# Which is better, Bostitch or Hitachi? (again)



## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)




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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

*WINNERS*
This crop of tough-guy roofing nailers is a vast improvement over the tools I used a decade ago and can stand up to the hard-hitting abuse they face on the roof. 

Picking one winner among this group was tough and it ended up being a three-way tie: Bostitch, DeWalt, and Hitachi stand tall. They're all great. 

*The Bostitch works flawlessly*, and it has just the right blend of durability and features *to stay at the top of the food chain*. 

Hitachi's magazine, depth-of-drive, and bulletproof design are excellent, too; you could probably drive an 18-wheeler over this tool and it would still work. 

The DeWalt is smartly designed and ruggedly built with excellent features. 

http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1491&articleID=501433&artnum=1


You see? The Bostitch is at THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN!

And, it was the only one to have been noted as working "flawlessly"!

Know what that means? 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdCrZfTkG1c


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

i still havnt made up my mind hitachi or bostich? 

i can go like a raped ape with the hitachi. barely have to touch the shingle to get it to fire a perfectly flush nail. as far as the bostich i have to be a little more agressive and lift the gun a little more to give the shingle a nice love tap.
but the hitachi doesnt have a good depth setter. i live in new england and throughout the day especially this season it goes hot to cold and back again. i constantly have to change my depth on the gun. another thing i found i dont like about the hitachi is loading nails. it tends to take me a little longer to get it correctly reloaded.

defiently a toss up.Maby i can spend a night transforming the tow into one masterpiece? YES!!!!! i will call it the HitBos!!!! or maby IchAchi?


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

Personally, I like Bosachi!


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## AJAX (Sep 12, 2009)

Personally, I like Hitachi. Neighbor is a roofer by trade and just buys the cheapest gun he can find. When it miss fires or something goes bad he just buys a new one. He has a pile of guns in the corner of his shop. Mostly Porter Cable.


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## bmaurice (Sep 15, 2009)

AJAX said:


> Personally, I like Hitachi. Neighbor is a roofer by trade and just buys the cheapest gun he can find. When it miss fires or something goes bad he just buys a new one. He has a pile of guns in the corner of his shop. Mostly Porter Cable.


 
he sounds like a great roofer, hopefully he doesnt cheap out on material as well. if you ask me, he would be saving money spending an extra 150$ for a gun that will last 4 times as long. one of my guys has a porter cable. hes constintly un jamming the thing. and its got no balls, i hear the sound of his hammer more then the gun.


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## AaronB. (Oct 6, 2004)

I have Porter cable guns and don't have any issues... none. Maybe its not the machine, but the user?


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

Ohh Boi not this topic again LOL. Ill just say when you guys shop for roofing tools make sure you go to the mens department "meaning Hitachi".:w00t:


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I love my Bostitch but, I have been cheating on her with my new Max Super roofer!!


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

Max makes excellent tools. I still think they make the best coil framer, and the 400 PSI line is just awsome if you can afford them. They had a Demo day at a local supply, The 400 PSI framer outperforms everything else and is far lighter.:thumbup:


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## fourseasonswa (Jun 29, 2009)

anyone like the makita's?


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Bostich:thumbsup: Easy reload.. Fires as fast as I can... And nicely drops the last nail to let me know it's time:laughing:

It only misfires when you try to use a f'd coil


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## Kgmz (Feb 9, 2007)

Almost all the roofers around here use Bostitch, all you ever see is yellow guns on the roof.


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## Grumpy (Oct 8, 2003)

I have a hitachi and a porter cable for sale. PM me if interested.


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

bmaurice said:


> i still havnt made up my mind hitachi or bostich?
> 
> i can go like a raped ape with the hitachi. barely have to touch the shingle to get it to fire a perfectly flush nail. as far as the bostich i have to be a little more agressive and lift the gun a little more to give the shingle a nice love tap.
> but the hitachi doesnt have a good depth setter. i live in new england and throughout the day especially this season it goes hot to cold and back again. i constantly have to change my depth on the gun. another thing i found i dont like about the hitachi is loading nails. it tends to take me a little longer to get it correctly reloaded.
> ...


The Boss is perfect for those types of variances. I've gone from various depths on my gun depending on temperature (you know those N.E. fall days...40 in the morning, 70 by the afternoon). 

Can speak for the Hit, but the Boss definitely is very adaptable to different surface conditions. 

To be brutally honest, though I've always used Boss's, I could never knock a Hitachi...they have a great natural feel to them.


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

Railman said:


> Personally, I like Bosachi!



That sounds EYEtalian to me! 

:lol:


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

bmaurice said:


> he sounds like a great roofer, hopefully he doesnt cheap out on material as well. if you ask me, he would be saving money spending an extra 150$ for a gun that will last 4 times as long. one of my guys has a porter cable. hes constintly un jamming the thing. and its got no balls, i hear the sound of his hammer more then the gun.


I learned with a Porter Cable, so there's a soft spot in my heart for it. 

As long as you have good quality nails, a great compressor & hose set up 
and you keep it clean, it jams up like any normal gun.

But I agree...a quality gun pays for itself.

Besides, cheap guns are going for what, $79.-$100.? 

I've seen Bostitch/Hitachi/Milwaukee guns go for as low as $199. on the right day. 

It pays to shop around and to catch Home Depot/Lowes during their sales. 

I picked up a Bostitch RN46 *+* Bostitch Cap Stapler Gun with 1000 Caps/Staples for only $249. on one sale.


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

AaronB. said:


> I have Porter cable guns and don't have any issues... none. Maybe its not the machine, but the user?


Yep...that, plus whatever supporting equipment it has behind it.

I used to work with a guy who had a PC that he was having problems with.

He threw it at me and told me I could keep it (thought it was done with).

I took it home, cleaned the hell out of it, lubed it, adjusted it, 
re-taped the nipple and it was as good as new. 

Next day, I was banging shingles with it. Not surprisingly, he wanted it back.


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

RooferJim said:


> Ohh Boi not this topic again LOL. Ill just say when you guys shop for roofing tools make sure you go to the mens department "meaning Hitachi".:w00t:


:lol:


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I love my Bostitch but, I have been cheating on her with my new Max Super roofer!!


I hear great things about the Max.

They "used" to make great guns (at same factory as Bostitch in Japan),
but then went to Chinese manufacturer (as did Boss), 
quality went down (as did with Boss), 
but now their coming back.

How do you find it compared to your Boss?

How does it load, with single magazine like the RN46 or two-stage (like all the others)?


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## 2ndGen (Apr 6, 2006)

NewMexicoRoofer said:


> I own a Dewalt, Bostich, and a Hitachi and have had several issues with the Dewalt and the Bostich. The Hitachi has been the best nail gun I have used thus far. You just have to use the gunb that feels most comfortable in your hand.


That's so true. 

I think personal feel is also a big consideration.
For me, the Boss has the best feel and balance. 

I've always loved Hitachi's feel as well, but have unfortunately always come across Hit's that were poorly cared for and almost always wheezing and losing hair. Their like great dogs that are allowed to live longer than their useful life! Sometimes, you just have to put down a good dog! :lol:

But that's a testament to their quality and the love for them. 

When the Boss first came out, people were reluctant, but I've found guys converting. One guy I worked with went from Hit to all Boss. 

There are guys who'll swear by every make/model out there.


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## sevenX (Mar 19, 2010)

Bostitch :thumbsup: My first gun finally went yesterday on me after nearly 4 years with no repairs. All it needs is a new pin where it loads the nails. Honestly I've dropped it off the roof more than I could count on 10 sets of hands.... Never used anything else excepty hand nailing ... On my 2nd Bostitch now.


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