20 Best Tool For Removing Nails (2023 Updated)

This tool was designed to be used to fix wire fences. For that it is excellent. I reclam hard wood for making furniture. For this job is it is useful for some nails. I saw videos of it used to remove nails that were cut off.

They showed the tool digging below the surface of the wood to grab the nail shank. In soft wood like pine it works but in hard wood you must use a chisel or hole saw to first expose the nail shank before using this tool.

I have removed a thousand nails. This is the tool that I go to last when none of the other methods work. I am glad that I own one of theses. I recommend buying it, but it’s difficult to use. On the other hand it has paid for it’s self by saving valuable hardwood that would of been cut up into smaller pieces to avoid imbedded nails.

This thing is a BOSS. Pros: Built like a tank. This tool feels and performs like something they made “back in the good old days” before companies started using cheap steel. I dropped it a couple times while getting the hang of using it and the jaws took the weight of the tool on a hard wood subfloor.

It made short work of nails, staples and screws, probably saved me at least a couple hours of wrestling them out with pliers. The jamming feature of the slide handle worked pretty well into drywall. Cons: Steep learning curve.

You have to learn how the tool reacts to different angles and surfaces, and there’s a technique to digging out embedded screws and nails. There’s no “lock” to keep the tool from extending when you don’t need it to, that would be a nice feature.

If you’re not holding the handle in the right spot when you jam it down you will pinch your hand. Again, you WILL pinch your hand. And it hurts. It’s a little cumbersome and awkward in tight spaces. After having said that, another “PRO” is that once you get the hang of it and get in a rhythm, you could probably pull out 100 wood-embedded carpet staples in about 3 minutes.

That job has taken me hours prior to getting this gem.

This type of nail remover has been around at least 50 years. This is an improved design, and works very well. The beak is a good shape to grab a nail head (I had an antique that didnt). There is a space between the slide handle and the bottom handle that reduces the chance of hurting yourself.

(It is possible to get pinched by the beak, dont do that!) I removed at least 100 nails from plywood (attic floor), it went very quickly and had minimal damage to the wood. One suggestion, as seen in a video somewhere, after using the slide hammer and grabbing the nail, extend the handle to the full length to get more leverage.

I think it works better (less damage) in-line with the wood grain (compresses wood fibers), rather than across the grain (grabs wood fibers).

Hey, what can I say this thing works excellent! It’s a huge Time Saver and it’s fun to use. I was able to do about 2 hours worth of work in 30 minutes without damaging any of the wood with claw hammers or other pry bars.

It even worked well on delicate trim that otherwise most likely would have split. I honestly wish that I had more stuff to take apart just so that I could use it again.

Lightweight, quiet. Short stroke of punch did not penetrate 3/4″ tongue and groove boards I had planned to salvage. Each stroke left a dimple in the wood the size of the housing tip, much larger than the punch.

The housing tip was so much larger than the punch that locating it precisely over the nail head was tedious and problematic.

This has been a great tool so far. I read a lot of mixed reviews on the tool. I break down a lot of pallets for projects and so far I haven’t had any issues. I recommend getting a trash can or bucket and filling it with saw dust to catch the nails.

It will blue to clean out of softer wood and they bounce all over the place.

Let me tell you about this magic little tool. I had removed old wood paneling for a family room reno, and little nails were left on the walls from each panel. I pounded in most of them, but there were ones in tight corners that I was stuck fighting with, using needle nose pliers and claw hammer to try to pull them free.

It was a NIGHTMARE, with the heads of most nails that I attempted just shearing off. I figured there had to be a better way, so off to Home Depot I went. There, I found this little dream. It works PERFECTLY to get those pesky little nails out from those tight corners.

I believe mine is about 8″ (not the 12″ in the review product tag). Perfect tool for the job 👌.

Estwing is a good nail puller, with sharp claw to grab nails. The Mastercraft nail puller is hopeless in comparison, with a rounded cleft that does not grab nails.

From removing staples during a demo job to taking out 16’s from a stud, this tool can take on any job no matter the size. I recently purchased this due to losing my last one, and I could not be more happy for the misfortune because it brought me a much more efficient tool for my everyday use.

