I bought this stapler based on the brand. I have had good experiences with Arrow in the past and my current manual stapler is very solid. I have a bunch of stapling to do, installing insulation in my attic. The stapler worked quite well for the first 200 or so staples, but then quit working. It would actuate, but the hammer wouldn't move. Turns out, the part that connects the electric plunger to the hammer broke. Upon inspection, it doesn't look like a particularly good design (I'm a mechanical engineer). Other users don't seem to have the problem, and I was very impressed with the stapler prior to its demise. Perhaps this was an anomaly.
When I called Arrow, I thought they would send out a replacement part and I'd be on my way again fairly quickly. Instead, they told me to contact the seller. I did, and Amazon very quickly sent me an RMA and mailing label. I'm returning the tool and am not going to replace it. Arrow Fastener ETFX50 Heavy Duty Professional Electric Staple and Nail Gun
Arrow Fastener ETFX 50 Heavy Duty Professional Electric Staple and Nail Gun
I bought this staple gun for my wife to use when installing insulation as part of a whole house renovation. Her hand isn't strong enough to use a manual stapler for very long. It also works well for chair upholstering and similar chores.
Pros:
- It's sufficiently powerful to drive 9/16" staples into hardwood.
- No misfires, jams, double-staples, etc.; after firing many thousands of staples.
- Sufficiently light, well balanced, and a nice handle, to use all day with comfort.
- You can staple to the edge of the tool, since nothing protrudes beyond the "muzzle".
- The staple magazine and the locking slide is all steel. It works easily every time, and it's intuitive.
- The 10' cord results in no extension cord most of the time.
- A parts list is provided, with reasonable prices.
- The blow-molded case actually works pretty well, and protects the tool when carrying or storing. There's some room for spare staples or nails, but not much.
- Takes 6 sizes of T50 staples (1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 17/32").
- It's electric with a 100% duty cycle, which means it can used it all day with no breaks. Also, no air-compressor (and hose) is needed.
- It fires BN1810 nails (5/8" 18 gauge brad nails), but since I own two air-pin-nailers, we have no need for another pin nailer.
Cons:
- The trigger lock is located where your right thumb goes, if right-handed. As a result, it's easy to mistakenly set the trigger lock.
- The electric cord is plastic and very stiff, especially in cold weather. A flexible rubber cord, which nearly all top-end tools use, would be a big improvement.
- A larger magazine would have been nice.
- The tool will fire if it's empty, which it shouldn't do.
- There's a staple "view port" near the nose. But it's so small, you can't tell if there are 6 staples remaining, or 100. The tool should have a much larger/longer port, so you could see if it needs reloading before climbing a ladder, etc.
- The staple slide has to be completely removed and set aside to reload. After sliding in a new pack of staples, you reinsert the slide. A better designed stapler would work like any air nailer, where you never remove a slide from the tool.
- Several Amazon reviewers had major troubles with their stapler; from frequent jams to tool failure. It has a pathetic 90-day warranty, when one year is the industry standard. Although mine has worked fine, perhaps Arrow uses multiple factories to make it, which could explain the inconsistent quality.
Other:
- There's some recoil, but it's minor, and as long as the business end of the tool is held firmly against the wood, the staple seats all the way. Another stapler sufficiently heavy to eliminate most recoil wouldn't be as comfortable to use all day. If the tool is held weakly against the wood, the tool recoil might keep the staple from seating (i.e., operator error).
- Arrow rates this tool at 10-amp with a 14-amp surge. "Surge amps" can be misleading for tools like vacuum cleaners or circular saws, since normal running amps is the important number. However, an electric stapler's entire cycle lasts about 1/4 of a second, so surge amperage is the key indicator of power. This thing draws lots of amps; a staple hit a nail head once and tripped a 20 amp circuit breaker as a result.
This machine is a case study in bad design. I wonder once again, if tool designers ever actually try using what they sell.
1. The gun jammed very frequently, particularly when new. Some WD40 and wear eventually helped, but I'd still get a jam about every other stick of staples.
2. To clear a jam required a screwdriver, wrench or nutdriver, and often a pliers. You have to remove a small bolt and nut - why they couldn't have just threaded the slide I have no idea. So don't try it up on a ladder or such where you can drop those pieces and lose them.
3. You can't see how many staples are left in the gun. A simple window in the side of the magazine would be great. A real PITA when going working on a ladder, holding something above your head and ... damn, out of staples.
4. To add staples you have to completely remove the slide mechanism from the machine, find someplace to put it, then slide the staples in. Note point above - if there are two many staples left in the machine (which you can't see), you won't be able to close the slide and will have to remove some.
5. It frequently overdrove 3/8" staples when hanging insulation. Punched them right through the paper. No reason or pattern apparent and no adjustment possible.
6. It outright died after hanging only about 300 ft^2 of insulation. Just stopped working. And I was glad to see it go so I could return the carcass and get something better.
I replaced this with the Powershot Pro from Home Depot for about $15 less. It is much better on all of the above counts - well, can't comment on longevity yet, it's done about 300 ft^2 so far also. Only 1 jam in that time - popped the slide with one hand, and it cleared. - Worthless - Brad Nailer - Electric Stapler - Useless'
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