Advantages of having a roofing nailer
Are you thinking of making a new roof for your home? A lot of people get confused at this point and do not know whether to use a hand nailer or a roofing nail gun. As you can guess, making the wrong choice may lead to some serious consequences. For example, your roof will be susceptible to leaks and even damage from storms or the rain if you install the roof incorrectly. With that being said, there are a lot of benefits to having a roofing nailer. These include:
- You will need minimum effort to install the perfect roof when using a roofing nailer as opposed to doing it manually.
- A roofing nailer generally takes less time since the nails are driven by the machine as opposed to manual installation. Remember, you can easily get tired but your roofing nailer won’t.
- Roofing nailers are also known for their accuracy and precision. Unlike manual installation, a roofing nailer will do the job perfectly as long as you are skilled enough to use it. Models such as the Hitachi NV45AB2 have a great depth-drive feature that ensures a high level of accuracy.
- Safety is also a big benefit of using a roofing nailer. Driving roofing nails by hand often leads to injuries resulting in missed working time. A roofing nailer minimizes the risk of these accidents.
Roofing nail gun types
Many experts assert that they would never use anything other than a pneumatic roofing nailer. However, having to endure a significantly loud air compressor all day while moving an air hose may not impress you. This prompts you to explore other roofing nail gun types on the market. Pneumatic roofing nailer are common due to their ability to push nails easily but they may not be suitable for use in other places such as under attics.
An electric roofing nailer, on the other hand, is quite silent than the air filled one. This type of roofing nailer has an extended power supply string that will have to be factored in whenever wants to use it. Furthermore, electric roofing nailers often weigh a lot more than other machines since the power cord adds some weight to it.
Another option is a rechargeable surface roofing nail gun that uses the power and presentation of an electrical nail gun. The downside to this type of roofing nailer is that you will have to spend some time charging it. You can choose to purchase additional batteries to extend the period of use.
Price tag
Roofing nailers are specialized home equipment, which means they are naturally bound to be expensive. However, not all people want an advanced tool so pricing becomes an important factor to consider before choosing a roofing nailer. If you are a professional then it makes sense purchasing an advanced roofing nailers that will often cost you an arm and a leg. If not, you should try to find a tool that works for you and consider the budget too. It is, however, worth noting that cheap does not always translate to the best option.
Features to consider while buying the best roofing nailer
Since these roofing nailers have different features, it is important to review what distinguishes them. This section explores some of the features to consider when choosing the best roofing nailer.
Gun weight
Installing a roof is not a 5 minute job, which makes it important to choose a light weight roofing nailer. From our research, we concluded that an average weight of 5.5 lbs is comfortable enough to handle for a few hours. While looking for a good roofing nailer, it is not uncommon to find heavier nailing guns especially electric guns. At 4.7 lbs, the Porter Cable Roofing Nailer RN175B was one of the lightest roofing nailer that we reviewed. The Bostitch roofing nailer came second weighing about 4.9 lbs. The gun weight of the roofing nailer is important since it will affect other things such as the precision and total time taken to complete the job.
Speed
The nailing speed of the roofing nailer is an important feature to consider before settling on a machine. You are definitely purchasing a roofing nailer for a specific job. If your nailing gun is not fit to carry out the task you desire then you might easily get frustrated. Do you want fast contact nailing? If so, you should look for a fast roofing nailer that can fire at least 1 nail per second. In fact, it is better if the gun can fire more nails per second. It is also important to consider how fast and easy it is to change from sequential to bump mode. The Ridgid Roofing Nailer R175RNA offers a simple and safe way to change these modes to give you a faster and safer roof nailing experience.
Firing type
The firing of your roofing nailer is also important. However, firing ultimately depends on the trigger mechanism of your nailing gun. You should ensure that your roofing nailer trigger should not have any obstruction. This will allow you to freely press the trigger and fire the nails. A smooth and long trigger press is most ideal. Avoid short triggers since most of them are quite unsafe. They have caused many injuries since any slight touch on the trigger can shoot unwanted nails.
Comfortable grip
A comfortable grip goes hand in hand with the weight of your nailing gun. You will have a great roofing experience if you have a light weight roofing nailer that has a comfortable grip. A good grip will improve control of your tool while also making it easier to hold the machine for longer hours. A rubberized grip is the best choice when looking for a nailing gun that is comfortable. The Makita AN454 is an example of a roofing nailer fitted with a rubberized grip to improve comfort.
Precision
Precision is critical when using a nailing gun. This is because any errors when roofing may lead to other unprecedented problems such as leaks. This makes it important to choose a nailing gun that can shoot with great precision. The depth-drive feature in many roofing nailers improves the accuracy of each nail. Furthermore, a good roofing nailer should have a magnetic nose that ensures all nails are released accurately without any nails being left at the working place.
Nail compatibility
Nail compatibility ultimately depends on the size and type of nails that you want to use. A quick look at the reviewed tools shows that the average nailer uses ¾ to 1 ¾ inch nails. However, the Hitachi NV45AB2 offers users the chance to use smaller nails ranging from 7/8 to 1 ¾ inches.
Loading
You definitely want a tool that allows easy loading to ensure that you do not get disrupted when working. Using the one-step nail loading mechanism will allow you to reload faster when you need to install shingles. The RN46 has this option and also allows for side loaded coils to ensure you can easily handle the gun even when loading.
Magazine capacity
An amateur user may not need a large magazine capacity if they intend to purchase a roofing nailer for home use. Professionals, however, work on a lot of roofs in a year and may need a bigger magazine capacity. Most of the reviewed nailing guns have a magazine capacity of about 120 nails. Anyone that wants a higher magazine capacity should look for advanced roofing nailers.
Warranty
A warranty gives a buyer a peace of mind. It is not uncommon to purchase defective products or those that break during transportation. The Bostitch Roofing Nailer RN46 stands out in this regard with a 7 year warranty for buyers. The B&C Eagle CN45R and Makita roofing nailer also have 3 year warranties. Good warranty terms always improve buyer confidence.
Roofing nailer safety tips
It is always important to address safety concerns when working with power tools. It is even more important to consider your safety when you are using such a tool on top of the roof. Here are a couple of safety tips to consider
- Use rubber grips – A rubberized grip allows you to hold and control the tool easily. These safety grips also provide some frictions preventing the nailer from sliding or even falling.
- Always opt for the sequential mode and wear some protective gear such as safety glasses.
- Avoid inadvertent firing – This is a major cause of injury for roofing nailers, which makes it important to take care when dealing with contact triggers. Accidental firing occurs when a user places their finger on the trigger or when the nose piece touches the body of the users/coworkers.
