The Staple Gun Buying Guide
Are you shopping for a pneumatic stapler? Maybe you already own one, but want to see what else is out there? If you are researching staple guns, look no further.
 
As much as we love to talk about nail guns - after all, it's in our name - today, let's take a look at the various staple guns and pneumatic staplers that are available for construction, renovation and manufacturing.
 
Staples Variety
Let's start with one of the most commonly referenced segments within the staple gun industry - construction staplers. Available in several variations - depending on the application - you can choose between fine wire, narrow crown, medium crown and wide crown staplers. Fine wire construction staplers are generally used for furniture upholstery, light wood assembly, roof paper and insulation. Using a slightly larger staple, narrow crown staple guns or finish staplers are designed for applications that include: cabinets, casebacks, drawers, sheathing, underlayment, molding and trim. Next in line, medium crown staplers are capable of handling larger, more intense projects including: floor decking, roof sheathing, soft wall sheathing, subflooring, pallet construction, vinyl siding and insulation installation. The last and largest (size) segment of construction stapler, wide crown staple guns are built to handle the toughest of tough applications. These heavy-duty staplers are built for insulation sheathing, wire lathing, housewrap, attaching corrugated to pallets, furniture and cabinet frame assembly, or any other application that requires a wide crown staple. If you are looking for a solid, durable construction stapler, consider the MAX TA238A (replaced by the TA238B) for smaller finish and trim applications, or the Senco WC150XP (replaced by the PS15XP) for larger projects.
 
Senco WC150XP
For less intense projects - primarily those that include upholstering or securing fabric - an upholstery stapler will be your best option. You will find that upholstery staplers commonly overlap with their fine wire construction stapler cousin. If you are strictly planning to use this pneumatic (or electric) tool for attaching upholstery, make sure the tool is specifically designed for upholstering - versus assembly. These staplers are particularly useful for furniture and vehicle upholstery, light wood assembly, dust covers, cabinet backs, felt insulation, roofing felt, molding, bedding and packaging. Our friends at ModHomeEc recommend the Duo-Fast EIC-3118 Electric Stapler (replaced by Fasco-Maestri 7C-16 3/8" Crown Electric Stapler - 63100) for the novice - or a BeA Long Nose Upholstery Stapler for long-term, skilled use. You can read their entire review of Nail Gun Depot staple guns here.
 
Duo-Fast Upholstery Stapler
For packaging and shipping, carton closing staplers are specifically designed to seal corrugated boxes and packaging materials. These tools are almost always found in warehouses or shipping facilities. For small to medium usage, consider a top carton stapler or plier stapler for package closing. For heavy-duty, high volume use, look to a larger carton closing tool - designed for manufacturing and assembly - such as a bench mounted carton stapler or post bottomer carton stapler. In the Nail Gun Depot shipping department, we are currently using Bostitch's latest cordless top carton closers, the DSW-3519 and DSW-3522.
 
Bostitch Cordless Carton Closing Stapler
Hammer staplers, also known as hammer tackers, are most commonly used for carpet, roof paper and housewrap installation. Similar to a hammer, these staplers are actuated each time the user brings the tool into contact with a surface - using a driving force. We recommend a variation of the Duo-Fast hammer tacker (replaced by Powernail HT-750 classic hammer stapler) for carpeting. For roofing or siding, consider a cap stapler.
 
Stinger Hammer Cap Stapler
Interested in flooring staplers? Check out our recent article on Must-Have Flooring Tools.
 
Powernail Hardwood Floor Stapler
Branching out from the typical staple gun(s) a builder or remodeler would come in contact with, there are several specialty staple guns available - such as bedding staplers and bar code staplers. Among a class of specialty fastening tools - mainly for manufacturing applications - bedding staplers are used for the production and manufacturing of mattresses and box spring sets. Designed for a different - yet equally important set of applications - bar code staplers (also known as label staplers) are used in construction, pallet/crating, packaging and residential interiors. Designed for stapling bar code tags to lumber, the BeA 380/10-400 is a powerful new addition to Nail Gun Depot's lineup of specialty tools.
 
BeA Bar Code Stapler
Need more information about a particular model or type of pneumatic, electric or manual staple gun? Just ask, we're here to help!
 
~ The Nail Gun Depot Team