I have tried the Stanley T250, the Arrow T50 and T50 R.E.D. The Duo Fast CS5000 is by far the best.
*The Stanley T250 is nice in the hands but lacks the power to drive 9/16" staples fully into hard pine.
*The Arrow T50 is not as nice as the Stanley and lacks power. It also jams a lot.
*The Arrow T50 R.E.D. is the biggest dissapointment. While is has plenty of power to sink all staples into hard pine it is very poorly made. I tried two of them and both jammmed and miss-fired frequently. I think the spring is too weak to keep good pressure on the staples and they do not advance properly. Also, the handle comes apart very often, which is a real pain. It is also large and cumbersome to use.
*The Duo Fast CS5000 is by far the best of all. It has great power to sink all staples. It feels great in the hand. Has great anti-jam clearing, and is the best made of all of these. It costs about $10 more that the R.E.D. but is well worth the price. I returned all the others and have two of the Duo Fasts now.
Great Buy! Duo Fast CS5000 - 20 Gauge 1/2-Inch Crown Compression Stapler
I've just tried both staplers head to head, and the Duo Fast definitely has more power to drive longer staples, and the variable power setting is nicer compared to the "low" and "high" settings on the Stanley TR250.
As a matter of fact, the first Stanley unit that I had drove staples to the same depth no matter which power setting I had selected. This unit was from a newer batch, and the lever and the top of the stapler had hard plastic surfaces. I returned this unit and selected one that was an older build date and did have the rubberized lever and top. With the second Stanley unit, I was able to discern a difference in power between the "low" and "high" settings.
I like the wire guide option on the Stanley; there is no such feature on the Duo Fast. However, the Duo Fast CS5000 easily out-powered the Stanley TR250 in several different materials, using a variety of staple lengths. The Duo Fast has only a 90 day warranty vs. lifetime for the Stanley, but the stapler seems to be well-built and should last a long time. - Stapler - Misfire - Staplers - Narrow Crown Stapler'
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