Customer Reviews

Hitachi NV45AB2 7/8-Inch to 1-3/4-Inch Roofing Nailer

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Hitachi has long had the best roofing coil nailer on the market with the NV-45AB. This new and improved model actually made the best thing even better. It is very similar to the previous nailer but it offers an easier method to reload coils. Much more durable than any of its competition. I have tried them all. Max, Bostitch, Senco, Paslode. Nothing can surpass the Hitachi!

I researched several roofing nailers and based my decision on the reviews I read about the Hitachi. I have shingled two roofs so far and have had zero problems. The second roof I did was for a friend and he helped with his Poter Cable nailer. It was picky about the nails that were used, jamed often and had no depth setting. The Hitachi kept plugging along and never missed a beat. The depth setting was crucial for the different situations when installing shingles. After years of hammering nails and seeing other guns in action, I highly recommend the Hitachi NV45AB2.

I have a bunch of these and they are bulletproof. They work for a really long time (like 7 years full time roofing) with almost no repairs. When you do have to repair them the key wear parts like trigger valves are easy to find and cheap. For example the bostitch trigger valve retails for around 35 bucks the Hitachi ball and o ring for their trigger is about 10 bucks. A word of caution don't buy the light weight model unless you are a complete pansy because it is not nearly as good.
Here are some competitors guns and briefly what I think as I have owned most of them:
Bostitch- big and fat but not bad. Not many pros use them after using a Hitachi.
Porter Cable- When you need to buy parts think of a outrageously high price then double or triple it. Compounded by their bad parts shipping times. You might want to get your gun going in less than 2 weeks if you are using to make money.( they aparently really ticked me off)
Max- excellent tool as good as the Hitachi some may even say better but their parts stock isn't nearly as good. And lets face it if you are going to use the gun much eventually you will need parts.
Makita- When did they start making air tools. Band wagon to the left please.
Dewallet- Part issues anyone ? nice yellow black and Decker.
Paslode- I hate every paslode I have ever tried. Big cheap and a cylinder which is soft and wears like cheap pantyhose. Even the impulse which is a great concept if you didn't have to constantly clean it and send it away to get it fixed because suddenly after you clean it the tool suddenly quits.
If you are looking for a good gun try the Hitachi. I am positive you will like it. (As much as you can like a tool that will make you do a crappy job like roofing).

I am a part time handyman and a full time enthusiast of quality tools that do the job right the first time. I read reviews, get advice and use friends tools or rentals prior to purchasing. And prior to buying the Hitachi (what an awesome roofing machine) I rented and was sold on the Bostich RN46-1.

The Bostich I rented performed well. It jammed once every coil and I did have to set some of its nails with a hammer, but all in all a good machine. Then there was the one I purchased. This nailer must have slipped past quality control at Bostich. What a peice of doo. This unit jammed evey 10th nail and I was setting every 5th with a hammer. It took what should have been a 20 hour job and turned it into a 40 hour job. What a shame for a product whoes companies reputation for its nailer is very high. So it was at this point I went the path of the Hitachi.

I have only seen and used one other Hitachi in my travels and that was a framing gun. I was impressed with its balance, weight and perfomance. It was this experiance a few years ago and the reviews here on Amazon that led me to the coil roofing nailer NV45AB2.

All I can say is AWESOME! TOTALLY AWESOME (I am a child of the 80's)!! I took the gun out of the box, gave it a few drops of oil and went to town on a roof repair. I used 5 full coils of nails and did not have one jam nor did I have to set any of the nails manually. AWESOME!!! I can't say it enough. Had I gone this route to begin with I would have saved 20 hours on my original job and hundreds of dallars. And the price!!! Amazon has the best price in town ($385 at Home Depot and $325 at Lowes).

Do yourself a favor and buy the Hitachi. Don't let the Bostich name and their market saturation get the best of you. If you want quality and longevity out of your tools, go with Hitachi. AWESOME!!!

I am a roofing contractor. I have tried a few other brands of nail guns but none can come close to the quality and durability of the Hitatchi! There is nothing else to say. You can not beat this gun. It won't dissapoint you!

My company roofs year around. We have some very fast roofers who put in 50 hours a week. They lay down a huge number of shingles a year. They wear out shingling guns quickly.

