Ryobi P320 – AirStrike 18ga Brad Nailer – 18v ONE+

The entire Ryobi AirStrike family of nailers have impressed me from the first time that I used them last year.  Originally I reviewed their larger 16ga P325 Finish Nailer & was very impressed by the power, quick recovery times, and the fact that I could not get it to jamb once.  This P320 Brad Nailer is no exception — unlike the larger finish nails, the brad nails also do a great job holding wood together — but without the additional size that many times you just do not need.back of the nailer

One of the main uses that we have for this is building birdhouses.  My father and I both enjoy woodworking very much, and the great thing about birdhouses is the fact that they are so simple to make & normally you can assemble one using scrap wood.  Having a brad nailer around really speeds this process up (vs hand nailing) since you literally “point-and-shoot” & no longer have to drill pilot holes, deal with numerous clamps, or more commonly accidentally splitting the wood while you work.  We are typically using the 1″ brad nails, and this sinks them just below the surface for that hidden look that we are going for.

Aside from small projects, another common use for the brad nailers is going to be trim work.  While many times you will attach the base or chair rail with a finish nailer, there is usually another step that involves hiding the edge of the flooring that touches the trim & that is called quarter-round.  Most people would not realize that it is a separate piece of wood (since it is usually painted or stained to match the larger piece of trim).  Due to it’s size, the quarter round can often split when fastened with a finish nailer (16ga nails VS smaller 18ga brad nails) & the AirStrike is a great solution here.  No more dragging hoses around a house to installed the trim & then either going back through the whole house again with the brad nailer — or swapping them in between rooms.  Because it is running solely off of the battery to produce the power to drive the nails, no additional generators, compressors, lines, or fuel cells are needed.another view of the nailer

In Ryobi’s own advertising for the P320, they claim that it can achieve “up to 1,000 shots per charge” —- and in the video we put that to the test.  Not using the smallest size it is designed for (5/8″ brads), but with the almost twice as long 1″ brads.  In a matter of about 15 minutes we went through almost 15 complete strips firing non-stop into a 2×6 board & the total shots on one charge was 1,498!!  (Almost 50% more shots per charge than Ryobi’s claim).  I would venture to guess that no matter how big the house you are working in, there is no way that you could go through an entire battery in one day with this cordless nailer.

Since this is a 18v ONE+ tool, that means that it is 100% compatible with all the other Ryobi 18v ONE+ batteries & chargers (lithium or ni-cad).  It comes with the standard Ryobi 3yr warranty, and if you happen to have a problem with it in that time (manufacturer defect —- not abuse), they will fix it for you free of charge.  These are available at the Home Depot & the Home Depot online, and are a great addition to the Ryobi ONE+ 18v lineup!

 

Get the Ryobi P320 Airstrike Nailer at Amazon here