Quick Summary: When choosing a staple gun, it is important to consider its durability, safety features, uses, and more. With these things in mind, we chose the Stanley TR110 Heavy Duty Steel Stapler as the best manual staple gun thanks to its safety features, steel construction, and its quick jam clear mechanism. It is also easy on the budget.
A manual staple gun is a very useful tool whether you’re a teacher, a construction worker, or someone looking for good DIY tools. There are two types of staple guns – manual staple guns and electric staple guns – so you’ll want to decide which type you prefer.
A heavy-duty manual staple gun with steel construction will give you longer use, and safety features are also a consideration in order to avoid accidents. You also want to look at what you’ll be using it for – many pneumatic staple guns come with a built that can pierce both hard and soft materials.
If you are building a house, you aren’t likely to need an upholstery staple gun, for instance. Check if your chosen model has a jam clear mechanism and an easy squeeze mechanism to make your jobs easier.
But how do you know that the manual staple guns you’re looking at will do the jobs they say they will do? Which one should you choose when there are so many models that are available?
We have done extensive research into the best manual staple guns available today so that buying a manual staple gun will take you much less time and effort. Read on for our manual staple gun reviews to see which one will best suit your needs.
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Reviews of Top 10 Manual Staple Guns
We want to help you choose the top manual staple gun for your needs, so we waded through a sea of ratings and reviews of dozens of models. After careful consideration, we compiled a list of the following five staple guns.
Best Overall
1. Stanley Heavy Duty Steel Manual Staple Gun
What You Will Love: It is equipped with a handle lock and a quick jam clear mechanism.
The Stanley TR110 Heavy Duty Steel Stapler is made with a durable, all steel construction. It has a bottom load channel and a handle lock for safety and easy storage.
This Stanley staple gun will only work upright, so if you try to turn it any other way, it will likely jam or shoot blanks. Fortunately, it also comes equipped with a quick jam clear lever in case that happens.
Stanley Manual Staple Gun can be used for everyday projects, however, buyers have stated that it is a little heavy for people who do not need to use it all of the time. It is also budget-friendly, usually priced below $20.
Pros:
- Handle lock provides safety measures,
- All steel construction,
- Durable,
- Good price,
- Heavy duty use,
- Well-known and trusted brand
Cons:
- It is a heavy tool
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Best Budget
2. Stanley TR150HL Sharp Shooter Heavy Duty Staple Gun
What You Will Love: It is equipped with a Hi/Lo lever for you to switch between hard and soft materials.
With its aircraft aluminum housing, the Stanley TR150HL is a tough and durable tool to have at home or on the job.
The easy-squeeze handle, anti-jam mechanism, and the ability to easily slide in a full stick of staples save the user a lot of time, effort, and frustration, and it comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
We believe that Stanley TR150HL is the best quality staple gun in this price range. The plastic handle, which has a lock for safety, has broken on a few users soon after purchase.
Most users state that it works well for light duty jobs but not so much on heavy duty ones.
Pros:
- Hi/lo lever for varying depth and materials
- Easy squeeze handle
- Durable aircraft aluminum housing
- Anti-jam mechanism
Cons:
- Plastic handle may break quickly
- Does not work well for most heavy duty jobs
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Best Lightweight Manual Stapler
3. Arrow Fastener EasyShot Manual Staple Gun and Desktop Stapler
What You Will Love: This is a 2-in-1 tool that you can change from staple gun to desktop stapler with ease.
The Arrow EasyShot is my personal top rated staple gun. It is lightweight and has an ergonomic handle to make work less tiring. It is used by DIYers, construction employees, teachers, and others with ease and great reviews.
Arrow Staple Gun has an easy squeeze trigger, bottom loading magazine, and a two-year warranty.
This Arrow handy tool would be perfect in my home. With the various activities that go on such as homeschooling, art, and renovations, the versatility of this 2-in-1 would be an outstanding resource.
