Creative Woodworks & crafts 1997-08, страница 36

New Products Editor Jacob Schulzinger reviews.

There's a new tool on the. market that you really must take a look ai—Arrow's T2025 Dual Purpose. Stapler. This gun handles both 318" flat crowned, and 3/8" round crowned staples; it's the first staple gun ever to have this capability. It also has another unique feature: you can adjust the depth that the staple is to be driven. With these two attributes, you'll find that the Arrow T2025 makes a valuable addition to your toolbox.

New features add versatility

The staple gun I tried out was one of the first off the production line,, so I had a chance to play with the Arrow T2025 before the tool even hit the market. The gun will do the normal variety of jobs which require the standard flat crowned staple, like upholstering a chair or installing insulation. Bui what makes this ^mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm staple gun so spccial is that it also HH|fpPf m '■ Si™ ¹ takes a 3/8" round crowncd staple

that can be used to install wire. y

I've been looking for an afford- /

able tool like this for a long time. ' / /

I found the T2Q25 to be just the /

tool for chores I've been meaning to do, like installing that new tele- I

phone line in the shop, or running l * _: (*'■ Jr the zip cord for my old hi-fi set, as II | - S

well as many other electrical || '

wiring jobs I've been putting off. II j /

Not surprisingly, there are quile a II ,' \ ^^ few fastening jobs around the p pfj?' house which fall within the capa- J jo*

bilities of this tool. ^

Testing the Arrow T2025

1 set out to see just how well the T2025 would work and how easy it would be to handle in a variety of applications. The tool feels, handles, and operates just like the old Arrow staple gun I've been using for years. The only minor difference is that the base of this tool is not flat as you might expect it to be—instead, the staple height guide and the plunger of the tool projcct past Ihe base by about 3/16". This distance is the thickness of the largest gauge wire that the T2025 is recommended for. That means when the- tool is in position with its base resting on the wire, the curvature of the staple height guide and plunger will fit perfectly. At this point, all you need to do is lift the heel up a bit and squeeze the handle for a perfect shot.

The three height settings, standard, 1/8" and 3/16", allow you to install wiring without damaging or penetrating the insulation. 1 tested the T2025 at all three depth settings and with both styles of staples to satisfy myself that the tool could do just what was claimcd.

At full staple depth, I Tan approximately 30 staples into a test board and everything was just as it should be. The next test was to see if it could meet my expectations when

August, 1997

the depth was changed. Making the change turned out to be a snap. Just pull the staple height guide down, index the depth change lever to the proper position, and return the guide to its original position. The only part that you need to be mindful of is to keep your hand off the trigger handle when you perform this operation.

The Arrow 12025 worked great. I ran about 25 staples into a test board at each of the two raised settings and found that the height of each was consistent. I then tried to use the tool to test install some wire on a piece of board, I ran a few dozen staples on cach of two different wire types at all three heights and had the same good results. The two wire types had different kinds of insulation and neither showed any problems when I pulled the staples from the board.

V W-PfM" _And there's more...

/ / That brings up another positive fea-

/ ture of the Arrow T2025: you can tell

' exactly where the staple legs will be

with this tool. Thai's a must when you're trying to install wiring, and a rfajjMft really nice feature when you're run-

'"'^aSHmbmng flat crowncd staples. ig^Sp^⁰^^ Knowing that the staple river is

PP^Mk curved to fit the top of the crowned

g§ : staple made me wonder what this lool JkW % ; would do with a llat crowned staple. It It did jusl what the designer intended, it shot the staple into the wood to the proper depth and the top of the staple looked exactly as it was supposed to. mzcasttBiii "niii»«i«piir Would ihis continue if I changed staple depth and types of material? Yes. Each of the many staples I shot came out just as neat as would be expected. To verify what the tops of the staples should look like, 1 ran some samples with my old stapler and then compared the results. Everything was fine.

The bottom line

There are a total of seven different staple sizes available in the two crown configurations. The round crowned variety has 9/32", 3/8" and 7/16" lengths, while in the flat crowned, 9/32", 5/16", 3/8" and l/2"-long staples are available. There are lengths to satisfy most jobs.

As you might have guessed by now, 1 highly recommend this lool. It's easy to use. reliable, produces good results at all settings, and can handle both flat and round crowned staples. Use it to install wiring, picture hanger wire, plastic tubing for a vacuum or air blower system, or any number of other jobs that you'd naturally use a stapler for. Priced at about $28, you'll find this truly a worthwhile addition to your toolbox.

For futher information, write to: Arrow Fasteners, 271 Mayhill Street, Saddlebrook, NJ 07662. or call 201-843-6900 f