9 Best Brad Nailers for Woodworking in 2025

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Brad nailers are a type of finish nailers designed specifically for driving 18 gauge nails called brad nails. These nails are so tiny that it’s pointless trying to use a hammer to hit or drive them into your workpiece.

You risk missing the nail entirely and hitting your own hand or the delicate material you’re working on.

That’s why brad nailers are very important. They are used for trim carpentry, molding installation, cabinet and furniture making projects where these tiny 18 gauge nails are used quite a lot.

We’ve written this guide to help you choose the best brad nailer for your projects. In fact, we’ve taken our time to sift through the numerous brands and models out there, and have done the tests and research in order to present you with the best ones only.

Here are our top picks.

Our Top Picks

1. BEST OVERALL: Bostitch BTFP12233
2. RUNNER UP: Metabo HPT NT50A5
3. BEST CORDLESS: Dewalt DCN680D1
4. BUDGET PICK: Wen 61721

Now here is a comparison table showing the complete list.

Comparison Table

Brad Nailer	Power Source	Nail Size	Selectable Trigger	Dept Adjustment
Bostitch BTFP12233	Pneumatic	5/8 to 2-1/8 inch	Yes	Yes
Dewalt DCN680D1	Battery	5/8 to 2-1/8 inch	Yes	Yes
Metabo HPT NT1850DG	Battery	5/8 to 2 inch	No	Yes
Wen 61721	Pneumatic	3/8 to 2 inch	No	Yes
Craftsman CMCN618C1	Battery	5/8 to 2 inch	No	Yes
Worx Nitro	Battery	5/8 to 2 inch	Yes	Yes
Metabo HPT NT50A5	Pneumatic	5/8 to 2 inch	Yes	Yes
Porter Cable PCC790LA	Battery	5/8 to 2 inch	No	Yes
Senco FinishPro	Pneumatic	5/8 to 2-1/8 inch	Yes	Yes

The Best Brad Nailers

Like I said above, we’ve done a lot of tests and research, identifying the best out of the numerous brands and models of brad nailers out there.

We took every factor into consideration, such as the capability to choose between firing modes (either sequential or contact) without using tools, their depth of drive adjustment accuracy, how powerful they are, ergonomics and a lot more.

The following are the 9 best units we chose.

Bostitch BTFP12233 Pneumatic Brad Nailer

The Bostitch BTFP12233 have been my favorite pneumatic brad nailer for a very long time.

It’s been around for quite a while, and there’s a reason why it has never been replaced. That reason is simply because it works. And it does so outstandingly.

Now, here are some of the reasons I like this Bostitch BTFP12233. First of all, it rarely jams.

One of the main issues with most of the brad nailers out there is how frequently they jam during use. The nail jams inside the nozzle, and you have to take it apart to remove the nail and clear the jam before you can proceed with your work. And this can be very frustrating.

This Bostitch BTFP12233 is nothing like that. And even if it eventually jams, clearing it is very easy. You can open the nose without using any tools, and clear out the nail quickly.

It has both firing modes, and you can switch between them easy. It’s also got a very narrow nose design that makes it very easy to place nails accurately.

Overall, I’d say this is one of the best brad nailers I’ve ever used, and I highly recommend it.

Porter Cable PCC790LA

From my own personal observation, I think the Porter Cable PCC790LA is one of the most well-built and well-designed cordless brad nailers in this list.

It looks rugged and functional, and it’s very sturdy. But the Porter Cable PCC790LA is not just all about looks. I’m sure, if you want to get this, you’d like to know if it get’s the job done. And the answer to that is yes.

It’s very powerful. It fires the nails easily into any type of wood, hard or soft. You can even adjust how far you want it to drive the nails, using a simple depth dial at the side.

From the image above, you can see it’s clearly a cordless tool. Remember when cordless nailers used fuel cells along with the batteries? This one does not need any of those fuel cells.

It’s all battery-powered. Charge the battery, load nails into the magazine, plug the battery in, and just start driving as many nails as you want, until the battery runs down.

Of course, if you’re getting a tool like this, you’d want to get an extra battery, so you can use one while charging the other, especially if you’re working a large project.

