.
Awesome! With those converters, just make sure you don’t run the battery all the way dead, I’ve had those converters too. It only takes the positive and the negative prongs for the electricity not the data prong, and that’s the one that protects the battery from completely being exhausted. You run the risk of killing the battery permanently if you take it all the way to zero. 👍
I have a number of air and battery nailers of all different gages. I have rebuilt one porter cable 10 gage gun, i have 2 hitachi staplers that were rebuilt (1 needs to be rebuilt again) that get very little use, 1 wen 18 ga.., 2 harbor freight guns, and an old senco roofing stapler. Ryobi guns are great.
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Great to see so many different guns tested and out of your own pocket too so thanks . I’ll definitely be back to see more from you
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I have had both milwaukee and dewalt brad nailers. Was not really happy with them when it came to the rapid fire mode. I sold both of them. But 2 years ago I bought the ridgid brad and finish nailers. It took me about 3 weeks to get use to using them, but since then, I have been very happy with them. And using them with hard woods they work great.
Oh good to know about the rigid!
I have the bauer 18 ga and the crown stapler. They work great, did all new trim on a 2500 sq foot home. but they are heavy and if it jams from hitting something hard. You have to take bolts out to fix it. I got the dewalt 18 ga brad nailer anf the 21 degree framing nailer, but have not had a chace to use them.
Cool thanks for the feedback!
Thank you again! Love your comparison videos. I too use Ryobi Airstrike !8V + One Nailers..
Oh cool! Yeah, I really love mine
I had the DeWalt nailer which broke in the middle of a job so I bought the Ryobi nailer and it worked great ....two years later I'm still using it
Funny how that’s the way with these!
Bought my Ryobi 18ga in 2014... Still going strong. Used commercially for a job that was room to room in hospitality. Not having to carry my compressor and deal with hoses on tack strips and everything else. Heck, just to temporarily hang stuff it's amazing.
That's awesome to hear that it's still going strong, I love hearing about tool longevity.
@BitnerBuilt I have seen videos of some that have failed and done teardown on, but they're $150, and I have MORE than made my money off of it. If it fails now it's not the end of the world, don't do commercial work anymore. It was never a super high volume gun, but it's great for working on a ladder etc. Used it for trim repairs as a painter a LOT, and for setting door casings and such. Takes away excuses of getting out the air rig lol
Thank you for an excellent review, much appreciated. This is exactly the type of summary I was hoping to find, and your opinion is definitely valued !
Oh great very happy I could help!
I'm on my second ryobi 18 gauge nailer , thought the first died only to realize later it was bone dry needing oil . it would cough when fired and not drive the nail . The new one has a thinner tip which is amazing when installing moulding , would never go back to the old one with the wider tip . The 16 gauge miss fires contantly my friend has one which he has returned twice . I also own the 18v milwaukee 23 degree nail gun which is fantastic . never misfires . Thanks
Good to know!
Great review. You just verified my purchase of several of the Ryobi guns I've owned and used for 3-4 years now... all working just fine and very happy with them.
I tend to keep with two battery systems and tool brands... Dewalt and Ryobi, to keep the numbers of chargers down and ability to swap batteries between tools. One exception is my Makita 2x18V track saw (because I love that thing - haha).
Very cool! In full agreement of the two battery systems to, gives people a lot of choice so if it’s gonna be something you use a lot you buy your more expensive one (typically) or if it’s a one off buying the cheaper one. Before getting every platform under the sun for RUclips, it was Milwaukee and Ryobi.
i love makitta but you are right , my cordless vacume from Makita was very bad
Yeah, it’s a great brand, but for some reason they just come up short in a few areas
Hi! I was considering a Worx. Good to know about being able to see where the nail is going to hit the wood and Worx' problems on that front! 👍Quick question : any decent 2 in 1 tool please? I need to. Redo some upholstery and a combo brad/staples would save me some $. Thank you!
Thanks! So I always have mixed feeling on multi, I always think about the dvd / cassette dual player for the 90’s, if one breaks the whole things garbage and your out both. But I’ll see what I can dig up!
@BitnerBuilt thanks brother!
Should have tested the Ridgid. Its similar but better than the Ryobi. Ive trimmed out 5 homes, hardwood floors and tons and tons of projects. Never let me down.
