How Heavy Is Milwaukee's Framing Nailer? (With And Without The Battery)

Looking over the vast Milwaukee catalog, it's evident that the brand has pretty much any tool you could possibly need. Alongside some of the remaining corded tools are a host of battery-powered construction-friendly tools, like the highly-rated 30-degree and 21-degree nailers. Unfortunately, some might find them a bit tough to use if they don't know what they're getting into.

As a predominantly metal, heavy-duty construction tool, a Milwaukee nailer has some weight to it. The 30-degree model comes in at 9.4 pounds, while the 21-degree nailer is even heavier at 10.1 pounds. As if those numbers didn't make these nailers seem unwieldy as is, it should be said that those weights don't include the required batteries. Both of these nailers are part of Milwaukee's wide-reaching M18 tool system, so, naturally, they run on M18 batteries. With the most basic, 0.95-pound M18 CP 2.0 battery attached, the 30-degree nailer becomes 9.99 pounds, and the 21-degree goes to 10.96 pounds.

It's worth highlighting that there's more to the Milwaukee M18 battery line than the aforementioned 2.0Ah unit. Depending on the battery you choose, you'll have to contend with a different amount of added weight.

Going beyond the 0.95-pound CP 2.0 battery, the weight of an M18 battery changes drastically throughout Milwaukee's CP, XC, and HD battery lines.

The brand's other CP battery, the High Output CP 3.0 unit, is 1.31 pounds. Moving to the M18 XC series, we find even more sizable weight increases. The XC 4.0 is 1.54 pounds, the XC 5.0 Resistant battery weighs 1.6 pounds, and the XC 5.0's extended capacity counterpart is 1.54 pounds. The High Output XC 6.0 is 2.38 pounds, and the Forge XC 6.0 is 2.07 or 2.38 pounds, depending on the specific unit. The High Output XC 8.0 is 2.38 pounds, and the Forge XC 8.0 is either 2.07 or 2.38 pounds as well — again, depending on the unit.

Rounding things out is the Milwaukee HD battery line, which is comprised of two batteries: the High Output HD 12.0 and the Forge HD 12.0. The former tips the scales at 3.4 pounds, while the latter can come in at either 2.38 or 3.3 pounds. All of this is to say that, clearly, Milwaukee's two nailers can get significantly heavier than they already are should you opt for a larger, longer-lasting battery. The heaviest, the High Output HD 12.0, brings the 30-degree nailer to 12.8 pounds, while it bumps the 21-degree unit up to 13.5 pounds.

If these weights seem a bit daunting, plenty of other brands have cordless framing nailers for sale comparable to those from Milwaukee. But how do they stack up weight-wise?

Milwaukee is hardly the only game in town when it comes to cordless framing nailers. And as it turns out, some other brands have lighter products. Case in point, DeWalt has 30-degree and 21-degree nailers that weigh 8.82 and 8.65 pounds, respectively. This may not account for added battery weight, but the brand's nailers already have a head start over Milwaukee's offerings here. Even Ridgid manages to beat Milwaukee in the weight category, with its 30-degree and 21-degree nailers coming in at 9.1 pounds without batteries attached.

But how would these nailers compare to Milwaukee if they were fitted with a typical battery from their respective brands? DeWalt's 0.77-pound 2.0Ah battery would bring its 30-degree nailer up to 9.59 pounds and the 21-degree nailer to 9.42 pounds — both much lighter than Milwaukee's nailers with equivalent batteries. Meanwhile, Ridgid's 2.0Ah battery tacks 1.68 pounds onto its nailers, putting the total weight for both nailers at 10.68 pounds. Of these two nailers, only the 21-degree setup has a lower weight than Milwaukee's offering.

Milwaukee's framing nailers, especially with their attached batteries, are a bit heavier than their contemporaries. If you can handle that and feel they can help you out at work, then by all means, give them a try. If you prefer something a bit lighter, though, then it might be worth your while to seek out what other heavy hitters in the cordless tool space have available.