The narrow teeth on both ends of the nail puller offer a ton of accuracy and saves from destroying any material. My last nail puller was only 9″ and after having the longer length helps a lot with leverage.

This is a must have!.

This thing can dig out almost anything. It’s comfortable and light making it less a chore to use.

No let downs, awesome performance, extreme durability (both the elements and biceps have tested this), fully reccomend for any outgoing builder.

Saw someone on a TV show using an antique nail puller which was a big heavy solid piece of kit. Went online and found Bahco making a modern copy which is just as solid and robust. I have hundreds of old nails to pull from hardwood boards and I think this will give me a fighting chance.

love this product, sure makes an easier job out of pulling nails, a must have for anyone that has to do this job! 🙂

The best tool for removing larger nails

If you’re looking for a nail puller then don’t for one second consider this. After about twenty minutes use the retain pin that stops the handle pulling off fell out although it could still be used. However, a short time later the cast handle snapped off and as this is where the main slam weight is, it meant that the tool was of little further use.

I was able to get an immediate refund, but if you could rate this in negative stars it would get minus five, based on my experience.

I saw this tool on a YouTube video after I Googled how to remove nails from decking. It’s still hard work but would have been impossible without it. It takes a little practice but will even remove the ridged sure -grip nails.

The damage to the wood is no more than you would get by any other method and is less than you might think. I would strongly recommend it to anyone that has to remove a lot of nails for example taking pallets apart, to re-use the timber, and even if it’s only for one big job like me having to remove decking boards that had been put down using a nail gun.

It’s quite heavy and robust: I doubt you’ll be able to break it, so this should be a one off purchase and a useful addition to your tool box, and I’ll bet very few of your friends will have one.

The Slide hammer is a bit of a sloppy fit, it’s tolerances should be tightened up, which would give it a more solid quality feel in use and more realistic costing as although Its a very useful tool. I felt it a bit pricey for the unwarranted sloppy tolerance slide hammer.

PS. I am an Engineer.

Got sick of the heavy steel in my tool bag (not that it can truly be replaced), this little guy is just wonderful to use for most framers and builders. I get it’s pricey, but if you’re a builder boy is it worth it.

I gave it 4 stars, because it was too easy to dent and damage the tip when you hammer it in to grab the nail. Obviously you have to be a bit more careful and shouldn’t use it on large nails, but hey I had to push the limit.

Otherwise it’s a great tool, especially how the support structure has been cut out to make it even lighter.

Though its expensive its a nice upgrade over my steel nail puller from the home improvement store. I purchased this in an attempt to lighten my rig a bit. Its notably lighter. The claws are sharp. Havent found the dimpler to be especially useful.

Im happy with the purchase.

Great Titanium nail puller worth paying extra for over the steel version. The purpose of this bar is for pulling nails and not prying boards themselves off of decks so if you want a wrecking bar for demolition then obviously you are going to use a large bar over this nail puller.

The day I got this 24in wrecking bar, I was happy with how it wasn’t too heavy. The color was great because I had left it on the lawn while doing work and it’s highly visible. I had a few boards with very stubborn nails that wouldn’t budge.

The first time using this, I was able to remove those nails. I also recently replaced the carpet in my home, and this made my job way more pleasing. I was able to remove the running boards without any damage, and remove nails from floorboards.

I’m very happy with this wreaking bar, and it truly has made so many home improvements a breeze. I’d recommend this to anyone and the yellow color is a plus.

I only use wrecking bars with curved ends, because they make it a lot easier to remove nails. The chisel end can get in a lot of places to chip out whatever you need. The yellow is pretty distinctive in my truck’s toolbox, which saves me time rooting around for it.

I expect the paint to chip over time and with use, but so far has held up well over the past few months. Very pleased with this wrecking bar and expect it last for quite a while.

I am happy with this wrecking bar. I received it just in time to start a kitchen demolition and it is up to the task. This is a heavy steel that give you some serious leverage when you are working on demolition.