In terms of jams, it does jam periodically, but every jam is very easy to clear. Just flip the lever located at the nose, and it will open up, allowing you to clear any jammed nail freely.

Reloading the magazine is a also super easy. It’s still almost the same process as clearing the jammed nail. Just flip the nose lever down, pull the magazine cover back, and just slide in the clip of nails you want to put in.

Finally, the Porter Cable PCC790LA also features a work light right under it. So, if you’re working in a dark space, say inside of cabinets or installing trim in dark corners in a room, the light will illuminate it properly so you can place nails without making any mistakes.

Related: Everything You Need To Know About Woodworking Router Tools

Dewalt DCN680D1 Cordless Brad Nailer

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of using an air compressor and dragging air hoses with you, one of the best cordless brad nailers you can opt for is this Dewalt DCN680D1.

There’re other Dewalt brad nailers, but this one tops it for me. It has a narrow nose design that improves your line of sight and helps you sink brads accurately without missing the mark or damaging the material.

With the DCN680D1, you have an 18 gauge brad nailer with the capacity to drive brad nails from 5/8 inches to 2-1/8 inches in length.

It’s the ideal unit for fastening decorative moldings, window trims, shoe moldings, and casings.

It comes equipped with a brushless motor which is very efficient. You can power it with any of Dewalt’s 20V MAX Lithium-Ion batteries.

This Dewalt DCN680D1 has everything you need to tackle projects on and off the jobsite, whether large or small, professional or DIY.

It features a tool-free selectable trigger you can use to choose between bump firing and full sequential firing modes.

You can countersink nails at precisely the right depth you want using the tool-free depth adjustment dial it’s equipped with.

Though you’ll have very few nail jams, you can clear jams quite easily using a tool-free jam release lever right at the nose of the tool.

If no nails are in the magazine, the Dewalt DCN680D1 will not fire when actuated. A low nail lockout prevents any dry firing that might damage your material or leave unwanted marks on the surface.

It comes with a belt/rafter hook you can fix on either side of the tool depending on which side of your belt you want to hang it when it’s not in use.

In case there’s a jam, there’s a tool-free jam release lever to clear the jam and reduce downtime.

Overall, the Dewalt DCN680D1 brad nailer comes with everything you need in a brad nailer. It’s got the features of a pneumatic nailer with the freedom only a cordless tool can provide you.

Metabo HPT NT1850DG Cordless Brad Nailer

Another battery powered brad nailer you really want to consider is this Metabo HPT NT1850DG. It’s design for driving 5/8 inch nails to 2 inch nails, and it drives them flush every time.

And you can always adjust how deep you want the nails to go depending on the size of nails you’re using.

Reloading the magazine is very straightforward and easy. Same as clearing a jams, if it ever occurs. Just flip the lever right at the nose, and it will open up for you to remove any jammed nail. Although, that will be a rarity, because this thing fires straight all the time. No jams, and no misfires.

When you get this unit, you get the bare tool, a 2.0 Ah battery and a charger. So, you have everything you need to start using it immediately.

Overall, if you’re looking for a new cordless brad nailer, and you don’t want to worry about air compressors or any other additional accessories to get it to work, this Metabo will do just fine.

The build quality is great, and it performs flawlessly.

Worx Nitro Cordless Brad Nailer

Seeing the Worx Nitro for the first time was really exciting, because Worx is one of my favorite tool brands. And I’ll tell you, they didn’t disappoint with this one.

The Worx Nitro is cordless. So, you don’t need to deal with air compressors and hoses while using this one.

In terms of nail size, it’s capable of firing 5/8 inch to 2 inch nails flush, into any type of wood you’re working with.

Unlike most of the other cordless brad nailers, the Worx Nitro has both sequential and contact firing modes, with the contact firing mode capable of driving up to 80 nails per minute, which is just awesome.

Most trim work, don’t require you to fire nails that rapidly, but it’s nice to just have that option in case you need it.

It doesn’t really jam, but in case it does, the nose can be opened tool-free to clear the jam.

Loading the magazine is also very straight forward. Nail depth can be adjusted, and there’s an inbuilt work light you can turn on any time to illuminate your work area.

Overall, I truly believe this Worx Nitro is one of the best brad nailers you can get your hands on today.

