Dewalt has (finally!) officially announced their new 20V Max Atomic series cordless pin nailer, model DCN623.
The new Dewalt cordless pin nailer is designed to drive 23 gauge pin nails 5/8″ to 1-1/2″ long, and in a variety of woods. It can fully sink pins into hardwoods, such as solid oak.
It features a brushless motor and can drive up to 2,000 pins per charge on average (1-inch nails into 2X SPF lumber with a DCB203 2Ah battery).
Advertisement
The nailer has a low nail lockout system, an LED indicator that informs users when it’s time to reload the magazine, and a tool-free jam release mechanism. Depth adjustments are also tool-free.
Pricing and Availability
Dewalt has not provided MSRP pricing, what follows is the lowest street pricing I found at the time of this posting.
Tool-Only (DCN623B): $249
Kit (DCN623D1): $299
The kit comes with a charger, carrying bag, and (1) 2.0Ah battery.
Dewalt says that the new nailers will be available wherever their 20V Max Atomic series cordless power tools are sold, which usually includes Home Depot and independent dealers.
ETA: May 2022
Key Features & Specs
- 23 gauge pin nailer
- Brushless motor
- 5/8″ to 1-1/2″ pin compatibility
- Tool-free depth adjustment
- Tool-free jam release
- Weighs 4.1 lbs
This is an entirely cordless battery-powered nailer that does not require the use of hoses, air compressors, or disposable gas cartridges.
Discussion
What do you think? Are you excited to finally add a Dewalt 20V Max cordless pin nailer to your kit?
I think this might be a good candidate for pairing with Dewalt’s 20V Max PowerStack battery.
I’m slightly concerned about the weight, but not really. Milwaukee’s M12 cordless pin nailer weighs 3.3 lbs, presumably without a battery, and this new Dewalt Atomic series nailer weighs 4.1 lbs, which I would also presume is for the tool-only.
Cordless pin nailers have yet to match the size of air nailers, but they provide hose-free convenience.
The Milwaukee can drive pin nails up to 1-3/8″, while the Dewalt can drive up to 1-1/2″ pins into solid oak.
Other cordless pin nailers on the market today, such as the Hitachi/Metabo HPT and the newest Makita 18V pin nailer, can only drive nails up to 1-3/8″ long as well.
The additional capacity of the Dewalt makes it capable of driving slightly longer nails, and might give it a bit more headroom when it comes to power and performance when driving other nail sizes. Time will tell.
It will be interesting to see how well the new Dewalt Atomic performs.
MM
Sweet! I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, it’s nice to see an official announcement from Dewalt. I plan on picking one up.
Jared
That looks pretty nice! I’m not sure if I use a pin nailer often enough to spend this much on a cordless upgrade – but I sure do appreciate the convenience of my cordless 16ga nailer, so it might tempt me eventually.
Is it just me or does the first photo, with the action shot of a “dirty” nailer, look like someone painted the dirt on in Photoshop?
Nathan
yes exactly
MM
I don’t know if it was photoshopped or applied to the tool directly, but it doesn’t look realistic. A few weeks ago Stuart had posted about some tool boxes that also had fake looking dirt and grime on them. I guess someone in the marketing section figured that if the tools are dirty it makes them look “jobsite tough”…but they really ought to think more about where dirt tends to build up in the real world rather than just wiping the high spots with a dirty rag.
On a semi-related note, it seems that the DCS438 multi-cutter is now finally hitting shelves. My local HD is showing “limited stock”, and some nearby stores are showing larger numbers on hand.
Nathan
I don’t own a pin nailer I’ve been making do with a 18ga.
I doubt I’d buy one of these but I like that it’s out there. Now make a 20V stapler and I’m in. and I mean a general purpose stapler not that cable stapler they make.
Roach
Well if you do a lot of kitchens with crown moulding, or trim with a lot of hard finished wood, You would a appreciate a pin nailer.
Less holes to fill. Therefore saving time and money.
