Staplers are essentially similar in design, so consider purpose, cost, and reliability when choosing a plier stapler. Most staplers have a base with an anvil to bend a staple closed when it is forced from a spring-loaded head by a moving metal plate. A magazine with a spring holds a strip of staples in readiness in the head, point down, ready for action. Beyond these basic similarities, stapler design, cost, and durability vary from light-duty multi-purpose staplers to the clamshell plier stapler used in specialized packaging.
Choosing a stapler that is right for you means considering both your needs and your budget. For example, a busy tractor parts shipping room is likely to require a more powerful stapler than a small florist. A decent manual plier stapler may be purchased starting around $15 US Dollars (USD) and going up. They can be found through a variety of online sites or from many local hardware stores. A heavy-duty stapler will generally cost more than one designed for light stapling.
For light multi-purpose use, a desktop stapler may be a good choice. Desktop staplers are typically operated with simple downward pressure. They can, however, be held up and squeezed like a plier stapler and used as such.
Desktop staplers for organizing paperwork in offices require greater durability and a more professional appearance, and they will often cost more than models suitable for student or home use. Power and reliability vary among staplers and will affect their range of uses. When choosing a multi-purpose desktop stapler, consider the number of sheets of paper that may be bound with a single staple. This may range from 10 sheets to more than 50 sheets.
For shipping rooms or other industrial uses, a heavy-duty stapler is a better choice. Plier stapler manufacturers have met the specialized demands of most industrial applications, providing both manual and pneumatic staplers with arms and blades designed for many uses. While the most common use of plier staplers is in sealing boxes for shipping, they are also used for attaching plastic ends on tubes, bundling fabrics, tagging dry cleaning, and sealing plastic bags of ice or frozen chickens. Plier staplers have even been developed to apply rings rather than traditional staples for securing bags, nets, fencing, cages, and traps.
Online and office supply vendors provide information about specific applications for a particular stapler, as well as information about recommended staples. Many vendors include customer reviews of their products online. Reading stapler specifications and applications online or in a store and matching them to your requirements should result in a successful choice of the best plier stapler for you.