Yea I have heard good things about but at the time of the video it was way over the price threshold of $199. I will test it at some point against the over 200 crowd
Wow Justin, awesome detailed reviews. Thanks for all your good work!🎉
Thanks, Bob!
I just got the hpt nailer at Lowe’s form$99. It shoots through 3/4 maple no problem. I run Milwaukee guns when I’m set up and trimming out houses. This will be perfect for a beater leave in the van gun.
nice!
I have an Milwaukee M18 18 Gauge Brad nailer 2746-20 got over 15,000 nails ran through it so far and still going strong.
Good to hear!
Got my 1st cordless brad nailer Ryobi and I am blown away how much this tool does for 99 dollars I paid! Get it you wont regret.
Yea it’s impressive for the cost!
Great review! Yours are always so comprehensive.
I broke my right wrist 5 yrs ago, so it is sensitive to weight. I look forward to your air tool video. Love my little metabo with a quiet compressor. The cost of both was less than my normal red brand with no batt.
Good to know I will make sure to grab that one when I eventually do that video!
I feel your pain! I broke mine in a car accident (a$$ ran a stop sign at full speed) three years ago and it hasn't been right since, despite two surgeries trying to get it all together. I worked on my deck for a couple of hours yesterday and today and I'll be paying for it for days. I have trouble dragging cords around, too. The wrist and fingers can only do so much.
Thank you for this video. I am hoping to buy one soon, since the one I DID buy to match my batteries was useless!!! it was a Bosch and it fired TINY nails that would not go right into the wood, so I had to use a hammer afterwards for ever nail. It is past the 1 year warranty as I used it a few times and gave up. That is a lesson for me, act immediately if something does not seem right. !!!!!
Thanks! Did the nail gun have a depth gauge slider in the front usually when the nail isn’t going in consistently every time that gauge is dialed back too far, or it’s defective, of course!
@@BitnerBuilt Thanks for reply - I didn't expect that. It has a dial on the top 1 - 8 and it makes no difference which one it is on - it does the same thing. I have only used it a couple of times to staple fabric, as the nails won't go in, and now the staples are coming out of the sofa that I recovered (probably because they never went in properly). It is a current Bosch - GREEN, (not blue which is for professionals) but I am in the UK so you might not get a visual or see a model, USA may not sell these.
Old cabinet guy told me to get the ryobi 8 years ago. Its outlasted both my coworkers Milwaukee and I use it almost every day.
Oh cool to know! Yeah, it really seems to be the dark horse with these nailers. If I had to be honest, I was assuming the Milwaukee was going to be better and this video was a good excuse for me to buy that one, but it seems I had an excellent nail so the is gonna stay the one that I always use
To be fair, it’s not a controlled test and you don’t know if those guys treat their Milwaukee’s with care or abuse them. I lot of Ryobi guys take good care of thier stuff so who’s to say that an M18 in your hands wouldn’t last decades? Just saying. We don’t get to say Ryobi is more durable based on what you’ve seen. Too many variables.
@@CarlYotayou might be right but Milwaukee batteries are trash regardless
I have had the Craftsman 19.2 Speed Shot for close to 10 years, I have used the absolute heck out of it, it is what the Ryobi was based on, practically the same, just much better looking (the Craftsman). Awesome tool
Good to know 👍
Congratulations! Thoughtfully planned, smoothly presented, and articulately explained, so I'm a new subscriber. Help me understand how the Craftsman can do so poorly on the MDF and pine ply tests and so well on the hardwood test.
Awesome! Thank you!
Excellent video - thanks for your content. I am curious how the Ridgid would have faired against this lineup.
I just bought a few rigid to all with the black Friday deals I’ll try to get them into some videos as well soon
Deciding between Ryobi and Milwaukee nail guns. The choice has been made. Great breakdown!
Thanks! Yea didn’t think I would be saying you can’t go wrong with the Ryobi nail guns
I have the Craftsman, it's great. It is sensitive to how much pressure you apply for consistency. You have to either press fully or just barely - if you're consistent then it's consistent.
Good feedback!
Great video! I’m in the “cost prohibited” camp. I’ve been considering the Ryobi since I have some batteries after absorbing my mother-in-law’s leaf blower and drill into my garage. This helped me decide that the Ryobi is indeed the way I want to go.