Yes, the Dewalt pin nailer can handle 1 1/2″ nails, but i have not seen that size anywhere. Unless they plan on providing that size.
As anyone seen that size anywhere?
fred
Good to see this new entrant. I suspect that it may be hard to get it right when designing/manufacturing a cordless pin nailer. The first one that Makita produced (XTP01Z) was a disappointment. We bought one to try and found that it couldn’t handle oak/maple trim and was even inconsistent in sinking pins in pine. Makita soon replaced it. I’m not sure how good the new one is, or how it compares to the others like the Grex, Milwaukee, Metabo HPT or Ryobi. Let’s hope that Dewalt has got it right – learning from others.
Anyway – it’s not for me. My use is almost entirely in my home shop and the ring of air pipe is always close by. I have a Grex 23ga, a Cadex 21 ga. and PC 18ga. – all pneumatic. I use the 21ga, most often – finding it a good compromise size and able to sink pins well in really tough wood. I find that I only use the 23ga. for the smallest moldings.
MM
I think you are correct about it being hard to get the tool right. I could swear that when I first read about the Dewalt 23ga cordless pinner many months ago they were claiming a 2 inch pin capacity, yet when a lot of info came out about a month or two ago it was rated at 1.5″ capacity. I wonder if they originally intended for a 2 inch capacity but had to derate it?
Rafe
Gen 2 Makita 23 gauge nailer is fantastic. Gen 1 was trash. I think designing cordless nailers in general is difficult. Gen 1 Milwaukee 18 gauge was terrible also. I remember 5 or so years ago the only worthwhile non gas cordless 15/18 nailers were Senco. Other brands existed, but they were all pretty useless. All of the modern stuff seems very good though.
DC
I’ll be picking one up once Amazon carries it.
Jim Felt
Regards the pre-owned “dirt” effect here the easiest way to accurately fake “use” with a hand tool is to wear “dirty” gloves for a while while using or at least holding onto the tool for a while.
I’ll leave it up to you guys as to whether they actually knew enough to do this.
;-)~
MicahMc
I’m in for at least trying this out! I’ve only returned 1 or 2 tools to DeWALT under their 90 day “no questions asked” guarantee
Gene
I have been waiting for this nailer for awhile. I pre-ordered and is supposed to arrive at the house today. All of the Dewalt nailers have been great except the framing gun. I tried to like it but the nails didn’t set. All of the trim nailers are great and I use them quite a bit. This is the one I have wanted and needed. All they need now is a cordless staple gun. Maybe in 12V?
MotorCityCraftsman
I am a big Dewalt fan but recently started acquiring some Milwaukee M12 tools for their compactness. I’ve had the M12 pin nailer on my wish list for a while. This is a touch choice now but so far I’m still leaning toward the M12 pin nailer. I’d like to see a side by side comparison. I’m thinking the 20V battery in the tool makes it awkwardly big.
Peter
Is a pin nailer also called a brad nailer?
Thank you.
Graham Howe
Pin nailer is usually 23 gauge, brad nailer is usually 18 gauge. I’mnot quite sure where I’d put 21 gauge, but then I don’t own one!
Jared
Graham’s got it. I also think the description also relates to the head on the nail – e.g. “brad” nails (and their 15 & 16ga finish-nail cousins) have a distinct head that’s wider than the shaft. Pin nails are “headless”, the advantage being that they don’t leave such a big hole in the wood.
Graham Howe
Certainly the only pins I use are headless, but I just noticed there are 23 gauge with slight heads which happen to be branded as brad nails (https://www.amazon.com/CADEX-Gauge-Slight-Headed-Nails/dp/B000P0Y7JU/) so perhaps it is the head/headless which is the more accurate definition than size?
By the way my current cordless pin is a Ryobi, complete and utter garbage. I swear it jams every other shot. I will certainly be looking at the DeWalt as soon as it’s available in Canada. All my other cordless stuff is black and yellow.
Franck B.
