Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bought this to replace the epic fail Hitachi NR90GR2 gas powered framing nailer that I could not, no matter what, get to consistently fire nails. I also owned the 15 gauge and 18 gauge Hitachi gas nailers that had the same problems of not always firing. All used different gas, nails, and temperatures. Stay clear of those guns if you're serious about getting things done. Upon throwing the Hitachi across the yard, I went to the big box store and grabbed a Rigid nailer. Great. Huge relief over the Hitachi. Used it for 1.5 days of framing and siding install before it jammed one too many times then shot a nail through the clip and finished that gun off for good. Then I went down to the other big box store and bought a Hitachi (I own A LOT of Hitachi, and despite the gas powered nailers debacle really like their tools and customer service) NR90AE. This gun is nice. Better feel and punch than Rigid without a doubt. Used it with no issues for a full day of the same framing and siding work. 2" to 3 1/4" nails and in between. I couldn't resist this Bostitch though. It was nagging me in the back of the head all day while using the Hitachi. More punch and metal hangers I kept hearing in my head. So I ordered it. I've got 1.5 days of heavy mixed use, same as the Rigid and Hitachi NR90AE. I have not had a chance to use it for metal hangers, but tomorrow will be hanging rafters with ties and plan to report back. **UPDATE** I got to use the gun for metal hangers. Not many nails, only about 210. The thing didn't miss a hole once. Very precise. That's about where the fun ended. On my very last hanger the gun misfired and lodged a nail under the piston head, splitting the nose housing. Not the tip that is removable, the actual housing. Amazon got me a replacement as soon as possible. I have not had the need for metal hangers since. I will continue to use this gun as my primary as I really like the pros listed below. Another thing I noticed since this review is that, while alternating between the Hitachi and Bostitch, the bit of un-balance I think comes from the larger air filter assembly on the Bostitch. This is where some of the extra weight is also. On the Hitachi all the weight is in the head of the nailer, and little to none in the lower handle area. This allows the nailer to roll from side to side almost effortlessly vs. the Bostitch. With the added weight of the filter assembly on the Bostitch you're working to rotate that handle as you climb through rafters and twist and turn the gun. Hope that makes sense. It's not much, but is noticeable if used side by side. One more thing. I talked to the local Bostitch service center. They're now making ALL of DeWalts nails guns. If you're familiar with the Bostitch line of nailers go see for yourself at the local big box. A lot of the same Bostitch features/technology on the DeWalts. Also if you notice the big box orange dealer is clearancing out their Bostitch and now has the full line of DeWalt nailers. I got the 18 Guage smart point, and 18 Gauge stapler for ~ 70.00 each off the clearance rack. Bostitch (vs. Hitachi) Pros- -Nice adjustable depth feature. At first I didn't like it, and if you're not smart about it or get in a bad habit you could easily set yourself up to put a nail through your hand adjusting the depth. Once you realize that and get a method it's a dream come true. And it's dead accurate every time, where as the Hitachi is a twist style and wasn't that consistent. -Powerful. You can feel this thing has the power. I did some nailing where the Hitachi left the nail just a bit proud, and this nailer sunk them. Same compressor and PSI setting (a Makita MAC5200- Very capable compressor!). At the same time, this nailer does cycle the compressor more so this might bug some people. -Ability to sink joist holder nails. It took very little effort to find a box of 1000 1.5" metal hanger nails made by Bostitch here on Amazon. I'll report back on how it does after I'm done with my roof ties. -Ability to shoot true 16 common nails -The way you load the magazine with nails is nice. Different than most other guns, and certainly the Hitachi NR90AE. Again, personal preference but I really like it. - 16" O.C. marks that are on the magazine. No gimmick. They were really handy when putting up the siding on my walls. - Service center nearby. Within 10 miles of my residence. Hitachi just paid to have Fed Ex pick up all my gas nailers from my front door, but they're gone for so much time due to shipping times. Any Hitachi service center nearby is contracted out and not genuine like the Bostitch service center near me. Huge plus in my opinion, and one that will certainly vary for every person. Cons (vs. Hitachi) -A bit bulkier, and heavier. Not quite as good of feel or balance when wanting to zip along. -You have to take the actual trigger switch out and put in a different one to get a bump fire operation. Huge downer, in my opinion. -Compressor cycles a bit more using this gun. Might be an issue for some people and their compressors, especially if you never need the extra punch, and don't care for the metal hanger feature. - I've read some have had problems getting service. Overall I'm favoring this gun right now. It would have to seriously be a PITA when doing metal hangers for me to change my mind. IF I was wanting to spend a bit more money I'd have researched the higher end Hitachi guns, as the NR90AE is considered a bit of a 'lightweight' by the pros where the Bostitch if liked is considered the real deal. UPDATE - 2nd nailer just did the same thing as the first. To add to that big fat negative issue - Whoever thought of having to switch out the entire trigger assembly to switch from sequential to rapid fire was out of their mind. Those two little tiny screws/nuts and spring on a job site? I would love to know why this design decision was made. So recap - the gun self destructs on hanger mode, and to switch from sequential to rapid fire takes 10 min., a small screwdriver and if you're lucky you won't lose the tiny nut that in reality should be permanently mounted to the gun. Actually in reality the gun should have a little switch to change from sequential to rapid fire- like every other nailer on the market. Get a dedicated metal hanger gun, and a dedicated framing nailer.