A Cordless Nailer Powerful Enough For The Pros and Handy Enough For the Rest of Us
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First came rocks. Then hammers. After that came pneumatic nail guns, and then the pneumatic palm nailer, a hand-sized tool that can pound nails accurately in even tight spaces, such as between wall studs or ceiling joists. But it still requires an unwieldy hose and air compressor, and battery-powered alternatives have lacked the force that contractors need. The Milwaukee M12 Palm Nailer is the first battery-powered version that’s almost as fast and powerful as a pneumatic.

It gets its oomph from a compact but mighty 12-volt battery and a motorized piston-like mechanism that’s larger and more efficient than those found in other automatic hammers. As you hold it over a nail, a 3.2-ounce steel ram (twice as weighty as others) moves up and down 2,700 times a minute, alternately compressing a spring and then bouncing back forcefully to hit a steel post in the tip that strikes the nail. It drives a common two-inch nail in one second and a house-supporting 31/2-incher in less than two; it even sinks five-inch monsters called pole-barn spikes. That wide-ranging speed makes it useful both for pros, who can maneuver it more easily than pneumatics, and DIYers, who want a less exhausting way to repair the deck.

Milwaukee M12 Palm Nailer

Size: 7.5 x 2.5 x 6.5 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds
Nails Per Charge: Up to 100 3 1/2-inch (16d) nails
Price: $130
More Info: milwaukeetool.com