I have always been a fan of the cordless nailers, I have two each of all of the Paslode guns. You can frame and finish a whole house w/ a gas framer, finish, and brad gun. I added the Hitachi Round Head to the mix just to have more flexibility in nails; if I run out and the closest supplier has one or the other styles I'll be covered both ways.
The comparison: I think the Hitachi has a better balance point in your hand. The Paslode is, I think, heavier in the nose, and so feels heavier. I like the Hitachi battery set-up better. If you get a piece of debris jammed in the Paslode along with the battery, it can be a bear to get out. The Hitachi is also easier to adjust depth of drive, although once you have it set, you rarely have to change it, unless you go from wood to microlams and back.
As far as the basic nailing, both guns perform the same. As other reviewers have noted, one down side to the gas nailers is that they require more pushing force to activate (so you can't use it as a gun like Danny Glover did in Lethal Weapon!). So if you have aligned two work pieces and are trying to nail them, you have a tendency to move the work when trying to activate the nailer. You also have to be careful not to leave the gun lying around with the battery in; it will run down.
The one performance issue on these guns is in extreme cold weather, especially if you are trying to nail over your head with the gun upside down. They won't fire. In those conditions, I kepp one gas canister in my pocket where it keeps warm, and I switch them when the one in the gun gets too cold. Note that in these conditions, you are also likely to have problems with your compressor, so the one is no worse than the other. Also, note that a pneumatic stick nailer probably holds 3-4x as many nails as either gas nailer, so you do have to lug around a lot of nails, and reload frequently.
All in all, I don't understand why I don't see these on every job site. Who wants to drag a hose through the truss webs if you don't have to. You can just hook this baby on your tool belt and climb around freely. And for the DIYer, I would highly recommend it. No compressor needed! Hitachi NR90GR Round Head 2-inch to 3-1/2-inch Cordless Gas Framing Nailer
This is a gun that is not as easy to use as an air driven one and does take some getting used to, I think that is where people have problems. Good balance and power and does not take the expensive, more limited Paslode round modified nails and will take up to a 3 1/2", 3 1/4" is not code in some areas and that is as long as the Paslode IMCT will shoot. I like not having to but anothe set od nailer for this gun as the Std. Senco style .
The fuel rod has to be in place correctly or the gun will not work correctly, sometimes you have to reinsert it if it does not seat the first time before closing the cover. There is a lock out on the nail strip to prevent dry fire so you need at least a 10 nail strip to start. You can not bump fire like so many like to do, wildly place nails all over, it is a sequential fire so you must place the nose on contact then let the fan start and fire,rated 2-3 nail/sec.. It takes some experience to learn how to use it. Go for an air driven nailer if you want to shoot it like a machine gun and have nails thru sheathing into air space like is the case in so many homes. I know bump fire can be done correctly but more often than not I see careless building results.
I have a Paslode finish nailer and it works fine, has its issues too, especially in having to be kept clean and use specific products for maintience as this gun has too.
The rubber grip on this tool and the balance is very good, hold the Paslode too you will see how much better this is. This is Made in Japan and not a cheaply made tool as so many tools are today. The fuel rod is from Germany, and does not have an expiration date like the Paslode fuel which will work too[Red rod]. They did have problems with the early Hitachi fuel but that is corrected now.
I do not like the depth adjuster and jam removal screws because you need a 5mm allen key that is supplied but does not have any onboard storage [it does have a spot in the nice case]. The depth adjuster should be tooless, I really dislike those 2 issues . There is also no rubber protector boot for siding or decking but again the Pasload boot will fit if you buy it. For the price it is a great tool IF you follow instructions and do not have expectations that it will act like an air framing nailer. I hope Hitachi will decide to make some finish nailers too.
When it works, this tool is a jewel; powerful, easy to handle, and it drives a true round-head nail. It's just that it doesn't work very long. The original unit acquired via Amazon lasted for somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred nails, and then died. The local Hitachi dealer's service department could not revive it, so it was replaced with a new tool. The replacement lasted somewhat longer (200 hundred nails, perhaps) before it too ceased to fire.
The problem seems to be a flaw in the triggering mechanism that shows up after relatively moderate use. The dealer's service shop tried to repair the tool, and it worked for a dozen nails or so and then quit again. The dealer has been trying to get Hitachi to once again replace the gun, but the Hitachi rep. has apparently been unrepsponsive. In any event, unless the flaw is fixed at the factory, simply getting a new gun is no solution.
If my experience is anything to go by, purchasers of this Hitachi tool may be doubly cursed, first by a poor product design, and thereafter by poor customer service. My suggestion is to buy something else(which it looks like I'm going to have to do).
I've only had the nailer about a week, and haven't used it alot other than just trying it out- 'bout 1 strip of nails. So far it seems to work pretty good. It hits really hard and is well balanced. Not too much heavier than an air nailer. The cons: really could use a tooless depth adjustment. You really have to push hard with the nose to fire a nail. Cleaning instructions and maintenance are not in the users manual, you have to go to Hitachi's website and download a pdf file for the instructions and recommended schedule. It doesn't have a bump fire feature so you won't be firing nails as fast as a pnuematic gun. - Nail Gun - Cordless - Cordless Nailer - Hitachi Framing Nailer'
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