What is Pin Nailer?
A pin nailer is a tool used to drive thin headless nails, usually referred to pins, into delicate pieces like small pieces of furniture where other types of nail guns might split the wood. Pin nailers are designed to ensure that the pins will not leave any visible holes in the wood or workpiece. Most pin nailers use 23-gauge nails. Pin nailers are often used after applying adhesives such as wood glue because they offer minimal supporting power. They are powered by pneumatic energy making them faster and more accurate when compared with manual pinning of nails.
Best Pin Nailers
| Product Image | Product Name | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bostitch HP118K | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Numax SP123 | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Arrow Fastener PT23G | Pneumatic | Check Price |
 | Grex P635 | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Metabo HPT NP35A | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Makita AF353 | Pneumatic | Check Price |
 | Freeman PP123 | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Porter-Cable PIN138 | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Fasco 11297F F23C | Air-powered | Check Price |
 | Ryobi Pin Nailer | Cordless Electric | Check Price |
Bostitch HP118K
It is a pneumatic pin nailer that fires ultra-small 23-gauge pin nails accurately. This pin nailer uses 1/2-Inch to 1-3/16-Inch headless pin nails and relies on pneumatic energy to ensure that you make quick work of slim and delicate materials that can be split with a brad or an 18-gauge nail. It weighs approximately 4.2 pounds has a 200-nail capacity and has an operating pressure of 70-120 PSI. The design of this nail gun is well balanced and its molded rubber grip ensures that you have a tight slip-free grip of the tool, while using it. It comes with a carrying case, 1/4-inch air fitting, 500 each of 1/2-inch pins, 3/4-inch pins, and 1-inch pins, a lubricant.
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Numax SP123
This is a pneumatic 23-gauge pin nailer that uses nails ranging from 1/2 inch to 1-inch. It is lightweight and has been made using durable aluminum material. The Numax SP123 has a safety mechanism that reduces the risks of accidental firing making it suitable for both professionals and DIY enthusiasts. It has been designed to promote precision and accuracy when working on small surfaces like picture frames, tracking decorative trims, and finishing off jewelry cases. It has a dust-collecting cap that stores all the wooden pieces and dust participles collected when working with it, making it one of the best nailers for craftsmanship.
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Arrow Fastener PT23G
This 23-gauge pneumatic nailer has a compact design, which makes it easy to handle while working. It uses 3/8 to 1-inch headless nails making it easy to work on narrow spaces. Its body has been made with die-hard aluminum allow that promotes its sturdiness and durability. It has a safety mechanism that prevents accidental triggers. The Arrow Fastener PT23G is a lightweight tool that weighs approximately 2.8 pounds. Despite its lightweight, it is powerful and generates approximately 120 PSI operation pressure, which makes it suitable for trimming delicate areas, chaffing wooden floors, and working on small pieces of wood.
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Grex P635
The Grex P635 is a 23-gauge pin nailer that offers users powerful motor pin penetration through the hardest materials. It uses pins ranging from 1/3 to 1/8 inches and is ideal for detailing molding, and finishing woodworks. It has been made using a lightweight aluminum extruded magazine that has been created in a stair-stepped design to promote user’s access to tight or narrow areas. This pin nailer automatically adjusts to the pin size being used. The Grex P635 also comes with a pre-installed double trigger safety mechanism that prevents risks of accidental firing. It also has a real-exhaust system and a silencer that reduces the noise produced.
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Metabo HPT NP35A
The Metabo HPT pin nailer is a 23-gauge nailer that offers you depth adjustment as its magazine automatically adjusts to 5/8, 3/4, 1, 1-3/16, 1-3/8 inches to ensure ease of use of a wide range of projects. This pin nailer comes with a carrying case, no-mar tip (x2), safety glasses, 1/4 inch NPT male plug, and a hex bar wrench. It is super easy to use and comes with a safety double trigger to reduce the chances of accidental firing. This nailer is not noisy and its grip has been rubberized and shaped in an ergonomic style to make it easy to handle from different angles. It has a large magazine capacity that holds 100 headless pin nails at a time.
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Makita AF353
The Makita AF353 is a 23-gauge pin nailer that has a powerful motor and can be used with different pin sizes that range from 5/8, 11/16, 3/4, 1, 1-3/16, and 1-3/8 inches. This pin nailer has been made using an aluminum material to promote its strength and durability. It is a lightweight tool and has a nail lockout mechanism that prevents pin-less blank fires. Makita AF353’s magazine holds approximately 130 nails. It has a built-in air duster that eases airflow and ensures that work surfaces remain clear while you are working. It also has a narrow design that makes it easy to access tight areas and angles.
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Freeman PP123
This 23-gauge pneumatic pinner uses headless pins ranging from 1/2 to 1 inches. The Freeman PP123 is a lightweight tool that weighs 3 pounds, has been made using durable aluminum material, and has an ergonomic grip handle, which makes it easy to use. It has a reversible belt hook and a safety mechanism. This pin nailer is ideal for both professionals and DIY enthusiasts and can be used on decorative trims, small picture frames, jewelry cases, and molding. It also features a pin size selector, an anti-dust cap, and an air filter, which makes it easy to use, while at the same time keeping the working area clean.
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Porter-Cable PIN138
The Porter-Cable PIN138 is a 23-gauge headless pin nailer that uses pin nails ranging from 5/8 to 1-3/8 inches. The kit comes with additional items such as a wench, a carrying case, 2000 pin nails of 3/4 and 1/4 inches. It is a lightweight tool and only weighs 4.4 pounds. It has a reversible belt clip that allows users to keep the pin nailer closer to himself or herself while using it. This pin nailer has been designed to counter-sink nails into hard surfaces like oak. The pin nailer holds 130 pin nails and can adjust automatically to accommodate different pin sizes.
