Hitachi Reviews

Amazon says this saw features "Hitachi exclusive 5-year warranty" but Amazon technical data and other non-Amazon sources say it's a one-year warranty. Which is it, guys? Hitachi service parts are usually about twice the price of competitors' parts, so warranty is a really important thing here.

Warranty on this Japanese-made saw is only ONE year as stated in literature shipped with the tool and on other seller sites, NOT five years as Amazon site says. The saw itself works about as well as a Porter Cable Tiger orbital model (they both cut fast with much noise and vibration), but it's heavier and bulky. The two-prong cord is thinly covered with rubber but it's stiff and it wrinkles at sharp curves -- Milwaukee's thick supple smooth cords with heavy molded plugs are leagues ahead of this one. The hard black plastic shroud around the gearcase is remarkably ill-fitting in places, with irritating sharp molding edges raised at the open center seam. The rather lightweight blow-molded fitted plastic case with plastic latches is not large enough to hold the saw with the single privided blade attached. Lastly, the prices of common wear parts like the switch (a $64 part) and cord ($22 despite its shoddy quality) and the foot assembly ($20 and already bent and cracked from an hour's gentle use pruning shrubbery) will make this saw uncommonly expensive to repair when it breaks.

I purchased this as part of my basement remodeling project. It has exceeded my expectations. I have not noticed any problems with a loose blade, as mentioned in other reviews. I was cutting through 2x4's, sheetrock, and metal, and this saw worked great for all of them. It had quick, smooth, easy cutting strokes. The variable speed was wonderful, and switching from circular to straight cut was a breeze. Changing the blade was simple too (I wish it came with more than 1 blade). My main motive for purchasing this was price, but after owning it, I would still get this saw, even if I had to pay more.

I have the anniversary model (gold rather than green) of this nailer, purchased new. For my purposes, lack of depth control is not an issue. I wanted a sequential trigger to avoid doubling when used by other community-service volunteers who are inexperienced with bouncing the nailer to place one nail at each location. The price for a single-fire trigger has dropped to about $57, but that's still pricey.
Here's the alternative: Most commercial framing crews want a bounce-fire-only trigger in the newer NR83A2's which come with selective actuation triggers. Some owners of the older NR83A would like to have selective actuation (or at least single-shot capability). The triggers are swappable. I now have a NR83A with the NR83A2 trigger. I did not have to purchase another trigger, since it was traded to the other nailer.

I have to admit I am a home improvement retard and not a professional. But, I have done basically all my work myself with my own tools, with the guidance of friends involved in various trades. That said, starting out framing, I grew tired of borrowing guns so I decided to look into buying one. I asked around and I looked at what framers who work with their tools day in and day out where using. 99% of the ones I came accross where using the NR83A and said if it ever became unusable they would immediately buy another. I borrowed Sencos and Hitachis. I found the Senco a pain in the a** to clear a jam from, other than that a great gun. I have a Senco finish nailer and a stapler, their stuff is excellent too but, the Hitachi couldn't be easier to load, to clear a jam I've never had to do more than pull the spring back that keeps pressure on the nails and give the gun a good shake. 99% of jams are due to nails coming out of their plastic racking. I've used the gun for basic framing, fastening plywood or osb, T1-11 siding, mounting windows, and building wood fences. If your a pro or just a home improvement slave like me, this is the gun that will last and still have a good resale value should you no longer need it.

PS. The gun works so much better without the spring installed. I had a pro carpenter tell me it's an OSHA violation to have it removed. I also have seen guys use these guns to beat beams into place. One so badly, the exhaust tin was pounded completely flat, void of almost all paint and rattling with each shot. This is by no means a tool to be taken lightly, it's possibly one of the most dangerous handheld construction power tools you can use, but it's also one of the most productive and time saving tools you can buy.

I wrote a review four years ago on this tool. I am still using the same NR83A, and have not yet had it in for repair. Your friends and neighbors will ask to borrow it. Tell them to get their own. You will not want to give this thing up. As for the Safety Aspects, you should understand that this is a SERIOUS tool. Why do you think they call it a GUN???!!! You wear eye protection and you start out slow and careful. Get the feel of the tool. Learn how it bounces when you skip-fire. Know how to release the trigger in tight spots so that you don't double fire it. It's all about knowing your tool, as if it were an extention of your own body.

