Deane Biermeier, general contractor and licensed carpenter, as well as a member of The Spruce’s Home Improvement Review Board, notes, “Staple guns come in three basic types, including manual, electric, and pneumatic. Within those types there are several styles from which to choose. How, and how often, you intend to use your staple gun, as well as your budget, will determine which one is best for you. For the average DIYer, however, a manual gun that can shoot a variety of staple types is the most affordable and useful type. Be sure to look for a staple gun that is designed to reduce stress on your hands and is relatively easy to use.” Before getting started on choosing a staple gun, it helps to know there are many different sizes and types of staples, but they can be grouped by their shapes: “D” shaped staples are the most common type, with a straight top and straight legs, “U” shaped staples have a rounded top and are useful for fastening cords or cables, “T” shaped staples are small brads used for fastening upholstery and similar tasks, and “I” shaped staples are small pins used for various delicate fastening jobs. We evaluated staple guns based on their ease of use, sturdiness, versatility, effectiveness, and overall value. Our top choice, the WORKPRO 6-in-1 Manal Staple Gun, can shoot six different types of staples, is easy to load, and has a padded handle to make squeezing easier on your hands. While any manual staple gun admittedly takes some effort to use, this one has a comfortably padded grip that helps reduce hand fatigue and effort. Plus, there’s a high/low power switch that lets you adjust the tool’s force between hard and soft materials. An anti-jamming mechanism helps reduce annoying staple jams, although as with any staple gun, they still may occasionally occur. This stapler has a belt clip so you can carry it with you easily, and once you’re done working for the day, the handle can be locked to prevent accidental discharge of staples. Whether you need a staple gun for crafts, upholstery, insulation, hanging holiday lights or keeping cords in place, stapling lightweight flooring, or most other typical projects that require a stapler, this one can handle it, and handle it well without excessively wearing you out. Along with the stapler, you get 1,000 each of T50, JT21, and T25 staples and 1,000 18-gauge brad nails. Price at time of publish: $30 The stapler has a pressure knob that lets you adjust the depth to which the staple is driven. Loading this stapler isn’t too difficult; you press the latch, pull out the loading rod and fill it with staples, and then push the loading rod back into place. While it does not have a specific anti-jamming mechanism, it is relatively easy to open the stapler to retrieve jammed or bent staples. And while the handle isn’t the most padded or comfortable, it’s reasonably easy to depress. All in all, if you want a manual staple gun for crafts, hanging signs or other light materials, stapling upholstery, hanging decorations, or similar uses around the home, then this reasonably priced tool is more than satisfactory. Price at time of publish: $20 Price at time of publish: $50 There’s a tension adjustment knob atop the stapler that lets you somewhat adjust the depth to which it drives the staples. While not the heaviest-duty stapler, this is a good choice for tasks such as fastening insulation or upholstery, crafts, hanging decorations, light furniture repair, holding cords in place, tacking down lightweight flooring, or affixing signs or other materials to wood, walls, or fences. Unlike many manual staplers, however, this one does not have a window to easily see when staples are running low. Price at time of publish: $15 The stapler has a comfortable handle that won’t tire out your hands. For safety, there’s an on/off switch and a trigger that won’t depress to shoot staples unless the tool is pressed against the material being stapled. While a bit trickier to load staples than some other staple guns, once you get the hang of loading the staples into the bottom of the gun, it’s not too difficult. Use this staple gun for affixing materials to most soft woods, tacking down upholstery or rugs, crafts and DIY projects, and other similar projects. The staple guns comes with 300 T50 staples and a USB charging cord. Price at time of publish: $50 While you are unlikely to need such a forceful staple gun for simple crafts, this is a great choice for tougher projects such as installing siding, house wrap, or insulation, tacking down carpets, carpentry, attaching chicken wire or other materials to boards or fencing, and similar heavy-duty jobs. Note that this gun does not come with any staples, so you will need to purchase them separately. Price at time of publish: $24 While this stapler is relatively easy to load, it does not have a mechanism specifically to avoid staple jams, and like all such tools, it can be prone to this annoying issue. However, the magazine pulls out for easy access to jammed staples. You can lock the stapler handle when not in use to prevent accidental firings. While an excellent choice for upholstery projects, you can also use