- Integrated air duster: Clear away debris and saw dust with the on-board air duster. Simply press the button and clear the surface where you need to place the nail.
- Tool free depth adjustment provides simplicity and flexibility when fastening various types of wood.
- Selective actuation: A simple flip of the switch allows for either sequential or contact nailing. No additional parts or tools required.
- Easy clear nose: Should a nail jam, the easy clear nose provides easy access to minimize disruption.
- 360 degree adjustable exhaust: Limitless exhaust direction adjustment ensures no one gets blasted with debris.
- Air duster clears away debris and saw dust
- Bump fire or contact fire modes
- Comes with a 5-year limited warranty
- Easy clear nose makes for quick extraction
- Tool-free depth adjustment is perfect for nailing in various materials
I've done/doing some professional woodworking and have a lifetime of experience. In air driven nailers I have Porter Cables upholstery stapler, their 23 gauge pin nailer, an 18 gauge, two of their 16 gauge nailers. I impulsively bought the Bostitch after reading the first page reviews, and then spent a couple of hours researching the Hitachi vs. the Bostitch. After comparing, this is what I found.
A lot of people are jumping on the Bostitch band wagon because it is the lightest at 3.8 pounds, it is dry as in no oil, and it has class leading 400 inch pounds of power. I was dazzled and bought right away. After digging deeper, I am refusing the Bostitch and getting the Hitachi. They both have the "durable composite magazine" (plastic) that holds the nails. The Hitachi with its aluminum housing only weighs .4 pounds more as in 4.2 instead of 3.8. That extra .4 is not going to make a difference. The oil issue is seemingly an advantage in that the Bostitch runs dry, but my other nailers are all oiled, and all I do is drive 2 or 3 nails into a piece of scrap to blow out the excess oil when first putting a couple of drops in the gun, and the rest of the time it is dry. Also the 400 pounds of torque is not an issue because the 15 gauge nailers have tons of power as compared to the 16 gauge, so much so that a small difference in power is irrelevant. When I borrowed a PC 15 gauge and first fired it, it went off with a POW instead of a pop like the 16. Substantially more power resulted in me being able to drive the nails into the tongue side of a 7/8" board deep enough that I didn't have to get out my center punch and tap it in the rest of the way; it drove deep and flush on the first try every time after setting it properly.
I am concerned about the many reviews that appear mostly all on the secondary pages on the Bostitch about having driver failure problems. Professionals who hit nails when driving a nail complain of having to go back and spend $35 to have the driver replaced every time they do. On the other hand the Hitachi has a ton of reviews many from deeply seasoned pro's that use it daily, for years, and never had a hiccup, other than an occasional, easily correctable nail jam. I'm using this right away on driving nails into crown moldings in a circa 1955 house with plaster walls, and the corners are all strengthened with lath wire so it is probable that I will be hitting metal more than just a few times. I don't want to worry about having to send it back to the shop to replace a driver every time I do.
This Hitachi NT65MA2 15 gauge has been updated twice. The 3 was out before in a lime green, and now the new item is the same model with a 4, as in NT65MA4. It has the same layout, but a slightly different look with the same industrial feel to it, and it is not lime green or gray, but silver. It appears that the main body is also a little bit larger.
The Bostitch is a fine tool but you will notice that the home hobbyist is praising it more and the pro's are booing it more. All you have to do is look down the review results and you will see the Bostitch has a wide spread review base with a liberal amount of 3's, 2's, and 1's as well as the 4's and 5's. The Hitachi is mostly 5's, and some 4's with no 3's, 2's, or 1's at all. That's quite a drastic difference. With reviews going all the way back to 2004 that is quite a lot of time for someone to hate the tool, and nobody does.
I wanted to say that the MA4 is only available at the time of writing this review through an Amazon merchant and not an Amazon in stock item, but I am sure Amazon will be picking it up directly soon. That was another decision I had to make. Do I buy the older tried and true, super reviewed MA2 model, or go for the newest version from Hitachi and get the MA4. After speaking to the rep he mentioned that it was the same industrial grade piece of equipment as the MA2 so I went for it. The body of the MA4 is even a little beefier.
Now onto the Hitachi and some of the things I love about it. First off it has an air blowing feature. You may think that is trivial, but it is a great feature that everyone is raving about. When I bought my Bosch jig saw it had an air blowing line that would remove the dust from where the blade meets the wood so you can see the line. After using lesser jig saws and not being able to see the line due to instant dust buildup, that was quite an improvement, so I am partial to air blowing capabilities. Even though with a nailer you don't wind up with the same problem, this thing has an air blower that is so strong that you can clean off a large workbench in only a few seconds; it comes in handy. It also has an interesting air input connection that is configured so you can keep the air line out of the way, and suspended in air so it is not so likely to bump into things. The Hitachi also has the continuous firing option whereas the Bostitch has the single firing option only. With continuous firing you can squeeze the trigger, and as fast as you plunge the head into the workpiece it fires repeatedly. You may have seen this feature on guns that are used to place tar paper on the side of buildings. Once up on the ladder they spread out a sheet, and pow, pow, pow. None of this stuff of positioning the gun, depress the nose, and then fire. That is great when you are doing precision work, but when you have larger areas that require multiple shots the multiple fire feature is great.