If you are a homeowner, I would tell you to stick with the 16 oz. Home Depot special hammer. If you are a professional carpenter and you do any framing, you want no other gun but the NR83A.

(By the way, I take the safety spring out as well, I think it's actually safer to not have it. Just my opinion...)

I have not use the miter saw yet, but when first opened the box today, I received a broken handle due to poor packaging. No protection! Just the cardboard from the box. Amazon was great about their customer service. Anyhow, I gave it a 1 star due to the lack of packaging protection. It probally would have made a great saw, but not this time.

I bought this saw when it was on a major sale so I think I paid substantially less that what it's going for now. Nonetheless, I would purchase it again at it's current price. The saw works beautifully. The controls and adjustments are smooth and easy to use. It fits perfectly on the StableMate Universal Saw Stand I bought to go with it. We've been building a kid's fort/swingset/deck/climbing wall/etc. for the past year. I got tired of borrowing my brother's saw so I finally bought my own. I normally buy DeWalt (which is what I was borrowing) but I have to say this is a great saw as well.

I just purchased this saw a couple weeks ago. I have just completed installing new trim in one of the bathrooms and it looks great. This saw is big enough to do large trim boards with ease. I have not done much in the way of complex cuts (bevel & miter), but on the returns that I have cut, it makes a nice clean cut every time.

OK, far from great. Blade brake never really did work properly and motor burned out in about two weeks of use (maybe around 10 hours of actual run time) Plexi blade guard would jam up into the housing and not come back down. When it was running it did good work. Based on above I can't recommend it to anyone. In shop now for warranty repair.

I guess maybe I'm lucky but I've had this saw for about 10 years and of all the tools I own, I'd say it was the most worthwhile tool I've ever bought. I used it, abused it and put it through a lot of work for a few years and then used it to build a custom oak log home. Yes, a totally solid milled OAK log home where every log was 5-1/2" x 7-1/2" and you can imagine how many cuts I had to make building a log home throough thick hard oak. And then came the basement, interior walls, and outside landscaping. And then tons more work and then a lot of custom fence work. I have probably pulled that trigger a million times. I noticed the brake not engaging a few times, maybe less than 10 times over about a million trigger pulls. It's been truly a magnificent saw and would rate it as high as a scale would go. Heavy? Well if you're really slight of build, maybe, but then again, just don't try and take it on the roof! I find the weight just right for the job it is capable of doing, it doesn't bother me and I weigh 190. I've never had any problems or replaced any parts, it just keeps on working whenever I need it to. I just used the stock blade as a backup when the carbide blade I bought got dull from all the oak cutting. The carbide blade I got would leave a glass like finish across the oak cut, it looked like a laser cut it. The best thing to remember is that the blade is big and like a tire, it needs to get up to speed to get a true spin and then cut started. If it wobbles, then you need to get the blade balanced at a professional saw sharpening shop. Trying to slam the blade through heavy stuff before the blade gets up to speed or if the blade is unbalanced will get you a cut that goes (to the)right usually. Keep your blades sharp and make that first 1" cut slow and easy and then it will cut straight and leave that killer finish on hardwoods. All in all, I wouldn't ever consider a "normal" 12" blade after owning this saw unless I had to make sliding compound cuts. Yeah, it also rocks on trim too. But don't forget this is the saw you want when sawing through Pergo or any of that flooring out there. If you're looking for the Arnold of saws, this is it.

I have been using the Hitachi C15FB for about 5 years now. I have found it most usefull for cutting trim including large crown, casing, and baseboard. Although transportation and set-up of the saw can be somewhat difficult if you don't have it mounted to a stand, it performs better than any other miter saw I've used. including (other Hitachi saws, DeWalt, Delta, and Jet)

Pros:
clean, crisp cuts
extremely accurate miters
can't beat a 15" blade
15 amp motor
affordable

Cons:
Heavy
Brake doesn't always engage after trigger release causing the blade to dive.(be carefull!)

as to "dukemans" remark on the plexi guard sticking. I have completely removed the guard which makes lining up the blade to the desired cut line much easier. However, I don't reccomend for an untrained carpenter to do such acts.

