Electric Vs Pneumatic Nail Gun

Based on the source of driving force, nail guns are divided into 2 categories – electric nail guns and pneumatic nail guns.  When you are in the hardware stores to buy nail guns it is very common to get confused between the two.

Electric and pneumatic nail guns both have many features and advantages and yes also disadvantages. The focus of this article is to help you to choose the right one for your project.

We have fixed 7 parameters to compare the electric nail guns with the pneumatic nail guns. These parameters will also help you to develop a good concept about electric and pneumatic nail guns.

7 Comparison Between Electric and Pneumatic Nail Guns

1. Driving Force

Electricity is the driving force of electric nail guns. They are available in 2 types – cordless electric nail guns and corded electric nail guns.

The cordless electric nail guns use power reserved in the battery. The lithium-ion battery is used in the cordless electric nail gun.

Pneumatic nail guns use compressed air to operate. So, there must be a source of compressed air when you will use the pneumatic nail guns.

2. Ease of Transportation

The corded nail guns require a long extension cord. The length of this cord must be at least 12 gauge. Depending on the distance between the working site and switchboard you may need to use a longer extension cord.

On the other hand, if the nail gun takes power from the battery then you do not have to worry about the distance of the switchboard from your working site.

You already know that the pneumatic nail guns derive power from a source of compressed air and this source is plugged into a switchboard with a hose so that the compressor can produce the high-powered air force to drive nails through the surface of the object.

So, you get very little freedom to move your device if you use pneumatic nail guns, corded nail guns give you more freedom than pneumatic ones and cordless nail guns give you the highest freedom to move the device.

3. Work Efficiency

The work efficiency of a nail is measured by the number of nails it can shoot at one time. The pneumatic nail guns can do this job faster than electric nail guns. That is why pneumatic nail guns are the first choice for professionals.

4. Weight

The cordless nail guns are heavier than the corded nail guns as you have to carry the battery with the guns.

The weight of the pneumatic nail guns is lighter than the electric nail guns but you also need to add the weight of the compressed air source. Due to the addition of the compressed air source the total weight of the device increases and it becomes less portable than the electric nail guns.

5. Applications

For heavy-duty applications like framing, roofing, and flooring purposes the pneumatic nail guns are more popular than electric nail guns. Though some models of electric nail guns can handle heavy-duty jobs they are not readily available. electric nail guns are more suitable for light-duty jobs.

6. Maintenance

Compared to the electric nail guns the pneumatic nail guns are easier to clean and maintain. If there occurs any problem you can easily troubleshoot the pneumatic nail guns than the electric nail guns because the electric nail guns have a comparatively complicated design.

7. Cost

For cordless nail guns, you have to pay for the battery. Some people like to buy an extra battery to work continuously without any break.

For a pneumatic nail gun, you have to purchase an air compressor along with the nail gun. The cost of the nail gun and the air compressor together is higher but if you already have an air compressor with other tools then the cost will not affect much.

Final Thought

The type of project you mostly work with, an average power requirement of those projects, and your preferences should be given the highest importance to pick the right nail gun.

Since pneumatic nail guns are more powerful than electric nail guns the user should be very cautious while using them. This does not mean that the risk associated with the electric nail gun is less.

Nail gun safety is an important issue. No matter which type of nail gun you use you should wear proper safety equipment like safety glasses and hand gloves.