Thread: alternative to air compressor for nailgun

Your most cost effective option is a Hammer

Other than that I know GMC do a brad/staple nailer electrically operated.

I have seen three varieties of 'Tins of compressed air', being in chronological order:

1. Air supply for air brushes, in containers similar to the disposable propane cylinders that you can buy for single burner camp stoves. Very low volume, moderate pressure and set up for fine bore valve and hose which would not flow sufficient air to fire a finish bradder in my opinion.

2. Disposable inert gas cylinders for small Mig Welders. Pricey and require dedicated valving and hoses, may run a couple of sticks of nails from a cylinder if you can set up regulation for appropriate pressures. Issue really would be cost of buying valve, hose etc as spares to access the cylinder, then buying a job lot of bottles for use. In welding, these bottles reputedly last 5 minutes or less of actual weld time.

3. Someone (maybe Ozito) recently released a CO2 system comprising a head unit with valve, pressure regulator, and coiled hose that accepts a refillable ali CO2 cylinder. Specifically intended for the sort of thing you want to do, but I believe rather pricey overall. Ithink atound $120 for starter kit, $75 for spare bottle (filled) and $18 per refill from memory. But, I haven't seen refill stations in the shops so I suspect that you have to do a cylinder swap or similar.

I suspect that you could buy a small compressor unit for about the price of the CO2 starter kit. May not be the longest lasting comp on the market, but you seem to only want occasional use, so should last for quite a while, and will inflate car/trailer tyres as needed with a $20 kit as well. Unless you need air without power available (remote location etc) I think a base model comp would be the better option.

Buy a bottle of Nitrous Oxide..........make nailing fun.