The pros definately outweigh the cons, and I would highly recommend this saw to any professional trim carpenter.

I was so glad I had this drill during the hurricane season in Fall 2004. The first big test beyond small in house projects. We installed and uninstalled steel hurricane shutters twice and thank God we did, the hurricanes came right through my city. Light weight and well balanced in your hand, never needed recharging during the job (over two hours) and torque control. I had to use the flashlight when we lost power and I had two charged battery packs. Very useful in an emergency.

When I first saw this set I was impressed with how much there was for the price and the apparent high quality. But I decided to wait a while before writing the review to see how it performed in service. I recently completed most of the work on a 650-sq-ft addition to the house. The Hitachi started by drilling holes in the pad and setting concrete anchor screws through the sill plate and finished by driving hundreds of drywall screws. I even dropped it once onto concrete with no apparent damage. I now have very high confidence that this will be a long-lived tool as well as a good-looking and pleasant to use one. Highly recommended. (The work light is nice too.)

I am intermediate finish carpenter. I read an article in Popular Woodworking magazing on 14.4 cordless drills. They hit the nail in the head. The performance is awesome. For the money you get what you pay for and more. I recommend this little drill to anybody. I have it as second drill and I would never get rid off it.

The NR90AC2 is great. However if you search the Hitachi website you will find amazon sold me, and is still trying to sell, a product which has been out of production for more than a year:

* 'The new NR90AC3 has all great features of the original NR90AC2. Owing to the modification of the ANSI standard-101-2002(Portable, Compressed-Air-Actuated, Fastener Driving Tools- Safety Requirements for), the original NR90AC2 model has gone out of production since the 1st of May 2003. To correspond to this, the valve construction was partially changed and the switching device (Change Knob) was added to select the nailer operation between "single actuation(single sequential actuation)" and "contact actuation". '

*All Rights Reserved, Copyright�2004, Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.

I am a carpenter, on Long Island where it has become code to use engineered lumber for almost everything. This is one of the only nailers that can sink anail in it every time. It never jams and hardly ever skips a nail. I have owned many differant nail guns, but this seems to be the best on the market.

Over the years Hitachi has developed a reputation as being one of the most solid manufacturers of nail guns in the marketplace, with both innovation and reliability being their apparent focus. This has proven itself to be the case with this NR90AC2 framing nailer. It has been as solid as a rock with no feed problems or double shoots so far in its new life in my hands. It's well balanced though somewhat on the heavier side, but this is a good thing as it absorbes nearly all the recoil and is actually less tiring to use on a long day. This is said to be THE most powerful framer made and will easily make a 16d disappear into a microlam if so desired. Hitachi's are more expensive up front due to their well known quality and reliability and the fact that they're still made in Japan, but once they finally do need parts due to normal wear then you should expect to pay some bucks - perhaps 3X as much than for a like part for a Senco/Mag/P-C et al - but you'll still come out ahead in the averages (think long term with these Hitachi nailers). It's a shame that Hitachi doesn't offer a choice of a bounce or single trigger or combined selective trigger retrofit free of charge as many other manufacturers are currently doing since the new federal safety rules on nailguns took effect. Hitachi service centers want $45+ for any changeover - ouch! Speaking of safety: Be aware of your surroundings with these things, know what's on the other side of where you're pointing/firing it, don't EVER have another person in the line of fire and always wear high quality safety glasses. And remember that 15,000 (!) people are admitted to the emergency room every year due to nail gun accidents according to a blurb on the evening news (September of '03) when a lady made national news after somehow sinking (perfectly countersunk, too. Bravo Hitachi!) a 16d into her skull and living to tell about it. Many people aren't so lucky... But not to scare anybody off, these nailguns (like all tools) are only as safe as you are, and if you tend to have scars and stitches and bandaids (and tatoo's?) all over your hide then I suggest you get yourself a Senco A9 palm nailer instead. Sissy. For all others, get this NR90AC2 and pat yourself on the back for making an excellent "you get what you pay for" choice! 5 stars! UPDATE: This model is now out of production, but you could do a lot worse by buying something newer. Try ebay, it's worth the effort as this nailgun is well known in the trades to be one of the best ever made, bar none.

