Side by Side Comparison of: Hitachi

Great quality and functionality at a good price, brads go in effortlessly and sink to the depth set on the nailer, although so far I've only used it on relatively soft woods. FYI, the combo kit that includes the compressor and brad nailer does NOT include a case for the nailer, I was a bit disappointed by this.

You cannot beat the price of this nailer. I've used mine for dozens of projects and it's rarely had issues. It's high quality and does exactly what I need it to do for my wood projects. Easy to maintain. My only complaint is that after a while, one of the black sides came off that was attached with some kind of glue, but doesn't affect the nailer's performance.

I bought this to replace a cheap old CH nailer that came with my air compressor. This is one of the nicest finish nailers ive ever used. Easy adjustments. I will definitely buy the framing nailer in the future. For this price, you will not find a better deal.

I bought this on the strength of a review by a guy who makes his living with it. He claimed that, on the job, they treat these nail guns like dirt... dropping them, abusing them, and generally defying them to fail. He claimed that this one won't.
I'll never intentionally mistreat this one, but it's good to know it will forgive me if I do. It's been a great tool for me and I'm very happy with it.

Love this nailer! Very easy to operate, runs well, built well, light weight. Accurate to, in the ways of if you set your pressure you know it will go however far down you have set it in the past. I have used it on trim, crown, quarter round, cabinets you name it. All my nailers are Hitachi. I thought they had no business making such tools, but they make awesome nailers.

Very nice finish nailer for a reasonable price. Used this for a flooring project. Worked perfectly. Not a single jam, or failure to feed. Its light, but its powerful. It is a bit loud, but nailers generally are not quiet. Well worth the investment if you need a finish nailer.

I wanted a power upgrade from my 18 gauge Bostitch since the smaller diameter nails often bent wildly in thicker wood products. This unit is easy to use and adjust. It really powers the nails into the wood and has performed very nicely during the limited use I have had so far for 1-1/2 and 2 inch nails. I have not had occasion to use the air blow feature, but it worked during test. I certainly would recommend this unit.

This purchase was to replace my PC finish nail gun. The repair parts for the PC gun was half the cost of this Hitachi finish nailer so it was a no brainer to just replace it. Hitachi nail guns are well built and reliable, my Hitachi framing gun is 25+ yrs. old and it still works. Hope this finish nailer will last as long. Like the dust blowing feature.

Love this nailer.This is my second nailer, in my lifetime. First nail gun was generic and I used to put a roof on my house (if you wonder why roofs are expensive= because it's brutal work and very dangerous. Leave it to the professionals. I have put on a couple roofs in my career and I will gladly pay for it now.) Sorry, I digress.I used this nailer to build boxes for a work project. It worked so well, I bought an 18 gauge Hitachi to do the finish trim work on the project.I am a Dewalt man through and through. I bleed black and yellow, you can tell by my garage, but the price and quality of the product won me over. Still holding on to my Dewalt tools, but I am looking at other foreign options now.The only con I had is loading the nails. If you push the nails in and hit the release to load 1.5" nails in, it will jam every time. I tried it with a few different sizes and it did it every time.The fix:1) Use the loader button to pull down the clip to prepare the nailer for more nails.2) Load the nails into the magazine3) Hold the trigger down that pushes the nails into the gun, but don't let it push them up yet.( that's when it jams)4) Hold the release button and the loader button at the same time.5) Point the gun down towards the floor and make sure the nails are completely in the magazine6) Slowly raise the nails up into the magazine and make sure they seat correctly toward the front of the gun.After a couple magazines, you will get the hang of it. Slowly drop the nails in, and line them up correctly and no issues.The gun works great after you get the hang of it. Make sure to put two drops of pneumatic oil before using the gun. (Pneumatic oil goes in the same hole were you attach the air hose.)

