Brad nailers are an essential tool in the modern cabinetmaker's or furniture builder's arsenal of tools it seems these days. Whether they are used for attaching decorative trim or moldings to furniture or cabinets or for the temporary nailing or holding of shop jigs or components, the brad nailer is a staple pneumatic tool in the workshop.

Naturally, there is always opposition to the use of power tools and pneumatic nailers in the woodworking industry, particularly in fine woodworking or custom woodworking. There are those that shun the use of virtually any mechanical fastener in their work, those relying entirely on glue and clamps to hold their projects together. And this is fine. There is nothing wrong with that, and I envy the time these woodworkers must have to be able to undertake this time-consuming assembly method. But for myself, and what seems to be a growing percentage of woodworkers, time is always in short supply so a faster, simpler and easier method of fixing is called for.

The brad nailer is indeed a handy tool. But it too has its limitations. I still cringe when I recall one time seeing and hearing at a local big box hardware store the sales assistant recommending a brad nailer to a customer to assist in installing a large wooden fence! Sorry that may work for perhaps a day, if that, then the palings will shortly thereafter be laying on the ground. The brad nailer simply does not fire the type of nails you need for fencing or heavier-duty fixing tasks. Let's find out, as part of this review of the new Snap-On Brad Nailer, what we can expect from the tool and what it can and should be used for.

The Snap-On Brad Nailer
Before we begin, let it be known that Snap-On make two brad nailers, the 870015 model we are featuring today, and a second model which has a smaller nail length handling capacity. But we will only be reviewing the 870015 model.

The Snap-On 870015 Brad Nailer is an 18 gauge pneumatic nailer, meaning it uses standard 18 gauge nails. For those outside the USA, "gauge" basically refers to the thickness of the nail. Higher gauge numbers means smaller diameter nails. 16 gauge nails are larger than 18 gauge... 23 gauge nails are smaller than 18 gauge ones. Brad Nailers almost always use 18 gauge wire nails, also called "Brads". The Brad Nailer itself might also be simply termed as a "Bradder". These nails are commonly available virtually anywhere pneumatic nailers are sold and most 18 gauge nails will fit most other 18 gauge brad nailers, but there are a few exceptions so double check your nail specs against your nail guns requirements before purchasing your "ammunition". The Snap-On 870015 Nailer can use standard 18 gauge nails from 5/8" length up to 2" length, and anything in between. Although I do have a brad nailer that will take 2 1/2" brad nails, anything over 2"in length tends to bend and deflect easily because 18 gauge nails are not terribly strong down their length due to their small diameter and will bend easily in high resistance material. In fact, brad nails don't really have a "diameter" per se, as they are manufactured from flat metal sheets and have more of a rectangular shape down their length, with a rectangular head to boot.

All pneumatic nailers will operate at their best when used in a specific air pressure range, which is supplied by an air compressor. The Snap-On Bradder will operate in a pressure range of 70-120 PSI. Naturally, when pressure drops below this range the nailer may not have enough air supply pressure to properly drive a brad nail fully. Nailers tend to operate better in the higher pressure ranges and compressors with a cut-off pressure of 120 PSI and a cut-in pressure of 80 PSI are ideal. Of course you can also regulate larger compressor air supplies down to 120 PSI if needed. It is not advisable to exceed the maximum 120 PSI pressure recommended by the manufacturer. This could lead to nail gun malfunction, premature component failure and potential injury. Contrary to popular belief you do not need a very large compressor to run a pneumatic nailer. In comparison to air tools like spray guns, air drills or sanders, nail guns use very little air as supply is pulsed and paused as opposed to continuous, so even a small pancake-style compressor will handle even a larger framing nailer without too many issues. Tank size does affect how fast you can nail or continuously nail in industrial or commercial instances but for the woodworker, occasional renovator or homeowner this is rarely a factor. Bear in mind, however, that if you do plan to use other air tools in the future that use continuous air flow, you WILL need a larger compressor with a larger tank and higher rated air supply. Air supply to the Snap-On nailer is connected at the bottom of the handle. You need to supply your own fitting to match your compressor system or air supply. It has a standard 1/4" NPT female threaded port. Don't forget a few wraps of Teflon/plumber's tape on the fitting before insertion to prevent air leakage. Also worth noting is that the nailer requires daily oiling via the air port. A small bottle of air tool oil is included in the box and a few drops should be added to the air port before each day's use. This lubricates the innards of the nailer and prevents seals and gaskets drying out and cracking, and keeps everything else moving freely. As a nail is fired, the oil is dispersed throughout the nail gun. Its a good idea to add the oil (2-3 drops is sufficient) then fire a few nails into scrap to disperse the oil. If you are using the nailer heavily through a particular day, it wont hurt to add a couple more drops of oil half way through the day.