I'd give this a 4.5 if I could. I only rates a 4 for crosscutting. It does a nice job, but nothing outstanding. For sheetgoods, however, it makes extremely nice cuts without any tearout. I've cut baltic birch plywood, MDF, MDO and perfect cuts every time. For these, I'd give it a 5.

I've had a Freud ripping blade on my table saw for quite a while and have been impressed. So when I got tired of the raw cuts from my SCMS (that's Sliding Compound Mitre Saw) I bought the Freud LU91M010 60 tooth blade on and it cuts like butter. No tear out and glides across the board. I upgraded from some 40 tooth dewalt crosscut blade that was probably more suited for construction. (...)it is a pretty good deal compared to the forest. I didn't get the teflon version because every one complains that it doesn't do anything but put read paint on your wood.

I bought this blade based on reviews here after looking at several much more expensive blades. I've been using it to trim out a house in a very cheap (Delta MS250) mitre saw and it has really exceeded all my expectations. I've made hundreds of cuts in PFJ millwork with almost zero tearout. I've since bought a couple other Freud blades that I've been very happy with. I do have to say that I am a noob at this and my only other hands on experience is with the blades that came in my saws (all cheap ones!)

I too picked this drill up at Lowe's for a very good price. I don't know if it was mismarked or what, but I only paid $49.99 for this Hitachi D10VF, while Amazon (and everyone else) is asking way more than that!

As for the drill, it is very powerful and has a great chuck. With this much torque, there is no way anything but a good keyed chuck would work - and this one fits the bill. The handle is plastic but the gear box is metal. Overall this tool just feels like good quality and it has performed well on every job I have used it on. Drilling concrete, wood, steel are no problem for this baby.

As for downsides, I feel that this drill is well worth the 50 bucks I paid for it, but I would be a little less enthused if I paid $100. Also, the side handle is not included and I cannot seem to find it for sale anywhere on the web. This is the third Hitachi tool I own and I think they need to work on their parts and accessories availability.

Overall, this is a very good performer and if you shop around it can be had at a very good price.

I owned Hitachi D10VH shortly and returned it to Lowes. I purchased this drill from amazon instead. This drill is more powerful, has keyed chuck, which holds drill bits much better than keyless. Build quality is better too.

I have pretty short fingers and not large palm but I can still hold this drill pretty well. My Dewalt screw gun has wider grip and makes it really difficult to hold it.

Rubber on grip of Hitachi drills does not allow drill to slip from palm and it makes drill stick much better to my palm. I cannot say that about my Dewalt screw gun.

Driving screw with this drill requires attention because of high RPM. Torque is not impressive but this is expected from drill offering such a high RPM. However, torque delivered by this drill is still higher than my Dewalt deck screw gun.

This drill is well balanced and a little heavy. Obviously, contractor grade tools require additional weight so that is fine with me.

I wish that this drill had 1/2 keyed chuck. I might remove chuck from my Skill Slugger hammer drill and install it on this Hitachi drill. Clearly inferior Skill drill is not used much.

Next time I would purchase drill with higher torque and lower RPM so I could drill large holes in lumber and could drive screws more easily. Ultimately, I would buy Makita impact driver to drive screws in wood.

Just looked over the Hitachi drills at Lowe's last night. The only 3/8" Hitachi corded drill they carry (at the Tigard/Portland, OR store) is the D10VH for about $50. The D10VH looks very similar to the above D10VF - BUT the VH's keyless chuck feels very cheap (lightweight, looseness of the workings) compared with the keyed chucks - it also appears as though the VH's keyless chuck is pressed on the spindle instead of screwed on directly or secured with an internal centered screw as has been customary for some time. (I considered just buying the less expensive VH and upgrading the chuck for $20-$30 but it doesn't appear to be a simple remove and replace - I could be mistaken on the press fit for the VH, but that's the way it appears.)

