The Powershot is a lot easier to use, but it still does not fully seat staples.

I assume you don't have a compressor? What are you trying to staple?

no, I don't have a compressor. That would be WAY overkill--after all, I mentioned that an electric staple gun would be an unwarranted expense.

I staple-gun stuff around the house--mounting shoe-pockets on the sides of bookcases, anchoring fabric to the back of chair bottoms, attaching curtains to the wooden valances, that sort of stuff.

I don't do it often, but when I do, it's incredibly difficult. And recently I injured my elbow/arm (carpal tunnel? I'm not sure), and gripping and squeezing w/ the right hand is hard.

I have a light-duty stapler, but it actually isn't tough enough for any of the projects I've tackled. I haven't ditched it, but I never, ever use it.

Handymac, thanks for the info on the Powershot. Do *any* manual staple guns fully seat the staples? I always thought it was me (but then, there were times when I was certain I'd held the gun properly, and it still didn't drive them home; I had to pound them in w/ a hammer).

I have three staple drivers---actually, five. Two are the type you have now---I have not used them in probably 15 years.

I have an electric model I no longer know the location of and a Powershot I have worn out.

All four required a hammer to fully seat even 1/4" staples in anything save pine.

The fifth is an air actuated stapler that uses narrow crown staples, the shortest of which are 1&3/8" long.

There are electric staplers that will do what you want----but the prices start at about $250 and go up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Upholstery stapler

" That would be WAY overkill--after all, I mentioned that an electric staple gun would be an unwarranted expense. "

Then use both hands (watch for pinch points), someone with stronger hands, or spend money o power equipment.

A small hammer (4 oz) can also be used to finish driving the staples flush.

The electrics aren't much more than what you're looking at--spend the $5-$10 more and get one. As a small-handed person, I can tell ya it's worth it. It's not a strength issue, it's lack of leverage.

You'll still need a tack hammer. :)

I have a little Senco pneumatic stapler that is a champ. It was only about a hundred bucks and will fully seat half inch wire staples in hard maple. It takes only a very small compressor. Once I finally got a compressor I realized how pointless the poor results and broken/strained body parts I had accumulated over the previous decades of hand tool use had been. Now everything from the 23ga pinner to the framing nailer gets regular use, and it all cost only a tiny fraction of what the elbow injuries cost me. And no more hammer dings in the target! The pneumatic stapler works dramatically better than the $20 to $60 electric staplers I had accumulated did.

A second person is just not feasible. Nor is someone with stronger hands. I need to be able to do this myself. And I *am* using two hands. Thanks for trying,though. I don't want to "make do" with the one I've got, anyway.

But it sounds like almost everybody has to finish off with a hammer, anyway, so I won't worry about that anymore. I always thought it was me.

Handymac, it says something that you used the Powershot enough to wear it out. Did you have jamming problems with it?

Fori, now that I went looking, you're right--the electrics aren't that terribly much more expensive. Well, maybe half again as much, but at that price point, that's only about $12. I'd been thinking they were $75.

Arrow has one that uses T50 staples--the wide ones. That's one reason I thought I didn't want an electric.

And if the depth-of-drive control is any good, it would let me staple cords in place. Hmmm...

Thanks!

I think the jamming problems are caused more by staple problems than the stapler itself. It seems if I use several---2 or more---sections of staples the jamming is increased.

Using a full length usually means no jams.

I have the Senco pneumatic stapler. It's a great tool. It is far and away, the best little stapler out there.