Customer Reviews

Makita AN901 Round Head 1-3/4-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Coil Framing Nailer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a general contractor and have been using this tool on a house I am currently building. I decide on a coil nailer because it was going to be used primarily for nailing off shear and flooring. It came down to this one or the Max nailer and I chose this one because it is lighter the max by almost a pound. It is well balanced and has more than enough power to do anything I have asked it to do. I find myself using it to do a lot of framing I would normally do by hand and even with a full coil of 16d nails, it is light enough to use for extended periods of time. Highly recommended.

Yes, without a doubt, the framing crew I've been working with the past few weeks has a couple of these and a Bostich coil nailer. the Makita feels to be about half the weight and is easier to get into tight spots to do toe nailing. the power is great, easily driving the nails. I use a Hitachi stick gun, and will be switching over to these guns, they reduce the fatigue by a great margin.

This is the best framing nailer I have ever used. It's light, well balanced, has plenty of power and very versatile. The only complaint I have is that I had a hard time finding info on the nails that it would except. I still don't know if I should be using the smaller diameter siding nails or not; I installed about 800 sq. ft. of siding with it without a single problem, so I guess it must be okay. The gun is great for framing, it,s compact and fits into tight spots much easier than any stick nailer I've used. This is the first coil framer that I've bought and what I like best about is how long you can go without reloading. I don't think I'll ever buy a stick nailer again.

A brilliant nail gun, which came well packed and in perfect condition. My concerns would be the perspex magazine coupled with the lack of a carry case and a very poor black and white manual. Makita make exellent tools but they could do with producing glossy colour manuals. I, like another reviewer had problems sourcing nails, I went on to Stanley-Bostich's web site and found that there nails were compatible. I have fired hundreds of these nails of variying sizes and have yet to get a single stoppage. In conclusion this is an excellent product which would have gotten five stars but for the draw backs which are listed above.

This gun was the last straw for me and Makita. I put less than three and a half boxes of nails through this gun when it broke. I was very happy with it until that point. It is light and powerful and fits into a lot of places that stick nailers can't get to but here's the problem: I had three jams within about ten shots and when I was clearing the last jam I noticed a piece of metal out of the corner of my. I picked it up and saw that it was a piece of some type of casting. When I opened loading door to clear the jam I saw where the piece of casting had come from--the nose of the gun. Not the plunger but the nose itself. I didn't dare to use it again. I took it to repair station to have it fixed and found that the part, which was the entire nose, cost $520! I paid $495 for the gun new. So, I wrote to Makita explaining that I was long time customer and carpenter and had many Makita tools. I also told them of the problems that I had had with their 2704X table saw (fence and broken bevel gear, because it's plastic) and their 12" compound miter slide saw. Lo and behold, about 10 days later I got a box in the mail from Makita. I was so happy. I thought that they had sent me a new nosing piece--you know the 'squeaky wheel' getting the grease. But upon opening the box what I found was a letter along with a Makita t-shirt and hat. The letter said how sorry they were that I had trouble with some of their tools and went on to tell me how wonderful their tools were. The 'rep' who wrote told me that there was nothing that he could do but he would take it up with the regional manager and get back to me. Well, needless to say I haven't heard a word from anyone from Makita for the past four months and I don't expect to. Makita and I are done... fini. I have a new Bostich coil framer. It's 3 pounds heavier and has a bigger barrel but it was half the price. Five hundred clams is a lot of money for 3 boxes of nails use. A real eye opener. There are too many companies out there to get continually taken to the cleaners by any of them. I sure wish Milwaukee would make a table saw, everything that I have of theirs is first rate and they back up their products much better.

I swore by both Hitachi coil guns until i ordered this gun, i havent touched them since. Dont throw your money away on other garbage guns this one is light, has a built in hook, and can nail all types of lumber without having to finish with your hammer especially into micro lam material. Other guns are too heavy, not powerful enough or just plain awkward ive used them all and i cant believe more local stores havent started carrying this makita gun.

I purchased the AN901 about 3 years ago to do a fencing project. I wanted one gun that could drive 1.75" nails into pickets and also 3" nails for framing. This one seemed to fit the bill, despite its high initial cost. I own Snap-On and Festool gear, so I tend to pay more for a high-quality tool that will last.

First the good: This gun fired many thousand siding nails during my fencing project without a single misfire. It also flawlessly fired the framing nails into pressure treated lumber. No misfires and plenty of power. I never have to set a nail by hand unless I'd screwed up setting the tool. It is light weight and holds a lot of nails. Your legs will wear out before your arms will. The selectable trigger is great and allows for either precision or speed.

Next the bad: The nailer has a problem with the B & C Eagle 212X090HDRC Round Head 2-1/2-Inch by .090 by 15 Degree Wire Collated Hot Dipped Galvanized Ring Shank Mini Coil Nail (5,400 per Box) sold here on Amazon. I had a friend do a decking project and had about 5% misfires using these nails. He managed to break the nose piece trying to clear a jam and as the other reviewer mentioned, the replacement nosepiece costs more than the competitors' nailers. I contacted Makita to see if these nails were compatible and they could only tell me that the nailer can fire "4d-16d" nails. They didn't know what that meant or what diameter that equates to in inches. Those numbers are included in the spec on the new AN911H. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch of nails or if the gun really can't consistantly fire a 0.090" nail. I don't want to buy another nose piece to find out, so I've got $100 worth of nails I can't use.

Second problem: Depth of drive. The AN901 has plenty of power. So much in fact that I have to dial my pressure down to around 75psi and then set the gun at the highest setting to prevent it from burying the nail. So, I have to run on the ragged edge of misfires just to get a flush drive. If I turn it up to 90-100 psi and set the adjustment in the middle of the range it will happily sink a 3" nail 1/2" below the surface in any wood you've got. It did this before the rebuild and after. I wish there was a coarse adjustment for drive depth in it somewhere. I've got a Hardiboard project coming up and I'm afraid this gun may destroy my siding. That's not a good feeling in a $500 tool. Makita suggests I send it in to the factory service center and hope that a o-ring change-out fixes the problem. I don't like paying money on shipping and repairs to roll the dice.

Third problem: No-one lists the AN901 as a compatible nailer on their ads or packaging. You'll see the AN611 listed, but not this one. Makes it questionable that the nails you bought are ok.

Conclusion: It's absolutely great when it's happy with the nails and you aren't too picky about drive depth. If I was doing it over I'd probably buy the Hitachi 75. Or maybe a Senco. You can't get a nailer made in the USA anymore which is a shame. My other nailers are Senco and so far they've been great. I'm not sure how their quality is now that they're made in China.

This is NOT a framing gun. I don't why the great reviews. We build for a living, and would not want this on the job site. We have two Porter Cable FR350A's and a Bostitch F21PL. We use them to hit boards into place when it's too difficult to grab our hammers. You'd never do that with this light duty gun.
This gun seems to have average power. It's definitely not the "most powerful nailer in its class".
On a separate note, holding 300 nails isn't actually as beneficial as it seems either for a framer. The magazine gets in the way a lot, and the coils are very fragile too. You can always keep extra nails in your belt.
As for value, I think it ranks poor. Porter Cable and Bostitch are your best value. I highly recommend the Bostitch F21PL- it can nail anything. Even wood into masonry, and joist hangers.
If you like Makita, get their MAC5200 compressor or their lithium-ion tools. They're great.

Does not jam much. Used this for a lot of general framing work. Drives through anything, good adjustments.

I've used it to the point of failure, and found parts easy to get from Makita, and quick to arrive.

Highly recommended.

The tool I ordered arrived in very short time with very good condition. Thank you!