Thanks! yea I wouldn't hesitate, it is a great nailer and hasn't let me down in all this time. even after this video and I have several of these nailers now (I can't return) the ryobi is still going to be my main brad.
Excellent comparison, I appreciate your efforts making these videos.
I appreciate the kind words.
I have close to 10 finish nailer’s air and cordless. I bought the Ryobi a couple years ago doing some delicate trim work on a Victorian house 30 feet off the ground and I’m still using that thing. It was only $89. I thought what the heck &it impresses me every time I get it out. MyPaslode has more power, but usually has a bad fuel cell.
Yea so much good feedback on it!
Your Ryobi brad nailer, is it the brushless or brushed version?
The older one I own and still kicking butt is the brushed one surprisingly!
Good comparisons. I have a Porter Cable which they rebranded into the Craftsman. It has been flawless over 10 years of light use. Surprised the Porter Cable brand has been relegated to has been status.
Thanks! I think once battery really took over then it became platform wars, and if you aren’t offering 50+ tools on a platform you were looked over because people didn’t want to buy a battery for one or two tools, I think that was porter cables fate.
Thanks for an awesome video. I already have some Ryobi batteries so $109 for tool isn't bad. Any chance of doing one of these on air nailers?
Yea when starting this one I was thinking about it, I will nab some later this year and do a video. I have never really been an air tools guy so only have a pancake, prob going to have to get a bigger comp
@BitnerBuilt Similar to my having some Ryobi batteries. I have 3 and 2 chargers. That's quite an expense for 1 tool. But I have maybe 10 Ryobi tools at this point. So that dramatically reduces the cost of the batteries on a per tool basis.
Same goes with a compressor and hose. Quite an investment for 1 tool. But I have 15 or 20 air tools so it makes the compressor cost per tool much lower.
Thanks again.
My tools are half Orange and half Red but my nailers are Green. Use them professionally and have had no real issues. Crown stapler died on me after about 2.5 years of use when left with helpers for the day, go figure, lol. I bought them as just an entry into battery nailers with intent to replace with Red later. Not only did i never switch, i bought more in other gauges.
Yep I believe it! It is nice to know that we don’t have to spend the big bucks to get a really quality nailer
I got my Ryobi for $88 CAD tool only, great buy and really satisfied with it.
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I have the p321, and as I may have mentioned in another of your videos, I had constant jamming errors. Even after I exchanged it, the replacement had the same false jam errors. I found alot of people advising the errors would tail off with longer usage and they have fortunately been correct. It is now a really good nailer. I almost gave up on it for the much too expensive Dewalt nailer. Most of my tools are Dewalt, but the brad nailer just seems badly priced.
Yes remember you mentioning it. Well i'm glad it worked out eventually you shouldn't have had to do that honestly! Yea the dewalts pricey for what it is, I feel like the big contractor brands are just taxing their users on those nailers expecting you will just stay on brand ($325 for the akita was painful)
Good info! I've looked at battery nailers but haven't committed, I get it, if your just doing a quick nail job or making a jig.
You can still get a compressor and nailer combo deals cheaper, plus compressor is useful for other stuff around shop or auto, even if it's just topping a tire up.
Yep! Though with air nailers you need a bigger sized compressor otherwise your going to be running it if your taking a lot of shots
@@BitnerBuilt Yup, plus the hose is a pain. Lol but if starting is a cheaper option.
Thanks for the test, some great info in here.
I was tempted by the ryobi, but I'm holding out for the M12. I can't wait for that.
Oh there’s m12 coming out? Will have to take a look!
@@BitnerBuilt Yep, 2541-20. I think it starts shipping later this month or early next month. It can only fire nails up to 1 1/2", but that's plenty for what I do. 4.6lbs with a 2.0 battery. I have the M12 pinner and love it, so adding the brad nailer to the arsenal is a good fit for me since I already have the batteries.
@@NWGR very cool! I’ll have to pick it up and do a review on it, I primarily run on M2‘s on majority of my tools so I’m always excited to see another good tool for that line!