Metabo HPT NT50A5 Pneumatic Brad Nailer

If you want the A-series of brad nailers, this is it. Trust me. The Metabo NT50A5 comes with everything you need to drive brad nails all day without any hiccups.

It’s got every feature you need, including selective actuation to change firing modes, depth of drive adjustment and toolless jam clearing. It’s also very lightweight, weighing just 2.9 lbs. You can use it for any type of project you have in mind.

It’s pneumatic though. So, you need to use an air compressor with it. One little little noticeable feature about the Metabo HPT NT50A5 is how the hose connector on it is slightly angled upwards away from the tool. That will help keep the hose from getting in the way when you’re working with it.

The nose design on this unit is also one of the narrowest you’ll find on any brad nailer. This increases precision and accuracy. This thing is designed to help you work as precisely as possible.

The magazine is made out of fine grade aluminium to keep it as durable as possible. A good working magazine means the nails come out freely without any jams.

Related: 9 Best Framing Nailers For Woodworking Projects

Wen 61721 Pneumatic Brad Nailer

Considering the low price, I never expected much from this Wen 61721 brad nailer, but after using it, I’d say it’s one of the most impressive and best performing ones you’re going to find out there.

First of all, it’s very lightweight weighing just under 3 pounds, and it’s well designed with an ergonomic rubber handle that makes it very comfortable to hold and use.

It fires brads within the range of 3/8 to 2 inches in length and operates between 60 to 115 PSI of pressure.

Apart from adjusting the pressure of the air compressor, making depth adjustments can be done easily simply by turning a wheel close to the trigger.

The magazine is capable of holding 106 nails which reduces downtime because you’ll hardly run-out of nails, and there’s a transparent window in the magazine that acts like a little gauge, helping you know if you’re running low of nails. Loading the magazine is also very easy because it’s spring loaded.

It’s an oil-lubricated brad nailer, that’s why the exhaust port is located at the back to prevent it from contaminated or staining your material. The exhaust port can also be rotated so you can direct it away from your face or whatever you don’t want the air to come in contact with.

A jammed nail can cause a whole lot of frustration and increase downtime, that’s why this Wen 61721 comes equipped with a tool-less nose latch to open up the nose and clear the jam.

It comes with a ¼ inch NPT air inlet fitting you can use to hook it to your air compressor.

Overall, the Wen 61721 pneumatic brad nailer is definitely one of the best performing budget units you can get for your woodworking projects.

Related: 16 Types Of Joinery For Woodworking

Craftsman CMCN618C1 Cordless Brad Nailer

The 20 Volts Craftsman CMCN618C1 cordless brad nailer is designed for professional Craftsmen who need a dedicated and reliable tool to carry out trim work and install crown moldings without the hassle of bringing additional accessories such as hoses and air compressors to the jobsite.

Cold weather can affect nailers in many ways, especially those that use fuel cartridges and even pneumatic ones. It can make them to jam, and even stop firing altogether. The Craftsman CMCN618C1 however is weatherproof, allowing you to carry out projects even during the winter months without jamming, as long as you keep it dry.

Design and Build Quality:

The Craftsman CMCN618C1 is well-built. Although it’s encased in hard plastic material, it feels really solid and sturdy.

The narrow nose design aids visibility and ensures very accurate nail placement on the trim.

Jams rarely occur, but if it does, there’s a tool-free jam release mechanism right at the nose of the nailer for freeing up the jammed nail so that work can continue.

A tool-free depth adjustment dial is included to easily drive nails at their appropriate depth, whether it’s a 1 inch nail or a 2 inch nail.

Firing Modes: Sequential firing mode only.

Performance:

When fully charged, the Craftsman 20 Volts Max brad nailer can fire over 500 nails on a single charge, making it ideal for both small and large projects.

It can fire different sizes of 18 gauge nails with ease, from 1 inch to 2 inches. This makes it a very versatile tool for installing different types and sizes of trim and moldings.

Ergonomics:

It features a good contoured rubber over-molded handle design to enhance grip and improve user comfort during use.

The unit also features 2 bright LED lights to improve visibility when working in low light conditions.

When not in use, an included belt hook makes it easy to hang it away on your tool belt and retrieve it once it’s needed again.

