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Makita 18V Cordless Pin Nailer Review XTP02

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023

Nailers are a growing class within the cordless tool sector. Starting on the finish side, they’re branching out into framing and flooring with some whispers about cordless roofing nailers coming. Some of the first 12V models are showing up as well. But what hasn't been as big of a push is the cordless pin nailer. With a 23-gauge fastener, it doesn't take a ton of power, yet it still seems somewhat neglected. Woodworkers have a few options now and today, we’re looking closer at the Makita XTP02 Cordless Pin Nailer.

Makita has a couple of cordless pin nailers available. The Makita XTP02 is what we have in hand and runs on the 18V LXT platform that has a huge number of tools in its lineup. There's also a 12V model available if the CXT line is more appealing to you.

There's really one thing missing from the Makita Cordless Pin Nailer: tool-free jam clearance. Time will tell how often we really need to get in there. Chances are pretty good that it's not going to be much of an issue.

Makita's typically solid ergonomics are in play. The handle and trigger design are comfortable to use and the balance is spot on for nailing downward or from the side.

Weight is always an issue with cordless nailers compared to their pneumatic counterparts and the Makita Cordless Pin Nailer is no exception. As a bare tool, it weighs in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces on our scale. For a power tool, that's pretty light. It's among the lightest cordless nailers available – as it should be considering it only needs to drive 23-gauge nails. While you’ll definitely notice the weight difference moving over from pneumatics, the convenience of no hose or compressor is a trade-off I’m more than happy to make this time around.

I’m waiting for some impressions on the performance of this Makita XTP02 nailer from one of our Pro carpenters. However, I took some time to gather a few impressions of my own before I sent it out. The most frequent question we get about cordless nailers surrounds firing delay when you pull the trigger. There is a slight delay on the Makita XPT02. It's not so slow that it comes across as sluggish and doesn't prevent you from quickly firing a series of nails.

But again, consider the use of a pin nailer. You’re not trying to fire as fast as a framer, so the speed you can fire is much greater than you’ll need and that slight delay is less than we see in some of the other nailers out there. From where I sit, it's just not that big of a deal. We’ll see if our carpenter agrees.

Other than that, there's little to no recoil and I haven't had any firing issues with this first limited series of tests. So far, it looks like another notch in the win column for Makita. One of the complaints many users had with the previous model is leaving nails proud in hardwoods – that's one of the things I’m asking our carpenter to specifically address.

On the pneumatic side of things, you can expect to snag a pretty nice pin nailer in the 1-3/8″ class for less than $100. Makita comes in at $219, but you can only get it as a bare tool. For the major competition on the cordless side, the $169 Ryobi P318 pin nailer comes in cheaper while Hitachi will run you a little bit more. So for a Pro model, this settles in nicely, especially if you’re already on the Makita 18V platform.

Have you used the Makita Cordless Pin Nailer? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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