BEA stapler at a good price

[sofadoc]

If you were to ask all the "tackers" on this board what their favorite brand of stapler is, you'll probably get a lot of different answers. And I guess that there's no real right or wrong answer when you get right down to it.

But this one is MY favorite, and $100 (shipping incl) is as cheap as I've seen one (of THIS brand) anywhere lately:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-BeA-Fasteners-Pneumatic-upholstery-Tacker-3-8-Crown-stapler-371-16-401-/221042416161?_trksid=m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8954837345255542023

I paid more than that for my BEA 10 years ago.

Please, don't everyone start linking those POS Amazon $39.95 guns. ;)

[jojo]

Would this be suitable for marine upholstery? Staplers have always confounded me; too many varieties, staple sizes, etc. My old BEA broke, and until I get a new one I'm using a Harbor Freight $25 pos.

[sofadoc]

Would this be suitable for marine upholstery?

The one above is a 3/8" crown stapler.
Most marine guys prefer a 1/2" crown......not as likely to cut through the vinyl.
Look for specs like:
#8
80 series
1/2" crown

[JuneC]

I have 2 3/8" crown staplers I use for marine work.  I've found the 3/8" stainless staples are really easy to source.  Don't know about 1/2" as they're not carried locally.  However, I much prefer my first (cheap) purchase of a no-name stapler from Amazon.com back in 2005.  About 2 years ago I bought a Fasco long-nose stapler for those hard-to-reach spots and while I'm sure it will last forever, I just hate the safety mechanism.  It has to be triggered to shoot a staple (don't mind that part) but then it has to be released to load the next staple.  You can't just keep holding it.  PITA that's what it is.   :-X

June

[Mojo]

I have the Harbor Freight POS I bought on sale for $ 19. Still going strong but doesn't get used much. My buddies use it more then I do. :)

June, your right. The 1/2 inch crown SS staples are tough to find and when you do they are pricey.

Chris

[kodydog]

I paid more than that for my BEA 10 years ago.

Sofa I am in the market for a new gun and BEA's are my favorite.

I also bought my last BEA gun over 10 years and paid more than the one in your link. My current gun skips staples. The plunger doesn't fully retract and will not let the next staple engage. I think its the O-ring on the plunger and could be fixed with a rebuild kit but sometimes its easier to just buy new.

[baileyuph]

There are rebuild kits for the BEA, my vendor said.  I believe he said they will do the work.  Mine has been going for a good while and hasn't needed a rebuild after several years but good to know the repair parts are available.

Doyle

[kodydog]

Thanks Doyle. Now you got me thinking I should go with the rebuild kit.  :)

[Mojo]

Ed:

These guns are very easy to work on. Give the rebuild a try. I believe one of our vendors on here sells rebuild kits. Andrew maybe ??

Chris

[gene]

My BEA is 8 years old. I bought a rebuild kit a few years ago and it worked great. $15 I think.

My BEA recently stopped being about to use the entire ream of staples. I will jam with about 1/2" of staples left. I assume the spring is not as strong as it used to be???

gene

[sofadoc]

My BEA recently stopped being about to use the entire ream of staples. I will jam with about 1/2" of staples left. I assume the spring is not as strong as it used to be???

The spring probably is a little weaker than it used to be. But another factor might be a burr somewhere toward the leading end of the magazine. Just enough of a burr to provide resistance when you've only got a few staples left, and the spring isn't as taut as it was with a full clip of staples. Try polishing the area with some fine sandpaper (crocus cloth, or emery cloth if you have it). Polish the slide too.

Here's a breakdown of parts for the BEA in Andrew's catalog:
http://www.pageturnpro.com/Progress-Printing/26266-DLT-Supply-Catalog/index.html#/172

Gene: Did the rebuild kit have parts like the plunger, or was it just O-rings?

[gene]

sofa d:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

What if it's a picture of 999 words? Is it worth taking a picture just to gain 1 word?

gene

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz228/genejoe/title1014.jpg";

[sofadoc]

30 years ago, paying $100 for a stapler was a major investment for an upholsterer. It would last 10 years before needing any parts. My wholesale supplier would rebuild them for around $25, and they would last another 10 years. So rebuilding them was the way to go.

But now, guns are still in the $100 range (and below), and since there are so many brands, o-rings and other parts can be hard to find. And since there doesn't seem to be as much disparity between $25-$100 anymore, most people just trash them and buy new.

I've acquired a lot of tools from shops that closed in the last few years. I went through a box yesterday and came up with 8 staplers. Rainco, Empire, Bostitch, and EZ. I plugged them all in and tried them out. They all seem to shoot fine. But I'm sure that if I kept shooting, they would either jam, or start blowing air out the back end, or stop feeding when the ream gets low.

I don't want to throw them away, but I don't feel confident enough about any of them to sell them. So I guess I'll just keep them around in case I get a big job where I have to hire a few "temp" tackers.

My main guns are my trusty old BEA, a Spotnail long nose, and some off-brand gun that I keep loaded with 3/16" staples just for doing thin panels.

[jojo]

Well that shows how much I know, Sofa. I thought air was supposed to blow out of the back! :o

[ahkahn]

We are one of BeA's oldest distributors... 60 years or so.  We recondition them all the time.  Often, it's not more than $20 parts and labor.  Typically the only parts that go on them are the o-rings and the occasional plunger.  We have customers that have been using them for 30+ years and they still function like they're brand new.

-Andrew