The Best Staple Guns – Tested by Bob Vila

Staple guns are ideal for projects where a nail gun would be overkill. Staples can penetrate and fasten weaker materials—like plywood, sheathing, screen, or fabric—without tearing them apart. Whether you’re hanging outdoor holiday decorations, installing house wrap, laying carpet, or mounting delicate moldings, a staple gun can be essential for a variety of tasks. 

To help you choose the right model, we performed hands-on testing with several top options and spoke with a licensed contractor for expert insights. Based on our tests and research, we voted the DeWalt Heavy-Duty Staple and Brad Tacker the best choice overall. It’s easy to load and has a lightweight yet quality build that can withstand frequent DIY or jobsite use. 

Still, several other options performed admirably and may be better suited to your specific needs. From standard manual models to high-powered pneumatic tools, these are the best staple guns for a wide range of jobs. 

1. BEST OVERALL: DeWalt Heavy-Duty Staple and Brad Tacker
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2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: WorkPro 6-in-1 Manual Staple Gun
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3. BEST CORDLESS: Milwaukee 2447-20 M12 ⅜-Inch Crown Stapler
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4. BEST CORDED: Arrow Corded Electric Staple Gun Kit
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5. BEST FOR FINISH WORK: Bostitch 18-Gauge Pneumatic Finish Stapler Kit 
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6. BEST FOR CONSTRUCTION: Senco SNS41 2-Inch Construction Stapler 
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7. BEST FOR UPHOLSTERY: Ryobi Heavy-Duty 4-in-1 Stapler
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8. ALSO CONSIDER: Arrow T50 Heavy-Duty Staple Gun
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Best Staple Guns Compared

Our Top Picks

Choosing the right staple gun might seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Below, we detail our test results to help you select the right staple gun for fencing, upholstery, or general tacking tasks. 

Our Ratings

When it comes to manual options, our choice for the best overall is Dewalt’s heavy-duty hand stapler and brad nailer. This stapler and nailer combo unit fires standard T50 staples and 18-gauge brads, providing flexibility for many fastening projects. While its aluminum construction makes it a lightweight tool, we found it quite durable in our tests.

We also liked how easy it was to insert staples into this model, though we did struggle at first to figure out how to load the brads. Once they were in place, however, this metal staple gun drove them through moldings with ease. Its built-in view window made it simple to see when our fasteners were getting low, and the tacker’s attached belt clip was very sturdy. Also, the palm-squeeze trigger made one-handed operation convenient, which allowed me to apply steady pressure even when stapling overhead or in tight spaces.

Read our full review: DeWalt Heavy-Duty Staple and Brad Tacker

What our tester says: “This DeWalt packed more punch than any other manual model. When I fired the longest staples the gun holds into construction lumber, it resulted in a near-flush penetration. Also, compared to other options, its build quality really stood out.”—Tom Scalisi, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the DeWalt staple gun at Amazon, Ace Hardware, or The Home Depot.

Our Ratings

With its ability to accept six fastener types—T50, T20, JT21, T25, 18-gauge brads, and pins—the WorkPro 6-in-1 allows you to move from upholstery to carpentry to DIY without switching tools. In our tests, the dual high/low power lever made it simple to switch between tacking hard and soft materials, and its patented jam-resistant mechanism and quick-release bottom magazine made it one of the easiest models to load. The rubberized ergonomic grip was generally comfortable to hold and squeeze, and the gun comes with 4,000 staples (1,000 each of four types) so you can get to work as soon as it arrives.

Although we tested a few multi-fastener models, the WorkPro offered the best combination of price and versatility. It’s powerful enough to handle weather stripping, insulation, and minor furniture repair, but it’s definitely not a heavy-duty hardwood gun. The plastic-and-aluminum body and manual trigger mean it takes a bit of effort to engage and struggles with dense woods, but the price and overall performance make it a great all-around pick for most DIY tasks.

Get the WorkPro staple gun (various colors) at Amazon, Walmart, or WorkPro.

Our Ratings

The Milwaukee cordless crown stapler is built for all those away-from-an-outlet tasks where just a few staples won’t be nearly enough. Thanks to its compact M12 battery, it eliminates the squeeze of a manual gun in favor of the press of a button without adding cumbersome cords or heavy air compressors. At 7¼ inches in length and weighing under 4 pounds, it fits well in tight spaces and rides comfortably on your tool belt, and it has a power adjustment dial that ensures your staples stay flush no matter what materials you’re driving into. The magazine is slotted so you can tell when it’s time for a reload, but if you forget to check, there’s also a dry-fire lockout that helps protect your work surface. 