Nail availability. The Bostitch is the odd man out when it comes to nails in the industry; they only accept Bostitch nails. So Bostitch is proprietary forcing you to buy their nails. The Hitachi accepts the popular standard size from other manufacturers so when you are in the middle of a job you can access them locally, and not have to worry about overstocking everything all of the time. I normally would still prefer to use Hitachi nails in the Hitachi gun just in case but when viewing the ads for B&C Eagle nails they state, "Fits Senco, Hitachi, PC, Rigid, Milwaukee, Makita, Craftsman, Dewalt, and most other 15 gauge angled finish nailers." So you can see that you will never be stuck finding a compatible nail for the Hitachi 15 gauge nailer.
Overall the Bostitch is not a bad gun, but it appears that jams are more frequent after some use, and of course when they occur they bend over and mar the wood. Maybe this feature of having more power may be the reason why the driver gets broken. Combining that with a no oil environment may be the culprit.
I've also seen some pretty high priced Hitachi equipment, and with the discount I was able to purchase it for a price super close to the Bostitch. Bostitch is a good name, but in this case, I like the Hitachi better. Hitachi includes a nice case, and even a pair of safety glasses; nice touch. I just wish they included a small bottle of the oil. Maybe they didn't want to deal with the oil spill creating a mess problems. Oh well, no biggie. The bottom line to me is ease of use with multiple nail driving options and reliability.
Buy Hitachi NT65MA4 15-Gauge Angle Finish Nailer Now
I'd rate this nailer 4.5 stars, not 5 five stars.I've now put over 5,000 nails through the NT65MA4 into a hardwood floor. The wood is 5/16 and not tongue and groove, so it is all face nailed.
The nails I used are 1 inch Senco nails, which are shorter than the manufacturer recommended 1¼ minimum length.
The Hitachi jammed on these 1 inch nails only when I tried to add a strip of nails as the in use strip ran low. Since one inch nails are not recommended, I do not hold those jams against the Hitachi. I quickly learned that jams could be 100% eliminated by discarding the last two or three nails, and then sliding in a fresh strip of 100.
The Hitachi has a nice solid quality feel, excellent balance, and great ergonomics. The NT65MA4 never felt heavy, or made my hand ache.
I was concerned about oil mist on the bare wood floor, so I directed the exhaust directly onto the back of my hand. I never detected any spots, mist, or shininess on my skin.
Speaking of air, I never inadvertently triggered the air duster. Perhaps forewarned is forearmed.
This is a great nailer. It is amazing how quickly 100 nails can be shot. Consistency of depth is excellent, but not quite perfect. Some are set deeper than others, but my best guess it that is due to variations in the density of the wood, and not the fault of the NT65MA4. I had to use a nailset on two nails out of 5,000+.
Considering the cost, which is lower than most other comparable nailers (and many inferior ones are priced higher), the Hitachi NT65MA4 is an outstanding value.
I have only two small complaints, both regarding the nose cap. When using the index marks on the nose cap, the nailer consistently places the nail above the horizontal line. Second, a spare nose cap should have been included with the gun. Mine already shows wear, after less than 6,000 nails.
Read Best Reviews of Hitachi NT65MA4 15-Gauge Angle Finish Nailer Here
I have used quite a few nailers.This one, the Hitachi NT65MA4 is among the best I've seen:
Great performance absolutely no jams, consistent depth of nail heads,
Light weight, minimal kickback, reasonably quiet, sturdy feel.
All in all a great tool at a great price.
Want Hitachi NT65MA4 15-Gauge Angle Finish Nailer Discount?
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.
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Believe all the good stuff you read in the reviews, and consider the source when you read the not-so-good stuff. These tools are really meant for use by skilled and experienced workers and you will notice that most of the professional reviewers give this one great reviews. I'm one of them. I have every size nailer from a pinner up to framing nailers. My 30-yr-old Senco finish nailer just died after its third overhaul so I thought I'd try something new. This Hitachi is terrific. Light, intuitive to handle and refill, and shoots consistent depths once the correct pressure is established. My only gripe is that it will shoot blanks when it runs out of nails. I like nailers that will not shoot when the magazine has run out of nails. It sucks to find out you've been shooting blanks and to have to go back on your work to see when you ran out of nails. I knocked off one star for that, but if that isn't important to you, this is a highly recommended tool.Regarding the reviewers who complain about plastic parts, please know that modern plastics used in the right places in tools serve far better than metal. Plastic is in many cases stronger, it doesn't bend or kink when dropped, it is naturally slippery so works better for nail magazines, and it doesn't rust. I have lots of power tools with proper plastic parts and have NEVER had a problem with a plastic part failure.
The newest airliners are now being constructed of plastic . . .
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