For full-time first fix work, the gas Paslode IM360Ci remains the site standard and the DeWalt DCN692 is the battery-only alternative that skips gas fuel cells. For second fix, the Paslode IM65 and DeWalt DCN660 split the same way: gas convenience versus battery economy. Occasional users and kitchen fitters are better served by a Makita 18V brad nailer, and a corded Tacwise electric nailer covers light DIY for the least money.
Nail guns divide by the job, not the brand. First fix nailers drive 50 to 90mm framing nails into studwork, joists, sarking and fencing, where speed matters and the head will be hidden. Second fix nailers drive 16 to 63mm finish brads into skirting, architrave and trim, where a tiny hole and no splitting matter. No single gun does both jobs properly, which is why established trades carry one of each. The other decision is the power source: gas guns are lighter and swing all day but need fuel cells and cleaning; battery-only guns cost nothing per shot beyond nails and need almost no maintenance, at the price of extra weight; corded electric guns are the cheap, light-duty option for indoor DIY.
Best for: full-time first fix. The IM360Ci is the gun most UK chippies reach for: light for a framing nailer, superbly balanced, and fast enough to keep up with any roofing or studwork gang. It drives 51 to 90mm nails and shrugs off site weather. Considerations: gas fuel cells are an ongoing cost, it needs regular cleaning to stay reliable, and the up-front price is serious. If you frame for a living, it earns its keep in weeks. Typical band is around £430 to £550 with battery and case.
Best for: battery-only first fix. The DCN692 drives the same 90mm framing nails as the gas guns with no fuel cells at all, which means no winter cold-start sulks and nothing to buy but nails. It is heavier than the Paslode and the balance takes a day to get used to, but running costs are the lowest in class and it shares batteries with the rest of a DeWalt 18V kit. Typical band is around £300 to £480 depending on batteries included.
Best for: full-time second fix. The IM65 and its angled IM65A sibling are the finish guns you see on every decent fit-out: tiny, light, and gentle enough to fire 63mm brads into oak architrave without splitting it. Gas running costs apply as with any Paslode, and it wants cleaning more often than a battery gun, but nothing else feels as effortless at the end of a long second fix day. Typical band is around £300 to £420.
Best for: battery second fix. The DCN660 drives 16 gauge angled brads up to 63mm with no gas, no compressor and very little upkeep, and the depth adjustment is precise enough for paint-grade and clear-finished trim alike. It is chunkier than the Paslode in tight corners, which is the main trade-off for the lower running costs. Typical band is around £250 to £400.
Best for: kitchen fitters and fine trim. An 18 gauge brad gun leaves a hole you can hide with a fingertip of filler, which makes the Makita DBN500 class the pick for scribes, beading, panelling and delicate mouldings. It will not replace a 16 gauge second fix gun for skirting, but as the finesse gun in the van it is superb, and it runs on the LXT batteries half the trade already owns. Typical band is around £180 to £320 body-only to kitted.
Best for: DIY and light duty. Tacwise's corded nailer staplers drive brads and staples for stud walls, carpet gripper, beading and craft jobs at a price that makes them a reasonable impulse buy. They are not site guns and nobody should frame with one, but for a homeowner fitting their own skirting or a landlord doing light repairs, it does the job for the least money. Typical band is around £60 to £120.
| Pick | Job | Power | Typical band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paslode IM360Ci | First fix | Gas + battery | £430 to £550 |
| DeWalt DCN692 | First fix | 18V battery | £300 to £480 |
| Paslode IM65 | Second fix | Gas + battery | £300 to £420 |
| DeWalt DCN660 | Second fix | 18V battery | £250 to £400 |
| Makita brad nailer | Fine trim | 18V battery | £180 to £320 |
| Tacwise electric | Light DIY | Corded | £60 to £120 |
Buy by the work in front of you. Framing, studwork and fencing every week means a first fix gun, and the gas versus battery choice is about feel versus running costs. Skirting, architrave and door linings mean a 16 gauge second fix gun. Fine mouldings and scribes mean an 18 gauge brad gun. If the gun will live in a cupboard between occasional jobs, battery or corded beats gas, because gas cells dislike sitting half-used. And whichever you buy, budget for the nails: proprietary nail and fuel packs are where the real cost of ownership sits.
No licence is needed. Nail guns are regulated as work equipment, so on site the usual PUWER duties apply: training, eye protection and a gun maintained to the manufacturer's schedule. Most merchants will ask that buyers are over 18.
Battery. A gas gun burns a fuel cell roughly every thousand shots on top of nails, while a battery gun costs only nails and electricity. Gas keeps the edge on weight and balance, which is why full-time users still favour it despite the running costs.
Not well. First fix guns are too brutal for trim and their nails are too big; second fix guns cannot drive framing nails. Trades who do both carry one of each, and the budget option is to buy the gun for your main work and hire the other when needed.
Black Friday week in late November and the January sales see genuine money off the big-brand nailers, and kit bundles with batteries tend to be the best value in those windows.
More UK tool and trade buying guides from QuoteSmith.