Now, with all the battery adapters available I use only Hercules batteries and chargers. They are reasonably priced, use Samsung cells and have a 3 year warranty. Now that I dont have to think about batteries,videos like this become even more important because now I can pick the best tool for the job and not worry about the battery system. Excellent video Thanks
Cool, just be careful with your adaptors that you don’t run it empty, charge often. The adaptor sends the positive and negative but not the data prong. The battery’s comp chip tells the tool I’m almost dead or overheating and the tool stops, to protect the battery. with the adaptor it can’t tell it that.and will run it dry and can brick it. Still use it just good to know this!
@@BitnerBuiltGood info, they had a deal, buy 2 5amp batteries and get a tool for free. I now own most Hercules tools and have 16 batteries. No need to run them dry.
THANKS FOR THE VIDEO, COULD YOU COMPARE AGAINST THE FLEX
I have an impartial sponsor ( doesn’t care if I say a tool is bad) that can get me flex, when they are up for a video again I will try it. I haven’t gotten into flex yet due to the high price but small number of tools
@@BitnerBuilt okay, thank you very much
I have the craftsman and your results surprised me. I tend to use longer nails then your test. It would be interesting to see if there is a difference if you used longer nails.
I’ll be taking a look at the pin and finish nailers I think this year, so I’ll try and bury up the nail sizes a little bit as well, one and 1/4 is one of the most used since that’s what you’re using to adjoin three-quarter inch material
Can I use the ryobi brad nailer in this video on James Hardi lap siding? I have only a couple of pieces to put up as facia. If not which ryobi nailer do I need because I do have the 18v + batteries already.
You would more look at a finishing nailer so you can shoot longer nails to go through the hardi and into the wood behind with some holding power - mobile makes a version your battery can use
@@BitnerBuilt I’m only shooting a 1 1/2” nails as it’s going into a 2x4 facia.
@@EvenaGirlCanDoItok sure the Brad will work then, I would make sure your using galvanized nails
All these guns have bump mode, but they’re Brad nailers I mean, you would never use bump mode. It’s for finish work. I have the Bauer and it died after a few months I was using it mid project picked it up and it just stopped the light on the side wouldn’t light up. There’s nothing obviously wrong with it that I can see just electrical problem. So I just ordered the compact brushless Metabo on Amazon for $160. What a deal.
Yea I haven’t ever used bump on a Brad as well but didn’t want to not show it since it’s a feature. That metabo really is a great deal powerful as well
Ryobi definitely has some good tools and some crazy tools that nobody else has like crimp tool And jump starters and weird pumps and stuff like that But me Metabo Is by far 1 of the best when it comes to nailers They have the multivolt system and they sell in adapter plug so you can plug it into a wall if you run out of power And they're guaranteed for life And they're pretty cheap actually
Good to know, never heard about the multi volt plug system!
Great video. Love the spreadsheet comparison as well.
You mentioned that some of the models were almost identical to each other. Are any of the batteries interchangeable on any of the models? If so, that would be good to know and have added to the spreadsheet.
Thanks for the Great Videos.
Thanks! No, they definitely make the batteries different on purpose, batteries are typically artificially expensive and used to lock you into a platform so that you continue to buy those tools only
Thank you for getting back to me I appreciate your time to do this.
Are the adapters that let you use other brands of batteries worth it?
Are the batteries interchangeable between Ryobi and Hart?
No they aren’t
Out of curiosity, did the Hart and Ryobi use the same battery? My main gripe with battery powered tools is that new tools bring yet another battery/charger combo. Great video, and thanks!
No, they don’t use the same lock you into a brand is the expensive nature of the batteries you can get legitimate factory authorized batteries though from other sources like one of my sponsors waysource.com sells Milwaukee batteries at 60% off. The stores inflate the batteries artificially. Personally for me, I started running Milwaukee as my primary brand and then Ryobi as my secondary cheaper brand that way, I was only investing in two types of batteries in between the two I covered most items and then it gave me the flexibility to choose between the two. (Pre RUclips when I buy it all now 😓)
Can you review the flex tools brad nailer? I am undecided on which brand to buy
I will take a look, I haven’t bought anything flex yet, they look quality, but at the price you want a more robust ecosystem of a lot of tools to be able to utilize, wall flex has most of the core items, there’s just so much more on a lot of the other brands.
The Hart seems to come with a battery, but not a charger. Sold at Walmart. If Hart and Ryobi are the same company, does anyone happen to know if you can swap batteries between the two brand’s tools? Just curious.