this versatile stapler for many other tasks, including crafts, light carpentry, tacking down cables and wires, fastening light flooring or insulation, hanging holiday decorations, and similar around-the-house projects. The stapler comes with 1,000 each of D, U, T, and I staples. Price at time of publish: $17 The lightweight design of this staple gun makes it easier to use than heavier-duty staple guns, and so it won’t tire or hurt your hands. It’s a compact stapler, so it doesn’t hold a lot of staples at one time, but unless you are tackling a big project that involves stapling many pieces together, it shouldn’t be an issue. The Mr. Pen is a useful addition to anyone’s tool box or craft kit. Price at time of publish: $10 For safety, this staple gun has two triggers that must be depressed to shoot staples. It also has a bump feature, meaning that as long as you keep the trigger depressed, the gun will shoot a staple as soon as the front of the tool is pressed against the work surface. This allows you to work very quickly when stapling along a long stretch of material. An adjustable exhaust cover lets you direct hot air away from you while you work. Note that this stapler does not come with any staples, so you will need to purchase them separately. Price at time of publish: $37 The steel frame of this stapler is extremely durable. It has a molded, sure-grip covering for a comfortable and secure grip, which helps to reduce hand fatigue during long work sessions. Thanks to the hammer action, the tool drives staples with more force than a regular manual stapler could deliver, making it ideal for heavy-duty use. The stapler does not come with staples, so you will need to buy them separately. Price at time of publish: $35 This is an ideal staple gun for general use around your home; use it for tacking down upholstery, insulation, lightweight flooring, or for any task that calls for a heavy-duty stapler. It has a metal belt clip so you can keep it right at hand when working, and there’s an indicator so you can easily tell when it’s time to reload staples. While it’s more expensive than many other options, it’s a worthwhile investment if you need a stapler that’s not as tough on your hands as heavier models. Price at time of publish: $33 While this isn’t an appropriate choice for very heavy-duty applications, it’s well suited for common DIY purposes such as tacking down upholstery, carpet, or insulation, doing crafts, hanging holiday decorations or signs, or for many other easy projects around your home. It has a flattened nose that fits into tight or awkward spots, and the trigger and handle are easy to grip, even if your hands aren’t the strongest. It does not include any staples, however, which must be purchased separately. Price at time of publish: $33 The staples are easy to load and there’s a window so you can see when you are running low. The stapler comes with a box of 800 5/16-inch staples as well as a handy staple remover, which isn’t often included with these tools. For safety, you can lock the handle when not using the stapler so it can’t accidentally fire a staple if bumped. Overall, this easy-on-your-hands and light-on-your-wallet stapler is a worthy addition to your around-the-house tool kit. Price at time of publish: $10
Power Source
There are three basic types of staple guns, differentiated by their power source. Manual staple guns are the most common type. These tools are powered by your own exertion in squeezing the handle, which compresses a spring to drive the staple into the material being fastened, whether that’s fabric, paper, wood, or some other relatively soft substance. Manual staple guns are the least expensive type and the most suited to simple tasks such as stapling paper or fabric, light upholstery work, stapling into soft wood, or even tacking down lightweight floor coverings. On the downside, it can be tiring to use a manual staple gun for driving a great many staples, or for projects involving very hard wood or other materials. Hammer tackers are a subset of manual staple guns. These powerful tools are used with a hammering motion. Each blow against the material drives in a staple. That makes this a good choice for repetitive tasks such as laying flooring or attaching insulation. Electric staple guns come in two types: those that are powered by a battery and those with a cord that plugs into an electrical outlet. But either type requires very little physical effort on your part in comparison to a manual staple gun, and electric staple guns have a lot more power. While these are quite a bit more expensive than manual staplers, an electric staple gun is a good choice if you’ll be taking on projects that require a great deal of stapling or involve large staples or hard materials. Pneumatic staple guns are powered by air from an air compressor. These are most often used for construction-type projects, such as laying flooring, installing roofing, or carpentry. They aren’t a popular choice for the average DIYer, although if you are taking on a large home remodeling project, this might be a good option. These staple guns can handle the largest staples and small nails.
