CRAFTSMAN V20* Brushless Cordless Framing Nailer CMCN621PLB

If you’re ready to stop dealing with the hassles of hoses and compressors, a cordless framing nailer is an attractive concept. We got our hands on the CRAFTSMAN V20* Brushless Cordless Framing Nailer (CMCN621PLB) to see how it handles framing duties, including driving into laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

In many parts of the country, a framing nailer spends a lot of its time driving into softer woods. With the rise of LVL, there's a need for more power. The CRAFTSMAN brushless motor gives the cordless framing nailer the power to drive a full range of plastic collated framing nails (2"- 3-1/4") into LVL without having to come back behind it with a hammer.

The tool only fires in sequential mode. This means that each time the nose piece comes in contact with the material the trigger must be pulled for a nail to fire. The action must be repeated for all nails, once the user presses the nose to the material.

As a bare tool, the nailer weighs 8.9 pounds and goes up depending on which battery you select and your nail loadout. With a 2.0Ah battery, it's 9.8 pounds and 10.3 pounds with a 4.0Ah battery, plus the weight of your nails. While that's heavier than pneumatic nailers, it's right where it should be for cordless models.

Adjusting the depth of your drive is super-easy thanks to a thumbwheel depth of drive above the magazine. Simply turn it to the left for less depth or to the right for more.

The CRAFTSMAN cordless framing nailer is equipped with a dry-fire lock out. This feature is designed to prevent the driver blade from being active without a fastener present. When there are only a few fasteners left, the tool locks out, the trigger is inactive, and the nose will not fully compress. These are all signs that more fasteners need to be added to the magazine.

The magazine is capable of holding up to 49 nails and is a rear-loading design. To load, turn the nailer upside down, slide the spring-loaded pusher latch to the base of the magazine to lock it in place, then drop your nail strips into the loaded slot of the magazine. Close the magazine by releasing the pusher latch, then allow the latch to slide forward and engage the nail strip.

If you get into the occasional jam, an LED indicator on the back lets you know it happened. There's a lever on the top you twist to release the driver blade back to its correct position.

If you’re not able to remove the jammed fastener, there's a hex wrench stored conveniently on the side of the magazine so you can access the nose to clear the jammed nail or driver blade.

CRAFTSMAN includes a pretty stout rafter hook that rotates 360° around the handle. It snaps into position on the left, right, and front. We really like that front position to keep it out of the way when we’re working.

The cordless framing nailer also includes a no-mar tip. The no-mar tip can be removed to expose the teeth underneath. These teeth are beneficial in a toe nailing application.

Lowe's is the best place to pick up the CRAFTSMAN V20* Brushless Cordless Framing Nailer. It runs $299 as a bare tool and there are no kit options currently available.

Learn more from CRAFTSMAN by clicking here.

*Maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.

This article is NOT A REVIEW and is sponsored by CRAFTSMAN. We received the V20* nailer at no charge.