This is a work of art. Too bad I bought one just before the 18v cordless LiOn revolution happened. I can't imagine trying to hassle with a compressor and hoses and all the proper water filters and oilers necessary to keep this tool humming, but still I'm happy I own it.

i love these guns! the air duster is genius. powerful, consistent, and never jams (so far). i've been trimming houses everyday with this gun since i got it a few months ago and have easily run a couple thousand nails through it already. only cons are: hitachi really fell short of making the perfect nailer by not including a belt hook on the gun like all other big name nailer manufacturers do these days, and the non-marring plastic tip that comes with it is a little bulky. when you need to shoot a nail right in a corner or on a significant angle, it holds the driver nose too far away from the material causing the gun to fire an unset nail. i will have to take the time one day to either tool dip the safety for a more form fitting, low profile, non-marring safety; or get some appropriate sized rubber tubing to put on the safety. other than those two things, there is nothing that i don't like about this gun. only other improvement that could be made, is for it to have a shorter head, like senco 15ga nailers have. i have already had to temporarily trade my hitachi with a coworker's senco to nail down the top shelves in a few closets and pantries.

OK

I've been using it now for 6 months. I've put in trim, door casing, cabinetry, etc. Mainly using 1.5" and 2" brads. Put it through oak and pine with zero jams. The plastic hitachi hi-light black plastic trim fell off, but I just glued it back on. Good power and adjustability as I have set my gauge from 70 to 110 PSI. Never had need to go higher.

Works well with 100% pin insertion. I have had no misfires and the unit is quiet and easy to use. I am unsure of the longevity due to the amount of plastic used in the construction but it keeps the tool very light to use.

This little brad nailer has worked great. It's nice and light weight but still feels well built.

The magazine release is plastic, which I was worried about, but has held up just fine. I don't know if it would stand up to everyday abuse but for diy/hobbiest use it seems fine. My Porter-Cable finish nailer has a nicer metal magazine release (actually the entire magazine is metal whereas the Hitachi brad nailer magazine is mostly plastic) but it is also heavier and more expensive.

The drive depth adjustment works fairly well and is easy to set. The window to check the amount of brads is small and not the easiest to see but once you get used to it it's simple enough to check and reload before you start firing blanks.

The safety is not located directly over where the brads come out, which can be a little awkward when working with small pieces that have a profile or when you're trying to fire a brad close to the edge of a workpiece. It's not a deal breaker but it does require some thought from time to time. I've never used a brad nailed before so for all I know they're all this way but I prefers the safety location on my finish nailed.

Overall this has been a fine tool and hard to beat for the price.

Was uncertain about purchasing because I thought this might be good to put a bird house together, but not suitable for heavier work. I was wrong. Had no problem putting the Hitachi 2-in nails through old wood during bathroom remodel. So far I've shot 2-in and 1 1/4 in nails through it. No need to adjust the depth gauge when switching between nail sizes, a real plus. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that it was a bit finicky in having to depress it absolutely all the way before it would fire. Given the cramped work space you sometimes have when working with a brad nailer, this caused several mis-fires until I found an angle which would allow me to fully depress the nailer before pulling the trigger. Very easy to change between different nail sizes, and I like the view window which shows you have at least 5 or 10 nails left in the gun. Very happy with purchase.

Lightweight pneumatic nail gun; perfect size and comfortable for what I need to use it for to re do some of the finish work around the house. Very pleased with this purchase for the price. I've owned several Hitachi tools over the years and have never had any problems with them.

The product description on Amazon states that the Hitachi NT65M2S is "oil free". This is incorrect. The nail gun needs to be oiled according to the instruction manual. I also contacted Hitachi support and they confirmed that yes it has to be oiled. I have not used the nailer yet because I was waiting on clarification about the oil. I expect the tool to work well. So just follow the directions in the manual.

Nail gun was DOA - hooked everything up. Carefully read instructions. Loaded it with nails for a bird feeder I was building and thud - the piston shot out of it and stuck about the 10th nail. The pressure was set to 100 psi on regulator (and other guns I own work great). Now I'm past 30 day Amazon return window so I get to deal directly with manufacturer. I'll revise rating up or down depending upon results of that. Learned a valuable lesson - always test as soon as it's delivered so Amazon can deal with the return.UPDATE: All seems to be good. Here is what I found out: I was using both SENCO and BOSTICH nails. The Bostich were 2" 15 GA, but were the ones that were jamming and the piston shot out. Why? I finally discovered a part of the nail had broken off and stuck in the nailer causing the piston to drive up and over. Once clear, I tried the Senco 2.5 15 GA nails. Bang, bang, bang, it worked great. So went bac to the Bostich nails - bang, thud, piston, broken nail. Hmmmm. Bad nails? I doubt it, but here is conclusion I've come to: don't use the Bostich brand nails on Hitachi nailer. I will stick with Hitachi or Senco nails I guess.