The VH is a 6 amp, 2500rpm/108 in/lb torque -- the VF is a 9 amp, 3000rpm/139 in/lb torque.

Tired of buying cheapo cordless drills that had poor battery life and low power, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It has great battery life, a smart charger, 3.0AH NiMH batteries (*beware: some DS18DMR kits have two 2.0AH NiCD batteries in an otherwise similar looking box and for the same price!!! It says what is in there on the box. Avoid these!*), great performance, and a fair price. I can't ask for more.

This Drill is a replacement to a Craftsman drill. Excellent quality, grip is form fitting and very comfortable. Battery life is many times longer than my previous drill. The quick change head is very comfortable and doesn't hurt the hands like other products. The best drill I've used yet.

This is the top of the line drill. With high torque motor and NiMH battery this will handle most jobs a corded drill does.

After reading all of the reviews here I bought the 2700XL for my Makita 2703. I thought that it would be an improvement with regard to the fence and add some much needed table space. So far it has been nothing but frustration. I just can't believe that it has gotten the positive reviews I have seen so far. Here are the issues:

Rather than attach to your table saw in any stable fashion it is designed so that your table saw rests on nylon ring mounts. This might work well if there was any way to adjust the height of the nylon mounts to get the 2700XL flush with the saw table...there isn't.

My instructions said that this table came pre-set for the Makita 2703 - it wasn't. My saw didn't fit at all and my first task was readjusting all of the nylon rings. When that was done it was apparent that the two table beds were not flush - the 2700XL sat below the saw table making the fence unusable.

Which leads me to the first MAJOR DESIGN FLAW: there is absolutely no way to level the 2700XL to your table saw. The only way to do it is to remove the two mylon mounts where the tables join and put shims there. Well that took me the first 2 hours of setup time. When I was done I had a level table but it was not mounted solidly and would tend to slide around since I was forced to bypass two of the mounts. If this table had been designed with an extra $.10 thumbscrew to level it I would not have had to go through this hastle.

The other issue with this is that you now no longer have a truly portable solution if you have to re-shim and level your table every time you take the bloody saw out...so consider this to be a stationary solution rather than a portable one as advertised.

So now I had a level table and I put on the fence. I slide the fence across and notice that the fence is not square with my saw table. Hardly believing my eyes (since that was the whole reason I bought the table in the first place) I slide the fence back over to the 2700XL table to find that the fence IS NOT EVEN SQUARE TO 2700XL TABLE ITSELF. The whole contraption is manufactured such that that the fence is not even square to the 2700XL and the table it mounts on. SLOPPY, SLOPPY, SLOPPY. And, again, I find that there is absolutely no way to adjust the fence or table to fix the problem.

The only positive thing I can say about this product is that it seems sturdy when the legs are unfolded but that's about it.

So now I am faced with the choice of either living with a $300+ off-square table/fence on sloppy mounts with homemade wooden shims leveling it, or packing it up and sending it back. I would recommend saving your money and buying a better saw. Buying this thing is definitely throwing good money after bad. Rousseau needs to send some folks to a seminar and learn about QA.

Addendum
I found an easier way to level the tables without sacrificing stability. I took out all of the screws supporting the 2700XL's table and added a plain metal washer. This raised the table a few millimeters to bring it into level with the saw table...much easier than shimming.

This table is a delight. The cutting accuracy is incredible. Having recently retired, I'm catching up on 30 plus years of "honey-do's", including house remodeling. The large table space and the ease of operation are features not found on other saws I've owned. The portability is a major plus. Highly recommended.

I've used this stand with other saws in the past and found it to be outstanding. However, I would not recommend this stand for anyone who has the DeWalt DW744 table saw. You have to remove the entire existing rack & pinnion fence system (quite a bother) and then try to set the stand up to hold the saw tightly in place. This was not easy either, nor were the instructions helpful. Also, the table to the side is lower than the surface of the table saw and must be shimmed up to match. While I think this is a great product for most saws, I'm not pleased so far with how it fits my DeWalt.