The ends are nice and sharp rather than blunted to give you the cutting edge you need to get under nailed on dimensional lumber. I was surprised to actually find the color helpful. I can’t tell you how often I have set a bar or hammer down in a pile of mess and then had to search for it.

The bright yellow makes it stand out and easy to spot should you have to set it down.

I purchased 1700 square foot of 80 year old 2×6 tongue and groove boards 12 foot to 16 foot long each. This tool was a life saver. I was able to remove all the nails in every board in two days. Two five gallon buckets of nails.

With breaks, This was an accomplishment for a women who isn’t very handy and kinda lazy lol. This thing made it so easy. It knocked about 45% of the nails out completely from the boards but the nails were large ones and my air compressor would not get over 120psi.

I believe if I had a better air compressor it would have knocked more completely out of the boards. Even with the ones that did not come all the way out it was very easy to pull them out after the air gun was used.

I was able to straighten the nails that were bent with ease. There were a few nails that went flying all the way across the yard. I did not have the greatest set up as far as my work area but I am a female that does not have a shop.

Be careful because the nails fly out sometimes and hit me in the legs leaving some bruising but again that was my setup.

Pro works as advertised, easy to use, quiet, light weight, wear eye protection, twisty nails in pallets have no chance, period. Hold 90 deg for best performance Cons need to hold it exactly 90 deg to operate efficiently, if less than 90deg it will slip off the twisty nails, practice and buy yourself a 30 deg swivel air hose so you dont struggle with the air hose trying to hold it up right.

If boards are more than 1 you still have to pull the nails. Thin nails or old nails will buckle upon hitting and jam inside next to the rod, BUT are doable by tapping the trigger with a slight upward tug and the rotation of the rod will dislodge it.

Mangled nails punch thru a couple times and pull it thru from the opposite side. Lots of negatives but it is the nails not the denailer that is the problem. Nails run thru, approx 450 all twisty nails in 1 wet fir packing crates fv.

Very effective. My only complaint is I didn’t get one sooner. I am driving pallet nails out of 1 1/2 inch thick red oak planks. Very few need removal from the other side as most just shoot into the trash box.

You will need a standard air hose connector. A couple of drops of oil (provided) before each job and you are good to go! Instructions are minimal, so here’s a tip. Pallet nails are ridged and if you find that the wood has been in the weather long enough for nails to get rusty, you might want to only run the nail shroud only partway down the nail.

This way the nail is ideally driven down leaving about an inch left. Then put the nail shroud over the nail again and run it right down onto the wood. Hit it again and its gone! Pretty rare that you will elect to do this vs just do one shot.

90% of the time, this is a one shot operation and the nail goes right in the trash. You will love this tool.

I’ve had the 12 inch of this product for 10 years (MP300), I’m a repair and remodel person and use it several times a year, sometimes brutally like pulling nails for an entire deck. Anyway, noticed the MP250 10 inch’s were available on ebay so scooped one up.

Specifically what I love about this nail puller over its American or Chinese cousins is the elegance of the claw. You can get in around the head 16d headless nail so much faster and with less damage than clunky nail pullers.

The surface for hitting with a hammer is well aligned with the claw, too. In fact I often use a small or med size rubber mallet for hitting – so much quieter than metal to metal. They really new what they were doing with this made in japan model.

Great at getting under plush nail heads during demo projects. Used this while removing old siding and flange mount vinyl windows etc. Just went out and bought 2 more for my other tool kits at the cottage!.

One of these should be in every remodel carpenters tool pouch. Great for removing trim without damage to trim or walls. Cat paw-style nail puller works great, even on small 18 ha brad nails. Cushioned grip is easier on hands than on the bare handles.

Well worth the investment. I tested this tool on some dried white oak that had spiral nails in it and it handled it like a champ. I also tested it on some boards that had staples it. handled it like a champ.

My only advice when using this tool is to have a garbage can under the material that your driving the nails or staples out of to catch them along with eye protection. Definitely a must have tool if you work with pallets.

This product quickly allows me to remove nails. It works on small finish nails all the way up to framing nails. It completely removes smaller nails. The larger framing nails require me to finish pulling them out with a hammer, but pulling them is very easy after using this tool.