As much as there is to like about this model, one of our favorite features ended up being one of its simplest: the bright white staple-locating arrow. While many units we tested had arrows, they weren’t offset by color—relying on just a raised shape instead that’s nearly impossible to see. Plus, the tool-only unit works with the brand’s M12 battery system, which is great if you already have other M12 tools, but will require a separate purchase if you don’t. The other downside is that it only fires ⅜-inch flat crown staples from ¼ inch to 9/16 inch, so it won’t replace a brad nailer or multi-fastener tool.

What our tester says: “This is the first battery-operated staple gun​ I’ve ever used, and I loved it. My hand didn’t get tired even though I had to drive dozens of fasteners to install chicken wire along the perimeter of our shed, and the simple fact that there’s an obvious arrow on the head meant I was able to consistently place staples where I wanted them.”—Michelle Larson, Product Reviews tester and writer 

Get the Milwaukee staple gun (tool only) at Ace Hardware, The Home Depot, or Northern Tool + Equipment.

Our Ratings

Arrow’s T50ACD is an affordable electric staple gun that takes the effort out of big jobs, firing up to 60 staples per minute with consistent power on every shot. Its patent-pending motor drive and 8-foot power cord offer steady performance and plenty of room to move without worrying about recharging. It’s also obvious Arrow cares about safety: a contact mechanism at the tip requires firm contact with the work surface before firing, and you have to flip the On switch before you can depress the trigger. 

Especially compared with manual models, we found the overmolded grip on this Arrow unit quite comfortable in hand. Combined with its light weight and the fact that you simply squeeze a small trigger instead of an entire handle, it was definitely one of the most user-friendly models we tested. We also appreciated that it comes with 3,750 T50 staples of different sizes (¼ inch, ⅜ inch, and ½ inch) so you can start upholstery, carpentry, and craft projects right away. And while we loved the electric operation as well as the safety features, the cord obviously ties you to an outlet, the safety mechanism demands firm pressure for each fire, and the brand recommends pausing after every 80 staples to let the motor cool. 

Get the Arrow electric staple gun at Amazon, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, The Home Depot, or Walmart.

Our Ratings

Anyone considering switching to staples for their trim work should check out this finish stapler from Bostitch. This heavy-duty pneumatic gun features a tool-free depth adjustment and an overmolded grip for comfort. Plus, it can switch from sequential to contact firing easily and works with 18-gauge staples ranging in size from ½ to 1½  inches. It comes with a handy carrying case to keep it safe when not in use and a universal belt clip that attaches to either side of the stapler. 

We really liked how easy it was to position the tip of this tool in place, and we noticed how accurate our staple placement was as a result (which is very important in finish work). The staple holes this tool left behind were small and clean, allowing us to come behind with a bit of nail hole filler for a seamless look. If we did have a complaint, it’s that this model is constructed using a fair bit of plastic. For that reason, it might be better suited to a DIYer than to the heavy-duty needs of a professional finish carpenter.

What our tester says: “The Bostitch passed all of our tests without breaking a sweat. I also found it very intuitive to use, and its built-in belt hook is a nice touch.”—Tom Scalisi, Product Reviews tester and writer  

Get the Bostitch staple gun at Amazon, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, or Walmart.

Our Ratings

Senco’s construction staple gun is a pro-grade model capable of firing 16- or 17-gauge staples up to 2 inches in length. It has an overmolded rubber grip for comfort and a 360-degree adjustable exhaust port that makes it easier to keep the target area clean.

It was obvious during testing that the Senco is a heavy-duty tool geared toward jobsite use. The powerful automatic staple gun easily fired staples through plywood and construction lumber, creating a strong mechanical bond that was difficult to break. It also has a large capacity that holds more than two sticks of 16-gauge staples at a time. Also, we liked that the magazine doesn’t cover the staples, as we could always tell how many staples were left as we worked.

The Senco staple gun isn’t perfect, though. It doesn’t come with a hose fitting (you’ll need a ⅜-inch male fitting), and it did double-fire from time to time. That’s not a big deal with sheathing, but it could be an issue when using it as a fencing staple gun or for other visible work.

Get the Senco staple gun at Amazon or The Home Depot.

Our Ratings

This Ryobi 4-in-1 stapler earned our upholstery award for its incredible ease of use and simple yet versatile design. Ryobi claims the handle is 50 percent easier to squeeze and the tool is 40 percent lighter than comparable manual staplers (which makes sense given its 1.33-pound weight and our experience testing it), which dramatically reduces hand fatigue during long fabric-and-frame sessions—exactly what upholstery work demands. The bottom-load magazine makes loading and unloading quick, and the staple indicator window shows how many fasteners you have left. It also drives four fastener types, including heavy-duty staples, light-duty staples, round crown staples, and 18-gauge brad nails, and it has a high/low power adjustment that allows you to use it on soft fabric as well as dense wood. 