A few buyers mentioned having some difficulty loading the staples and attaching the desktop base, but other than that, it seems about as close to perfect as it can get.
Pros:
- 2-in-1 capabilities mean one tool for multiple jobs
- Lightweight
- Ergonomic handle
- Easy squeeze trigger
- Two-year warranty
Cons:
- Staple magazine and desktop base may prove difficult for some
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Best Heavy Duty Manual Stapler
4. Bostitch T6-8 Powercrown Manual Staple Gun And Tacker
What You Will Love: The steel handle is covered with rubber for a much better grip than some others provide.
This Bostitch T6-8 is a lightweight tool made from die cast aluminum. The easy squeeze steel handle provides a good grip. It has a bottom loading staple magazine for convenience and an anti-jam mechanism.
You can usually find it for a little over $20. A few buyers have stated that the handle was difficult to pull, especially in the beginning, but that the force caused great staple penetration.
Most also stated that the trigger became easier to pull over time, but that if you had any medical concerns such as arthritis, this probably is not a good tool for you.
Pros:
- Good price
- Lightweight
- Rubber grip
- Die cast aluminum construction
- Steel handle
- Anti jam mechanism
Cons:
- May find the handle difficult to pull in the beginning
- Not good for people with weak hands or arthritis
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Best for Easy-Squeeze
5. Stanley TR150 SharpShooter Heavy Duty Manual Staple Gun
What You Will Love: It is a good staple gun for small or weak hands.
Unlike some staple guns that may be difficult for women or arthritis/tendonitis sufferers to use, this Stanley TR150 Sharp Shooter can be used by anyone, even children.
That being said, there is also a safety lock for the handle to prevent accidental misfires.
The highly visible yellow housing would be very useful to me because I have a history of losing things even when I set them right beside me.
The bright color would make this tool difficult to lose. Users state that the staples from this gun penetrate the surface well. Ranging anywhere from $20 to $30, Stanley TR150 Manual Staple Gun is a bit more expensive that some of the others on our list, but we think the benefits are worth the extra money.
Pros:
- Easy to use for anyone
- High visibility yellow color
- Anti-jam mechanism
- Safety lock on handle
Cons:
- A little higher priced than other options
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Best for Daily Use
6. Stanley TR45K Light Duty Manual Staple Gun Kit
What You Will Love: You’ll love that this kit is lightweight and uses light staples. Perfect for your stapling needs both at home and at the office, this model also doubles as a nail gun. Great value for money.
This staple gun is everything you need for your stapling needs. Uses Stanley TRA200 or Arrow JT-21 light staples, and takes 5 sizes (1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″, 1/2″ & 9/16″) and 2 sizes of brad nails (1/2″ & 5/8″).
Safe
The handle locks for safe storage and added security when not in use.
Strong
The nickel chrome-plated steel build provides added durability.
Secure
This Stanley TR45K model comes with a lifetime warranty from Black & Decker.
Pros:
- The quick mechanism for clearing jams saves time and aggravation
- Chrome-plated construction with steel components for durability
- Comes with a limited lifetime warranty
- Doubles as a nail gun and works with chairs or upholstery
Cons:
- Staples are not included
- No air compressor
- Only takes shorter brads
- Replacement staples can be hard to find according to some users
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Best Jam-Resistant Staple Gun
7. Arrow Fastener T50 Heavy Duty Manual Staple Gun
What You Will Love: You’ll love that this is one of the most heavy-duty staple guns available, for the best results when doing general repairs, upholstery, insulation and light trim.
One of the staple guns suitable for professional uses as well as personal uses. Arrow Fastener Manual Staple Gun model uses T50 staples (u type) and is easy to load. It is designed for use with 6 sizes of T50 staples that you’ll be able to load quickly.
Jam-resistant
No need to worry about stuck staples with this model as it has a mechanism that helps avoid staple jams.
Easy to find staples
The Duty Staple Gun type T50 size staples can easily be purchased to go with this staple gun as they are widely available.
