Combining convenience and comfort, the Makita XNB01Z 18V Cordless 2-Inch Brad Nailer is a tool that will help you accomplish your delicate home projects. With its wide range of features that will help speed up project completion and simplify setting up the tool, you might be interested in this brad nailer.
With that said, what’s to expect with this cordless unit? To help you figure out whether you should buy this brad nailer or not, I’ve reviewed the tool below and included its features, specs, pros, and cons.
Makita XNB01Z Review: A Good Brad Nailer?
As a brad nailer that has convenient features, it centers on user comfort when it comes to working on any molding or trim projects. You’ll love this tool if you’re always working on home projects and want to reduce the operation of air compressors.
Specifications
This brad nailer will hold up to 100 nails in its magazine. Applicable for 18-gauge nails from 5/8 to 2 inches, it will drive up to 1,660 nails on a single charge of a compatible 5.0 Ah 18V LXT battery. Spanning 11-5/8 inches long, this tool weighs 7.7 pounds.
Quality
This tool is backed by Makita’s 1-year limited warranty, in which the brad nailer can be sent to their authorized service centers for repair or replacement without charge.
When it comes to quality, Makita doesn’t hold back – they have Star Protection Computer Controls for their tools, including this brad nailer. What this technology does is prevent overheating, over-discharging, and overloading by helping ensure a good connection between the tool and the battery.
Part of the Star Protection Computer Controls includes the battery level gauge, which allows you to easily know when it’s time to recharge your tool to avoid ruining the battery and tool lifespan.
Usability
When it comes to usability, this brad nailer has a tool-less depth adjustment, which makes tasks easier, especially when your hands are full. This also lets you create that precise countersinking. Likewise, it has a rubberized soft grip to help with comfort and reduce fatigue.
Aside from that, it has an anti-dry fire mechanism. After all, who doesn’t want to avoid denting their material? In cases where you can’t always see the magazine, it’s important to have this kind of feature to avoid ruining your wood surface. Speaking of surface, it also has rubber bumpers to keep the tool away from scratching the wood.
Should You Buy the Makita XNB01Z Cordless Brad Nailer?
I think that you will love the Makita XNB01Z if you are after a brad nailer that’s made with a battery level gauge and anti-dry firing mechanism, both of which are helpful if you’re working in tight spaces. If you have mostly pine, cedar, and spruce projects, this is a great brad nailer for the job.
If you are still unsure about the decision, go through the below list of the pros and cons of the tool.
Pros of the Makita XNB01Z
Let’s start with the pros.
It has an anti-dry mechanism.
This mechanism will save you from the trouble of having an unsightly dented wood surface. What it does is prevent the brad nailer from firing a blank, thereby keeping it from dry firing and causing dents in your wood of choice.
There’s a tool-less depth adjustment.
Having a tool-less adjustment means you won’t have to worry when your hands are full. Convenience is always a plus point for any tool – having tool-less adjustment is great for difficult positions, such as with molding projects.
It has a battery gauge.
This takes away the guesswork of whether or not you need to charge the brad nailer. By checking the battery gauge, you’re not only lengthening the battery lifespan but you’ll also better plan your usage. Not many cordless brad nailers out there have a battery gauge, so this is a noteworthy feature.
It comes with an LED light.
An LED light that’s built-in to the tool will be helpful to maintain accuracy when you’re working on any project. Not to mention, it’s also a good safety measure that will help you to avoid accidents when you’re in a low-light room or position.
Cons of the Makita XNB01Z
Even though the Makita XNB01Zis a great tool, there are a few cons worth noting as well.
The tool is on the heavy side.
Weighing 7.7 pounds (with the battery), it’s not exactly a great first-time tool for people who previously used pneumatic brad nailers. With that said, cordless brad nailers are usually heavier than their air-powered counterparts anyway.
It’s not ideal for hardwoods.
If your project involves hardwoods such as oak, maple, and walnut, then this brad nailer isn’t for you. It only works effectively on softwood such as cedar, spruce, and pine, so it’s more suitable for smaller to medium-sized projects.
What Are the Alternatives to the Makita XNB01Z?
While the Makita XNB01Z is already a convenient brad nailer for home use, if you want to find other similar units, here are my suggestions:
The Cordless Brad Nailer Kit is a similar choice when it comes to the tool-less jam release, as well as the LED light on the tool. What makes this DeWalt tool different from the Makita pick that I mentioned above is the weight of just 5.3 pounds.
Aside from that, switching between contact and sequential mode is a breeze because it doesn’t require any tools. It also has an ambidextrous belt hook, plus a brushless motor that prolongs the lifespan of your tool (and also cools it down while running).
Able to fire up to 1,300 brad nails per charge, the Porter-Cable PCC790LA 20V MAX Cordless Brad Nailer is yet another similar choice to my main Makita pick since it has LED lights and a tool-less jam clearing and stall release lever.
Aside from that, it has a convenient depth adjustment wheel. If you’re looking for a good crown molding nailer, this is a good choice as well. It has a 100-nail magazine capacity and it weighs 5.9 pounds.
If you are looking for a lightweight choice, why not consider the Craftsman CMCN618C1 V20 Cordless Brad Nailer Kit (read my review)? This unit has an overmold grip, which will decrease user fatigue and it only weighs 5.3 pounds, which is suitable for overhead projects, such as crown molding and anything involving ceilings.
Likewise, it has an optimal center of gravity to reduce strain on your arms for all-day projects. It will drive up to 420 nails per charge and it also comes with free 100 brad nails for you to get started on your task right away.
Summary
To wrap it up, the Makita XNB01Z is a convenient cordless brad nailer to get due to its anti-dry mechanism, tool-less depth adjustment, LED light, and battery gauge. These helpful features will speed up any DIY project at home or even for light jobsite use.
Although it’s not meant for bigger projects that involve hardwoods, it still is a solid brad nailer that’s worth buying, especially if you just want to work with projects around the house or in a garage. If weight isn’t an issue for you, then this brad nailer is definitely a worthy choice.