Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt 16-Gauge Straight Finish Nailer Kit EXPIRED

Angled vs Straight?

If I only had one gun, it would be angled, and it would be a 15 gauge, not 16 gauge. You can get the angled nails anywhere from 1 1/4" up to 2 1/2" and that gives you a LOT of versatility. You can get into tighter corners, whether you're trying to get those last couple nails into crown, or you're in a tight spot under/inside a cabinet, etc.

Granted, with 15 gauge nails, you have to be a LOT more careful if you're installing thin, delicate trim so you don't split the wood too much, even thicker trim once you're near the end of the board.. (hence that's why they make smaller 18 and 23 gauge nailers/pinners).

Plus if I can use the same nails for my Hitachi 15 gauge angled nailer, awesome!


Milwaukee vs Paslode Gas?

I have 2 Paslode Gas/Cordless guns. 1 is an angled finish nailer and the other is their framing nailer. I have had those for years, but do not use them too much. They were always the "go-to" gun for pickup work, when dragging the hose and compressor somewhere for 15 nails for a couple small trim pieces was way too time consuming and expensive.

That being said, if you did not use the gun enough, and you had partially used gas cartridges, they would expire after awhile, and then you had to buy more, so that gets expensive. Also, you have to clean the guns, firing chamber, etc. If not, they get gunked up and the next time you go to use them...well....maybe they don't fire right and then you're stuck cleaning them onsite and wasting time. So these days, I personally would not buy another Gas/battery cordless.

Quality wise though, Paslode was around and with excellent quality tools before Ryobi was a sparkle in anyone's eye so to speak. Strictly contractor grade, and you paid for it.

Milwaukee vs Ryobi?

I don't have any Ryobi tools so I cannot comment on their quality from personal use. Milwaukee has been around forever, just like Paslode and their intent has always been contractor grade. I believe their quality has come down some in recent past due to being forced by the big box stores who flood their stores with the cheaper brands and slowly push the "quality" guys out of business. Ryobi was definitely designed to go after the weekend/homeowner guy (and that's not a bad thing to a point), that's how Home Depot pushes their products on the consumer and slowly the quality competitors out of business, through volume.


Hanging doors with a finish gun?


Sure, I've used a 15 gauge angled nailer with 2 1/2" nails to initially set a prehung door. They are great to set the door in place, get it shimmed up, adjust it this way or that way a bit, since you can still pull/shim the frame a bit. Believe it or not, 2 nails high up on the jambs will hold that pre-hung assembly in place and you can be hands free to them plumb and shim everything in place, pop a few more nails in, etc. That being said, I replace 1 of the 3/4" preinstalled screws in each hinge with a longer, 2 1/2" or so screw. The problem is in finding screws that match, depending on the finish of the hardware. However, those screws grab everything including the hinge that holds the door, and if the door is solid core versus hollow core, it helps a lot. For interior hollow core doors, even if you chose not to use screws through the hinges, if you install enough 2 1/2" 15 gauge nails in the jambs, like 10 to 12, one on the inside and one on the outside of the door, in 5 or 6 sets from top to bottom and then come back and install your door casing with 15 gauge nails to the stud and then nail the casing to the door jamb, that door isn't going anywhere. Again, hollow core interior doors, this is a bare minimum. Ideally, replace at least 1 screw in each hinge with a longer screw into the jack stud. If you want to throw in a few "hand" finish nails, 2 1/2 to 3 inches, even better.

Exterior doors? Definitely at least 1 good screw in each hinge, along with some long 2 1/2 to 3 inch hand driven finish nails.

Interior solid core. Definitely at least 1 good screw in each hinge.

Make sure you shim correctly so that when you suck that screw in, it does not tweak the frame out of whack too much or else then you start having issues with the door not closing all the way, then you spend more time adjusting.


Current M18 tool owners?

If you have any M18 tools (like I do), and want to stick with 1 brand/battery charger/etc, the 15 gauge angled or straight nailer for $240 is a no-brainer the way I see it. 5 year warranty, an extra battery charger, an extra battery to throw in your lineup, etc.