The 5 Best Hammer Staplers – [Top Reviews & Rankings]

A hammer stapler, also known as a hammer tacker, or slap stapler, is a stapling tool that is built into a hammer form-factor, used to insert staples into different materials with ease. The best hammer stapler will reload quickly, accommodate different staple sizes, and will rarely jam (Source).

A hammer stapler has a variety of uses, such as carpet backing, roofing paper installation, and insulation installation. A hammer tacker is used much in the same way as a regular hammer, reducing the learning curve for new users of the tool.

Hammer staplers come in a wide variety of sizes. Most of them are lightweight and are made for one-handed operation, but there are also heavy-duty models that can be used on just about anything. These models will more often than not be made of steel and feature a rubberized handle for improved grip (Source).

With the bevy of tool websites offering countless versions, choosing the best hammer stapler can be somewhat difficult. Before you purchase a hammer stapler, consider its weight, reliability, and compatible staple sizes. You should also consider its build quality and other top factors.

In this breakdown, we will examine the top rated hammer staplers. All of the staplers in this review will get the job done, whether you’re a construction worker who is looking to increase their efficiency or you’re a homeowner performing a DIY roof repair.

Most Common Issues People Have with Hammer Staplers

• Incompatible Staple Sizes: As you might have previously encountered while dealing with traditional staplers, the size of the staple itself is important to consider. If you get a model which places a monopoly on a certain staple size, you will probably
• Stable Jamming: Having a staple jam is a common issue for you to encounter with any stapler. This includes hammer staplers. If you don’t check to make sure a hammer stapler has features to fight this issue, you can end up purchasing a model that constantly jams and isn’t easy to fix.
• Long Reloading Process: Hammer staplers are usually a little more complicated when it comes time to reload the staples than a traditional stapler. It is common for people to purchase a model that is a lot harder to reload than they were expecting.

What is a Hammer Stapler?

Also known as a hammer tacker, a hammer stapler is a great tool to use when you need to attach materials to wood. Certain tasks like this are best done using staples and not screws or nails.

Hammer staplers are designed to staple as you hammer down and strike the surface. For this reason, minimal force is necessary to install staples into a hard surface like wood.

Let’s take a look at the top rated hammer staplers and break down some of their most important features.

Comparing The Best Hammer Staplers

1. Arrow Fastener HT50P Heavy Duty Hammer Tacker – Best Overall

Arrow Fastener excels in making hammer staplers. In fact, they’re one of the best brands of hammer tacker manufacturers that you can find online. The HT50P clearly lives up to the brand’s standards, as its overall quality makes it one of the best hammer tackers in the industry.

It has a very easy reload system – all you need to do is push a small clip at the bottom of the handle and insert all the staples you can fit in the magazine. Speaking of which, the magazine itself can hold a bunch of staples. Reloading might be easy, but you don’t really need to do it that often anyway.

Using the hammer itself is also a very straightforward process. Lower quality hammers need to you use a fair bit of strength or the staple might fall off, but the HT50P requires minimal effort from the user. Staples stick to wood fairly easily without putting too much strength into each hit.

This hammer tacker isn’t one to jam either. Although unjamming it might be a bit tricky, it doesn’t happen that often.

2. Tacwise 1262 A54 Slap Hammer – Best Load and Reload

This Tacwise model has been correctly called by many one of the easiest-to-use hammer staplers on the market. The 1262 A54 is a well-balanced tool, which combines a very sturdy build with a not-so-heavy weight. This permits the tool to be used very rapidly without having to worry about the hammer breaking apart on its own.

One of its main features is the channeling loading system. The way the staples are loaded in the device permits owners to place them very quickly inside the magazine. Apart from a very quick reload system, unjamming the device is incredibly easy – even when compared to other great products in the industry. As a matter of fact, the staples very rarely jam.

This tacker also offers one small bonus, which buyers can surely feel happy about. It comes with an included package of 2000 regular-sized staples. There seems to be an issue with shipping though, as sometimes the included staples might not be of the proper size. Said issue seems to have been resolved, but keep that in mind just in case you decide to purchase this tacker.

3. BOSTITCH H30-8 Hammer Tacker Manual Stapler – Best Heavy Duty

The H30-8 is one of the most durable tools that you can find to purchase online. It’s made with a die cast frame and its components are manufactured with stainless steel, which almost guarantees the hammer stapler to last for a long time.

It works very quickly. Its grip also allows the user to have a better sense of where exactly the staple will be placed, which makes this tacker a very accurate hammer.

Given that this is a high-quality tool, jamming is almost non-existent. As long as you make sure that you’re using correctly-sized staples, you shouldn’t have to worry about any sort of jams. Granted, the other two products we’ve reviewed so far are better when it comes to jam-free mechanisms, but this one still gives the A54 and the HT50P a run for their money.

4. BOSTITCH PC2K Power Slam Hammer Tacker – Best Range

This is the second BOSTITCH stapler that we include on this list, and there’s a good reason for it. BOSTITCH makes some of the most efficient hammer tackers on the market, and the PC2K surely rivals the quality of the H30-8.

If you’re not feeling so sure about buying it, be aware that this stapler comes with a 7-year warranty – that’s how confident the manufacturers are about the quality of their product.