You will notice just above the air port is a belt hook. This can be rotated to almost any position around the base of the handle to hang from your tool belt or tool hook. No tool is needed to secure or release the hook before rotating, but there are several detents that soft "lock" the hook in a particular position.

The nail magazine at the front of the nailer is constructed from aluminium that appears to be anodized and can easily hold a 100-nail strip of brad nails for less frequent nail re-filling. A 1000-pack of 1 1/4" galvanized brad nails is included in the kit to get you started, but you will likely have a need for other sizes as well. I find I mostly use 1", 1 1/2" and 2" nails most frequently. Luckily, brad nails are relatively cheap so you can stock up on a supply of various sizes without going bankrupt! Shop around because there can be big differences in nail prices for what is essentially the same product but from different manufacturers. Nails in the magazine are constantly being fed upward into the driver/firing shaft via a spring loaded loading mechanism. The magazine also has a small viewing port to allow you to see the nails inside. Once you get down to the last 10 or so nails in a strip, a yellow indicator will start to show which has a red band on the bottom. If you see this while nailing, stop nailing, remove the air supply and add another strip of nails because you are just about out. Nails are refilled by dropping the magazine cover down, which is done by pushing on a lever located in the connection of the handle and the magazine. Simply push this button lever in and pull down on the magazine cover. Add nails ensuring the nail tips are touching the front of the magazine then slide the cover back up and lock it into place.

Moving on up to the firing head area and the nose of the nailer we find the usual spring loaded safety release at the end of the nose. This must be depressed against the material to be nailed before a nail can be fired. It offers a rubber no-mar tip for workpiece protection. In the case of a nail jam, which incidentally has not happened as yet with this nailer, the driver area can be accessed quickly and easily and without the need for tools thanks to a cam-type lever/latch system that is released and allows the whole top cover plate to be removed from the tool. The driver area is now freely accessed to clean any jammed nails. The top cover simply sits back on and the latch system engaged again to get back to work without fuss or excess wasted time.

On the reverse side of the nail magazine, just down from the nose is the depth adjustment control. This is a small thumb wheel that can be rotated in either direction to drive nails deeper into material, or to reduce driver depth as needed. The wheel provides quite precise control of nail depth, but the user must also be aware of the effect of differing working air pressure and its effect on depth of drive. Hence the user, if they wish to precisely control the depth of drive in a consistent manner, balance the depth control with air pressure changes to achieve consistency. This is no different from any other brad nailer however, and in only rare occurrences do you actually need absolute precision in this area.

Moving onto the trigger now and this is where we find something not usually found on brad nailers made for the consumer market... and that is a dual-mode trigger. This trigger allows both single action, and contact actuation firing modes. This is the first brad nailer I have used that offers both modes in a single trigger assembly. Usually dual mode bradders can be found in commercial assembly factories because they offer rapid firing of nails, but this is rarely required in the consumer market. But Snap-On is a pretty high-end tool brand, with its users mostly being commercial tradesman, so a dual-action trigger is probably warranted in this tool. Switching between modes on the trigger is done in the same way as the trigger on the Snap-On Framing Nailer previously reviewed on this site - a small spring-loaded latch is pushed in and pivoted to either the single fire detent (indicated by a single nail) or bump-firing/contact actuation mode (indicated by a multiple nail print) on the trigger itself. It is simple and very easy to switch between modes. Note that in bump-fire mode, the trigger is depressed all the time and each time the safety release bumps against a workpiece, a nail is fired. This allows rapid firing of nails, as opposed to single fire which requires the safety release to be engaged before squeezing the trigger, and only one nail is fired before the user has to release the safety and depress it again before another nail can be fired. In addition to this handy trigger setting feature, the trigger front surface has a rubber cover for comfort and slip-resistance. I highly rate this inclusion on nailers as it really adds to the comfort and sense of control and safety it endows upon the user. The main handle is also rubber covered right up to the top housing, and the brad nailer is extremely comfortable to hold and use as a result.