Have you tried different brand pins in the Ryobi? I use Bostitch and Dewalt pins, and I’ve been positively surprised by the Ryobi (then again I wasn’t expecting much). I mainly use 3/4″ and 1-3/8″. I guess it all depends what you’re driving into, but I mostly do hardwoods, softer trims, and even plastics (!!).
Graham Howe
I can’t see the reply option to Franck B’s comment, but I’ll try some other pins in the Ryobi. I think I’ve only used Porter Cable pins in it so perhaps others will be better. The lengths I usually use are somewhere close to an inch and in a variety of woods. I get jamming all the time which is why I was blaming the tool, but I guess it could be the pins.
Rog
A pin nailer is smaller than a brad nailer.
Peter
Thanks guys for clarifying this.
MrR
With a PowerStack battery it will be nice!
JoeM
Okay… I love this… but something’s bugging me… Did DeWALT release a T50 cordless Stapler/Nailer yet? They have released a lot of different nailers since the first one, and I think I’m feeling lost as to what is, or isn’t available right now. And navigating their website for these things seems really cumbersome… their design is really graphics-heavy to not give a total list, only the most recent. Or, that’s how it appears when I bring the site up.
Milwaukee’s Cable Stapler is really nice, it is. I do wonder if DeWALT has one that uses the same plastic-cornered cable fasteners, but in Yellow instead of Red… It would be fun to load up whatever one you have with different coloured plastic, depending on where the cable is going. But that’s off topic, my brain just kinda having some fun with Nailers and Staplers lately. I think I might have an unrequited love of Nailers and Staplers, I dunno. Dunno why, either, I barely use them, but the plans do go so far as to expand what I do to make use of a whole system of them… Sorry! Rambling again! Saw Pin Nailer, Went off the deep end!
Gah… Some tool types are just… My Happy Place and I don’t know why… Does anyone else get that?
Stuart
Here you go, this one’s cordless: https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-carbon-fiber-stapler-review/
=)
MicahMc
LOL!
(FWIW, I love my DeWALT carbon fiber stapler! Definitely worth the few extra dollars and reduces fatigue :))
JoeM
No, I already want that one. I have the 350, 510, and another one from DeWALT or Mastercraft… but I want that Carbon Fiber one as well… Like I said… Staplers, for some reason, are some kind of happy place for me.
So don’t apologize or make excuses… I knew I wanted it the second it came out. The price isn’t as high as it seems, when you consider they got it to work out of Carbon Fiber without it being too flexible as a whole.
And I still take that as a Win, Stuart! A reminder that, really, I should bite the bullet and buy it already, while I wait for a DeWALT Electric Cordless T50! But that still totally made my day, Stuart, Thank you! 😀
Franck B.
I have the Dewalt CF tacker hammer and use it for it’s intended use, but I was waiting a long time for a power T50 from Dewalt and just gave up and spent $40 on a Ryobi and $10 on the battery adapter to use Dewalt batteries on it.
I have no complaints on it.
If there ever is a Dewalt version, I won’t lament the $40 spent as it’s already saved me so much time.
JoeM
@Franck B
I will never regret buying any kind of Staple Gun from DeWALT. I’ve handled one in-store before, of the CF one, and I just had other priorities to cover, that’s all.
But now I’m even more motivated to get the CF T50 Stapler. I know, I rarely, if ever, use them. But… Lordy… I like these things way more than I should.
Bob
Almost a pound heavier than the Milwaukee and looks to be bigger as well. The only thing going for this nailer is the tool free jam release. As a mostly Dewalt user, I’m probably passing on this one.
Bob Adkins
Such a giant tool for tiny pins. I’ll keep using my old HF pneumatic and wait on a smaller one to come along.
Julian Tracy
Ironically, any contractor using a pin nailer with dirty a$$ hands isn’t someone you’d want in your house lol. Pin nailers are generally finish tools used when near everything else is already completed. Any that suggests a brad nailer can be substituted for a pin nailer has never used a pin nailer.