Related: 5 Important Questions To Answer Before Buying A Refurbished Tool

SENCO FinishPro

This list would not be complete without including this SENCO FinishPro.

It’s highly durable and feels solid and sturdy when held in the hand. It’s also very lightweight because it’s made with high quality magnesium components. As mentioned earlier, it’s a pneumatic brad nailer. Which means, you have to own a compressor to use it.

With the SENCO FinishPro brad nailer, you can fire nails from 5/8 inches in size to 2-1/8 inches flush into any wood you intend to use it for.

It equipped with a selective actuation trigger to easily switch between sequential firing and bump firing modes.

When firing nails you have to check the red indicator that warns if the nail in the magazine is running low, because it will dry fire if there is no nail in the magazine. Though there is no anti-dry fire mechanism, but with the indicator, you can reload your magazine in time and prevent any dry fires.

The tapered nose design makes it very easy to place nails accurately with it.

Overall, it’s definitely up there with the best when it comes to brad nailers. It’s portable and lightweight, it countersinks the nails properly, it’s easy to adjust nail depth, and it’s very ergonomic.

Related: How To Choose The Best Air Compressor For Your Project

What To Consider When Choosing A Brad Nailer

Consider the following features if you want to choose a brad nailer for your woodworking projects.

Nose Design

The nose of a brad nailer is the part that makes contact with your workpiece when you’re nailing with it. It’s also called the tip.

The nose design is crucial because it affects how precisely you can sink nails with it.

Narrow noses allow more precision by making it possible for you to reach tighter spaces with the tip of the nailer.

A narrow nose provides you a better line of sight, allowing you to place nails more accurately.

This design can be seen in the Bostitch BTFP12233 and the Dewalt DCN680B, which makes both nailers much easier to use.

Tool-Free Jam Release

No matter how good a brad nailer is, there’s always the possibility of jamming. A nail might get stuck in the nose, and you’ll have to remove it quickly to continue your work.

To access the nail and clear the jam, the jammed neck in some nailers needs to be loosened with an Allen wrench. More recent nailers, however, do not require a wrench. Instead, a tool-free jam-clearing mechanism lets you remove the jammed nail by pulling down a simple lever on the neck.

That will save you precious time and make your job easier. If a certain brad nailer needs to be loosened with an Allen wrench to remove a jammed nail, that is your cue to leave it and find something better.

Depth Adjustment

The depth adjustment feature is a must-have feature of any brad nailer. Depending on the size of the nails you are using and the thickness of the material you are nailing into, you might need to adjust how far the nailer sinks the nails or brads into the wood.

In most nailers, it is usually in the form of a dial or wheel close to the nose. Turning the dial clockwise or anti-clockwise increases or reduces how deep a nail will sink when you pull the trigger.

So, ensure the one you choose has a good depth adjustment feature.

Anti-Dry Fire

Another feature you need to check for, which is not a must but also essential, is an anti-dry fire mechanism to prevent the brad nailer from firing if there are no nails in the magazine.

Pressing the trigger when no nails are in the magazine is a dry fire. When you pull the trigger, the plunger or piston inside the nailer will try to push a nail out, but since the magazine is empty, none will come out.

This incident is not good because the force of the piston going down will leave an impression on your workpiece, which you may not fancy if you are working on something delicate. Remember, people mainly use brad nailers because they are most suitable for working on delicate trim.

Besides dry firing damaging the workpiece, it’s also unsuitable for the tool.

If the dry firing continues, it will eventually damage the nailer in the long run. I don’t know about you, but I want my tools to last long. So, if you’re like me, you must prevent dry fires as much as possible.

Buying a nail gun with an anti-dry fire mechanism is the easiest way to prevent it. The mechanism detects if no nails are in the magazine and will only fire once you reload it with nails.

Exhaust Air Control

Exhaust air control is crucial because the air coming from the nailer is already contaminated with the oil meant for lubricating the nailer.

Hence, that air must not be directed toward what you’re nailing.

It should also be directed towards your face because that will be very uncomfortable as you work with the tool.

The ability to change the direction of the exhaust air will help you position it so that it’s not contaminating the workpiece and not directed toward your face.

