Had a 20-year-old staple gun finally give up on me mid-job in Tacoma

It was my dad's old Duo-Fast, the one he gave me when I started out. Thing had been through everything, from oak to bamboo. I was putting down some 3/4 inch solid maple in a living room last Tuesday, and on the third row, it just stopped driving staples. The spring sounded weak, like a tired cough. I took it apart right there on the drop cloth, but the main coil was just worn flat. Felt weird throwing it in the truck bed with the other scrap. Ended up running to the supply house for a new one, but the balance was all off. It got me thinking, all the old guys I learned from used tools you could rebuild. Now everything feels like it's made to be replaced. Anyone have a go-to brand for a staple gun that'll actually last a decade?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_nguyen7d ago

Man, that hits home. My old boss had a Duo-Fast he'd rebuilt twice, said the parts just kept coming. The new one I bought last year already has plastic in the trigger assembly. It's not just tools, either. My first truck was a '92 F-150 where you could fix anything with a basic socket set. Now you need a computer to reset the dash lights. They design the wear into it on purpose, so you have to buy again.

amymason7d ago

My grandpa's 1987 Craftsman drill still works fine, but my newer one has plastic gears too. I get what you mean, ryan_nguyen, but I see it as a trade-off for lighter weight and lower cost for most people. They aren't building things for the few who will rebuild them anymore, they're building for the mass market that just replaces things.