The hart comes with the charger battery and tool in the box you can’t swap batteries though different design
Thanks for the test, it is very useful. By the way, Home Depot offer the $159 Ryobi deal which include 2-4.0Ah, 1-2.0Ah batteries and one free tool (has the newly Ryobi P322 Nail Gun) now. I just get it, an unbeatable deal.
Oh nice!
DO AIR COMPRESSOR NAILERS HAVE THIS ISSUE OR NOT?
Sure, you need the right amount of air pressure to drive the nail and an air compressor big enough to support how fast you want to be shooting you nails. If you look on most they recommend bigger than the small pancakes otherwise it will just constantly have the compressor on recharging. This means more expensive /or bigger and less portable. That’s why so many go battery now however if your static in a shop, you can nab a big tank and your good to go
@@BitnerBuilt WHAT SIZE TANK AND PSI DO YOU RECOMMEND. ALSO, I LOOK TO USE A SPRAY GUN FOR STAINING TABLES OR LARGE PROJECTS... PEACE..
Can you buy the Hart in the UK and what about spare batteries?
The hart brand is sold in the United States at Walmart, but it’s manufactured and owned by the parent company of Milwaukee and Ryobi, TTI. I took a look and there are some hard tools on amazon.uk. Their spare batteries work amongst all of the. Hart tools
I have the ryobi brad and finish nailer's. For bird feeders and houses plus here and there stuff. Never had an issue with them.
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Very nice review. In my experience, not all, but many nailers take a few hundred nails to 'break in', which can definitely be long enough for someone to simply return them or leave a bad review. Same goes for pneumatics. I had the pro grade metabo 7/16 stapler take almost 2k staples, pro grade framer take ~500, and pro grade roofer take 3-4 coils to finally maintain consistency. I've had the 18g porter cable 20v(now craftsman) for probably 10 years with no issues through 100k+ nails. I haven't used it in a couple years but I'm sure it's still fine. I replaced it with the 18g Ryobi so I could buy the cordless 23g as well. Both Ryobis were perfect out of the box for 2+ years before I gave them to a friend and replaced with metabo. ~3 years later and the metabo 18g is still going strong but 23g was a headache from day one. I replaced with the dewalt 23g which I returned for electronic issues. Went with the M12 23g that has been great. In my opinion, 1.5-2 years of professional use from a cordless nailer is a reasonable expectation. If I spend $150-300 on a nailer that lasts 2 years, that's $.20-40 cents per day. Time is money. Showing up and getting right to work has a direct monetary value. There is dollar value for every 5-10 minutes per day that I save from not needing to carry a compressor, let it fill up, run a hose, relocate a compressor, let it empty, wrap up the hose, and pack it back into the truck, and that value is a lot more than $.20-40 cents. There is also a value to that found real estate in the truck by not needing to bring a compressor and hose. There's also a safety value when you get into cordless roofing/framing nailers so you're not dancing around hoses on a roof. I now own every style of cordless fastener aside from a 7/16 cedar siding stapler and coil siding nailer. 99% of my work is done cordless and I don't expect them to last forever, I just know that when they crap out after 1-2 years I've easily gotten my moneys worth. Everything after that is a bonus.
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Best review I've seen. Thank you!
Oh wow thanks so much!
i highly recommend the Kobalt brad nailer. its best in class if you ask me and is a milwaukee clone
Cool thanks for the recommendation !
I've alway found it funny how tool snobs rag on Ryobi tools when they are generally a great value and dependable tool. Nice video BTW
I'm with you there, they really are a great value!
You really should’ve tried the SKIL Brad nailer. It’s even cheaper than most of the ones you have in the video. I’ve had it for a few months and I’m in love with it
Oh I will have to take a look, budget didn’t let me go buy everything on the market unfortunately!
I have the krafsman for 2 years and is just a joy to use ,I love it !!
All my power tools are krafsman and I have no complaints at all !
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Very interesting results from a well thought out and executed test. Well done.
I use pneumatic nailers (pin nailer, mostly) because I have a quiet and compact Fortress 2-gal compressor. I've thought about a battery powered nailer but I use the Ridgid line of cordless tools so I'd only consider their nailers. They don't come cheap, either. Even tool only.