Staple Types
There are many different types of staples from small staples used to fasten light or delicate materials to large and thick staples for heavy materials such as wood or carpet. Some staple guns only work with one size of staple, but many can accept a range of staples, which greatly increases the versatility of the tool. There are a few things to know about staples. Staple gauge is a measure of the thickness of the staple wire. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire. So for example, a 12-gauge staple is thicker than a 16-gauge staple. As a general rule, all-purpose staples are between 16 and 20 gauge. Upholstery staples are usually 22-gauge, as these thinner staples won’t show up on the finished furniture. Heavy-duty staples used for fastening roofing or in construction can have gauges as thick as 14, 12, or 10. Within the various gauges, you’ll also find different widths and lengths of staples. The width of the staple is typically indicated as narrow crown, medium crown, or wide crown. Wide-crown staples are very large fasteners often used in construction. Medium-crown staples are more of an all-purpose fastener. Narrow-crown staples, which often are rounded as well as narrow, are used for fastening wires or cables in place, as well as other applications where you don’t want the staple to show, such as crafts, furniture, trim, and other delicate projects. Some brands use letters to identify the shape of the staples. A “D” staple has a flat crown, or top. A “U” staple has a curved or rounded top. A “T” staple is a small nail or brad. An “I” staple is a small pin. Staples also come in different lengths. Generally, staples that are ¼-inch to ½-inch are good for most general purposes, but you’ll find staples as long as 2 inches for heavy-duty applications. You’ll frequently encounter “T50” when looking at staple gun specifications. T50 is a trademark of the Arrow company, which manufactures many popular staple guns. You can generally only use T50 staples, which are D-shaped and come in many different sizes, in an Arrow product. However, many other manufacturers design their staple guns to also be able to accept T50 staples. Some heavy-duty staple guns can also drive small brad nails.
Comfort
It can be very tiring to use a manual staple gun for long. That’s why many have ergonomic grips with cushioning or rubber on the handle to help reduce hand fatigue or pain. If you have weak or painful hands, however, an electric staple gun can be your best option.
Depth Adjustment
Some heavy-duty staple guns have adjustments to control the depth to which the staple is driven. This is a useful feature if you are choosing a staple gun for use in remodeling projects such as laying carpet, fastening trim, or stapling wood pieces together.
Anti-Jamming
Unfortunately, staple guns are prone to jamming. Some have various anti-jamming mechanisms to lessen this annoying issue, however.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Michelle Ullman is the home improvement/tool expert for The Spruce. She has extensive experience not only in writing about all things related to the home, but also in carrying out various DIY projects, including landscaping, painting, flooring, wallpapering, furniture makeovers, and simple repairs around the house and yard. Staple guns with anti-jamming mechanisms reduce the frequency of this annoying problem, but still might get jammed on occasion. You can usually remove a jam by opening your stapler’s magazine (the part of the tool where staples are loaded) and carefully removing the obstruction with your fingers or a pliers. You can reduce the chance of jams by not overloading your stapler, by using only staple sizes the stapler is designed to handle, and by not breaking up bars of staples when loading your tool. For this roundup, she considered dozens of staple guns, evaluating each for effectiveness, weight, versatility, ergonomics, and overall value. She also considered feedback from customers, both positive and negative, and received further input and advice from Deane Biermeier, a licensed contractor, carpenter, and member of The Spruce’s Home Improvement Review Board.
