If you want to use industrial staple guns efficiently, you must have adequate information about the different types of staple guns and their applications. Selecting the right staple gun is very important, as staple guns come in various types, such as an air staple gun, electric staple gun, cordless staple gun and wire staple gun.

If you are a staple gun supplier, you will need to understand the requirements of industrial and domestic customers. A homemaker may use a cable staple gun to staple a cable cord or an upholstery staple gun to fix a chair. An industrial contractor may use pneumatic staple guns for packaging products for transport.

Thus, to educate yourself and/or workforce about staple guns, you can:

1. Search for online tutorials on staple guns and relevant aspects, such as installation and maintenance
2. Read through magazines and technical journals that provide updates about industrial staple guns
3. Understand different standards for industrial staple guns

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Search for short duration, continuing education programs about staple guns

Some reputable staple gun manufacturers and training associations offer short duration courses and literature that can educate working personnel about various components of various hand tools, including staple guns.

I recommend: Specialty Tools and Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA), an educational trade association, offers webinars and workshops on the basics of specialty tools, including staple guns. Power Tool Institute offers a course on power tool design and safety measures that includes training on industrial staple guns.

Search for online tutorials and e-learning material about staple guns

You can train your workforce about various aspects of industrial staple guns through online tutorials and e-learning courses.

I recommend: Home Improvement Research Institute, an association for manufacturers and retailers in the home improvement industry, provides information on staple guns and other hand tools. Watts Radiant provides e-learning material about efficient use of staple guns.

Learn about standards and codes related to industrial staple guns

If you are a staple gun manufacturer, you must understand the different standards and codes related to industrial staple guns. You can buy these codes from the organizations that establish the standards in the field of tool manufacturing.

I recommend: You can refer to different staple gun standards at American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ASTM International provides standards about various staple guns, such as an electric staple nail gun, air staple gun and electric staple gun. International Staple, Nail, And Tool Association is another source of information for various standards related to the design and manufacturing of pneumatic and cordless tools and fasteners, including staple guns.

Staple guns come in all shapes and sizes. A light duty staple gun is perfect for occasional tasks around the home or work site. Small electric staple guns have a number of uses but are more powerful than standard staple guns. There are even pneumatic staple guns that work with the aid of compressed air. Understanding these differences can help you determine how to market your products for each type of customer from the homemaker to the home contractor.

Knowing which consumers are interested in each of your staple guns is only the beginning. You should know how each consumer plans to use their staple gun. Is it a contractor that needs to run staples through shingles? Is it Susie or Stan homemaker just stapling a cable cord to the wall for their new TV or using an upholstery staple gun to fix a dining room chair? Ask these questions for each gun you're marketing:

1. Does the use of this gun require specialized training?

2. Can this staple gun be operated one-handed?

3. How durable is the staple gun?

4. What size staples does it take?

5. Is it too overpowered for the people you're marketing it to?

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Ensure that your staple guns are in the right location

Placing staple guns in the correct department is important in helping your customers find the right staple gun for their needs. The last thing you want is a customer purchasing a gun that is too bulky or powerful for the project as this can lead to damage.

I recommend: Place smaller model staple guns such as those sold by Arrow in the craft department or in the light hardware section of your store. Since many people use these types of staple guns in their homes and for craft projects this is a great location. Place industrial staple guns like those provided from Salco near similar tools so that contractors can easily locate them.

Market staples and other needed supplies near staple guns

Different staple guns require different sized staples. Some staple guns, such as an air staple gun require air compressors to work correctly while an electric staple gun may require an extension cord to get the job done. Cross market products to ensure customers get all supplies in one trip.

I recommend: Distributors such as Builder Depot can provide you with different types of staple guns from the small to the large and help you determine who they are right for. Tool Barn can also provide your business with a wide variety of staple guns and staples.

Sell on the strengths of your staple guns

Always make sure that you highlight the best features of each staple gun. For example, is the light duty staple gun easy to handle; is it light enough to be used by people with arthritis? Are your heavy duty staple guns durable?

I recommend: Use descriptive language such as, "Feather light," and, "easy to handle" for light duty and electric staple guns such as those from Stanley. For a heavy duty staple gun, consider, "Tough as nails," and, "Built to last" for products from vendors such as Paslode. This will entice your customer to purchase YOUR staple guns, rather than driving down the street to the next store.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider having an employee work with the different guns and provide product demonstrations to customers during busy weekends. Customers will stop by and check out these demonstrations and maybe even try to use the staple gun themselves.