Bought 4 as these are simply the best finish guns and we use them daily installing wood flooring and trim. Only had a problem with 1 gun, will not fire at all, definitely a internal problem, but for the price not a problem and still a very good deal as these guns will last forever, only bought new do to new employees and not enough but we have 10 of these guns and use 9 of them daily and work perfectly. Will definitely buy more if or when these ever break down. Recommended for sure.

While I could rate it excellent, which it is, I cannot ignore the fact that Hitachi sells this tool with no sample lubricant. I am a DIY homeowner and I have very little use for the tool. An ounce of lubricant is enough to get me going. I was in a tight time table and had to order the lubricant. An ounce of the stuff would take 8 to 10 days. I ordered a quart of it at Amazon to be delivered in 3 days. I reminded this fact to Hitachi and they kindly provided another 16 ounce container of lubricant! No I have enough lubricant for three life times!

the obvious differences between the Hitachi NT65MA4 and the more expensive NT65MA2 escaped me - so I just went with the MA4...ignorance is bliss as they say. The more obvious difference I found between the NT65MA4 & the newer designation model NT65MA4(S)- which is the one I just received,is that the MA4(S)comes equipped with a non-slip elastomer grip trigger aswell with a flip actuation switch that allows for either sequential or contact nailing.Originally, I purchased Porter Cable 23 & 18 nailers, so when my toy budget allowed for, I decided to skip the 16 gauge altogether and just go for the 15 gauge Hitachi....unfortunately the hole this 15 gauge nailer leaves in my present stock is just a tad large for the job..but I love the gun...so I just need to make room in budget for the Paslode 16 gauge angle nailer.

I don't buy it

Love the gun but the safety is horrible. I had a porter cable forever but they changed there design so I bought this one. I build cabinets so I use thus gun for 10 hrs everyday. The safety goes all the way around the tip and is so loose you can't tell where you are going to hit. I am going try something else

This is a decent gun but the nail magazine is made of plastic so when I was useing it hard for a few weeks of trim work the mag broke and renders it useless but at the price it was worth it

While I like Hitachi products, the two problems I have with this gun is that you can't really shoot from an angle. It has to be pretty much a straight shot, or it won't fire. The other problem is that you don't know when you've run out of nails. Some guns won't fire when it's empty. This will continue to fire until you finally figure out that you've been shooting blanks.

I usually buy more expensive tools, but a friend talked me into buying this gun instead because it does not have the obtrusive head design (guard) and can nail close to the wall. So far it seems to work fine. If I had to complain about anything, it would be that it will "dry fire" when out of finish nails, so you have to watch your clip to see when you are running low. Also, the ram head does it's own damage to the surface. My high-end finish nailers leave nothing but a hole from the finish nail. Other than those two negatives, the positive is that it is very light and works in tight spots. Easy to load and seems dependable at this point. Time will tell. Price is right.

I have one of the original, made in Japan, models of this nailer and love it. This one however seems to be about twice as loud and consequently I sent it back. Works fine but is excessively loud even with ear plugs.

I'm not happy about the depth it sets nails. Set at deepest setting and still getting shiners fairly regularly.As I use this gun for a living, I'm not too crazy about having to carry my nail set around all the time.

A little bit of the rust on it!!!

Seems to work fine. Didn't have a nose piece. A little loud.