Selectable Trigger

If you’ve ever used a nail gun before, you’ll know that there are 2 main ways to fire it. It’s either sequential firing, or bump firing.

Some nail guns come with a selectable trigger that allows you to choose between the two firing modes, while others just come with a single firing mode, usually the sequential firing mode.

Sequential firing is designed in such a way that you must compress the nailer tip against the workpiece, and then pull the trigger before a single nail fires. Pulling the trigger again in this position will not fire another nail. To fire another nail, you must lift the nailer off the workpiece, release the trigger, reposition the tip against the workpiece again, compress the tip, and then pull the trigger again, before another nail fires.

That’s why it’s called sequential firing. You have to follow this sequence every time you want to fire a nail. It’s designed this way for safety reasons, so that you don’t accidentally fire the nailer without making sure you really want to fire it.

On the other hand, bump or contact firing requires you to pull the trigger once and bump the nail tip on top of the workpiece as many times as you want.

A nail will fire every time the nail tip comes in contact with the workpiece. The sequential firing mode is safer, while the bump firing mode is faster.

Like I said, some brad nailers have a selectable trigger that enables you to choose between the 2 firing modes, while some just come with a single firing mode, which is usually the sequential firing mode.

If you’re just a simple DIYer using it for simple DIY projects around the home, having a brad nailer with just the sequential firing mode is great. Because you can’t just accidentally fire a nail with the sequential mode. You have to complete the sequence before a nail will fire. Pro woodworkers however usually prefer having both options and choosing between them, depending on the type of project they’re working on.

So, if you want both firing modes, make sure the brad nailer you choose have that selectable trigger option.

Ergonomics

Depending on what you’re working on, you may need to use your brad nailer for a pretty long time at a stretch.

This is where a well-designed ergonomic handle comes in handy. Choose one with a rubberized handle, as this will afford you a better grip and prevent it from slipping if you develop sweat on your palms.

It will also ensure the tool doesn’t leave any blisters or bruises on your hand if you handle it for a long time.

A good rubberized handle gives you a soft grip on the tool and provides more comfort as you use the tool.

Pneumatic Brad Nailers vs Battery Powered vs Fuel Cell

The main advantage of pneumatic brad nailers is that they’re lighter in weight, because there’s no additional battery to carry with the tool, no motor and gear contained within. Fewer moving parts makes it lighter and also cheaper.

Pneumatic units are also smaller in size and will fit into tighter spaces than their battery powered counterparts.

However, they’re still quite unwieldy since you have to drag the air compressor hose with it. The user’s range is limited by the length of the hose.

They’re also very prone to cold weather conditions (winter) that cause them to jam or even stop firing. You also have to account for air compressor investment if you don’t already have one, and the noise produced by the air compressor during use.

Battery-powered and fuel cell-powered units are very portable. They can be taken anywhere. No need to carry an air compressor and no need for long hoses. These are best for DIYer’s, weekend warriors and handymen for carrying out projects at home, especially if you don’t want anything to do with the noise of an air compressor machine.

However, battery and fuel cell units are bulkier and heavier, which makes it difficult to use them for a long time without being fatigued.

They’re also more expensive and difficult to maintain. With fuel cartridge or fuel cell units, you have to buy these fuel cartridges continuously throughout the life of the tool, which adds to the total expenses of using that tool.

Batteries and fuel cells also run down, and causes downtime because you have to wait for the battery to recharge, unless you have a charged spare battery. But with pneumatic units, you’ll never run out of air as long as the air compressor is on.

Considering the above points, we’ve listed the 9 best brad nailers below so you can choose the right one for your projects.

Conclusion

One thing you need to understand when getting tools like this is that everybody’s experience will most likely not be the same.

I might choose a particular unit and have the best experience ever with it, while you might choose that same one and have the worst experience ever.

That’s because our use cases may be different. We may be working on different types of projects entirely.

Secondly our skill level is bound to be different. These are highly sophisticated tools, and they do require some skill and experience to use them effectively.

So, if one particular tool doesn’t work well for you, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. You need to contact the manufacturer or vendor, and then get feedback from them before you make your conclusions. Maybe the one you got is just not the right one for the particular project you’re working on.