While we think this is the perfect basic DIY and upholstery staple gun, some of the features that make it ideal for those tasks make it less than ideal for others. The lightweight body is unlikely to make your wrist sore after even a full day’s worth of work, but when the box it came in got damaged in shipping, the construction wasn’t durable enough to withstand the impact, leaving the handle base cracked and the belt clip spinning uselessly (the stapler still loaded and performed perfectly fine, however). While the shipping issue is certainly no fault of the brand itself, the fact that it cracked under pressure indicates it’s better for home use than a jobsite. 

Get the Ryobi staple gun at The Home Depot.

Our Ratings

DIYers looking for a value-forward staple gun with enough power to tackle most general projects should check out Arrow’s heavy-duty staple gun. This manual model features chrome-polished, all-steel construction that’s both durable and rust-resistant. It shoots T50 staples and is useful for attaching house wrap, upholstery, signage, and more.

Testing revealed that this manual staple gun had decent power, though as a budget-priced model, it certainly wasn’t the most powerful in the group. We liked its classic design and jam-resistant firing mechanism and appreciated that the ergonomic hand grip helped reduce wrist fatigue during extended use. Although this Arrow fastener can be a bit difficult to squeeze and slightly finicky to load, its reasonable price and sturdy build mean those minor inconveniences aren’t enough to deter us from endorsing it. 

Get the Arrow T50 staple gun at Amazon, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Walmart, or Arrow.

How We Tested the Best Staple Guns 

Our testing team included a commercial maintenance technician/carpenter and a DIYer who’s been around tools all her life but only been using them in earnest for a handful of years. With our varying expertise, we tested each staple gun on the same set of criteria: ease of loading staples and monitoring remaining count, ability to fasten plywood to wood and fabric to wood, comfort in hand, durability, and overall performance in a range of common tasks like attaching string lights to a roofline and chicken wire around the base of a shed. 

For the manual staple guns, we loaded each one and fired it into scrap construction lumber, evaluating penetration depth to gauge overall driving power. We also stapled pieces of heavy leather as well as lightweight cotton to the lumber to test how consistently each gun drove fasteners through these fabrics. 

We tested the finish staplers using 18-gauge fasteners to attach sections of chair-rail molding to Douglas fir, driving staples in several locations to see how well they would penetrate cracks and knots. To test construction staplers, we fired staples into a scrap of ¾-inch plywood and construction lumber as you would when sheathing a house, to evaluate depth and driving consistency.

What to Consider When Choosing a Staple Gun

With the huge variety of staple guns available, it’s smart to get an idea of what to look for before shopping for one. The following sections highlight some of the most important considerations to keep in mind during your search. 

Types of Staple Guns

Before you choose a staple gun for your project, evaluate which type you need:

• Manual staple guns: Handheld, spring-loaded manual staple guns fire staples when their levers are depressed. These simple tools are perfect for tasks like hanging outdoor string lights, making crafts, and performing DIY projects.
• Electric staple guns: A plug-in or battery-powered staple gun uses corded electricity or rechargeable batteries to fire staples. These models are easy on the arm and fire large numbers of staples quickly, so they’re ideal as carpet or upholstery staple guns. If you need to move from room to room or job to job, a cordless staple gun that uses a battery will be particularly convenient.
• Pneumatic staple guns: These staple guns use air pressure to fire thick, heavy-gauge staples, making them great alternatives to framing nailers. Pneumatic models are often used for trim, construction, and as insulation staple guns—making them strong woodworking staple guns, especially when speed and power are important.
• Flooring staple guns: Typically an air-operated staple gun, this type of professional gun fires staples into the tongue of a hardwood plank when struck with a mallet. 

Staple Gauges and Sizes

Staple thickness is identified by gauge; the lower the number, the thicker the staple. Common gauge sizes for all-purpose staple guns are 16, 18, and 20, while a staple gun for upholstery might fire 22-gauge staples. Staple guns also fire various widths and lengths of fasteners, with widths typically ranging from 7/32 inch to 7/16 inch and lengths extending up to 2 inches. An industrial staple gun may use staples outside these typical ranges.

“T50” is also a common staple type for many staple guns. This type of staple is a trademark of Arrow Fastener, and other manufacturers have designed their staple guns to operate using them. T50s are somewhat of the gold standard in staples.

Electric vs. Pneumatic

Manual staple guns will always be useful for a wide range of projects. However, they are not always the best option for heavy-duty work. A staple gun with a power source, whether electric or pneumatic, might be best when firing numerous staples or stapling through thicker materials. 