I know this was a comparison of inexpensive nail guns but since the Milwaukee was a disappointment, it would be interesting to see how the big boys (Ridgid included) stacked up against all these "lesser" models.
Thanks! Yea perhaps I might have a pricey comp against the hart next time once the budget allows because it was surprising. Not used to saying Walmart had the best one lol
I agree the ryobi nailer is top shelf for cheaper gun, but Milwaukee gen 2 is top dog all around performance and long-term reliability
Forgot to add something is not right with yours bud, doesn't matter ipe, mahogany, soft pine Milwaukee shoots the same every time super clean and consistent (mahogany i do increase the depth but that's guns)
So know what’s interesting is I reviewed the m12 and gave it a great review, however, in the first month of me owning it it’s already completely bent it’s hammer shooting into Pine plywood and I’ve had to send it in for repair already
Overall, I’m a Milwaukee guy, but I have to call it as I see it with that stuff
@BitnerBuilt no your results i agree with you, but after having many, and 2 Milwaukee m18 18ga guns man honestly somethings not right with yours, could be the nitrogen needs to be topped off or maybe even simply broke in idk, but that's not the normal operation of the gen 2s....the gen 1 man I am the biggest hater of, but they manned up and corrected their idiot trash lol
@@BitnerBuiltthat's unacceptable, they better have stepped up give you brand new one for sure
No lie that ryoby, I have one and my brother has one he's in the red army I got the yellow fever. And we both agree it is a reliable beast.
Good to hear! Yeah, it’s really nice to find a really quality tool at a good price
This was an excellent objective test and review. I need a reliable budget friendly brad nailer asap. Thank you! Subscribed.
Oh thanks so much!
I have that model nailer and have been pleased with it and even got their crown stapler and love it as well! Now my finish nailer is a Milwaukee and framing is a Ridgid. If Ryobi would have come out with their Ridgid clone framing nailer I would have gotten that one instead…lol!
Oh nice! Good to know!
Just bought a hart brad nailer, hopefully it last me a minute but so far it hasn’t misfired on me
I think you should be good if it’s the same as my ryobi, let me know if it ever kunks out on you
@@BitnerBuilt will do !
I had a ryobi trim gun and it was great, but it shit the bed after a year and a half. Not so great I’ve had my Milwaukee for three years now and it’s still kickin. I just recently bought a new one just because I felt like it
Good feedback 👍
@@BitnerBuilt definitely don’t knock ryobi though. I have a bunch of ryobi tools I love!
I don’t know what model numbers we are talking about here, but my experience with a ryobi 18g Brad nailer is that it misfires all the time. Like all the freaking time. And when I say “misfires” I just mean it goes through the initial noises but then doesn’t pop the nail. It doesn’t jam or shoot the nail incorrectly, so it doesn’t hurt anything. It just makes you lift the nose off the material and then depress it again and pull the trigger again.
And that’s the other thing. It doesn’t have much grace period from when you depress the nose to when you have to pull the trigger. It you wait a second it will not shoot until you reset the nose.
Compare that to my m18 second gen which has none of those issues whatsoever, at twice the price of course.
Perhaps I’m talking about an older model and you have a new fixed version. But figured I would throw this out there.
Thanks for all the feedback - so what you’re describing is a dry fire, that can be the slide spring not advancing the clip. I did have the model numbers on all the lasers wood test pieces but let me add those to the discription just so it’s clear (did the work putting it in there so then subconsciously thought I had added it everywhere of course )
Have you done a similar video with pneumatic nailers?
Not yet but plan to when I can!
Great review and real life testing to compare these brad nailers
Thanks!
As a disclaimer, I’m a Milwaukee fanboy. Concerning the battery looseness, I actually find my Gen 2 brad nailer to be a rather tight fit, especially with the first runs of the M18 3 Ah HO batteries. I have found in bumpfire testing that you can get some proud nails but I believe in my case it was user error. That being said I only use bumpfire on my framing nailers personally. I’ve had very few misfires over the years using this and easily 15,000 nails. As of late I’ve had some jams which have been easy to clear and I believe my sticker needs replacement or maybe I just need to clean it.😂 I’d try some more test with that and either return for another if you’re within your 90 day window, providing you purchased from Home Depot. 😂 I don’t think it should have had such a bad showing.
