Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler

If you hear the word “stapler” and don’t get a vision of Milton from the cult classic “Office Space”, you may have just found your next movie rental. But today we’ve got an entirely different kind of stapler meant for an entirely different line of work. Instead of Milton’s soul-numbing paper collation, the Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler is here for all those heavy-duty fastening jobs that a nailer can’t complete. Can the Senco stapler hold the starting position?

It has plenty of opportunities to make its case on our jobs, so let’s check it out.

Pros

Powerful drive system
No jamming issues (so far)
Excellent price compared to the competition
Excellent build quality

Cons

Heavier than most competitors
Won’t work with DeWalt staples

Recommendation

After a month of use, we haven’t had any issues with the performance on Senco’s new 1″ crown stapler and the price is compelling. What you need to be aware of it that it’s not going to play well with every brand of staples.

Features

Enhanced EZ-Clear latch features a more robust steel design than wire latches
New Drive Track design is tighter and reduces jamming
Stronger firing valve improves speed, power, and efficiency
Positive-locking adjustable depth-of-drive

Several of Senco’s newest pneumatic products are crossing the bridge into industrial level tools that are more powerful and have a stronger build. That’s what we’re looking at with this feature set. The nose design has a tighter track with a stronger latch design that allows Senco to use a more powerful motor and reduce the number of jams. It gives the tool a first impression of quality.

Performance

We were all geared up to install some carpet on a flight of stairs with the Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler when there was a major workflow stoppage. We realized the DeWalt 1-inch wide crown staples we normally use don’t fit the Senco. This is a common problem – DeWalt staples don’t like Senco staplers and vice versa. Part of the issue might be that Senco specifies a tape collation and DeWalt staples are glued. Regardless, it’s not an issue with the design of the stapler, but it is a bummer since those DeWalt staples are really easy to get.

Fortunately, we are rehabbing several similarly-designed housing units. We got the first job done with our regular stapler, but we had another flight of stairs in need of carpet as soon as we picked up the Senco fasteners. Of course, carpeting isn’t the only use for something like the Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler. There’s also insulation, stucco, house-wrapping, wire lathe, and furniture framing just to list a few more.

Like their nailer cousins, it’s often difficult to find differentiating features of a pneumatic stapler. A good product isn’t heavy and doesn’t jam. At 5.5 pounds, the Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler is reasonably light and maneuverable.

The magazine is easy to load and we didn’t experience any jams during the review. We don’t expect to find many firing issues in the first few days, but after several weeks, most nailers/staplers will begin to show their true colors. Senco’s improved drive system is definitely paying dividends already.

If there is a standout performance feature, it has to be the power. From the first trigger pull, you can tell Senco means business! Again, the design improvements make a tangible difference on the performance end.

Although beauty is in the eye of the stapler-holder, it’s a pretty slick-looking tool.

Price & Value

The Senco 16-Gauge 1-Inch Crown Heavy Wire Stapler will set you back $255. Surveying its competition, you’ll find the DeWalt DW450S2. It’s a pound lighter but also roughly $100 more expensive. Hitachi’s N5024A2 weights in at 4.7 pounds and $249. Bostitch’s 438S2-1 is on the light side at 4.5 pounds but costs $429. Finally, the Paslode WCS200 is 5.9 pounds and $265. That’s not an exhaustive list, but that’s a good cross-section. In the end, it seems like the Senco is actually on the heavier side of the competition, but also among the most affordable.

The Bottom Line

The features and upgrades Senco is claiming on their new stapler make a difference on the performance side of their new stapler. The power, consistency, and price against their competition make it a model that’s worth making room for. Just keep in mind that not every brand of staples will fit.