21° vs 30° Air Nailers

[leehljp]

What is the advantage of each type of air nailer over the other - 21° and 30° nailers?

I am looking for one to help rebuild about 300ft of fencing around our yard and sure wish there were not options. Which one has the most nails available and is the most used.

Thanks

[LCHIEN]

Personally, I have no experience. Have you tried Google?

https://www.google.com/search?q=21%C...ilers&oq=21%C2 %B0+vs+30%C2%B0+Air+Nailers&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i6 0l2.6490j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

First hit

2nd hit

about the 4th or 5th hit - long article, summary paragraph after link

https://www.finepowertools.com/nailers/framing-nailer-21-vs-30/

21 vs 30-Degree Nailers. What Degree Nail Gun is Best for Framing?

June 11, 2021 Dan Miller
Difference between the common framing nailer angles and how to choose the best degree nail gun for framing.

What may be surprising to many who have not engaged in framing is the different angles of nail guns available for the job. In addition to the angles, there are different types of nail guns as well ranging from wire coil to plastic strip to clipped head. But what normally gets most people’s attention is that nail guns are available in angles ranging from 15 to 34 degrees.

What’s important to note is that the degree reference is not to the angle at which the nails are driven. But rather the nail collation itself. This is because all nails are driven straight or perpendicular to the surface. But which degree of nail gun you choose will depend on the location of the project that you are working on.

What follows are some of the more popular degrees of nail guns, their attributes, and where they should be used. 21-Degree Framing Nailer


Although called a 21-degree nail gun, you can often find them at either 20 or 22 degrees depending on who is the manufacturer.



The nails have a full-round head which makes them similar in some ways to the 15-degree nail gun. But the main difference is that the fasteners are held together by a plastic strip and not a wire coil. You can the difference between plastic collation and wire collation here.



Up to 70 nails can be held in one of these nail guns, which is considerably less compared to the 15-degree version. However, you can get this nail gun into tight spaces better because of the smaller magazine. One downside is that you will have to clean up the little plastic pieces that break off the container strips as the nails are being placed. Wearing protective eyewear is strongly recommended when using this nail gun.
30-Degree Nailer


Although called 30-degree nail guns, you can find them in ranges from 30 up to 34-degrees. This is the greatest angle you can find with common nail guns. That means they have the best access to tight angles when using them for framing purposes. The 30-degree nail gun is one of the most popular versions and it can drive nails from 2” up to 3-1/4” using a paper collated strip.

The original version of the 30-degree nail gun was created by Paslode for use with their RounDrive brand of full-round offset head nails. However, today most 30° or 34° nails in the market are clipped-headed. Instead of using wire or plastic, the nails are collated with a paper strip. Such strips can hold together up to 88 nails and perhaps more depending on the nail gun model itself.



The advantage of this version is that most magazines will hold two strips of nails which means having to reload a lesser number of times. This allows the work to be performed aster under most circumstances. Another benefit is that the paper used to collate the nails does not create the same type of mess compared to plastic versions.

However, a big downside in warm, wet climates or when moisture is present is that the paper tends to fall apart rather easily. This means that the nails may not exit the nail gun properly when used. Framing Nailer 21 vs 30 Degree



The 21-degree and 30-degree are the most common framing nailer angles. The most obvious difference between the two types of nailers is the magazine angles and the corresponding angle of collation.
So, what’s better, 21- or 30-degree framing nailer? The 30° to 34° angle will definitely allow you to use the nailer at very tight spots. But that is not the primary decision-making factor.

The real reason to chose one over the other would be the nail head and your local building code. The full round nail heads have more holding power and are the safest choice. Conversely, the clipped head nail which has slightly less holding ability may not permissible as per the local regulations.

[leehljp]

You sure got a lot of hits with your search. I did do a search and didn't get what I was looking for, nothing like yours. Thanks!!!

[LCHIEN]

All I did was copy your post title and paste it in Google search.

[capncarl]

I believe that clip head nails are not allowed per building code. I’m not sure if it is local codes, international or what, just a distant memory.

[LCHIEN]

Key points I gathered from reading:

Sounds like: 21° larger and heavier, Full heads, no clipped heads for more holding power but plastic debris and smaller magazines.

30° smaller and lighter, able to get into tighter corners. Has slightly larger, but Paper magazines (don't get wet!, don't work in rain) so don't have to load as often. Clipped heads are verboten for construction in some jurisdictions. But Probably not for fencing.

Even if you only plan to do fencing for now, check your local building codes. If clipped heads are not permitted, it may not be wise to buy a clipped head 30° nailer you can't use for building something in the future.

[capncarl]

My old Porter Cable nailer is 21 degree.. I’ve used it for a number of fencing jobs and framing jobs. It’s drawback is it’s weight. After using it for an hour I have a couple of serious blisters on my hand. When I have to rebuild the fence between mine and my neighbors yard I will definitely be using decking screws vrs nails. Screws are not as fast as a nailer (unless you use a screw gun with auto feed) but they will not pull out like fence nails do!

[twistsol]

Just to mess with you, here is a 15 degree framing nailer. I've had this same Bostich N80-CB nailer for 20+ years. It uses nails in wire collated spools at 15 degrees. Nails for it are full head and up to 3 1/4 inches so they'll meet most framing codes.

PROS:

• It is compact, not as long as a stick nailer so it is easier to handle in tight spaces (between floor joists)
• Nails for it are available everywhere and consistently stocked at Menards, Lowes and HD.
• It is indestructible as far as I can tell.

Cons:

• Heavy, and even heavier with a full 300 nail coil in it.
• Reloading nails takes a little longer than with a stick nailer and even longer if you are changing nail sizes.