Customer Reviews
Too loud 
2007-11-11
LOUD you got that right. I first bought this gun after holding my friends gun. This was definitely the lightest and best balanced gun I'd ever held. Everything seemed great until I could feel the noise pressure against my ears. I wear enough ear protection; I don't want to wear ear plugs for a finish gun. So I returned it and just stuck with my Senco.
Smooth operator 
2007-10-23
I have used this gun extensively on the job and haven't had a single misfire or jam. It is smooth, comfortable, and you can blast your coworkers with the air feature it they get in your way. I had to tweak my hook a little to fit in the case but it closes fine with it on. Some other brands don't. Do the designers ever use these in real life?
Good gun w/ lots of power - I'd buy it again 2007-07-30
Bought this as a second finish gun as my 10-year old Senco SFN40 was losing power (seems to be an issue with oil-less guns). The Hitachi has the power to sink 2 1/2" nails in the hardest wood - in fact, in softer wood you cannot always dial it back enough so that the nail heads are flush. I cannot remember this gun ever jamming, where the Senco would jam occasionally near the end of a clip. The Hitachi is louder than the Senco, but it does more work! The rubber nose piece leaves marks that don't come off (but there is a storage boss for it on the magazine). As mentioned in other reviews, the adjustable exhaust and blower are nice features, as is the switch for bump firing vs. single firing (although I doubt many people bump-fire a finish gun). This would be the perfect gun if: it were quieter; the rubber nose didn't mark; and it had the lockout feature to prevent blank firing when you're out of nails.
Nice Tool 2007-06-04
I've only had the chance to use my new Hitachi Nailer on three window installations, but I love it already. It's light weight and drives each fastner with precision. I'm looking forward to more projects this summer where I'll be able to use it again. It's a great tool - I'm glad I bought it.
Great Nailer, prefer professional look to new Hitachi models. 2007-04-19
I initially bought the Milwaukee 15 Gauge Nailer and was very impressed with the lightness, style/looks, cost, reputation, warranty, included nails/oil/goggles etc. However, I'm a guru, and one feature of the Hitachi really impressed me. That was the very narrow nosepiece/safety mechanism. It really allows you to see where you are placing the nail. The Milwaukee nosepiece is very capable but quite wide. Upon trying the Hitachi out, I was further sold by how solid it feels when firing a nail. The Milwaukee has a descent bounce, and leaves a mark on soft wood without the bumper (which I prefer not to use). Further, the Hitachi has come down in price and has the same warranty. The Hitachi brand nails are available at Lowes and much cheaper than the Porter Cable nails at Home Depot. The blower is a nice touch, but honestly not important too me. I prefer simplicity and execution more than features.
I went with the Hitachi, my first tool from this brand and am very satisfied. That said, if I was a contractor and wanted nailers that were tough, cheap, lighweight, great warranty; give the Milwaukee lineup a serious look. The Hitachi came out of the box very oily, yet looks like a real quality piece of equipment. It's aluminum vs Milwaukee's magnesium, yet they are very similar in weight.
I am not a fan of Hitachi's new "Terminator" look in the box stores. Makita pulled out their the lower quality tools in the box stores and went back to producing high quality tools that truly represent their brand. I think Hitachi is drifting away from professional towards goofy with their new look (especially in nailers where they are highly regarded).
Super Tool 2008-06-29
You won't go wrong in purchasing this tool. I purchased one back in May and it has worked flawlessly every time I've used it. It's light weight, easy to load and the depth setting adjusts with just a couple of turns. If you need a solid nailer, this is the one to get.
NOT Made In Japan! 
2008-06-12
The Hitachi NT65MA2 appears to be identical to the NT65MA3 but is about $50 more. The only difference seemed to be that the NT65MA2 was made in Japan, while the NT65MA3 was made in Taiwan. That's the only reason I spent the extra money for the NT65MA2. When it arrived, the label said, "Made In Taiwan". It's back in the box, ready to be returned.
so far very nice 2008-05-18
Have used this only a few days, and it's my very first nail gun, so I don't have much to compare it to. It took me awhile to realize that the "no mar" nose piece is clipped onto the magazine. I marred a few pieces of word before realizing this.
The gun is very fine quality, comfortable to hold, and so far I have not had a jam or or any problem in over 200 nails (bulls-eye brand, 2.5" galvanized).