I’ve got the 2nd version of the Makita myself and it’d not entirely dependable (for sinking into hard materials), but it does look to be a fair amount smaller and lighter than this Dewalt beast.
fred
I now use pin (headless) nailers mostly in ny hobbyist furniture-making. Glue is what’s actually used to hold things permanently in place. The pins are sort of a substitute for clamps. The finer the wire gauge – the less you notice the pin. So, I would normally want to use 23ga. – but either the pins or my Grex gun sometimes have a tough time with some of the Brazilian hardwoods that I use. The Cadex gun and 21ga pins seem to sink its pins better.
The same principle (finer wire equals less visibility) is also true for stapling ticking and upholstery – where I use a Fasco gun that fires 3/16 crown 23ga. staples
Koko The Talking Ape
I’m like a few people above who are comparing the 20v Max DeWalt with the M12. The DeWalt weighs about a pound more, but it can drive pins 1/8″ deeper? Is that all there is to it?
DeWalt has that tool-free jam release, but I don’t know if that’s important. Is it?
Big Richard
Shots per charge? DeWalt gets 1000 per Ah, while the M12 “only” gets 500. All DeWalt’s nailers are on the same platform, where with Milwaukee they have most on M18, but the pin nailer on M12. That shouldn’t be an issue, but I guess it could be for some.
A side by side comparison may show that one is better at consistently sinking pins – especially in harder woods, depth adjustment may be better on one, ergonomics, etc..
Koko The Talking Ape
Thanks Big.
500 pins is a lot of pins. There’s no way you could shoot them all before your second battery is charged.
So yeah, we’ll have to wait for comparisons, I guess.
MM
The tool-free jam release sounds like a nice feature. Currently I have the Dewalt 15ga and 18ga nailers. I’ve only had one jam, it was in the 18ga and appeared to have been caused by a slightly damaged brad at the very start of a fresh stick. It was cleared in seconds and I was back at work. I also have a pneumatic 18ga nailer, a Bostitch I bought more than 20 years ago. It was generally very reliable but clearing a jam involved getting an allen key and removing bolts on the front of the unit in order to remove a plate which then gave access to the mechanism inside. It was rare that I had to clear a jam like that as it was generally a very reliable nailer but when a jam happened it was a hassle to fix it.
I am guessing the Dewalt is more powerful given it is rated for longer nails, that makes sense given the 20v vs. 12v platform as well. Of course that’s just a guess as I haven’t seen anyone do a direct side-by-side comparison yet. I am also guessing the ergonomics of the Dewalt will be superior. I have many M12 mechanic’s tools where I think getting rid of the battery brick at the end of the handle justifies the awkward fat grip of the M12. However unlike an automotive ratchet this is not a tool where I think there is any benefit to the battery being inside the grip so I think the Dewalt will have better ergonomics.
Joachim Osmundsen
Very interesting! I’m wondering if this will create a shift in their kind-up, and DeWalt will abandon their flywheel-mechanism. I am torn, because I prefer weight and balance of DeWalt, but love the power and build-qualiry of Milwaukee. I’m heavily invested in DeWalt, but do not feel confident in their nailers. I’ve used 16g, 18g and 30dgr framer
Michael
This pin nailer is solid put it thru its paces today on some cabinet grade trim and performed great enough power and very smooth operating gun, red indicator light for lockout is very helpful pair with a powerstack to keep weight down. I feel it’s a touch better than M12 even if a pit heavier
Gene
I was excited to finally get the pin nailer. I have used it on oak and maple and it is a dream! It was more expensive than I thought it would be, but I don’t regret the purchase.
MM
Nice to see these are finally hitting the market. My local HD is now showing stock on kits. HD’s website didn’t even have the bare model, but its page is now up so I imagine it’s only a matter of a few days before they have the bare tools too.
On a side note, it seems that the new high-torque 1/2″ impact wrench DCD900 is going to hit the market soon, as I just spotted this listing at Canadian Tire:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/dewalt-dcf900b-20v-max-1-2-in-high-torque-impact-wrench-bare-0547592p.html
Pipe Bender 69
I don’t think the weight matters. Honestly if you can’t wield it, than you should have a desk job.