Ridgid 16-Gauge Straight Nailer with Clean Drive R250SFF

The newest edition of the Ridgid 16-Gauge Straight Nailer gets the same Clean Drive upgrade we see in their 18-gauge and 15-gauge models. It’s a tighter drive track that gives you up to 17x more perfect drives in Ridgid’s internal testing.

In our testing, the system is clearly working well with noticeably fewer jams. Is it 17 times fewer? I don’t feel like counting that many nails!

10-Second Summary

Clean Drive reduces the number of jams and misfires
Smaller nose helps visibility
Well-rounded feature set
Slightly higher weight than the closest competition
Mid-range pricing at $169

A Quick Tour Around the Nailer

Clean Drive and the small nose are enough to give you a tangible performance boost compared to other finish nailers. The rest of the feature set is pretty much a verification that it’s well-rounded.

Ridgid 16-Gauge Straight Nailer with Clean Drive R250SFF

Dry fire lockout
Two-stage mode change (push in and turn the dial)
Thumbwheel depth adjust in front of the trigger
Easy lever action jam access
Rear-loading magazine with bypass pusher
Swiveling plastic belt hook
Swiveling air inlet included
Oil-free motor
Adjustable air exhaust
2 narrow and one wide no-mar tips

My only major complaint is that the plastic magazine doesn’t give you the snappy pusher action you get from an all-metal build.

It’s not a big deal for me personally, but some Pros might not be happy about the lack of a metal back cap. I’d rather have the adjustable exhaust that comes on this model so just realize it’s plastic if that’s something you look for.

Weight

Most of the nailers in this class range from 3.7 to 4 pounds, though Metabo HPT’s A5 pushes 4.4 pounds with its more robust build. The Ridgid R250SFF rolls in at 4.2 pounds – a few ounces heavier than its closest peers.

Price

Ridgid’s updated 16-gauge nailer sets you back $169. It’s right in the middle of other options in the Pro range with Metabo HPT’s high-end build setting the mark for the premium class. It’s about as full-featured as you can hope for at this price and carries Ridgid’s Lifetime Service Agreement.

Paslode 515500: $129.00
Craftsman CMPFN16K: $149.99
Makita AF601: $159
Metabo HPT (Hitachi) NT65M2S: $159
Senco 9S0001N: $164.99
Ridgid R250SFF: $169
DeWalt DWFP71917: $179
Bostitch BTFP71917: $159 .99
Metabo HPT (Hitachi) NT65A5: $328.69

Final Thoughts

The updated Ridgid 16-Gauge Straight Nailer is still making its way into the market, but early user reviews on Home Depot’s website and our initial experiences are positive. I’ll come back around to update this article if we run into any issues.