This hammer stapler offers a very long reach thanks to its handle’s design. If you damage your knuckles while using it, you might be holding it wrong. Check the instructions or any video tutorials if this happens – the way the hammer is designed should easily help you avoid this problem.

We recommend you to use BOSTITCH staples with this product, as they often manufacture the best sized staples for their own hammers.

Also, this tacker works very well in open spaces, but keep in mind that you may have issues working in tighter areas.

5. Stanley Tools PHT150C SharpShooter Heavy-Duty Hammer Tacker – Best for Beginners

This tool’s main selling point is that it’s very easy to use. All you need to do is load the proper number of staples and hammer away. Keep in mind that if you overload the magazine, it’ll almost surely jam fairly quickly. Keep the magazine at a decent number and you should have no problems.

When it comes to unjamming… That’s a whole different issue. It isn’t a straightforward process as it is indeed with the other staplers we’ve reviewed. Unjamming takes time and patience, but thankfully it doesn’t happen often if the hammer stapler is properly cared for.

Loading the hammer with staplers is really easy as well. If you’re having issues with your regular stapler or stapling gun and you need a cheap and easy solution, the PHT150C might be exactly what you need. It’s not a professional-level tool, but rather one you’d like to have around the house in case of an emergency.

Features of the Best Hammer Staplers

Getting a high-quality hammer stapler usually that hard to do. Unless you don’t know what to look for, finding the best hammer stapler for your needs doesn’t require much effort. To help you out during your search, we have compiled the most important features to look for.

Staple Size and Capacity

Since you probably want the ability to purchase staples from different manufacturers, it’s important to get a model, which doesn’t monopolize a certain staple size. If your top option supports multiple staple sizes, you will avoid this problem.

You should also make sure that the model you choose can store plenty of staples. A capacity of at least 100 staples is a good starting place. However, many people prefer a model like the Tacwise Slap Hammer since it has a large 150 staple capacity.

Easy To Unjam

Just about any hammer tacker you come across will be prone to jamming. The idea here is to find a model with the best design and features for avoiding this problem. If parts can be easily disconnected and you are able to easily access the staple slot and insertion point, you will have a much less stressful experience when jams do occur.

Strong & Comfortable Handle

The handle strength and comfort features are important for many reasons. This is where the force of your hammering will bounce back to your hand. If you want to avoid problems with blisters and sore muscles, getting a handle with a comfortable grip is a great idea.

However, the most important job of your handle will be to stay strong and hold up for years of use. It should ideally be made with the same strong steel material but also covered with comfortable and grippy material of some sort.

Easy Staple Reloading

It is common for people to encounter issues when they need to reload their hammer stapler. This is why it’s important to look at how staples are reloaded.

Hammer staplers aren’t always that easy to reload. If you need to go through an extensive process which takes longer than 5 – 10 minutes, you are probably best off finding a model which can reload staples more easily.

Durable Parts and Construction

A hammer stapler is a tool, which will constantly be banging violently onto hard surfaces throughout the course of its life. This is why the durability of the product is important. A high-quality hammer stapler is always made with a strong material like steel so that it will last years of rough use.

What You Need To Know Before Purchasing a Hammer Stapler

Although most of these products might seem similar at first, they do have a couple of key differences that make each of these unique.

Some potential buyers might rather get products that are easy to use, while others might prefer more professional tools to better suit their needs.

Ease of Use Versus Effectiveness

You might wonder why we’re putting the ease of use against the effectiveness in our rating. This is because some tools such as the PHT150C can be very easy to set up and use.

However, they aren’t as effective as other professional tools such as the HT50P. It’s very important for you to consider what you need before buying: a professional tool, or a casual tool with more ease of use.

Overall Magazine Quality of The Stapler

The magazines of hammer staplers can make or break the product. A well-made magazine allows for a good number of staples to be loaded, saving the user a lot of time with reloading.

This feature is often correlated to the overall satisfaction that you get from the product, so keep it high in your list of priorities.

Jamming Issues

Jamming is one of the most infamous issues with any sort of stapler. Some staplers jam very often while others don’t jam as much, but they’re way harder to unjam.

The products we’ve reviewed today aren’t really known for having jamming issues, and overall, they’re pretty easy to unjam – this is crucial when shopping for hammer staplers.

Handles

The handle of a hammer tacker determines two additional features: its grip and user comfort. A good handle is designed to prevent knuckle damage, while also providing a proper grip for the user to get a hold of the stapler.

This enables them to swing better. All of the hammer tackers we reviewed have very good handles.

Ready To Buy The Best Hammer Stapler?

Deciding whether you’d like to get a professional hammer stapler or a more casual tool might be the first thing you need to do before making your purchase.

These slap hammers are often easy to use, but as we’ve said, some of them have specific features that suit some needs better than others. Take some time and don’t rush into a decision! One of these hammer tackers could very well last you for a lifetime.

Most of the products we’ve shown here are in a relatively similar price range, so choose which one you like the most and go for it. All of them can be used to staple floors, walls, and ceilings as long as the material they’re made from allows staples to stick to them.

Which of these hammer tackers did you enjoy the most? Are you thinking about getting any of these hammer staplers?

Tell us what you think in the comment section! Also, check out our guide on framing hammers. A hammer tacker gets the job done way faster than a regular stapler, and the way they work also makes them much more effective. Both staplers work differently from coil siding nailers as well (best options on this review).