POOR PERFORMER PERIOD!
I have been a carpenter for 15 years and have used alot of different compressors. This compressor is far to heavy and loud for the performance it puts out. The pressure drops too low before the motor kicks in and the wheels are too small for maneuvering jobsites. I have alot of makita tools I am happy with, but this is poorly designed and built tool.

If I had to do it again it would not be my first choice.
I too have several Makita tools and have been very happy with them. This does not live up to the Makita name. It is very loud and pressure does drop considerably before turning back on. My biggest disapointment though was the wheels. You would think that something that takes a beating and is heavy would have nice steardy wheels. Not in this case. They used cheap plastic wheels, I broke one the first day I used it. If I had to do it all over again I would have gone with the Porter Cable. It comes with Pneumatic Wheels and costs less. Live and learn I guess. Will definetly rethink further Makita purchases.

Hunk of Junk
Man did I have problems with this unit. I received the first one, which had one wheel with a flat spot on it and the other wobbled so bad I thought it may fall off. Amazon was great and shipped me another unit immediately!(thanks for the great sevice Amazon). The second unit arrived. I took it out of the box and still was disappointed with the wheels. I decided to go ahead and make it work. I brought the unit to my shop and plugged it in. It ran for about 5 seconds and sparks flew out the side of the unit. I sent it back for a refund. I figured with the Makita name, I would be buying a quality tool. Was I ever wrong. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!

good performer, but
I agree with the wheel gripes. The wheels are injection molded with a very thin plastic, one of mine had a slash in it and collapsed on first use.

So, I went up to farm and fleet and bought two new wheels with steel center and solid rubber, heavy tread, put them on and it is perfectly mobile over any terrain, now.

I also agree Makita fudges on the specs.

Most important though is the performance in use, and there, it shines. I've used similar double tank units from other manufacturers and much prefer the design of this unit. It stores connectors and a hose, handle breaks down for storage/transport, It is made very well and is quiet for a unit this size.

It does draw power on the initial kick on, as they all do. I'd hoped to run this on my Yamaha 2500 watt generator, which is equivelant to a 20 amp circuit, but no go. It blows the breaker everytime. And the Yamaha runs a portable DeWalt table saw, jet 1200cfm dust collector and a chop saw just fine (not all at the same time!)

So, while it is not perfect, it is a good performer and I'm very satisfied with the comressor at the cost.

Big disappointment.
I've been a diehard Makita fan for years. However, I was extremely disappointed with this compressor. Within a couple of days, one of the wheels snapped (during normal use). Within a few months, the replacement for that wheel and the other wheel broke, both pivots for the locking levers on the handle sheared off, and the cooling fan worked itself loose and began eating at the housing.

This compressor DOES NOT work on most 15 amp circuits; it just hums and sounds as if it's about to burn up. I comes from the factory with a low pressure setting. So if you're using a framing gun, it doesn't kick back on in time to have continuous nailing. There are adjustment screws for this inside the switch box, but that should not be necessary.

Overall, I think Makita should go back to the drawing board on this one or risk losing many long-time customers.

job site aircompressor
I bought the Makita 5200 after I had read all the reviews, almost even before it was out of the box the wheels had been replaced (steel core, airtires).

As with all my Makita tools, I'm a happy camper, they perform when they need too.

I really like the storage compartment and the hose storage right on the unit.

Thanks to all who wrote reviews, you've helped to make the MAC5200 better, is anyone from Makita taking notice?

I do have a spare set of originals tires (no miles).

Don't Do It
Just received mine.
One of the wheels was shattered.
The compressor crankcase has a huge crack in it.
The compressor crankcase mounting lugs are also shattered.
Can't get Amazon to reply to my requests for a refund or exchange. Compressor is sitting out in my garage leaking an oil slick all over.
Run from this deal!!!

MAC5200 Arrived Damaged
Box delivered. Looked like it was dropped from 20 feet, TWICE. One wheel bent the other shattered, found trace of oil drippings under the unit, also oil filler cap broken. Just got finished reading a review where someone else received one damaged. amazon say's there on the job. Can't yet rate the product.

Good Product
I am very pleased with this air compressor. The only complaint I have is the plastic wheels. The first day on the job one of mine broke.

BEST PORTABLE 6.2 cfm
Ok it has plastic wheels but it is twice the machine than the mac 2400. Run it next to your genarator with no extra cord 3/8 hose and 3/8 fittings and it should work great.