The main housing offers magnesium construction which offers greater strength and lighter weight, with the nail gun weighing in at around 2.5 lbs. At the rear of the nailer is the air exhaust which blows out air as each nail is fired. Another great inclusion here is the tool-less adjustable port which can be rotated through 360 degrees. In addition the port offers a self-cleaning filter mesh to prevent dust and debris entering via the port and getting into the main housing which will extend tool life.

Use and Conclusion
They say, particularly when it comes to aircraft that if it "looks right" it will fly well. This can often be the case when it comes to power tools as well. If it looks like quality, and offers the proper elements then chances are it will also function well and provide a good service life. This appears to be the case with the Snap-On 870015 Brad Nailer. It certainly feels very comfortable in the hand and there is good vibration dampening provided by the rubber grip surfaces as nails are fired. This will result in less user fatigue over extended use. The nailer does have a front weighted bias like all air nailers have (due mostly to the front mounted magazines) and in certain instances this is actually beneficial.

I had no issues at all with nail jams during the test period and have yet to experience one since. I make it a habit to occasionally spray some lubricant inside the magazine to help nails glide smoothly over the surface, which seems to aid in nail feeding and reduction in nail jams or issues with nail feeding to the driver area.

Depth of drive via the adjustable depth wheel was accurate and consistent, i.e. a full turn of the wheel seemed to produce a consistent difference in the depth a brad nail was driven at a given air pressure. Naturally the density and type of material a nail is driven into will produce different depth results. Harder materials may require a deeper drive setting to set nails at or below the surface. And that point brings me to the types of jobs the brad nailer works very well and efficiently in...

Brad nailers are NOT suitable for fencing, framing, roofing, or any other fastening job that requires the fastener to be the sole method of fixing. Brad nailers ARE useful as temporary "clamps" when used in conjunction with a good quality glue that is the correct type for the project at hand. They are great for fixing small molding to casework, cabinetry or furniture and will hold well without the use of glue in these applications. They are great for toenailing shelves in dados as temporary clamps when used with glue. They can be used for smaller crown moldings and base trim in renovating projects, however, I have found the larger 16 gauge finish nailers to offer a much better hold on these materials with only a marginally larger nail hole that requires filling - a small compromise for a better fastener for this application in my opinion. Bradders are great for workshop jigs or temporary holding of materials where headless pin nailers cannot provide the necessary holding power. Bradders can be used for the temporary fixing of various wood joints and can provide good fastening strength alone in smaller projects or joints where shear strength is not required, e.g small picture frames or objects that are not directly handled often or have to hold heavy weights.

The Brad Nailer is the ideal workshop nailer for the woodworker, and as a result, you often find one in the majority of woodworker's workshops, and it is utilized on a regular basis. You can get yourself some pretty inexpensive brad nailers, most of the cheaper ones being made in China. In some cases, these nailers work great and do provide good service life for the price, but if you have to repair or fix them, spare parts can be difficult or sometimes impossible to find. This Snap-On nailer is made in Taiwan and replacement parts are available from this well-known tool company.

A good brad nailer is an asset to any workshop and I am happy to say that the Snap-On 870015 Brad Nailer will be working alongside my Fasco bradder for many years to come. In fact, if I had to choose one over the other, I'd say the Snap-On is the pick as it has a few extra user-friendly features and is a little more comfortable to use. Performance-wise, however, both nailers are on par with each other.

The Snap-On Brad Nailer - model 870015 retails for around US$100-$110. For this price you get a nice molded plastic carry case that comes with the brad nail gun, 1000 1-1/4" nails, a small bottle of air tool oil, a great, stylish pair of safety glasses, a couple hex wrenches to suit the tool and printed user manual. While you can buy brad nailers for half or sometimes even one quarter of the Snap-On bradder's asking price, in my opinion, this nailer easily outclasses all those cheaper models and will most likely outlast them as well. It is well worth the money if you are looking for a nailer that will handle heavy duty use and be around for the long haul!