As you might already know, Milwaukee has come out with a new line of M18 Fuel brushless nailers.
Here is some more info, in our hands-on with Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel cordless nailers.
I’ve put some more time in with the 18 gauge brad nailer (Milwaukee 2740), but not quite enough yet for a full review or final verdict. My opinion right now is that this is definitely a capable nailer, and one with few faults.
John S wrote in, with a few concerns he saw brought up in another review, mainly:
- Recoil
- Nail driving depth
- Overheating
Recoil
Yes, there’s some recoil. Air nailers have recoil, some more than others. This nailer has an air-like driving mechanism, thanks to its permanently sealed nitrogen piston technology. To be honest, I didn’t find the recoil to be notable. It’s something I’ll try to pay more attention to.
But no, it’s not a perfectly recoil-free tool.
Driving Depth
I’m seeing pretty consistent driving depth, nail after nail.
In his review, Rob from A Concord Carpenter tested the nailer in a scenario I hadn’t considered – driving brads at an angle. While driving depth and consistency is good at 90°, the tool does not perform as well at 45°.
Overheating
Milwaukee designed their cordless nailers to meet the needs of professional users. There’s overheating protection, and it kicks in when the nailer is pushed very hard, very quickly.
Try to sink a strip of nails as fast as you can, and the nailer’s thermal protection WILL kick in.
On paper, this really sucks. In reality, you might not ever even become aware of this safety feature.
Milwaukee touts that their new M18 Fuel brushless cordless nailers have zero ramp-up time. What’s the point of this if the tool overheats when pushed to its limits? (That was tongue-on-cheek if you can’t tell.) Oh, but do contractors rapid-fire their nailers for long periods of time? No.
They pop off a few nails, move around, pop off a few nails, do something else, pop off a few nails. And often, the nail-to-nail timing is measured in seconds, not fractions of a second.
It’s not: pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
Do that as fast as you can, and yes, you will trip the thermal shutoff circuit.
So what can it do?
- Sink nails consistently
- Sink nails at the pace you work naturally
What can’t it do?
- Sink nails as fast as you can operate the tool in bump-fire mode
- Sink nails as fast as you can operate the tool in sequential mode
Sorry, this isn’t the nailer for prolonged rapid fire.
- Consistently sink nails at an angle
Sorry, this isn’t the best nailer for angled nailing tasks.
Consider This
In my upcoming review, there will probably be a part of the verdict where I urge you to consider buying the tool if you’re interested enough, and that it should be from a retailer that has an easy return policy. If it the nailer doesn’t meet your needs, return it.
I don’t keep tools that serve my needs lousily, and neither should you. Well, at least not power tools. As mentioned in Buyer’s Remorse: Which Tools Do You Regret Purchasing?, I do keep some hand tools that collect dust from disuse. But there’s a difference between hand tools and a $349 cordless nailer.
You should definitely research your tool purchases, and lean on reviews to tell you what a tool can and cannot do, and how well.
There are times when a review will guide your purchasing decisions, and other times when a review should simply hone your expectations.
There’s nothing wrong with these nailers. But that also doesn’t mean they’re perfect for your needs.
That all said, what kind of questions do you have about the brad nailer? As mentioned, I wouldn’t have thought to test them at an angle, because that’s something I’ve never had to do with a brad nailer. Maybe there’s another test I failed to consider (hey, I’m not perfect!).
Oh, and here’s an embed of A Concord Carpenter’s review. I liked it enough to link to it twice!