Good specs for the price range
I chose this portable unit because of the 6.5 cfm at 13.8 amp draw, collapsible cart, oil lubed pump, good air filter and ball valve drain. Did not find many other compressors in this price range with those specs and did not want to pay $600+ for a monster. The manual says it has a 50% duty cycle so if you need a compressor that will run without stopping look elsewhere.

On arrival the box had major rips and crushed areas fairly typical of my experiences of UPS shipment with heavy items. However, the unit itself was in good shape. The wheels seem to be ok, if they break they are easy to replace or Makita may have changed their construction. The noise level was what I would expect, maybe a little less than the 6.2 cfm Ridgid my buddy uses on the job. The cut in/ cut out pressures were a little low so a quick adjustment took care of that. The regulator worked fine and seemed to be more precise than some I have used. Oil level sight glass and easy drain location are a plus. I have not yet put the unit through the day to day punishment of jobsite use but I expect it will still be running strong years from now.

This is a good machine
It arrived in a dented up box.
Miraculously, only the Makita label was scraped when I opened the box.

I'm just happy Makita isn't in the moving business. They know nothing about packing and shipping. This machine needs to be crated, no way around it. Cardboard is not up to the task.

ANYWAY. The compressor is awesome. It's reasonably quiet, and so far I've tested with a 16g, a 18g, and a crown stapler. I also used a cheapo cutting wheel with it, and it actually had enough capacity to do a larger cut, and kept going pretty well when the compressor kicked on.

The wheels. Well guys, they're plastic cr@p. The good news is they can be replaced with minimal effort, and a trip to the mower shop for parts. If you CAN'T replace them yourself, you probably shouldn't be buying a tool like this anyway. I still have the originals on, but I picked up a a set of metal hub/solid rubber with caps for later on. At the price I got it at, including shipping, I'm not going to write off the tool because I had to spend $10 to upgrade it.

I certainly didn't really need this much power, and probably could have made do with one of the Porter Cable combo specials, but I don't like to bring a knife to a gunfight. I'm going to be doing some deck work soon, and I wanted something that would drive a framing nailer without flinching. I think I made the right choice.

If you're reading this Mr. Makita, besides the wheels, the one cool thing that I would like to see on this tool is a hose reel. There is enough room to mount a hose reel on the back of the handle. As soon as I get a chance to see my friend the welder, I may add one myself.

Worried, distressed, & troubled - Not - turned out awesome!!!
Just received my Mac5200 unit and happy to report that all my worries concerning shipping damages were euphorically put to rest. I wanted to order this unit for some time but kept deferring purchase because of the damage reports.
My unit was shipped out of Allentown, PA via DHL - that's right DHL (I still can't believe it). Although it was boxed in cardboard both the box and unit were undamaged. There were two minor blemishes to the paint on the tank but nothing to even be concerned with.
Kudos to DHL - box was in showroom condition - great job. Same to Amazon if they have changed carrier to solve shipping problems.
Now to the unit - awesome!!! A container of compressor oil was included - filled the oil reserve and went to "initial startup procedure" on page 10 of owner's manual. Was somewhat confused by Step 1 - open the "air receiver's drain value". What the %^*& is a air receiver's drain value??? I know what the Drain Valve or Cock at the bottom of the tank is - but was I missing something? A fast call to Makita's service center confirmed to open drain valve on tank for the no-load break in. Other than that all was fine.
Unit is heavier than appears and the noise level is impressively quietier than expected (at least in my garage for the break-in period).
I think I'll be very pleased with this compressor if everything remains as positive as the initial impressions. Oh, almost forget to add my comments on the wheels. The actual tires are not plastic as I thought from reading some reviews. Mine are rubber of some type, although not inflatable. The wheels or spokes sound plastic when tapped but these can easily be replaced if needed.
My initial impressions are ALL favorable. Just wished I hadn't waited so long or worried so much. I would request DHL for carrier.

Excellent product.
I was some what concerned about ordering this unit because of shipping problems. I needn't have concerned myself as my unit arrived safe and sound from UPS, they even hauled to my shop in the backyard. I performed the break-in proceedures and the unit performed flawlessly. I think the unit will handle all of my compressor needs. As far as the wheels go, they look different than the picture in the parts list. Perhaps Makita has changed them.

MAC5200
Kept up with two framing nailers. We had a RIGID that kept overheating and shutting down so we sent it back to the "Big Box". We've used the Makita for two framing nailers, two roof nailers, two trim nailers and combinatons of all three ith no problems. The only concerns are the oil can be tough to see in the sight glass and the breaker is tough to reach. The good news is I haven't had to reset the breaker yet. Excellent product.