good product, but it took almost 2 weeks for delivery time

Unfortunately, I need a nail gun that takes short nails, and the Hitachi NT65MA4 is supposed to accommodate the smaller nails. But for some reason I get a lot of misfires with it. and occasionally, sparks shoot out when the firing pin that drives the nail out of the gun, hits the nail. I haven't tried it with longer nails, but I'm guessing the misfires are primarily because of the short nails. Another problem I had was that the firing pin wouldn't retract for a second shot. I would place it on a hard surface a push down on the gun, causing it to retract so it was level with the edge of the nail gun. I would attempt to nail with it, but would only dry fire, but the pin would at this point retract back to its original position. Then the next round would fire, but the pin would not retract again. This went on for several tries, before I remembered a similar comment made by a previous purchaser that wrote a review. His solution was to make sure before you use the gun that the firing pin end of the nail gun should be oiled before using it, even though there is nothing in the instructions about doing so. I sprayed WD-40 on the action, held it up side down so it would flow into the system, and then tried it again. After a couple of dry fires, it started to work again without the pin staying extended. I used it for about another 50 or so nails, without any further problems with the firing pin, but I still experienced about 10% misfires. I have no idea as to what causes this or how to resolve this problem. Are the nails not sliding down the track to where the firing pin can push them out, or what? Other than this problem, it looks like it's well biult, I have other Hitachi products that I like very much, so I don't know why this has problems. I have two other nail guns, made by other companies, which I've owned for several years, and never had any problems from day one. All I do is make sure I oil the air chamber before each use.

When this nailer is working, it works great. However, it constantly jams with the 3/4" brad nails I've been using. The spring loaded part of the magazine that keeps tension on the nails ends up sliding over them and the nailer stops working. Guess it's a common problem with these. Spend a few more dollars and get one that doesn't have this problem.

I picked this gun because of the wonderful reviews, maybe I got a lemon. The nail cartridge is made of plastic and just keeps jambing, gun has little time on it, nothing like the performance of my bostich. I will be getting a bostich again regardless that the reviews were not as good as this one.

This nailer jams up often - reliably. The slide that presses the nails to the front is too loose. It has small indents intended to keep nails from sliding behind or in front of it, but they're not enough and nails slide pass the slide, jamming the nailer. I have found a cheap nailer from Harbor Freight costing $20 to be reliable and it also handles staples. I'm very disappointed with Hitachi.

I purchased this product because of my Hitachi history with their other tools. Some are favorites. My Porter Cable nailer went on me after 10 years. and i needed another that day. I went to Amazon and was going to order the same nailer but i opted for this hitachi because of the best buy rating. i received it the next day and used it for about a half day when it jammed and did not make it back. i don't think this tool can be a dependable one for a professional. Probably a good stand by.

I bought this nailgun almost two months ago, and just used it for the first time. It seems to work just fine, and though right out of the box i was concerned about the durability of the plastic parts (the nail storage area in the gun is made of plastic, and it has a bit of flex in it, and I wonder if it could withstand a dropping like the old senco i used to use can).

So the durability was the issue right out of the box. But the real actual problem is that when I used 2" nails designed for the gun, they jammed the gun twice in less than a half hour of use. Just to add, I read thoroughly the instructions.

Not so happy with this nailgun.

Missfires more often than I would like. Also mars the hell out of the wood when it does and requires spackle to fix up.

Pretty disappointed. This finish nailer has consistently misfired since first use. I have done all the typical fixes for this issue but none have worked. I will have to contact the Manufacturer to see if they can fix the issue.

It was returned .

The nail makes a large indent in the wood

I bought this to help us install a 3/4" hardwood flooring remodel project on our house using pre-finished stained hickory. Although we used only Hitachi nails, oiled it per instructions and increased the recommended pressure on our large air compressor from minimum to maximum it still consistently damaged the top of the floors with misfires." Nails that collapsed on top of your floor or jam in the gun". We have spent a lot of time fixing the damage it did to our floors. Bottom line is I love a lot of Hitachi products but this gun needs to be reengineered.Hope this helps.

The nail follower jams up all the time, all the time. It feels like less than half the quality of the Hitachi 16ga straight finish nailer, I and several other guys have used the 16's for years without a single problem. This 18ga gun is junk right out of the box

Brad nails slip behind spring loaded plate causing the jam. My nailer was 2 years old, or roughly 2000 nails, before encountering this problem. Since the nailer has a 5 year warranty, i called to see what could be done. Was told to mail it in with no promises.

**update 11/4/2013:
Nailer was received to Hitachi on 10/20/13, back in my possession on 11/1/2013. Only the plastic feeder piece being pushed by the spring has been replaced, with the same OEM piece. Only a matter of time before jams return.

