I doubt youโre still swinging the olโ hammer tacker now that so many underlayment and wrap manufacturers require caps for warranties. Itโs likely youโve got a pneumatic tool for that work. If not, this review might make your life a lot easier! Sure, a hammer tacker โ or just a hammer with capped nails โ is cordless in an old-fashioned way, but not in the way that makes us more productive. A pneumatic cap stapler offers faster, more durable results. National Nail recently introduced an upgraded version of the CS150 with itsย Stinger Cap Stapler. Bring on the review!
At A Glance
- CS150B replaces theย CS150 Stinger Cap Stapler
- For fastening roof underlayment, house wraps, and foam boards
- Shoots 7/16โณ, 18 gauge staples of 5/8โณ, 7/8โณ, 1-1/4โณ, or 1-1/2โณ lengths with 1-inch diameter plastic caps
- Uses Stinger pneumatic StaplePac
- Capable of firing five staples per second
- 200 staple and cap capacity
Key Features
- Fastener Range: The newย Stinger CS150B Cap Stapler expands the fastener range downward to 5/8โณ staples from its predecessor. With well over an inch of staple length variability, itโs likely that this will be on the only fastening gun you need.
- Collated Staples and Caps: The magazine holds 200 collated staples/caps, exceeding most staplerโs capacities and matching the highest available. That means relatively more time working and less time reloading. Stinger claims it has an improved the magazine design, so weโll have to investigate that.
- Firing Modes and Exhaust:ย Dual firing modes allow you to choose between sequential and bump (contact) fire modes. Thereโs also a tool-free, 360ยฐ-adjustable exhaust to prevent air and dirt blasts toward your face.
- Accessories: Have you ever opened up a pneumatic tool with the intention of getting right to work only to find it didnโt include an air fitting? That wonโt happen with theย Stinger Cap Staplerโs included fitting. A belt hook is a nice touch, too.
Performance
Weโve been building up a storm in our big motorcoach home development in Central Florida. Owners park their RV homes in expansive driveways and then enjoy a home without wheels for a while. Of course, each of those stationary homes requires roofing and wrapping โ the right application for the CS150B Stinger Cap Stapler.
Ergonomics
Weโve got a few cap nailers and we even hammer in capped nails every so often, but securing material to roofs and walls this way isnโt optimal. The manual way is slow as molasses, of course. Even our pneumatic cap nailers, an improvement over manual nailing, jam all the time. Not only does this cost time, but it wastes nails because you never can throw out just the offending nail. You usually have to sacrifice a sequence of nails to clear the jam.
So I hooked up the CS150B and got to work. I loved the light, compact profile right away. The gun works quickly โ so quickly, in fact, that I started to push it a little. Stingerโs five-cap-staples-per-second claim is no joke. I rapid-fired about thirty of them and the gun didnโt jam. Not a shabby start at all. The gunย never jammed during the rest of my review period.
Since youโre effectively getting the holding power of two fasteners for each cap, being sure that the roof or wrap is pulled tight (not bunched up anywhere) is particularly important. Thereโs no adjusting the material after the staple is sunk unless you remove the staple completely.
Switching between single actuation and bump fire modes is simple and tool-free. Push the triggerโs red dial out and turn it to select the other mode. No different triggers, no fuss.
Reloading
Just like any other pneumatic fastening gun, you open the magazine and replace the coil of fasteners. But even this seemed easier than our other tools. Sometimes a roll of nails is awkwardly wrapped, and dropping the coil might mean watching as it rolls open down the roof! Putting theย Stinger Cap Stapler StaplePac in the magazine doesnโt risk a coil disaster.
In the middle of the review, we got a second CS150B with a slight modification. The product team identified an area of risk and swapped out plastic for metal. Itโs a simple tweak, but itโs good to know theyโre looking at ways to improve their product even this close to final production.
The Stinger makes starting a roof or wrap so easy that one guy can do it. If youโve got a finicky gun that jams or are using a hammer and cap nail, itโs a two-man start. But with the CS150B in one hand and the material in the other, you can be a lone ranger.
Price and Value
So how does theย Stinger CS150B Cap Stapler rank among its peers?
It can hold 200 fasteners ofย 5/8โณ, 7/8โณ, 1-1/4โณ, or 1-1/2โณ and will set you back about $230. Hereโs where the competition sits:
- Hitachi N3808AP: 200 fasteners (7/8โณ, 1-1/4โณ, and 1-1/2โณ), $260
- DeWalt DWSL18CAP: 160 fasteners (1โณ and 1-1/2โณ), $230
- Senco BC58 21GA: 185 fasteners (5/8โณ only), $214
- Bostitch SL1838BC: 163 staples, 100 caps (3/4โณ and 1-1/2โณ), $224.99
A little more detail: Bostitch and DeWalt have dual firing modes while Hitachi requires a trigger change and Senco does bump fire only.
Given that the Stinger Cap Stapler matches or exceeds the fastener capacity of its peers, has a wider range of fastener lengths, is in the same price range, and has given us outstanding performance, itโs price is one well worth paying.
The Bottom Line
The CS150B Stinger Cap Stapler isย faster, lighter, more efficient, and boasts a great fastener length capacity than its closest competitors. With performance that exceeds our other guns, itโs my new go-to tool for roofing and wrapping!
Stinger Cap Stapler Specifications
- Item Number: Stinger CS150B
- Operating Pressure: 80 โ 110 PSI
- Speed:ย 5 cap staples per second (max. cycle rate/second)
- Tool Weight:ย 4.2 pounds
- Fastener Capacity:ย 200 caps / 200 staples
- Cap Type:ย Full 1-inch collated plastic caps
- Fastener Type:ย 7/16-inch, 18 gauge crown staples
- Fastener Length:ย 5/8, 7/8, 1-1/4, and 1-1/2-inch
- Price: $281.46
