There are a bunch of major brands making roofing nailers – names like Bostitch, Porter-Cable, Max, Paslode, etc – may be familiar to you. There are even more opinions as to which one is the best, fastest, most reliable, and so on – but experienced professional roofers know that there isn’t just one answer to the question of “which is best”. As with so many things, it’s different strokes for different folks, though mostly when it comes to ergonomics (which is extremely important for a tool you are using 8 hours a day).
But some things just have to be done right, before a nailer is any good. From my experience with Hitachi roofing nailers – the old model Hitachi NV45AB2 and the newer NV45AE – I have to say they, erm… hit the nail on the head in terms of quality where it counts. Whether every single design choice will be your personal cup of tea, is another matter.
Hitachi NV45AB2 Coil Roofing Nailer Review
I have owned a NV45AB2 for a few years now, and have used it more or less every day, with nary a hitch. A few anti-skid pads have been replaced, and have had to grind down the driver a couple of times to keep it flat-headed, but otherwise, it has stood up to the abuse. Someone (not me – I swear) even dropped it off the roof once – straight down on the concrete. It survived that, although I did have to re-align the exposure gauge after the incident.
I always found it to be plenty fast for bounce nailing, and very consistent in driving nails to the same depth time after time. Nobody is perfect of course, there will always be nails that don’t quite make it, or get cupped heads, but I have tried nailers that caused bigger problems in those departments than the Hitachi. I did read a review once, where someone complained about the small size of the depth-of-drive knob, but as my fingers aren’t too stubby, I don’t seem to have any problems there. It depends on the individual, I guess.
You can still get the NV45AB2, and I can only recommend it – you can get it from Amazon, which I would do in an instant – their price is right, and you can always return it with Amazon.
Click link to buy from AMAZON: Hitachi NV45AB2 7/8-Inch to 1-3/4-Inch Roofing Nailer
Hitachi NV45AE Coil Roofing Nailer Review
Since a pal of mine recently got the newer NV45AE, I figured I would give it a try too. Hitachi says in their sales copy, that it nails up to 30% faster, cups fewer nails and uses less air per nail than the old model. Certainly sounds good. I tried it on the job, and have to say that initially, it was just as fast as my older model. I didn’t think more of it, until a colleague asked if i was trying to put him out of work – without noticing at all, I had started nailing faster than I usually did. I’m not sure why, but I guess I had more speed in me, than was realizable with the NV45AB2. Your mileage may vary of course.
It seems to be built as sturdily as the old one – which means it is built like a tank. If it wasn’t so shiny and new (and belonged to someone else), I might have dropped it off the roof – just to see.
So which one should you get? Amazon has the Hitachi NV45AE for a little more than the NV45AB2, and it may be worth it to you. No matter which one you go for, you get a truly professional tool for roofing shingles – one that will stay with you for years and EARN YOU SOME MONEY – which is what counts really.
Click link to buy from AMAZON: Hitachi NV45AE Coil Roofing Nailer with Side Load Magazine
This was a guest review by Andy Finn – who nails those shingles all over the Tri-State Area.