When it comes to choosing between a pneumatic, corded electric, and a battery-operated staple gun and a pneumatic gun, there are reasons to consider each. Pneumatic staple guns tend to be the most powerful, sinking staples deep into tough materials. Their downside is that they require an air compressor to run. On the other hand, electric staple guns simply plug into an outlet, but they pack less of a punch. Like cordless brad nailers, cordless staple guns offer good portability and enough power for light- to medium-duty work. 

Safety Features 

Since staple guns can cause serious damage if used incorrectly, some brands take precautions by including useful safety features. One of the most popular staple gun safety features is a rubber-grip handle that makes maneuvering and holding the tool more secure. Some stapler gun models also include a wire guide for precise stapling during wiring projects and a handle lock to prevent unwanted stapling while working or storing. 

Comfort and Ease of Use

One of the complaints about manual staple guns is discomfort. Some users with smaller hands or weaker grips find these tools awkward to hold or difficult to squeeze. In this case, an electric or pneumatic staple gun may be a better choice. These types of tools simply require users to depress the safety mechanism at the tip while pulling the trigger with one finger.

But it’s entirely possible for those with smaller hands to fire a manual staple gun. Most of these models have large lever-style triggers that sit in the user’s palm. All the user has to do is push the lever with their body weight—similar to how a palm nailer operates, using pressure and hand positioning to drive fasteners with control.

Tips for Using a Staple Gun

Staple guns are reliable tools for tasks like wiring, DIY projects, and installing roofing. All that’s really required to use one is understanding how to reload a staple gun and how it fires. Read the manufacturer’s instructions before loading a staple gun or using one, as functionality may differ from model to model. 

You will also want to wear a few pieces of protective clothing while using a staple gun, including gloves, safety glasses, and puncture-resistant footwear. Yaeir Moinzadeh, owner of Blue Rise Roofing, echoes this advice, noting, “When you are operating a staple gun, always use eye protection. This is mandatory when working with pneumatic models.” Also, ensure all the components are working properly and that there are no jammed staples in the mechanism. 

Additional tips for using a staple gun safely include:

• Never point a staple gun at yourself or anyone else around you. 
• Do not use a staple gun as a substitute for tasks a hammer, screwdriver, drill, or nail gun is meant for. (See our guide on how to use a nail gun for more information.) 
• When using a pneumatic model, always pair it with an air compressor that has a compatible PSI. 

FAQs

Even with all that background on choosing a staple gun, some additional questions you’d like to sort through might pop up. The following collection of frequently asked questions aims to answer common staple gun queries.

Q. What kind of staple gun is best for wood?

Since they’re powerful enough to drive staples into hard materials, pneumatic staple guns tend to be the best type of staple gun for wood. Check out our full review of the DeWalt 20V MAX XR Narrow Crown Stapler to learn more about one of the best pneumatic staplers for wood. 
 

Q. Can I use a staple gun for carpet?

Yes, but make sure you use long enough staples to make it through the pile and that the staple gun has enough power to drive them into the wood. Otherwise, loose staples will find their way into bare feet. See our guide on how to install carpet for more information.

Q. What type of staple gun is the most powerful?

Construction staplers are definitely the most powerful. These models pack enough punch to fire thick, heavy-gauge staples into construction lumber.

Q. How do I know what size staples to use for my staple gun? 

The size and type of staples required for your staple gun will depend on its brand and model. To determine what staple size you need, check the tool’s packaging or contact its manufacturer. If you’re also working with smaller, more delicate trim or craft projects, a pin nailer might be a better fit than a staple gun.
 

Q. How many staples are in a staple gun? 

The average staple gun can hold up to 210 staples.

Q. What’s the difference between a staple gun and a nail gun?

The basic difference between a staple gun and a nail gun is that a staple gun fires staples, whereas a nail gun fires nails. Staple guns are often better used for lighter-duty projects or applications where a wider fastener would be ideal. Nail guns are typically geared toward heavy-duty tasks involving wood or construction. Licensed contractor Yaeir Moinzadeh agrees, stating, “Staple guns are handy, but they’re not always the best choice for structural work. For such tasks, nails or screws are more efficient and appropriate.”

Meet the Testers

Michelle Larson has been a writer and editor for more than 10 years in the fields of health, business, and the home. Because she’d rather spend a little more up front than buy a tool or appliance twice, she strongly believes in the power of testing for finding quality items that are meant to last. 

Tom Scalisi is a freelance writer specializing in the home design, construction, tools, and automotive industries. He has been involved in the trades for over 15 years as both a contractor and a commercial building mechanic. His work has been featured on This Old House, Family Handyman, and Forbes. As a lover of all things tools, construction, and DIY, he’s always looking for new tools and techniques while also sharing his knowledge with the DIY world. 

 

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