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Fasco 11297F F23C
The Fasco 11297F F23C is a 23-gauge headless nailer that uses 1/2 to 2 inches pins. The pin nailer can be automatically adjusted for different fastener lengths and has a lock-out feature that prevents dry firing. It is among the few pin nailers that can hold a 2-inch pin, making it superior to other pin nailers and ensuring that you can use it on thicker materials. It also has a double trigger mechanism that prevents misfires. The Fasco 11297F F23C has a muffler that reduces the noise produced while working and a rear exhaust, which eliminates dust from the working surface.
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Ryobi Pin Nailer
The Ryobi pin nailer is a 23-gauge nailer that has been designed using a double-action trigger design to ensure precise firing. It also has a dry-fir lockout feature that reduces risks of firing pins unintentionally and extends the tool’s shelf life. It also comes with an LED light feature that ensures users can easily see their working surface. The Ryobi pin nailer uses pin nails that range from 1/2 to 1-3/8 inches. This pin nailer also has a depth of drive adjustment feature that ensures you can turn the pin nailer to ensure the nail sinks into the piece of work deeper or shallower.
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Buyer’s Guide
Nail size: When buying a pin nailer it is essential to ensure that your pin nailer supports different nail sizes, which would make the tool versatile and eliminate the need for buying more than one pin nailer. It is also important to ensure that the nail sizes supported by the pin nailer align with your intended use to ensure that you can work on delicate surfaces without worrying about splitting your wood or leaving behind visible holes. Most of the new generation pin nailers support different nail sizes.
Adjustment of depth: Most pin nailers come with the adjustment of depth feature, which is crucial as it offers you the ability to drive your pins either shallower or deeper into the working surface. This is a useful feature, especially when working on thick materials as it ensures that you can drive your pin nail further into the wood. By driving your pin nails further into thick wooden surfaces, this feature ensures that the pin nail offers you more support.
Ergonomic handle: When selecting a pin nailer, ensure that you check the design of its handle. A pin handler that has a rubberized grip has a lower likelihood of slipping off your hand while you are working when compared to a handle that has a smooth plastic surface. It is also important to ensure that the handle of the pin nailer enables you to work easily on different surfaces. Before buying the pin nail check to see whether your hand fits well on the handle section.
Magazine’s capacity: The magazine capacity determines the number of pin nails that the pin nailer can hold at a time. Selecting a pin nailer with a larger magazine capacity ensures that you can work for prolonged periods without reloading the pin nailer. Pin nailers that have a large capacity are more suitable for professionals because of their workload.
Weight: The weight of a pin nailer determines whether the tool will be easy to use. Choosing a heavy pin nailer can make it difficult for you to work easily on raised surfaces like walls because of the challenge of holding up the pin nailer for prolonged periods.
Material: When buying your pin nailer, it is important to check the material used on different sections and compare it with other pin nailers. New generation pin nailers use aluminum on certain surfaces on the pin nailer to reduce the overall weight of the tool.
Warranty: Checking whether your pin nailer has a warrant is important as it offers you security against mechanical breakdowns that might occur while you are working. It is important to check the warranty period of your pin nailer to ensure that you can contact the manufacturers for a replacement or repair in case of any mechanical issues. Ensure you choose a pin nailer that has a long warranty.
Safety mechanism: Pin nailers are quite powerful and require precision when using them. Choosing a pin nailer that has a safety mechanism reduces the risks of firing pins accidentally and protects you from hurting yourself while working.
Automatic adjustment: The automatic adjustment ensures that your pin nailer easily adjusts depending on the type or size of the pin nailer used. This feature ensures that you do not need to adjust the pin nailer manually and reduces the risks of accidents while at the same time promoting the durability of the tool.
Ease of use and purpose: When selecting a pin nailer, assess its features and its ease of use before purchasing it to reduce the risks of jamming or accidents. While professionals might be skilled in using different pin nailers, DIY enthusiasts might find it challenging to select the most appropriate tool for their needs. Inquiring about the features offered by the nailer can help you determine its ease of use. You should also choose your pin nailer depending on its intended purpose. If you are planning to work on hard wooden surfaces such as oak, you might want to select a pin mailer that offers stronger performance capabilities.
Source of power: Pin nailers can either be pneumatic or can be battery-powered. Pneumatic pin nailers use compressed air and are more powerful when compared to battery-powered pin nailers. While pneumatic pin nailers can handle heavy workloads, the compressor and the hose limit the tool’s portability. On the other hand, a battery-powered pin nailer is portable but cannot handle the same workload as a pneumatic nailer. Pneumatic pin nailers might be more suitable for professionals because of their workload and the battery-powered nailers might be suitable for DIY enthusiasts.
Accessories: Some pin nailers are packaged alongside additional accessories that make them user-friendly. Some of the accessories that you should watch out for include a carrying case, different sizes of pins that can be used on the pin nailer, a lubricant for the tool among other things. Purchasing pin nailers that come with these additional items eliminates the need for buying them separately.
Conclusion
When buying a pin nailer, it is important to evaluate the different features that the pin nailer offers and compare them with your intended purpose for the tool. You should also keep in mind that pin nailers are designed and intended for different uses and users. If you need to work on a simple project, a pin nailer with a limited magazine capacity might be more suitable for you when compared to one that has a larger magazine capacity. The most important thing is to ensure that you select the pin nailer that is most suitable for your projects.
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