A staple gun is a mechanical device that fixes metal staples into wood or masonry. Power staple guns can set staples at a faster rate than hand-powered models. Staple guns are useful for fixing a variety of materials including insulation, house wrap, roofing, wiring, carpeting, upholstery, and hobby and craft materials.

This guide will provide you with a basic understanding of staple guns key terms such as pneumatic staple guns, electric staple guns, staple gun extension arms, magazine and gauge.

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Pneumatic staple guns

A pneumatic staple gun uses compressed air as a driving force for fixing the metal staples into a wooded or masonry surface. These staple guns are suitable for high speed applications.

I recommend: You can read through technical information about pneumatic staple guns at WeedEnder, a supplier of industrial hand tools.

Electric staple guns

As the name indicates, these staple guns require electric power for their operations. These staple guns are most suitable for upholstery and carpentry applications.

I recommend: You can learn more about electric staple guns at ToolBarn.com, Inc., an online retailer of industrial tools and equipment.

Staple gun extension arms

A staple gun extension arm helps the user to work without excessively bending the staple gun, making the equipment user-friendly.

I recommend: To learn more about staple gun extension arms, read through information at Watts Radiant (PDF).

Magazine

A magazine holds a stack of staple nails in a staple gun. Some staple guns are equipped with a breathing magazine to avoid the staple jamming problem.

I recommend: Stanley-Bostitch, a supplier of fastening tools, offers a glossary of technical terms related to stapler equipment.

Gauge

Gauge (sometimes referred as wire gauge) is the unit of measurement of thickness of the staple nails. Before buying a staple gun, you will need to decide on the gauge of staple nails needed for your application; a lower gauge number indicates a thicker staple nail.

I recommend: BobVila.com, a provider of hardware supplies and tools, offers a glossary of technical terms, including gauge.

PSI (Pound per Square Inch)

PSI is the unit of pressure resulting from a force of one pound to an area of one square-inch. For staple gun products, the operating pressure is expressed in PSI.

I recommend: SensorsONE Ltd, a knowledge resource for pressure monitoring instrumentation, explains the term PSI. In addition, you can read through the glossary of technical terms at Prism Flow Products, a reputable supplier of fluid control products.

Staple guns are useful for a variety of industries. Furniture stores can use them to repair furniture, factories can use them to close boxes, and construction companies can use them in building homes. The cost of the staple gun depends on the power source you need and the type of staple gun you need.

Consider the following points to help you prepare your budget to absorb staple guns pricing and costs:

1. Purchase a manual staple gun for basic uses.

2. Buy a staple gun that uses external power source.

3. Consider a specialty staple gun for your business.

4. Factor the cost of staples into your budget.

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Consider a manual staple gun

A manual staple gun is ideal for a business that will need to use the piece of equipment in numerous locations as no power source is needed. However, manual staple guns have limited uses. Generally, these aren't good for stapling through extremely thick materials. Manual staple guns are rated from light duty to heavy duty with light duty being the least expensive and heavy duty being the most expensive.

I recommend: Sears sells numerous manual staple guns. Prices range from under $10 for a light duty staple gun to around $300 for a dual trigger heavy duty staple gun. You can find manual staple guns at CornerHardware.com. Prices start at under $20 for a staple gun or around $40 for a staple gun kit.

Upgrade to a staple gun that uses a power source

Staple guns that use a power source have more power than their manual counterparts. Some of these are pneumatic driven or air driven. There are also models that are battery operated or electric. The power source you choose is dependent upon the location you will use the stapler and the application for which you will use it. If you opt for a pneumatic model, remember that you will need an air tank.

I recommend: Lowe's sells pneumatic staple guns to meet any needs. Prices start at under $100 for 2.3-lb air staple gun and go up higher than $600 for a 6.8-lb jam free construction stapler. Aubuchon Hardware sells staple guns. You can expect to pay $40 to $150 for an electric staple gun.

Invest in a specialty staple gun

A specialty staple gun is one which has a single purpose. Upholstery staple guns and carton closing staple guns are two examples of these. The price you pay for these staple guns is largely dependent on its use. For example, a carton staple gun is usually more expensive than an upholstery staple gun. If you opt for extra features, such as an automatic or timed function, your price will increase.

I recommend: CPO Commerce sells specialty industrial staple guns, including packaging staple guns. You can expect to pay from around $200 to $400 for these specialty staple guns. ToolBarn.com offers a varied selection of staple guns. Prices start at around $60 for an upholstery staple gun.