I would unquestionably recommend this to everyone.

Nothing like a hand tool made out of forged tool steel. I also purchased some Stanley flat pry bars. This claw bar-prybar out performs them. Not that this does everything, but it works a lot better than those flat models.

Stanley is usually pretty good tools but this one i had to grind the claw area thinner so it would dig into the wood to remove nails. It came with the claw end to thick, need to beat the heck out of it to get under a nail.

Good tool just bad mfg. Works great now.

Nice original cats paw. Sometimes hard yo find.

Needed to replace corroded joist hangers on my deck. Prying off first hanger took two hours. In desperation picked up this tool at the local big box. Small enough to work in a limited space but tough enough to pound and pry with prejudice.

Dropped time to about 30 minutes per hanger. Claw bar might have worked better for my purpose but molding bar was what was available and did the job. Thanks Stanley!.

Absolutely the best nail puller in my experience. Also works great as a mini pry bar. The two ends are offset from each other making it great for working at difficult angles. The ends are 85 and 15 degrees too compliment as a mini offset ripping chisel, mine being 17 inch and made in India under the brand name Central Forge.

All possible stars for this Stanley tool!.

It is great for getting trim removal started. A small pry bar just does not have the surface area to properly start trim removal. I use this molding bar for all sorts of small prying tasks. Many times it is to get something separated enough to fit a larger pry bar.

I have used this nail puller on several outdoor project, mostly for demolition. It does its job as designed. It did require some effort to reach the head of nails, if flush with the surface, which did damage the board.

However, this was demo. so appearance not important. If less damage on nail removal is an issue, then I would, and have, used other Stanley nail pullers which do little to no cosmetic damage. Bottom line…always use the right tool for the job.

This puller is also ideal for levering out boards where space is tight. Also, robust enough to deliver a whack when finesse is not required. This should definitely be in a handy man’s arsenal of nail removal tools.

This 11” crowbar/ nail puller is a great addition to my tools. I have a 36” wrecking bar and a 15” flat pry bar, and this offers something that I can’t get from either of those. It slips into my main toolbag easily and offers the leverage / strength I need to yank out some pretty big nails.

I don’t like to carry a lot of tools around, and my desire to make due with what I’ve got led me to bust a smaller flat pry bar on a job that was too big for it. This manages to be lightweight but still plenty sturdy that you really aren’t going to break it, so it makes a better fit for “the one I keep with me” Both ends take a hammer well for driving under nails, and the tool dip at one end also seems to help it slide under nails a bit more easily.

To date it is holding up well to abuse. Pulled some ancient rusty nails out of old hardened 2x4s in my garage no problem.

I’ve been so happy with Stanley’s nail puller. It comes in very handy for pulling nails, large staples, helping pry things open and so many more things. I’ve been in commercial construction for over 15 years and have used other brands of nail pullers and smaller pry bars and they don’t stand up to Stanley.

After having some actually break and just not do a good job, I didn’t hesitate to get a Stanley product. It’s very well-made and hasn’t let me down yet. I carry it every day and find myself using it several times a day.

I highly recommend this nail puller to anyone looking for one that will last a lifetime!.

I used it to pull several large and small head nails. I only had issues pulling one nail that was buried deep into concrete. The tool wore down the nail head and the yellow paint on the tool itself. I noticed if you don’t get a really good grip on the nail head you will wear the tool out a bit, especially the yellow paint.

Overall, it did the job I needed it to do. I managed to hook small nail heads that a larger pry bar might not be able to get. Both ends of the tool worked well and the steel construction made it feel sturdy and well made.

It Is small, but will pull nails with ease. From finish up to 10d three inch come out with no effort. Forget about the 16d three and a quarter sinker. I like it.

I received this a few weeks ago and I have found it to be a very valuable tool. It’s unique design allows you to remove nails very easily. Even finish nails are not a challenge for this tool.

Claw bar is great. Used it to pull old base molding and remove the nails. The grip is comfortable. Would highly recommend.