The hitachi's run reliably for a year and a half. The hitachi's run reliably for another year after being rebuilt. The hitachi's are then sold. Purchasers are warned that the guns are at the end of their useful life. People do buy them. Some are repeat customers.

The bostiches are clumsy and last about three months before our crew refuses to use them any more.

Hitachi is by far the best gun I have used.

Bostich is not bad for sporatic use.

I have not used any other brands.

In the middle of roofing a difficult tall steep hip roof house with 8 hips and 4 valleys I decided I could not have done without a nailer. The Hitachi is a side loader, using full round head, wire collated nails. Having used a half box (3600) nails from the "Collated" brand from Lowe's I discovered that turning down the pressure to around 90 lbs alleviated the bent head and most went in straight on, flush head.
Of curious note, with these nails and this gun, I know when the coil is done, as the last nail falls out of the gun and tinkles down the roof when the next to the last nail is used.
The gun is light and has some rubber bumpers that help protect somewhat when dangled from the ladder, bumping the roof.
I have no comparison to other guns, and have given this 4 stars as some nails go in sideways. It is easily adjusted for depth with locking twist knob and the sideways nails could be the roof, the cheap nails, or my holding it at a slight angle. This roof is 12/12 (45 degrees) and is a ladder only approach.
Having the green Hitahchi Framing Nailer, I will say I love it and have used Hitachi nails in it and it performs flawlessly, nails excellent, gun no failures with power to spare.
Hold trigger firmly, as if loosely held, a slight hiss of air leak and less drive to nail with nail sitting a little proud.
I WOULD BUY THIS NAILER AGAIN IF GIVEN THE CHOICE.

I was about to start my first roofing replacement, and seriously considered going the cheap route and buying one of the hundred dollar Harbour Freight import guns to save money, but luckily for me they closed at 7:00 and I didn't make it in time. So I went to my local tool shop and picked up the gun I knew I should buy; the Hitachi. The next day we ran two nail guns, my Hitachi, and a Porter Cable that my buddy barrowed from a coworker. While I was buzzing along row after row stopping only to chalkline and reload nails (like every 10 minutes), I could constantly hear my buddy and his crew whining over on the other side as his Porter Cable nailer repeatedly misfired, jammed, etc. They were at the point after about an hour where they would actually count out loud how many nails they could drive without a problem. I think they reached 12 a couple times. Since the PC nailer slowed us down so much, we found ourselves working into the rain and the dark. The other crew exchanged their PC Nailer for lights so we could see as me and my Hitachi continued to run through row after row in the rain until the roof was covered. I am glad I dropped the extra money on a really high quality tool, and would recomend it without hesitation to anyone.

I'm a single family home build and remodel contractor. Previous to purchasing this nailer, I've used the old side-loading Bostitch roofers, the new senco roofers, and a couple off-brand cast iron units. The Hitachi exhibits the best and most reliable performance of any roofing nailer I've used. It fires off nails as quickly as I can tap them out with the only 'jams' occurring due to misshapen coils of nails. Depth of drive is easily adjusted and consistent, whether being slammed against the decking by a green laborer or the being skimmed across the shingle with the feather-light taps of a seasoned roofer. It has no problem piercing sheet metals such as flashing or steel J-channel, and performs remarkably well at off-angles such as those under soffits. I've probably roofed about 400 squares with this so far without a hitch. There was a rubber bumper on the front of the drive head area whose adhesive gave out after a few months - it didn't concern me, but I can see its usefulness when lowering the gun down from the roof deck by the hose. Coil changes are fast and simple, as is adjusting the floor late for different size nails. The last nail of the coil drops out the nose. Sequential firing with the bump fire trigger takes some getting used too: double-fires are most common when attempting seq. firing against material that bounces back. I wish Hitachi had integrated an adjustable exhaust port, but in the end, I reach for this nailer before any of the others.

Roofing nailers are one tool I don't have a lot of experience with. All my other nailers are Hitachi, and based on reviews and price I bought this one with confidence. I put it to work on a small roof the day it arrived. Around 5000 1 1/4" nails without one hiccup. To date I have not had a single problem; just oil and go...can't ask for anything more.

I wish Hitachi would include a molded case for their larger nailers but I wouldn't purchase any other brand regardless.