The first one of these tools I owned lasted me for 3 years with no problems. The second one lasted 2 months, this one I recently purchased lasted 12 days before it malfunctioned. All three of the guns had the same issue, the nails jammed in the clip and while you think the gun is shooting it will not allow the nails to feed up. It didn't even seem to matter that I was using the Hitachi brand nails or another brand, all resulted in the same problem. I'm not sure what changed with the quality of these guns, but I would not recommend them to anyone, homeowner or professional.

I purchased this in 2010 for some finish carpentry projects and have used it very lightly. Like many others, the slide doesn't advance the nails. Hitachi framing nailers enjoy a great reputation, but something went wrong with this product.

The spring that pushes nails toward nail hole stopped working the second time I use it. Even though the mannual states that chek and tighten all screws before each use, there is no approproate tool included.

Brand new, out of the box, this gun misfires 2 - 3 times before finally firing a nail. In the mean time the driver has left large holes in the trim from the numerous misfires. I purchased this product based on the reviews, but did not actually use it for a couple months I after purchased it. It's beyond the 30 day return date from Amazon so I am SOL. I would never recommend this product.

I would not recommend this gun. I had high hopes for it as it does get decent reviews, but mine would not countersink the nails with any sort of regularity. The 16g nailer I was replacing countersunk 99% of the time. This was the opposite. I gave it a shot on trimming out two doors, but when I have to spend half an hour using a nail punch to finish the job that means this tool is being returned. Had to go back to the old nailer to finish the job. Tried changing out the nails and upping the pressure on the compressor to no avail. Adjusting the depth wheel does make somewhat of a difference, but max depth only works if the guns is absolutely straight. Any kind of angle and the nail is sticking up. I had to take off the non mar tip as well. Seems like a well built gun, but the where it shoots the nail from seems kind far back compared to other guns I own. Maybe that causes less wood damage or something, but for me it causes the nails to sit flush or proud of the wood.I also don't like that I this doesn't have a belt clip. Seems like quite a few trim nailers are going this way for "safety", but it's annoying to have to buy an aftermarket hook. Tripping on a trim nailer or air hose clipped to your belt or pocket seems pretty low on the safety scale.

Jams, jams, and jams.. and the tip is retarded for clearing jams. Fooled with pressure, brand of nails etc. Had to get my install going, I bought a rigid unit.. much better.

This gun shoots two nails EVERY time. I think the problem is the nails. I was unable to find Hitachi nails. When I called Hitachi customer service to ask if they sold nails to fit, I was told they would not recommend nails. I said I didn't want a recommendation, but simply to find where to find the proper nails, he got snotty and said " I told you I won't recommend nails and we can't diagnose a problem over the phone as though I was really trying his patience. He wanted me to send it to a repair facility for evaluation, but since it is brand new, I didn't think much of that idea and so returned it to Amazon. I have not often found that sort of snotty attitude from customer service people and when I do I want nothing further to do with the company. I'm sure there are other people who have had a better experience with their phone people, but that was what happened when I called them.

I was excited to get my Hitachi finish nailer and to try it out. At first glance it looks great and appears to be a quality tool. I hooked up my airline, loaded my fasteners, and pulled the trigger. JAM! Hmmm... I thought. Perhaps a fluke. So I cleared the jam (which is easily done with a lever on the front) and tried again. What happened this time? JAM! Now I thought perhaps I had done something wrong so I checked the pressure from my compressor and it was at an acceptable level and I checked the nails and they were the correct type and size for the nailer. So I tried again, and again it jammed. After trying the nailer nearly a dozen times and every time having it jam, I gave up and sent it back to Amazon for a refund. Thank you to amazon for an amazing, hassle-free return.

Sadly, I have to return my Hitachi NTf65MA4 15 gauge nailer. And, as with most handy man tools only used on occasion, the return will be after the normal period allowed for returns so I will have additional expense.Most reviews of this product have been very positive so I assume the problem I experienced is not found on each nailer. My problem is that the nailer fires blanks on every other pull of the trigger. I oiled the nail track as per the printed instructions but to no avail.I bought the nailer to install crown molding. We first used it last weekend at my son's to do a room. When the nailer fires blanks, it creates holes larger than the hole created when a nail is fired. As it occurs every other trigger pull, that doubles the number of holes to be filled in the molding. Very discouraging.My recommendation: be sure to test fire your nailer on receipt, don't wait till you're ready to use.