I've been a Porter Cable fan for quite some time; I have their 15 gauge, 16 gauge, and both of their 18 gauge nailers. (More about that in a moment) I haven't had any problems with any one of them. I did woodworking for a living for a while and have been an avid woodworker throughout the years. I am installing new sophits around the house. I'm using PVC board. In order to join the pieces together in order to have boards wide enough I am butt jointing the board edges, and using a backing strip with PVC glue and 1 1/4" brad nails to hold it until the glue sets up.
The interesting thing is that I am using both my Porter Cable BN200A which is comparable to the Makita AF505 in every way. They take 18 gauge nails ranging from size 5/8" to 2" and weigh as far as feel goes the same. (I tried looking up the exact weight of these and was unable to get an accurate weight published anywhere on the PC's) So comparing the two, they both felt like they weighed the same. On the other hand Porter Cable also has an 18 gauge nailer in a lighter version; which I have model number BN125A which has been replaced with the BN138. This little beauty is an 18 gauge nailer but only uses nails in the range of 5/8" to 1 3/8". You may be asking why buy the slightly smaller one with a lesser range when you can have the granddaddy for about 20 to 40 dollars more? The answer is that BN138 weighs considerably less than the PC and this Makita. None of these are what you would call heavy, but if you are using them all day long, even a couple of pounds can make a difference. So for fifty nine smackeroos I decided to get the small lighter weight one as well.
So why am I going on about the Porter Cables in the middle of the Makita review? Because there really isn't a lot to say about it. The aluminum nail housing is easy to use and well built. It fires a nail the same exact way the Porter Cable does. On the attractive scale the Makita is top of the heap. They both have the directional blower vent on the top. The noise they make when driving a nail is the same. The Makita predecessor was the AF501 and has since been replaced with this AF505. Makita does not have a lighter weight more limited range nailer equivalent to the PCBN138.
If I had to get critical of the Makita and this is a minor gripe is that they should include at least a small pack of nails in the case. I wanted to be sure to use the right nails, and it was a challenge finding the information to verify that. As it turned out the Porter Cable nails readily available at the big box store fit it, as well as the Hitachi and others. Keeping the gun oiled and making sure the nails are installed in the right direction is key to keeping the gun working properly. You see some reviews slamming the tool, and they may be right, but then again all it takes is one load of nails in the gun upside down, and when that hammer comes down to fire the nail, and it is met with the pointy tip side instead of the flat head side, and then the nail is driven into something with the flat head side trying to make its entry in the work piece, what that scenario you have the hammer hits the sharp part of the nail, and it dances the nail off to one side which forces the nail down the shaft scoring the walls all the way down. That is an ouch. Do that a few times and the gun is not going to work properly any more. So keep it oiled, use the right nails and be sure to place them in the gun in the right direction. If you want to avoid oil stains in your natural finish project, fine only a few nails into a piece of scrap when first oiling it and it won't give you oil residues after that. Also do not soak the thing with oil, only a couple of drops in the air hose intake fitting is all it takes; do it at least daily.
The case it comes with is superb. It is well designed and a great way of protecting your unit. They also include a small bottle of oil with a sealed top that you have to use a pin to create a hole. The safety glasses included in the case is a nice touch as well. It already comes with an air nipple too, the one that is common to the building industry.
I gave it 5 stars because it is well built, drives nails beautifully right out of the case, aesthetically pleasing to look at, has a good feel to it, and is relatively light weight with its aluminum housing. With all 18 gauge brad nailers there are always a couple of reviews with someone who has a broken unit, but in both the Makita and PC there are an overwhelming number of 5 star reviews. If I had to do it over, I am leaning toward the Makita because of its good looks. I know that sounds ridiculous but they seem to match up in every other way, so the looks department is the only thing that separates the two and hands down the Makita is nicer looking. In addition, and I know the prices change all of the time, but the Makita is now twenty dollars cheaper than the PC.