100% made of steel
The construction is solid steel which makes for a long-lasting staple gun to make sure your model lasts a long time.
Pros:
- Made in the USA
- Lightweight so easy to carry and use
- Staple viewing window so you can easily see when it’s time to reload
- Patented anti-jam system
- Powerful coil spring for maximum power
Cons:
- No safety release
- Some users say it can take two hands to operate this pneumatic staple gun
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Best Dual Purpose Staple Gun
8. Arrow Fastener T2025 Dual Purpose Staple Gun and Wire Tacker
What You Will Love: You’ll love that this staple gun is also a wire tacker so you can handle lots of different jobs around the house and in the office.
Shooting two types and 7 sizes of staples, this manual staple gun is ideal for all types of low voltage wiring jobs up to ¼” wide. Works well with wire, cable, vapor barriers, upholstery, etc.
This dual-purpose manual staple gun and wire tacker work with T25 size staples 3/8-inch (10mm), 7/16-inch (11mm), 9/16-inch (14mm), and T20 size staples 5/16-inch (8mm), 3/8-inch (10mm), 1/2-inch (12mm).
Solid finish
The chrome finish resists wear and tear, meaning your staple gun will last longer.
Versatile
The best staple gun for both flat crown and round crown staples.
Safe to use
The handle can lock for added safety when not in use.
Pros:
- Short span, easy-compression handle
- Mechanism to prevent staples from jamming
- Made in the USA
- Staple height adjustment guide to change the depth of the staples being used
- Has an easy squeeze double leverage operation
Cons:
- Some users say that this model works best with only half a load of staples
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Best for Versatility
9. DEWALT – GID-286785 Heavy-Duty Aluminum Stapler
What You Will Love: You’ll love that this model is a gun for nails as well and works with a wide variety of heavy duty staples of different lengths.
This ultra-strong, quality stapler and nailer is great for all of those odd jobs around the house, in the garden, and in the office.
Versatile
This staple gun will work with any 18 gauge staples. Users have used up to 9/16 staples which also work well, as well as 3/8 inches. Brads of the same gauge are also accepted.
Powerful
This DEWALT – GID-286785 model is useful for putting up lights and other decorations in wooden fences as well as lighter materials.
Simple to load
Just llift the black tab on the bottom and then drop the staples right in.
Pros:
- Works with upholstery as well as other projects
- Users say out of many manual staple guns this is one of the most powerful to use
- Nails go all the way in easily and quickly
- Users say this model is good value for money
Cons:
- Some users say that this model can jam and cause frequent misfeeds so you might need to blow it out with compressed air to clean it
- Some users say that it takes a bit of strength to use this model effectively
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Best for Adjustable force
10. Rapid 20511550 R34 Manual Staple Gun
What You Will Love: You’ll love that this stapling gun is perfect for fixing plastic sheeting for insulation, ceiling tiles, carpets, and other fastening needs.
This stapling gun does the job easily with no fuss. Perfect for renovation, repair, decoration, and hobby work at home as well as heavier work in construction and other projects. Uses No.11 flat wire staples.
No recoil
Use this stapling gun with no worries about recoil.
Noise damper
No unnecessary noise when in operation thanks to the noise damper.
Durable
The all-steel casing and mechanics including the metal drive channel makes this Rapid 20511550 model highly durable and built to last.
Pros:
- Adjustable force so you won’t need to worry about using too much force or too little for the job at hand. Developed with a leading physiotherapist to save yourself up to 40% effort
- Locking handle for easy storage and added safety when not in use
- Comes with a 5-year guarantee from the manufacturer
- The ‘trackless’ staple holder allows for added flexibility with different widths in addition to different lengths
- No need for much pressure to operate it
Cons:
- Some users say that the rubber grip can come off easily and doesn’t seem as durable as the rest
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Most people that do crafts, household projects, or construction jobs find themselves in need of a good staple gun. Check out the options on our best manual staple guns list for yourself to see the value and benefits one can provide you.
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