The 10 Best Heavy Duty Staplers
Special Honors
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Editor's Notes
May 11, 2021:
No recent changes were made to this Wiki, as we're very confident that one of our selections will fill almost anyone's needs. For extended formats like legal-size documents, the Dahle Novus B54 remains one of the top commercial-grade options. The Swingline 77701 is still our overall favorite due to both its effectiveness and low price, although models like the Bostitch EZ Squeeze 130 and Leitz Rapid 02892 do offer noticeably better leverage. Finally, almost nothing is more heavy-duty than the Stanley TR110, which is strong enough to put staples through wood, but isn't very useful in an office setting.
March 31, 2020:
There are a few different types of staplers available that are significantly more capable than standard desk staplers. Possibly the most convenient are the electric ones. The Rapid 5080 Electronic is a huge investment but to some it's worth the cost, while the EcoElectronix EX-25 costs considerably less and is especially convenient thanks to battery as well as AC power options.
The Swingline Optima 40 is the most similar to standard office staplers, and it's quite handy for decent-size stacks of paper, it's not ideal for huge ones. The Swingline 77701 is its larger relative and has a capacity of 60 sheets, which high-volume paperwork-using professionals will appreciate. For standard-jaw models like these, but with more power, consider the Leitz Rapid 02892 and Bostitch EZ Squeeze 130. Alternately, the Dahle Novus B54 offers a considerably amount of force at a high price, while the Mr. Pen SH100 takes a little more elbow grease to use than the Dahle but comes at a fraction of the price. The Bostitch B8 is an all-around high-performing pliers stapler that offers above-average levels of convience, as long as you aren't attached to using it while it's sitting on a desk. Meanwhile, the Stanley TR110 is a classic option that isn't really suitable for binding sheets of paper, but if you're trying to staple cardboard or even thin planks of wood to other materials, it's an unbeatable design.
If you need to join pieces of paper or card stock with unusual dimensions, consider a long reach stapler, and if you're not working with paper at all, you might need an upholstery stapler or a traditional power stapler.
October 16, 2018:
Investigated Swingline options, adding both the Optima 40 and 60-Sheet for day-to-day office use. Also selected an additional electric model, the Rapid Professional, as well as two extra Bostitch options. Removed the PaperPro 1200 due to ongoing problems with its durability.
Regular Or Heavy Duty Stapler?
It's important, then, that you pay attention to the upper limit of a stapler's capacity when you're making your selection.
We're moving farther from ubiquitous paper documentation all the time, but for a range of businesses, large stacks of physical documents are still the norm. Law offices, medical practices, and sales firms, for instance, often deal in hard copies for everything from contracts to promotional materials; without ways to secure these documents, users would have nothing but an unorganized mess. This is where the stapler comes in, but for those tall stacks of sheets, users don't need just any old model — they need the heavy duty stapler.
Other than physical appearance, you might be wondering what sets heavy duty staplers apart from their general duty cousins. In most cases, the biggest and most crucial difference is the number of pages that a stapler can tackle. Any version rated for 20 sheets or less is generally considered "regular," with any model taking on more considered "heavy duty." These models make short work of tall stacks of paper thanks to both force and staple size; a regular stapler does not have the power to punch through a big stack, and its staples may not be tall enough for the job.
It's important, then, that you pay attention to the upper limit of a stapler's capacity when you're making your selection. If you regularly try to fasten larger stacks of paper than what your stapler is intended to handle, you'll often find yourself dealing with jams or breakage. Manufacturers almost always state how many sheets their staplers can fasten, so luckily, you don't have to guess. With a heavy duty stapler, you should also pay attention to the kind of staples it uses, generally indicated by staple measurements. You'll see information like "for use with 5/16-inch or 3/8-inch staples," for instance.
Between regular and heavy duty versions, one other difference is common, and that's the effort expended in operation. Heavy duty models can require more force, so if you have arthritis or weak wrists, you'll want to look for a heavy duty model that's designed specifically for ease of use. Fortunately, most manufacturers nowadays understand that people don't want to tire themselves out by mashing on their office implements all day long, so ergonomic heavy duty models are plentiful.
Other Heavy Duty Office Supplies
Staplers aren't the only office supplies that come in regular and heavy duty versions. If you often find yourself struggling throughout the day to complete routine tasks, you might need upgraded, stronger models of the items you commonly use.
For example, standard scissors are generally not made to cut through anything other than paper. If you need to snip twine, leather, or tape, standard office scissors are not your friend. For these tasks, you'll want heavy duty scissors that feature either tempered steel or titanium blades; many have metal handles instead of plastic for durability.
Its adhesive has fiberglass filaments embedded right in, and it is excellent at resisting tears and abrasions.
If you have boxes to seal or tears to fix, you may find yourself reaching for tape. When most people think of heavy duty tape, it's usually duct tape that they picture, but there are plenty of other strong tapes. For sealing boxes or bundling items, especially for the long term, filament or strapping tape is a sturdy choice. Its adhesive has fiberglass filaments embedded right in, and it is excellent at resisting tears and abrasions.
In cases where staples or tape are too permanent, you might find yourself looking for temporary binding solutions. The heavy duty binder clip is one go-to, with companies making robust models that measure up to three or four inches across. Hefty rubber bands are another choice, although tension is a concern, as you don't want to cause a stack of papers to curl.
Finally, your everyday writing implements may not be tough enough for their jobs. If you wear down your pencils too quickly with furious scribbling, you may need a sturdy electric sharpener. If your pens are constantly running out of ink, look for high-quality refillable models. And if your workplace is just a heavy duty, wild place in general, you might even consider a tactical pen or pencil, which can be used as a weapon in a pinch.
A Brief History Of The Stapler
A stapler is a useful, but still pretty mundane device, although according to some stories, the stapler started out as anything but. Before a mechanical device for fastening paper existed, most who dealt in stacks of paper (such as scholars), used wax or thread to bind paper together. It was Louis XV, king of France from 1715 to 1774, who desired a new method, a request his toolmakers fulfilled by offering him a handmade binding device. Instead of the small, plain staples we're used to, this device, according to some, used ornate gold fasteners bearing jewels and even the royal insignia. Wouldn't that jazz up your day at work.
McGill's unwieldy press could only handle one fastener at a time and does not much resemble a modern stapler, though, so some look elsewhere for the one true inventor.
The stapler as we know it didn't make its appearance until the 1800s, and there is some debate as to which version should be called the first, since there was quite a bit of variation among earlier models. For instance, according to many, Samuel Slocum should receive the honor thanks to his machine that could stick pins through paper, patented in 1841, although others argue that this was not a true stapler. George McGill is another inventor who's commonly credited; he received a patent in 1866 for his brass paper fastener, following it with a patent for a press the following year.
McGill's unwieldy press could only handle one fastener at a time and does not much resemble a modern stapler, though, so some look elsewhere for the one true inventor. One strong candidate, the creator of a version similar to the ones in use today, is the E. H. Hotchkiss Company. Their "No. 1 Paper Fastener," introduced in 1895, featured a strip of staples that allowed for faster use, which surely played a large part in this model's success. In fact, for many years, the words "Hotchkiss" and "stapler" were used interchangeably, a legacy that remains in a common Japanese word for stapler: hochikisu.