Electric Staple Gun Experience?

[baileyuph]

Looks like my old one is on its way, any suggestions for replacement?

I have an older Duo Fast, over 25 years, did reasonably well on soft woods, is there a new one better?  I noticed Burch Sells it, they sold me the real old gun I have used for mobil for years.

I failed to get the number of the new Duo Fast to relate with?

Of course air systems are better but that isn't the issue.  Mobile support is the thrust here.

Interesting to hear of any good electrical experience.

Doyle

[crammage]

I bought the Maestrie 71 series electric stapler last December and now use it most of the time.  It's light weight uses a variety of staple types and is much quieter than the old compressor.  My only issue has been on older furniture with good old fashioned hard wood it can have a problem setting them deep enough.  I just have to make sure I hold it tight against the wood before I hit the trigger and it works better.  It also came with a  great carrying case, makes things a little more professional looking when going to a client's home. 

It's easy maintenance too, just put a drop of oil every so often where the staples come out and your good to go.

It's the convenience of the thing that makes it work well for me.  I don't have to wait for the compressor to fill up.  Since I work the furniture thing part time the flexibility of working in the basement where my sewing machine is or in the garage (during the summers in MN) makes it very handy for me.  I don't have to lug a compressor up and down two flights of stairs.  :)

Clay

[chrisberry12]

The Duo Fast is the best although they have cheaped out on it to lighten it up. I have a cordless staple gun (Regitar) but it is big and very heavy. This cordless will sink a staple in the hardest wood. It uses #7 staples like all my guns. Another option is to get a tankless air compressor (Sears) I used them way back for doing the Ball Crawls in the Chucky Cheese Restaurants. I used the Mastri guns, they are ok for light work but will not work good with pli-grip.

Good Luck, let us know what you decide on

Chris

[baileyuph]

You guys are providing good information on new electric staplers, which is what I need for out of the shop smaller jobs.  I have two air systems in the shop with a half dozen air guns.

My Duo Fast gun is not made any more, I have used it for probably around 25 years.  It sure has been durable, only it will not sink a 3/8ths #7 in a hard wood.  Fortunately, it is used for a softer wood most of the time.

Duo Fast makes a gun similar in appearance to my old gun and that gun  is the one I would like to hear about from a user.  I need to get specific model numbers of what I have and the gun that replaced mine.  I will do that when I go back to the shop and post numbers.

The comment about Duo Fast being about the best stapler was beneficial to hear.  It will cost, not sure, but somewhere over $300 maybe over $400. 

The staples for my old Duo Fast are not available except maybe in one or two sizes and Burch (who sells Duo Fast and the staples) advised me when current supplies run out for my old Duo gun run out, there will be no more.  So, perhaps their newer model Duo Fast, the most expensive model that looks virtually like my old gun will be of interest to me in spite of the cost.

Thanks guys,
Doyle

[chrisberry12]

I bought the new Duo-Fast electric staple gun that replaced the old and I am very unhappy with it. The old gun was very well balance and had great power as with all their tools. The staple magazine is made really cheaply and the gun jams quite often. That being said, It is still the best electric gun on the market today unless someone proves me wrong... Please Do!!!!

[sofadoc]

On the occasional restaurant booth, or church pew job that requires on-site stapling, I just "bite the bullet" and load up the compressor. I keep plenty of hose, so I can plug the compressor into an outside AC outlet.

On the small in-home repair job, I make do with a hand stapler, or tack hammer/tacks.

I've never found a good electric stapler either. I had one of those old Duo-Fast tackers. It lacked power, and jammed a lot. I sent it in to an authorized service center once. The repairman called me on the phone, and informed me that the gun was NOT designed to be used with an extension cord. The built-in cord was 6 ft. The average sofa is around 8 ft. You figure it out. 

I dropped my quest to find a good one years ago, mainly because I can't think of a legitimate need for one.

[byhammerandhand]

Almost all my work (repair) I do onsite.  I have one of these, with a 15 ft rubber hose.




23 lb., aluminum tanks that don't rust, fairly quiet.   Easy to tote in and out of homes or warehouses.  If it's just a corner or something, I don't even bother to plug it in, the tank will hold enough between runs.

