Updated: October 12, 2016

Staple Gun Reviews:

Guide to the Best Staple Guns - Sometimes the most simple tools are the most effective and versatile: hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, heavy duty double-bevel compound miter saw. You know, the basics. Every home needs a tool box; it is as essential as cooking appliances, sinks, and anything else you have in your home. You could call a repairman, plumber, or carpenter every time you have a need for a hammer and nails, but that gets expensive very fast. Having tools - and knowing how to use them - not only saves us money, but gives us a sense of accomplishment and independence. Every homeowner should know how to do at least some basic home repair and have a well-stocked tool set. One of the most versatile pieces is a staple gun. Like an office stapler, they are a necessity, and like their smaller counterparts, they are quite easy to use. But which one is right for your needs? This guide will take a look at the features of popular models to help you make your decision.
staple guns


What Can You Do with a Staple Gun? - Staple guns are great around the house. You can do a wide variety of projects with this tool, including reupholstering old chairs, couches, or footstools, enclosing a porch with screening, wrapping your own artists' canvases, creating a greenhouse with a wood frame and plastic sheeting, securing insulation, and much more. The basic premise of a staple gun is very similar to the office version; the difference, however, is that the thickness and strength of the staple is greater. Even light duty staples for these guns are stronger than office staples, and heavy duty ones are sufficient to staple carpet and secure trim, molding, and tiles. Instead of bending as they do with an office stapler, the staples drive straight into the material like a nail. So the answer is, yes, you can really do almost anything. You can choose from hand-powered light or heavy duty staple guns, hammer tackers, or pneumatic tacking staplers. Most people find the light to heavy duty staple guns to be perfectly sufficient for their household needs, but we'll take a look at each type so you can make the most informed decision The Best General Light Duty Staple Gun - Light duty staplers can be used in both the office and around your home, making them an especially useful item to have in your tool box. They can fasten thin wire, fix the cheesecloth under your couch, tack up a piece of upholstery that has come loose, hang up party decorations, secure screening to porches depending on the wood of the porch, secure plastic sheeting to windows, and much more. A great one to try is the Stanley TR45 Light Duty. This is very lightweight and compact with a durable chrome-plated steel construction. It features a quick jam clear mechanism so projects proceed smoothly and a handle lock for safety during storage. It uses common and top quality Stanley TRA200 or Arrow JT-21 staples. Best of all, this versatile tool costs just about $10 on Amazon. You can pick up a 15 pack of the JT-21 staples (with 1000 staples per pack) on Amazon for $45. You should be set to staple for quite some time. The top rated Upholstery Staple Gun is none other than the Porter-Cable US58 - it uses 3/8 inch staples (Senco C Type 22 Gauge) from 1/4 to 5/8 inches long. The jam clearing mechanism works great and owners say this upholstery stapler takes on even the largest of jobs with a magazine capacity of 185 staples.

Best General Heavy Duty Staple Gun:

This is a hotly contested debate: is the Arrow T50 or the Bostitch T6 the best heavy duty staple gun? Popular Mechanics reviewed both of these models, as well as the Stanley CT10. They found that all three models took a lot of use and abuse and were rugged enough to keep up. Their testing involved stapling into low density poplar, black cherry, and white oak woods. In terms of depth, the Bostitch was the winner, sinking staples flush into both poplar and cherry - oak is just tough! The Stanley is easiest to reload but all three never jammed during the test. And in case you were wondering, the Stanley also won the distance test. Yup, they shot the staple gun, and the CT10 hit the target at 34 feet. As the reviewers noted, this was not a key measure, but awfully handy for scaring off trespassers. In short, any one of these models will do fine. The Arrow T50 is generally regarded as the best and is a hardware store favorite. It has been the best selling staple gun for 50 years. You can find the T50 for under $30, the CT10 for about the same, and the Bostitch T6 for a bit under $40. If you want to go with the cheaper version here, that is fine. You will still get great quality.

Best Hammer Tacker Staple Gun - This sounds exactly like what it is. It can be described as a cross between a staple gun and a hammer: it will typically have a 12-inch handle and a head. You swing the stapler like a hammer and insert the staple. These are very useful for tacking carpet pads, wrapping a house, securing insulation, and much more. Tools of the Trade Magazine, a trusted trade magazine for professionals, named the Bostitch PC2K as their top pick, as did HGTV Pro. This hammer tacker is durable with a die-cast frame and reinforced sides. It has an anti-jam mechanism, a high capacity magazine which stores up to 168 staples from 1/3-inch to 3/8-inch, easy, quick reloader, and at-a-glace staple count monitoring. The Bostitch PC2K also has two features the pros especially love. One is the ergonomic, non-slip handle. This reduces aches, numbness, and carpal tunnel symptoms that are a result of repetitive motion. The other is the knuckle saver handle. This speaks for itself, and it's a relief. The PC2K hammer tacker costs under $50.

Best Electric Staple Gun:

Most people use manual staple guns, while professionals go towards pneumatic guns. Electric staplers, though, have their place in longer projects because of the ease of use. Many turn to them for reupholstering jobs, as well as securing staples and brads into wood, framing pictures, securing stretched artists' canvas, securing alarm wire, computer and TV cable, screening, and molding. Turn to the best for your electric staple gun: the Arrow ET2025. This model has a drive power adjustment dial, jam proof mechanism, trigger safety lock, all steel channel and track, and reversible wire attachment. The ET2025 is a 3-in-1 staple gun, able to shoot flat and round crown staples and 5/8-inch brad nails. This is popular with both upholsterers and artists. You can find the ET2025 for under $40.

Best Pneumatic Staple Gun - Northern Tool and Equipment selected the Surebonder 9600 Pneumatic Staple Gun as its top pick for best pneumatic staple gun. This is a compact unit that is great for securing insulation, installing roof felt, house-wrapping, screen door repair, making picture frames, and more. It is very similar to an electric staple gun. Instead of electricity, though, it is air-powered. The 9600 accepts staples in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch, and 9/16-inch, so you can use it for a wide variety of purposes. It features a staple viewer, easy drop-in loading, safety switch, and adjustable air exhaust. It costs about $30. You can find a wide range of staple guns on Amazon.com with hundreds of comments and opinions as posted by actual owners and customers. Consider what you want to do with your staple gun and how much you want to spend. From there, look for quality brands like the ones mentioned above.