Customer Reviews

Makita AF505 2-Inch Brad Nailer

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

 

 

Great nailer, I haven't had a single problem with it so far. The pic is of the old model. The one I received is in fact the newer model (same model number) with the makita teal-bluish color rubber inlays. Works great.

I have to begin by noting that there is a noted price difference between this Makita model and its competitors...I can't say peers as I think this product is not a peer of the cheaper made models by any comparison. But I have to note that it is much more expensive which begs the question? Why

Well its better made, this is not the weekender model, its made for the everyday JOBSITE. That being said though it is not heavy it is well built and hence heavier than the competing models. It's nearly 7#'s dry...but it has a metal in feed and casing. The cheaper Hitachi has plastic ( the more comparable porter cable has metal also).

This unit fired all nails equally well but really stood out on the 2 inch nails. Some guns (porter cable) tend to over fire on the longer nails and dialing in the depth can be problematic resulting in sometimes proud heads or sometimes overdriven heads. This may seem trivial till you shoot 1000 nails of trim and then go back for fill and finish (ie: filling in all nail heads for a perfect finish for paint or staining)

As a PRO carpenter I have to say I appreciated the consistency of this unit and the flawless nailing. The case is a must for any pro or even homeowner that takes care of his/her tools. I also have the Porter cable 2inch brad and if I had to purchase another would get another Makita. They are close in price but I feel the Makita is built better and more consistent with nailing.

Cons of the unit: the huge head for nail placement...its 1/8 by an 1/8th which is fine for wall trim but not for ¼ round or bead trims...I marked it with whiteout so I could find center more easily (this is the one thing my porter has over this unit)

Second and this applies to all manufactures in this category of nailer...give us a bigger window for seeing how many nails we have left. Especially when your on a dedicated trim job its annoying to not notice till your locked out...a 10 nail warning would be great (that's one window basically)

All and all an excellent unit

Buy any other gun, but do not waste your money on this one. I did use it for about 3 months and I was completly dissappointed. It jamed often and was unable to drive 2" nails into oak at pressure about 120psi. Instead, leaves a nail out and punch another hole next to that nail. If you work with a stain grade materials...get better gun.

Nice nailer. It is quite an upgrade from my 1 1/2 in CH. They even included safety glasses in a nice case.

But the functionality is great. Well balanced in your hand, and not too heavy.

I've had this nailer for about 6 weeks now. I bought it to finish off a bathroom in which I'm installing cedar boards on all the walls at a 45 degree angle. Looks very nice. The nailer worked fine with short wire brads, 1 inch or so, but the 1 1/2 inch long nails seem to jam the Makita about every 5 or 6 nails! I have to disconnect the air hose (for safety) unload the nails, check for any dirt or dust (there usually isn't any) then reload the nail cartridge, close up the nailer, reconnect the air line and fire another 5 or 6 before this scenario repeats. Perhaps I need to increase the air pressure? I'm using 90 PSI now which drives the nails deep enough now, but maybe it needs more air pressure? Anyway, if I could fix that problem easily then I'd rate this product at least 4 out of 5 stars. As is, about 2 1/2 stars. Update: I tried increasing the PSI of air to 116 the max the tool recommends, but it made no difference. I chose to return the unit as defective and ordered a Hitachi model to replace it. The Hitachi is the #1 rated unit of its size, BTW. Based on my experience and after reading of many others experiencing the same failure mode as I did, I can only say you should avoid buying the Makita unit. Based on this more complete information, I am lowering my rating to one star. I'd give it 0 but you need at least one star to get your review published.

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.

The Makita AF505 two inch brad nailer comes with its own suitcase-style plastic carry case that provides good protection. Also included in the case are a bottle of lubricating oil and a pair of safety glasses. This tool has a soft nose piece to protect your work and a depth adjustment wheel near the trigger that works similar to a volume control. I began with it adjusted to the medium setting. As per instructions, I put a few drops of oil in the air inlet prior to using the tool.

For the test, I used brand new, high-quality SENCO brads in 1 inch, 1.5 inch and 2 inch lengths. The compressor was a DeWalt 2 horsepower 4 gallon portable with a 50 foot long 3/8" Goodyear hose.

The test involved attaching a 3/4 inch thick oak face frame to the edge of a cabinet carcass made of 3/4 inch plywood. I began with the compressor set at 90 psi and the tool loaded with 1.5 inch brads. I shot 15 brads and all set flush with the surface of the oak. Sometimes you want the heads flush but other times you need them deeper to allow for wood filler so I dialed the depth setting to maximum and shot 15 more and these were set perfectly - slightly below the surface. And just to test it, I dialed the depth setting to minimum and found it left the brad heads 3/16" above the surface. This wide range of depth settings might come in handy when working with softer woods like Pine.

Next I dialed my compressor up to 115 psi (the max that Makita recommends for this tool) and shot 30 more brads with no detectable difference in performance. The brads were still set perfectly - slightly below the surface and no deeper.

Finally, I loaded some 2 inch brads and got the same results. All slightly below the surface. When my test ended I had fired over 100 brads with no jams.

I'm impressed with the Makita AF505. It can fire 2 inch brads through a solid oak face frame and leave the heads flush or slightly below the surface - your choice.

I had some molding that needed replacement so that was the first use for this brad nailer. It arrived in a plastic case which contained a small bottle of oil and goggles as well. I had purchased Makita tools exclusively for several years but eventually they were all replaced with other brands. I was curious to see what sort of performance this nailer would offer.

The tool is fairly light and easy to hold. It performed well for the entire time it was used. I feel it is appropriate for me to point out that I am a Mr. Fixit type handyman so my review is based on modest usage. On that basis the tool performed satisfactorily.

Homeowners will be well suited educating themselves about whether to use a brad nailer or a finishing nail gun for the particular project they are interested in completing. There is some degree of confusion around this matter and I think using the right tool for the right project will lead to the right results. There are plenty of online resources and woodworking forums to advise on this matter. Having a good quality 18 gauge brad nailer is cost effective and indispensable as in many ways it is the most versatile of all of the nailers for a typical homeowner.

I used this the day after I received it on a basic furniture project and I am not disappointed. I see myself using this for some trim work projects in the near future as well. It is very comfortable in my hand (both weight and balance) and at 3 pounds I could see my using it for an extended period of time on larger projects without fatigue.

The brad nailer came with a plastic Makita logo case (seems plenty durable and was a nice touch as increasingly manufacturers omit this basic convenience). It also included oil and safety goggles (funny the manual for the goggles was 46 pages due to all the foreign languages).

The halo effect might be coming into play a little on this review as I have four other Makita tools. All four of which I have had phenomenal results with over an extended period of time. I will post updates as I use this brad nailer for more projects.

1. jam at least twice for the period that i used it ( shooting less than 200 brats )
2. stop working after using it for less than a week
3. made in China
4. Since it came with the makita compressor i can't return for refund. So i returned it to amazon for replacement. Amazon refuse to replace it.
5. the nailer doesn't deserve a star. However i have to give it one so that amazon will publish my review