The Milwaukee is the clear winner with an average finish of 1.5. It was the fastest at 10.4 seconds for 25 nails, the most consistent with eight of ten nails seated flush, the only tool to completely bury nails in oak, and the only one of the six to fully drive all three nails into 4 inches of composite lumber with no jams. It also held to 52.6 degrees when toe nailing and runs at 89.8 dB. The catch is weight: at 12.06 lb it is the heaviest tool here by well over a pound.
The Paslode and Ridgid tied for second with an average finish of 3.25, and they earn it in opposite ways. The Paslode is the specialist for awkward work: 7.9 lb, a contact tip that grips to 76.1 degrees, and the tightest wall offset at 1.63 inches, but it struggled badly in composite lumber and needs $14 fuel cells. The Ridgid is the quiet, low-recoil choice at 87.9 dB and 12.3 seconds, and at $349 it is the sensible value pick for framing pine, provided you can live with its 15-inch height between studs. The DeWalt at $350 is the compact alternative and finished second in composite at 0.3 inch, and the Metabo HPT is worth a look for its 56.2-degree tip grip and 1.75-inch offset.
Two findings should shape a purchase. First, cold: at 0 degrees F the Ridgid and Metabo HPT would not drive a nail even after a warm battery was installed, the Craftsman only partially drove nails, and only the Milwaukee and Paslode kept working. Second, none of these tools except the Milwaukee should be counted on for composite decking or engineered lumber. Battery state is less of a worry than expected, since only the Craftsman drove noticeably shallower on a pack drained below 18 volts. At $329 the Craftsman is the cheapest way in, but it was last in speed, last in seating consistency, loudest at 108.5 dB, and worst at toe nailing, which makes the extra $20 for the Ridgid easy money.
