Paul wrote in, asking a question that we’ve seen before and asked ourselves: where are Milwaukee’s cordless nailers?
One thing I have learned from Milwaukee is that they seek to be a solutions provider, and they try to shy away from “me too” tools and tool categories. But they’re also very big about pushing for a cordless workplace.
Paul asked:
There are a ton of cordless nailer options out there but Milwaukee doesn’t seem interested. Have you heard anything on this? Rumors? Any chance the new high capacity batteries will help with designing a battery-only (no gas) line of nailers that will offer compressor-like performance?
I have heard absolutely nothing from Milwaukee, or elsewhere, about new Milwaukee cordless nailers. There are no rumors, teasers, or indication of any kind that Milwaukee plans to come out with a line of cordless nailers.
Update: Almost every time I say something like Unfortunately, we don’t think we’ll be seeing new cordless nailers from Milwaukee or any other pro brand anytime soon, I’m proven wrong.
Got that? Milwaukee FUEL CORDLESS NAILERS are coming in 2016!
Oh, there are now so many questions! Will they offer air-like performance? How will they differ from traditional cordless nailers? How will they differ from Ryobi, Ridgid, and Senco’s air based driving mechanisms? What sizes are coming out – the full range? M12 and M18, or just M18? (How awesome would an M12 brad nailer or stapler be?!)
Thanks to this teaser, most of the following from the original post is now completely irrelevant, but I’ll leave it in.
Dewalt has been making some strides in the cordless nailer market, with their new brushless finish nailer and previously released 2-speed brushless framing nailer. But even with these tools on the market, users are asking for a brad nailer, pinner, and stapler.
In recent years, Ryobi came out with their Airstrike nailers, Ridgid came out with their HyperDrive air-like nailers, and Makita came out with an air-like cordless brad nailer.
With all that said, there really hasn’t been a flood of new cordless nailers to the market. Getting the size and performance of a cordless nailer just right seems to be the challenge for power tool designers. Why else wouldn’t we see greater selection from higher-tier brands?
Dewalt also recently came out with a new full line of air nailers. This shows that air nailers are still very much in high demand.
Milwaukee doesn’t seem to offer any nailers at all right now, only an M12 palm nailer. No air nailers, no cordless nailers.
The company seems to be approaching expansion in a systematic way. For instance, they’re not just coming out with one pipe wrench, they’re coming out with several pipe wrenches, tubing cutters, and a basin wrench.
Maybe nailers are on their roadmap, or even in active development. If Milwaukee does focus their sights on the nail fastening market, will they focus on cordless tools, or cordless plus pneumatic?
We don’t know if Milwaukee is working on cordless nailers.
We don’t know why Milwaukee might not be working on cordless nailers, or why they haven’t already entered this market.
What I do know is that they’re not alone. What about Bosch? Hitachi?
Any chance the new high capacity batteries will help with designing a battery-only (no gas) line of nailers that will offer compressor-like performance?
If you’re talking about the new M18 High Demand 9.0Ah battery, the answer is no. With cordless nailers, you’re not going to need or want the added size and weight of this new size of battery.
As for the new and recent 6Ah and 5Ah batteries, the answer is still no. All XC batteries, whether 3Ah, 4Ah, 5Ah, or 6Ah, should theoretically be capable of the same power output. Only runtime should be different.
Developing air-like performance is much more dependent on the internal workings of a nailer. Users want:
- High power for driving in standard length nails
- Repeatability
- Fast nail-to-nail cycling time
- Compact size
- Light weight
- Long runtime
Only runtime depends on battery capacity, but it’s also the least important aspect, in my opinion.
A new line of cordless nailers could be Milwaukee’s best-kept secret, but I don’t think so. If you’re waiting for a cordless nailer from Milwaukee or another pro brand, you might be waiting for a while longer.