Heavy-Duty Staple Gun: The Quick Way to Fasten Fabric, Screen and Wrap

What is a heavy-duty staple gun?

A heavy-duty staple gun is a hand tool that drives a staple, a U-shaped piece of wire with two legs, into wood in one squeeze. A spring-loaded hammer inside the gun slams the staple home. You load a strip of staples into the magazine, press the nose against the work and squeeze the handle.

It is called heavy duty because it takes T50 staples. These are wider and stronger than the small office-stapler type, and they hold fabric, screen and plastic without tearing through. Staple length changes with the job: short ones for thin screen, longer ones for thick material and wrap.

Three ways to power one

This Old House notes that manual guns are enough for most household projects, while electric and air-powered guns add faster firing. Staples also come in different types (D, U and T), and a gun usually takes only one type, so match the staples to the gun before you buy.

Why you'll want one

Speed on thin material. Fabric, window screen, house wrap, plastic sheeting and insulation all go up in a fraction of the time it takes with tacks and a hammer.

One hand does the work. You hold the material tight with one hand and squeeze with the other. A hammer needs both hands and a lot of care.

A wide, flat hold. The crown of a staple spreads over the material instead of poking one tiny hole, so thin fabric and screen do not tear through as easily as with a tack.

Many jobs, one tool. Upholstery, picture backing, framing canvas, repairing a screen door, tacking up insulation or craft paper, and holding landscape fabric to a frame all use the same gun.

Easy to store. It is small, light and fits in a drawer. You need it often enough to want one nearby, but not so often that you need a big air-powered tool.

What buyers and testers say

For the Arrow T50, the gun we feature, written reviews and tests show the same few patterns:

• Praised: it feels sturdy and well built, it drives staples fully into soft wood and plywood, and buyers like that it is simple, with no cord or battery. Maker listings call it jam-resistant, with a staple-viewing window that shows when to reload.
• Common complaints: it needs a strong hand. Several buyers, including some with arthritis, say the squeeze is hard on the hand, and that the metal handle can feel slippery at some angles. A few report jams, often traced to the wrong staple size.
• Hardwood limits: in Project Farm's test, the manual Arrow gun drove staples into spruce and nearly drove a half-inch staple into oak, but it could not fully drive staples into drywall corner bead or composite decking. That is normal for a hand-powered gun.

How to use it

Read your gun's manual first; loading differs a little between models. This is the routine most guides teach.

1. Wear safety glasses. Staples can bounce off knots or hidden metal and fly back. Work gloves help too.
2. Pick the right staple. Choose a size made for your gun and long enough to pass through the material and bite into the wood behind it. Thin screen takes short staples; thicker wrap takes longer ones.
3. Open the magazine. On a rear-load gun like the Arrow T50, press the pusher down and in, then slide it out. Check the maker's instructions for your gun.
4. Load a strip. Lay a fresh strip of staples on the guide rail with the legs pointing toward the nose, slide the pusher back in, and tilt the gun so the staples slide to the front.
5. Check the window. A clear window along the front tells you how many staples are left, so you reload before you run dry in the middle of a seam.
6. Stretch the material tight. Pull fabric or screen straight, with no ripples, before the first staple. Start in the middle of one side, then work out toward the corners.
7. Press the nose flat. Hold the nose square against the work, never at a slant, or the staple can go in crooked and jam.
8. Squeeze firmly and fully. Squeeze the handle all the way down in one smooth motion. Half a squeeze leaves a staple standing proud.
9. Space the staples. For fabric or screen, a staple every inch or two keeps the edge from lifting. For house wrap, follow the product's directions.
10. Test on a scrap. If staples stick out, switch to a shorter staple or press harder. If they cut through the material, press more gently or add a thin strip of cardboard under the staple.
11. Clear jams safely. Keep your hand off the handle, open the magazine, and pull the bent staple out with pliers. Never reach into the nose.
12. Finish and store. Remove staples from the magazine if you will not use the tool for a while, and wipe off dust, paint and debris.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong staples. Staples that look right but are slightly off in size are a leading cause of jams and half-driven staples.
• Stapling electrical cable. T50 staples can cut the cable jacket. Use insulated cable staples made for wire.
• Pointing it at people or your own feet. Adam Savage's safety primer says to treat every stapler as loaded and to keep your free hand out of the line of fire. Staples can pass through thin stock.
• Expecting it to drive into hard material. Oak, corner bead and composite decking need a screw gun or a heavier nailer.

What to look for when buying

Power source first. Decide how much stapling you really do. A manual gun is fine for a few jobs a year. If you have hundreds of staples to drive, or weak hands, step up to an electric one.

The right staple size. For the gun we feature, T50 staples in 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 and 9/16 inch lengths fit, according to the listing. The gun usually ships without staples, so buy a box in the lengths you need.

Build and leverage. An all-steel body and a long handle give you more power per squeeze than a plastic one. The Arrow listing says the steel parts are hardened and the body is chromed steel.

Easy loading and jam clearing. A rear-load magazine with a window is quick. Look for a design where you can clear a jam in seconds without a toolbox.

Comfort. A handle that does not slip and does not dig into your palm matters more than it looks, especially if you staple for more than a few minutes.

Adjustable power on harder jobs. Some guns have a knob to dial the strike up or down. It helps with hard wood or delicate fabric, but most basic manual guns do not have one.

Narrow nose for edges. A slim nose reaches into corners and sits close to an edge, handy for upholstery and screen frames.

Pros and cons of a manual T50 gun

Key specs to look for

Where to get it

For this guide we feature the Arrow T50 heavy-duty manual staple gun. According to the listing it has a chromed-steel body, a high-leverage handle, a rear-load magazine with a jam-resistant mechanism and a staple-viewing window, and it fits T50 staples from 1/4 to 9/16 inch. Buyers praise how sturdy it is and how simple it is to use; the common complaint is hand fatigue on long jobs. It sits in our budget tier.

Arrow T50 Heavy-Duty Staple Gun

Budget ($)Worth-owning score 8.3/10

• Chromed-steel body with a high-leverage handle, per the listing
• Rear-load magazine with a jam-resistant mechanism and a staple-viewing window
• Takes Arrow T50 staples from 1/4 to 9/16 inch, sold separately

View on Amazon

How we scored it

Usefulness 8/10 · Value 9/10 · Durability 8/10. This is our own opinion, based on specs, buyer reviews and independent tests. It is not an Amazon or customer rating.

Remember to buy a box of T50 staples in the lengths you need, since they are sold separately. If you plan on stapling a lot, look at an electric gun instead. Use our Square Footage Calculator to work out how much fabric, screen or wrap to buy, and see our guide to a screw assortment set for the jobs where a staple is too weak.