I’m not completely Team Red. I own Bosch, Ridgid, Makita and Ryobi tools also. But only Milwaukee nailers and staplers.
Keep up the great content.
Yea it was prob a one off one the loose battery that’s why I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I’m mostly Milwaukee and to be honest I actually assumed with this video that it was going to be my excuse to buy that Milwaukee Brad nailer, figuring that it was going to be somewhat better than the Ryobi, but it’s really one of those things that you have to actually have them in your hands and use them Where it’s a more powerful nailer, but I still think I’m sticking with the Ryobi to be honest. The Matabo was a really nice surprise one as well. They honestly felt like the same gun, the matabo and the Milwaukee. But the matabos half the price
I don’t blame you. If not broken…. Great reviews, keep them coming!😊
It’s also important to remember that just because something is technically better that doesn’t mean it’s the one true choice for everyone. The M18 nailers are fantastic and unless you’re so pretentious that your pinky doesn’t ever go down anymore, they are going to be a great choice. If you’re in the line and don’t want multiple platforms then just buy the tools in your line. They are gonna be fine.
People can get super conscientious about things and demand “the best” forgetting that tools aren’t the point. What you’re doing with them is the point. Lots of guys end up being gear wh*res instead of craftsmen. With so much information out there FOMO gets some people to lose sight of the point. Building things.
Great video! I've always wanted an 18g brad nailer (I'm just a weekend beginner woodworker) but the options are always too confusing so thanks for the comparisons. Liked and subscribed!
Glad it was helpful!
awesome...and i already use hart blower, mower, and weed wacker
Oh cool well your set battery wise!
Out of curiosity why didn't you have Dewalt? In my experience Dewalt generally beats out Milwaukee in power tools. Especially with the XR lineup.
The Dewalt exceeded the price point so I was mainly testing now I just that we’re under $200, the Milwaukee was only brought on to bring on a more expensive gun to draw comparisons from
Great video, just wish Dewalt was the Control as Milwaukee and Ryobi are the same manufacturer
Good note I’ll keep that in mind next test 👍
I’ve been using Ryobi for years. Never had a problem
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I'm glad you tested out that newer metabo. Is spring driven, they brought this one out to be a more compact version to accompany the other 18GAGE Brad Nailer that has been on the market and has been extremely Reliable. It would be more forgiven to what you were talking about. I really want to see that newer compact 18 gage from Metabo as an update to this one i'm sure you already spent a lot of money but still
At some point 👍 I did like that one however and someone just told me it’s on father’s day sale for $149!
@@BitnerBuilt yeah i mean this was just released released so I'm glad you reviewed it
I have mixed emotions about Ryobi... Bought a large kit , not individual tools and with minimal use, three tools have gone in for repair 😠 and naturally its in the middle of a project. Repairs take 3 - 4 weeks for repair. My ¼" impact, nailer, sprayer and jig saw... I really rhink Murphy really likes me ! 😮
Well, that stinks to hear! It’s always going to be in the middle of a project 😭 I’ve noticed with all of the brands that a majority of the kit buys tend to be there lower end, models of tools, (exceptions of course) for example, I bought a Milwaukee kit one time and as soon as I took it out of the box, I noticed right away that these are not powerful at all compared to my other Milwaukee tools, and so I compared the ratings and things, and it was noticeably lower specs. If you can, I’d recommend buying singles in any brand in the future just because you can be pretty liberal with returns on those.
@@BitnerBuilt you are SO right! I learned my lesson ... Fool me once was enough! 🥴 Back in the 70's things weren't that way 🤔 more pride in the name on a product - really knew what you were getting.
Luv your content ... Thx ‼️
You absolutely have to look at model numbers for tools in a kit. Don’t buy Dewalt that isn’t XR but r Milwaukee that isn’t FUEL and then be disappointed when it’s not the good model you were expecting. I assume Ryobi is the same way. Unless you’re a homeowner that uses stuff once every few months, buy the higher end models if you’re gonna do major projects that add thousands of equity to your home.
Or don’t be surprised when the cheapest tool on the market breaks on you.
Thank you for this. As a lightweight DIY'er, I would be interested in the Hart, but there's no way I want a _white_ tool. Keeping it nice-looking would be a losing battle.
all my tools are dirty 😂 but I hear ya
Not at all, I have a hart, absolutely love it. Easy to keep white tools clean if you take care of them
One+ HP really catching my eye more lately. Im coming off the yellow team high.