I must say that the "air blast" button is absurdly located, and you'll wind up hitting it accidentally several times per day at least. This is scary every time. It's a great feature to have, though, but seems like it should have been easy for Hitachi to place elsewhere.
The case is adequate, although the latches are cheap plastic and seem flimsy. The gun comes with the nicest pair of work glasses I've ever used. Awesome.
Overall I think the gun is a great value for the price and a solid performer.
Great Nail Gun 2008-03-31
I love this nail gun. But if you're like me, you're here more to find out what's wrong with a tool than what's right about it.
Everything is perfect, and I'd buy another one without even looking to see what's new and exciting out there. And that's saying a lot coming from me. But if I had to complain about anything...
The depth adjuster is a narrow plastic knurled barrel that is only partially finger accessible. It's hard to describe, but when you try setting it, you'll see what I mean, and if you have large fingers too, you'll see why I'd re-design it. It's not horrible, it's just a bit awkward. It's also not the type of thing you have to mess around with very often, so this really is a very minor complaint.
I should also add that when I got my nailer, I didn't realize that I had to crank the )(#*% out of the depth adjuster to get it to move a perceptible amount. I actually thought it was broken, until I cranked the thing many revolutions. But I guess that's better since it means you can adjust it in very fine increments. It just wasn't super obvious - to me at least.
My other minor complaint, and one which I have no better solution to, is the air blast feature. It scares the crap out of you when you bump it by mistake - for instance, when nailing in a tight corner with your head between a wall and a cast iron radiator, carefully lining up a precise shot in the low light at a weird angle, holding your breath as you line it up just right...
I do like having the button, so I wouldn't do away with it, It just made me wonder how many of these nailers have been dropped by people not knowing it's there... "hey kid, could you grab me that nail gun"...
But even its marginal usefulness GREATLY outweighs my concerns about it.
The plastic nail slide makes me worry, but it also makes me actually WANT to treat the nailer nicely. On a tool I didn't care so much about I'd treat it poorly just to tempt the part to break just so I could b*&#$ about it. I love this nail gun too much for that kind of behavior. So it's not a complaint, just a minor concern. If something happens to it and it becomes a complaint, I'll update this review.
Meanwhile I highly recommend this nailer. (and for the record, mine came with the male air coupling installed on it. it's not shown in the picture and I know many other manufacturers leave it out. Not that they're particularly expensive or anything, but it was still nice to see)
Simply the Best 2007-12-17
Well, this past x-mas I managed to convince the wife
that there actually was a tool that I did not have and she
agreed to get me a small Campbell Hausfeld Air compressor.
(See my review).
With the purchase of my compressor, I was
in need of the nail guns-I bought four- 2 18 gauge Hitachi Brad nailers, A Campbell Hausfeld Framing Nailer, and finnally, the Finish nailer reviewed here.
The reason for this purchase was the remodeling of
the Master Bedroom in my house.Faced with having to
install 80 feet of crown moulding, baseboard moulding
plus casement around the windows and doors, A finish nailer was a definite must have.
Shopping at Lowes, I picked out a cheaper Tradesman brand nailer because:
A) It was cheaper, and B)it came with a free bonus brad
nail gun.
My wife Suggested we spend fifty dollars more
to get the higher quality Hitatchi model with a mail in
rebate for a free brad nailer.(okay,honey, you twisted
my arm!)
The gun comes in a nice high quality plastic
hardshell case, and includes 2 allen keys for any needed
maintenence of the gun, such as clearing jams. I was
surprised there was no oil included, or nails for that
matter. But these items were cheap enough(About ten-fifteen
dollars) so no big deal.
This gun can fire nails up to 2and 1/2 inches long to
handle any trimwork project. The angled body lets it get
into tight spots easily, and the removeable no-mar tip
protects delicate mouldings from being scratched by the
tool. This tool made the moulding install a breeze.
There are some very neat features to this gun that
competitors models do not have such as a dust blower on
the gun that lets you use compressed air to blow away
debris, and a switch to go from sequential fire to bump
fire mode, where yo keep your finger on the trigger and
bump the gun into the workpiece to fire the nail.
The construction of this nailer is rugged, with a
metal body and rubber overmold grip. Nails loaded easily
throgh the back of the gun and I can happily say that I
fired a whole package of nails 2,000? without a single jam
or misfire.
The nailer is a pale green color that grows on you with time. It is not as bad as the obnoxious green and black color used on Hitachi's power tools.