For real infrequent use, you can get a CH steel one at Wally mart for $69-89.


Early on, I hired a local upholsterer friend to help me out on a hotel job that had a lot of time constraints (in after checkout, out before 6 pm).   He brought his large cordless stapler.   First pull, battery was dead.   Swap the battery, and 10 staples later, the second battery died.   I brought in my compressor and the next day, he'd bought one.

[sofadoc]

.....He brought his large cordless stapler.   First pull, battery was dead.   Swap the battery, and 10 staples later, the second battery died.

Been there too. I also tried a regulator/Co2 cylinder rig from Lowes that attaches to your belt, and you wear it around your waist. You hook a coiled hose up to it, and use your pneumatic stapler. The product promised "hundreds of shots" out of a single cylinder. Well, it turned out to be more like ONE hundred shots. Every time I re-loaded staples, the cylinder was dead. That comes to 7 bucks for every 100 shots. Took it back for a refund the next day.

[byhammerandhand]

In addition, I've heard the CO₂ is not good for (some?) O-rings.

.....He brought his large cordless stapler.   First pull, battery was dead.   Swap the battery, and 10 staples later, the second battery died.

Been there too. I also tried a regulator/Co2 cylinder rig from Lowes that attaches to your belt, and you wear it around your waist. You hook a coiled hose up to it, and use your pneumatic stapler. The product promised "hundreds of shots" out of a single cylinder. Well, it turned out to be more like ONE hundred shots. Every time I re-loaded staples, the cylinder was dead. That comes to 7 bucks for every 100 shots. Took it back for a refund the next day.

[bobbin]

I have a Duofast, but never use it anymore unless I REALLY have to.  Heavy!!!

I had no experience with pneumatic tools until I began setting up my own shop and had to buy a compressor to operate the automatic tack/trim/backtack on my my Juki 1541.  My brother and an auto-trim guy set me straight on that!  I haven't touched the electric stapler since. 

(One more reason I quit my McJob... boss was unwilling to even consider a pneumatic stapler)

[baileyuph]

Pneumatic is the way to go in a shop, but there is a lot of repair work that can be satisfied by electric guns, mechanical staplers, or even a magnetic hammer.

Pneumatic is covered in the shop, it is the mobil repair business that supports other alternatives.  No electric is as good as pneumatic. 

There is a lot of business in minor repairs that can be accomplished on the spot in a short time, an electric stapler sure facilitates that requirement.  That work can be very profitable if managed toward that goal.

Doyle

[chrisberry12]

Albany Foam and Supply sells the Duo-Fast electric staple gun

[chrisberry12]

You can always spit tacks, that is how I started out. No power required. with practice you can get pretty quick. and drop the pli-grip and hand stitch where needed. This works great on small outside the shop jobs and you are not lugging a bunch of equipment around. However personally I used to have a small Makita hotdog compressor and loved it. I also re-upholstered a bunch of Chucky Cheese ball crawls using the old Sears tankless compressor. and that is excellent for portable jobs also.

[baileyuph]

Chris,

In review, I understand you have a cordless that will drive the #7 staples into hard wood. 

What is it that you don't like it?  Short battery life?

Is it bigger than the duo-fast?

An update, my old duo-fast (over 25 years) that I mentioned was no longer sold and when the existing supply of staples are gone, there will be no more staples, actually is still doing the job for me.  I am on my last box of staples, so don't know if there will be staples as I near using this box up, but it looks definite that when things culminate, I will have to buy another Duo-fast.  But, the idea your battery powered unit is so strong and shoots conventional staple size, I am curious as to what the issues are with that gun?

There are certain mobile work, that the electric Duo-fast meets my requirements.  One reason it works so well is the wood in newer frames isn't the hardwood of years ago.
Thanks,
Doyle

[MinUph]

Been using my Duo Fast since oh hell i bet I bought it in the late 70s. Replace 2 cords back then and now still use it on occasion. I rather bring my small compressor and regular gun but in a pinch the electric still works fine.
I'm sure the newer models are made cheaper everything is. I'll hold onto mine till it dies. I still have several boxes of staples for it.
It is true they don't work with extensions but I do use an air conditioner extension about 4-5 feet and it is fine. Anything longer or smaller gauge it doesn't like.