👍 yea there is less of a gap in quality these days I’m finding
Love this test. Been looking to get one of these
Glad I Could help 👍
Anyone use everbilt 18g Brad's before? I'll see them on sale all the time. Not sure if any good though.
Sorry, I haven’t i usually use grip right
I'll look for them thanks.
I'm going to catch some flak, and it's not cordless, but I've never had a single problem with my Harbor freight brad, finish or pin nailer
So your talking about air nailer?
@@BitnerBuilt yes
I like the new Skil PWRCore 20
Will have to take a look
I heard the FLEX one is great
Good to know! I have really been wanting to try flex, my only hesitation is that they’re very expensive and then their lineup is not that large.
Great video as always Justin I have the Milwaukee pin and Brad nailers I picked up off FB Market place used and got a good deal on both and they have both been very good so far. I got them because that’s the battery platform I’m on .
Thanks, Jim, does your brand nailer have the same loose battery issue? I’m hoping that was just a one off on the one that I got.
I own the craftsman it has never failed for me
Good to know!
I just bought a very cheap combo brad/staple nailer from harbor freight for $24 with their coupon. Its great.
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Love my Ryobi
Oh cool good to hear!
I bought the hart a while back as it was I'm sale for $129 as a kit. I mainly use flex tools and I've been waiting for the hart nailer to mess up so I can purchase the flex nailer but the hart won't give up 😂
Hahaha honestly that’s what I thought with the Ryobi when I got it, it turned out to be excellent, it’s the nailer that I use all the time
By the way, what’s your feeling on the flex tools, I haven’t tried them yet just because they’re a premium price tag and they don’t have a very expensive line of tools to be able to use the batteries on every time I see them. I’m very tempted.
@BitnerBuilt if you go flex, buy the stacked Lithium batteries. I usually wait for deals on kits. For an example I got the rear handle circular saw for less than 300 and it case with a 10ah SL battery that's more than 300 on its own. I have the sander, rear handle say, turbo drill, quick eject impact, and the vacuum. The vacuum performs wells but it's the only one I have had a problem with but i just called customer support and they replaced it no questions asked. tools are heavy and so are batteries but the batteries look to be better built then the competition. Oh and the old Gen non stacked batteries tend to leak. If you get she newer Gen batteries or stacked lithium you'll be fine. I've left the tools out in she rain(by accident) and let the dry and no problems. Plenty of power and I also use the impact to take the nuts off of my truck. All in all they are really good tools and the fact that they are backed up with lifetime warranty on the tools batteries and chargers kind of justifies the high prices. I always wait on sales and deals though.
@@jessebotello3617 awesome thanks great info!
@@jessebotello3617Ohio tools has the 6 ah for 249 and you get a free tool
no dewalt?they say it get jammed, good video would like to see another video on miter saw comparison
The dewalt was actually too expensive for the video to be in with the cheap picks. I will see what I can do with the miters!
Great video, very comprehensive. I would have assumed that Milwaukee would be the best, I guess that is just good marketing.
You know I like them as a brand and find many of their tools excellent it’s just every tool can’t be a winner of course!
Very very interesting. I have been looking for a little time to purchase a brad nailer, but have found it a minefield in choosing, this has certainly helped me.
Thank you for a very well put together guide.
Great glad I could help!
Dang I am going to buy that Hart instead of the Bauer, though I have Bauer batteries but I need the reliable 2 inch drives of the Hardt, other than that Bauer is just fine for the smaller 1.25 inch brad lengths at half the price 89 of a Hardt 159
Yea but hey always good to have a second platform to pick from!
I have a bunch of hitachi , now metabo. I thought the brad nailer has an on button and auto shut off 🤔 I know the finish gun, framer has tha..
Not the one I tested in this - I just picked up the new m12 Milwaukee Brad and love it (did a video) but dumb thing has the on off button, I used it in my most recent video and again I keep going to use it and not realizing that I have to hit the stupid power button. Really annoying for me at least
@@BitnerBuilt yeah the metabo has the auto shutoff. So annoying for sure. Maybe if it was longer before shutting off would be better. Like an hr or more