If I wanted to nail a nail slowly, I would grab a hammer. If I wanted it nailed fast and in a very shitty way with all sorts of metal fracture generating stresses, I would use a nail gun. But if I wanted it shot dead, I would call the cops because that's what cops do.
Nah. Nail guns are good 👍. They just, probably, work harden the nail head. Come to think of it, hammers probably do worse. Not only do they harden the head, but each blow is at a slightly different angle, this work cycling the material. That's why screws are better.... Better for the home owner, not the contractor who would need to spend more time on each screw.
Is a screw much better? It’s a lot larger. For example, I recently got a nail gun to secure a metal covering to a piece of wood. The nails are tiny/less visible (18 gauge). I can’t see an advantage to screws in my case
It depends on the design. Like imagine a GE stove where they want to join two pieces of sheetmetal. They would not use nails. But I bet that earlier refrigerators probably used nails? Lots of roofing and flashing house parts still use nails for installation for the convenience. But if you have ever removed a roof, you know those nails are just there to make you feel good. The glue does all the job. But for the flashing and gutters that are still hand made and nailed, those things are hell to remove and service. So yeah it's fairly convenient for the contractor. But in the end it's not great for you when you want to change things.