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We own a narrow crown stapler that gets a pot of use in our small woodworking and trim projects . This type of stapler is an indispensable tool , and the connections that the fastening make are hard to beat . Narrow crown staplers are quite useful in projects ranging from building a compost bin to a barn door , and they often come in handy for our professional work , which includes fasten underlayment for new trading floor , applying trim to a custom shed , constructing porch column wrapper , and trimming doors . We do n’t use ours all the meter on a trim project , but when we do utilise it , it ’s because it ’s the best puppet for the job .
For this hands - on revaluation , we try out one of the most popular narrow crownwork stapler on the grocery store : DeWalt ’s Max XR cordless minute crown stapler . To put this minute crown stapling machine to the test for both professional and DIY work , we shot basic in hardwood , softwood , and a composite fabric we use called Acre .
Photo: Mark Clement and Theresa Clement for Bob Vila
DeWalt 20V MAX XR Narrow Crown Stapler: At a Glance
Rating:6/10 *
- We add up to this rating by comparing the DeWalt to all the various types of narrow crownwork staplers . That being said , it is the bestbattery - powerednarrow crown stapling machine we ’ve render .
SPECS
PROS
CONS
Get the DeWalt narrow crown stapler at :
What is the DeWalt 20V MAX XR narrow crown stapler?
TheDeWalt narrow diadem stapleris a cordless , battery - operated shaft designed for driving staples into cabinetwork , trig , flooring underlayment , and other nonstructural program around the house . Able to drive ½- to 1½-inch - long staples , it can be used on a variety of materials , admit hardwood , trim materials like finger’s breadth - joint ground pine , and sheet goods .
And there is no hose , flatulency , or compressor , so it ’s soft to set up and carry than a pneumatic narrow-minded crown stapler , which is a antecedence for our little DIY carpentry task that are made with cut - offs and repurposed cloth from bigger business . The tool sport a selectable trigger for sequent and excrescence - fire modes , which think users can dispense a staple with one trigger draw or by bumping the nose of the cock on the work . The outfit ships with a exclusive 2.0 - adenylic acid - time of day battery and is compatible with other DeWalt batteries .
How does the DeWalt 20V narrow crown stapler perform?
The tool subprogram as lay claim . In 99 percent of the software we try out , theDeWalt narrow-minded poll staplerworked . It shoot and countersunk staples in all the materials we examine . The depth of drive adjustment ferment nicely . The flywheel mechanics recovered really tight . It ’s a million miles behind a gibbousness - fire pneumatic tool , but it goes .
The no - mar rubber tips that have been included on finish nailers for a multiplication were fairly much throwaways then , but that ’s not the case here . We removed the no - mar tip to get a better line of credit of sight to the work , and the crack - slim brand tip mar the deal . End of the Earth ? Hardly .
From a power perspective , when we shot hardwood ( red oak tree ) , the tool needed to be perpendicular to the study to countersink the staple pennant , and even then , it scarcely got beneath the surface . For compare , we have n’t had much lot with other battery - power stapling machine drive into hardwood . Still , hardwood applications programme are probably uncommon for this shaft , so this is just an observation , not a literary criticism .
Photo: Mark Clement and Theresa Clement for Bob Vila
Weight and Visibility Limitations
Yes , there are trade - offs . One of them is that the exercising weight that ’s eliminated in not lugging a compressor and hose around is offset by the tool ’s flywheel system — which work just as bully as its stopping point nailer predecessor . But the excess weight on the stapler itself transforms what is typically a 2 - pound , slim , super - balanced pneumatic tool into a bulky unit that ’s 80 percent enceinte and much heavier . We encounter this to be an issue when fastening some assembly together ; it worked , but we had to work to make it work . It command way more effort than what we typically go through with a pneumatic whole .
Because a narrow-minded crown stapling machine is sometimes a clipping tool , one needs to be able to really see where the staple is fare out . With the no - mar summit on the DeWalt , it can be hard to see where that opening is . And with the ⅛-inch gap between the peak and where the staple actually comes out and the work , it ’s even hard to see . It ’s not insufferable , but it ’s harder . On the other hand , if your master end is to fasten ¼-inch plywood for a subfloor software , these challenge are nonevents . A pneumatic bump - flack stapling machine is still many times quicker than this unit for flooring software .
Is the DeWalt 20V narrow crown stapler right for you?
It depends . The charm of a hoseless nailer is the removal of the compressor and hose . For Theresa , that ’s a real win . For Mark , that ’s not so much of a win since he bear gross ton on any given day . For the pro oeuvre he does , the precision he demand , and for the jobsites we have , this tool does n’t solve any job there . However , of the several offerings we ’ve assure over the years , coincidently , DeWalt ’s cordless finish nailer is the only one we ’d consider swapping out the compressor , hose , and guns for .
If minor DIY projects are on your lean , and you do n’t want a compressor and hoses to deal with , this putz works well . It saves setup time and relieve oneself it easy to carry the creature to the jobsite , which means more can be accomplished in less time . Still , the tool ’s weightiness can be an issue for some DIY users or in some software program .
As much as we applaud tool designers ’ efforts to bestow pneumatic fastening into the cordless realm , pneumatics remain our favorite method for stapling on most home improvement task .
Photo: Mark Clement and Theresa Clement for Bob Vila
Where to Buy the DeWalt 20V MAX XR Narrow Crown Stapler
Meet the Testers
Theresa Clement is a ready to hand interior designer who has been improving homes for more than 20 twelvemonth . bug out with her oeuvre at architecture firms , she has authored Book ; writes for Architect cartridge , JLC mag , and Remodeling magazine ; and work as a pattern producer on makeover shows , and now works with her carpenter husband on private homes and their abode improvement brand MyFixitUpLife .
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Photo: Mark Clement and Theresa Clement for Bob Vila
