I currently run five Hitachi, three Senco, and two Max finish nailers. The Hitachi NT65MA2 is the best nailer I have. It is very light with minimal recoil. It has enough power to sink nails in maple effortlessly. It is stone cold reliable- it has never broken a driver after five years of fulltime use (bought my old NT65MA in 98). The safety works well without marring. It shoots the Senco DA series (also UA) nail which has become the defacto industry standard. Hitachi appears to have spared no effort in designing and building the best 2 1/2" finish nailer. Hitachi NT65MA2 15 Gauge 1-1/4-Inch to 2 1/2-Inch Angled Finish Nailer
As a custom homebuilder, I love high quality tools. I've had the opportunity to use many 15 gauge finish nailers throughout the years, and my hands down favorite is the Hitachi, for several reasons. It's by far the most reliable 15-gauge I've used. I run some HItachi's that are over 5 years old, and I've never had a problem with any of them. The balance of this gun is exceptional. To me balance of the gun is one of the most important features. I've run Bostitch, Senco, and Porter Cable, and I believe this gun is balanced better than any of them. The built in dust blower is also a great feature.
If this gun cost twice as much, I'd still use it, but the fact you can get it cheaper than most other 15 gauge nailers is just icing on the cake. If you're looking for the best 15 gauge nailer, this is it.
i bought this nailer several months ago. great finish gun. the little button near the top/side of the gun is an air blower. great to have available when doing base, to blow away the crumbs from falling plaster or debris that is in the way. just push and it blows it away, nice added feature that the others don't have. have had no problems and would recommend this highly
I've used this gun quite a bit and it hasn't misfired yet. It's simple to use and feels solid, made to last. Plenty of power too; sinks 2 1/2" nails into pressure treated fir with no problem. In white pine I had to back the pressure off to keep it from sinking them TOO deep! The air nozzle feature should be on every finish nailer. You'd be surprised how handy it is; no need to put the gun down to clear away the chips etc... that always seem to get in the way of a good fit. The only drawback I found is that you'll have to go to a good hardware store to find an air fitting for it. Once that's done it's the perfect finish nailer.
I've been using the Hitachi NT65MA for over three years now on remodeling jobsites. The only difference between the NT65MA that I use and the newer NT65MA2 is that you can bump fire the NT65MA. I suppose the Hitachi people felt that bump firing a finish nailer was uncalled for or dangerous, but I think it's great in some situations.
I've used Senco and Bostitch finish nailers on various jobs, but I think the Hitachi is superior because it has the best combination of balance, reliability, and power. It can easily handle all trim (from fir to rock maple) and light framing (door and window setting, drywall backout framing) applications, and never misfires. The only times I've had to clear nail jams have been when nailing trim to an old plaster over brick wall, and even then, only if the backing brick was very dense or hard.
At first I thought the air blower was a gimmick, but I've found it to be very helpful when I've had to blow away drywall or plaster debris and dust. This happens surprisingly often, especially if the drywallers didn't do a great job and I've had to bash out places where they've put on too much mud or have encroached on rough openings too much.
I've modified my nailer by attaching a circular saw rafter hanger to it by drilling through the magazine and cutting out the case to accommodate the hanger. Recently it has started to leak air a bit, but this is to be expected after 3 years of continuous use and abuse (it's been kicked, dropped 10 or so feet multiple times, thrown about, left in very dusty locations, rained on, etc.). A sealing rebuild is easy enough to come by anyway.
As for the choice of nails, I've never had any trouble with any brand of nails in this tool (unlike another reviewer mentioned), but I prefer to use Senco's 2.5 inch long galvanized ones.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy this nailer again.
I had a 15 ga. Bostich that mysteriously took flight from my job site. I'd heard good things about Hitachi so I bought this one even though it was $50 more than the Bostich. I also took a hit because my Bostich nails won't work in my Hitachi. I didn't realize that when I bought it. However, I really like the Hitachi better especially the nails because they have slightly bigger heads and less glue stuff on them. Both nailers performed flawlessly. I like that little air valve on the Hitachi. Sometimes, I hit it by accident when reaching for the nailer and get a plast of air in my face. Other times, I use it to blow off my saw and tools and to empty my air tank before loading them up. I'd buy it again and really wish my framing nailer was an Hitachi.
This is a quality gun. I needed a 15 gauge nailer for a big job; my P/C 16 gauge just wouldn't do it. I read all the reviews on Amazon and narrowed it down to a couple. I wanted a quality gun but really did not want to spend more than $200. I originally was going to go with a Senco but they were on back order so I "settled" for the Hitachi - I am SO glad I did. I checked out the big chain stores - Home Depot was the only one that had it (at $219 plus tax); and with the $20 special discount Amazon gave it was a no-brainer. My Brother-in-Law is a professional and he has two Hitachi guns & loves them.
I've only used it for about 40 hours so far but it has worked flawlessly. I've been working with 1 inch Pine & red oak effortlessly. It is light weight & wonderfully well balanced. It is very compact & I'm able to get in tight spots that my larger PC gun would never allowed me. Senco nails fit perfectly & are readily available. The air blower is a great feature! I first thought it was a useless frill, but it really is useful. If there was anything negative I could come up with is that the depth adjustment is a bit funky. However, once set it is very consistent.
I own four finish nailers and this by far my favorite. - Nailers - Hitachi - Finish Nailers - Nail Gun'
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