Electric Arrow Combi Tool
Hi again, Chuck here!
After the recent review on Arrow’s first air stapler today I’m reviewing the Arrow ET501 electric combination staple/nail gun.
First impression – it comes in that horrible plastic sealed covering that requires scissors, brute strength and not forgetting the patience of a saint when opening – be careful that plastic is very sharp. As you can see, I’m not a great fan of this method of packaging and it only ends up in the bin.
Well enough of my rant, the tool (when extracted from the plastic prison cell) is well made, has a very comfortable cushion hand grip and a nice weight balance.
The power cord is 1.8 Metres in length which is adequate for most uses and the tool has a rear on/off selector switch – I’ve forgotten that once or twice after switching on at the mains.
The staples/ nails are loaded after sliding back the “squeeze then pull feed magazine” One of my terms – it does what is say’s on the tin approach.
The tool takes the T50 (140 Series) staple from 6mm in leg length through to 14mm. A galvanised staple that is made of a flat wire which is great for fine fabrics, vinyl covering etc. as unlike fine wire staples it is less likely to cut through the material. By the way we can also supply this staple in a Stainless Steel finish – Perfect for refurbishing boats and general outdoor use.
You may have noticed that the tool is described as a staple/nail gun. Well the nail is an 1.8 Gauge brad nail – in my terms a pin with a very slight head. When loading these brad nails they are placed to one side of the magazine -holding the tool at a slight angle helps them stay in position. You can then firmly close the feed magazine.
Although this is an excellent stapler the brad nail will only fire fully home in very soft timber and if you apply maximum hand pressure the driver blade is the size of the staple crown and may cause bruising to the work surface.
Having said that, I’ve seen this brad nail used with this stapler for fixing graphics to walls on exhibition stands and it does a great job – a bit like me!! :)
I found the above video on our Youtube channel – Steve the gaffer in full flow – He thinks he can give Tom Hanks a run for his money – I don’t think so, but at least it illustrates the tool well.
Getting back to the tool, it has a safety feature whereby the stapler will only fire when the safety arm has been fully depressed i.e. when in contact with the work surface.
There is a small side viewing window to see whether there are fasteners still in the tool. It is very small and quite frankly I use the “Chuck method” – Reload when no more fasteners come out – this method has yet to let me down.
Finally, the tool has a fastener depth control which can be very useful when using fine fabrics and you don’t want the staple the cut through the material.
Well, although poorly packaged the stapler is fantastic value and will serve you well. Electric staplers do have their limitations but in comparison in the market place, the tool performs extremely well and gets a 4 Star Chuck Rating, and whilst I think about it, what a great Mother’s Day Present!! (but make sure she owns some scissors!)
Well done Arrow.
Until next time,
Take care,
For more updates on tools we offer check out our Newsletter!
NB. My Cheltenham selection posted last Friday finished a close 2nd making a slight profit – No Caribbean holidays just yet – Look out Rhyl, here I come!!
