Staple-free stapler reviewed | How About Orange

January 11, 2011

Staple-free stapler reviewed

After yesterday's post, I had a few questions from people wondering if the eco staple-free stapler works well. My answer: yes and no.

Here's a blue sheet of paper stapled to a white sheet.

The stapler works by punching out tabs that get folded over and pushed through a tiny slit. The device only works when fastening up to four sheets of paper. Any more and the stack of tabs is too thick for the stapler to push through the slit. That means your papers will have a hole but won't be fastened together—no good! However, when it works properly, those sheets are stuck together very securely and the only way to get them apart is to undo the tab or tear the paper. It took me a few tries to realize you have to push the top of the stapler down hard all the way to get those tabs inserted.

The pros: it's super cute, good for the environment, and you never have to worry about running out of staples. The cons: If you want to staple more than four sheets, you're out of luck. Since it punches a hole, you might punch through a valuable bit of information on your sheet. And the hold isn't quite as secure as a metal staple, since paper can tear and metal won't.

27 comments:

kalanicut said...

I was so curious to see how that worked. Now I totally get it. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

When I was kid I had one of these and I seem to remember it coming from the Container Store. I loved it, but I also remember not being able to staple many sheets together. ...I wonder what happened to it.

Grandma G said...

Well, now we know! Too bad it doesn't make orange tabs. ;)

Mum

Vicky said...

I have one shaped like a purple dog, and the pros and cons are exactly the same.

Three Birds Jewelry said...

I think I might just have to add this to my wish list!

Joy said...

I had one of these in college, and every assignment I used it on was returned to me with a staple.

Jessica Jones said...

Shucks. Foiled!

Shana said...

Cool! I wondered how you could have a staple free stapler. Now I know. That is just amazing. I think my kids would love them!

LiPeony said...

I've never seen this stapler before but it's pretty darn cool. I'd definitely consider getting one.

Fellow Orange Lover said...

I know this is totally off topic so forgive me.


I love how you feature orange accessories, and I am wondering if you have any tips for sites/links to check out that show people successfully decorating their home with orange. I am desperate to get orange throughout my home but also am very fearful of it all going wrong so would love to see some examples. I've had some success with my son's nursery and now I'm eager to branch out into our bedrooms, living room and dining room.

Thanks in advance!

Punctuation Mark said...

cute but i agree in the fact that is not as preactical as it is a fun thing to have...

meging said...

some of the local businesses near me use this to staple receipts together it works great for something like that.

Jessica Jones said...

Orange Lover, you could try poking around here at HGTV:
http://www.hgtv.com/topics/orange/index.html

Marnie said...

This is great. I hate tradtional staples. Is there any way to get one without having to spend $200?

Jessica Jones said...

You can find the cube models online right here, among other places. Amazon.com has other models from the same manufacturer. And a previous commenter mentioned The Container Store might have some.

Julie said...

Thanks so much for showing what the "join" would look like. I was definitely wondering. I think I will be putting these in Easter baskets this year. My kids (I) love office supplies.

Marnie said...

Thanks for directing me to where I could buy one. It is on it's way!

Virginia said...

So cute - I haven't seen these in Sydney yet but am officially on the hunt after your post! I am always scratching around the house in search of those mini-staples... Finally a solution!

Fellow Orange Lover said...

Thanks for the link!

Sarah Constantino said...

I was just having a conversation with my BF about this very product. He didn't believe me when I said it worked. Now I can point him to this post :) (he is a CPA, so nerdy office supply discussions happen between us rather often.) Thanks for the post!

seesaw designs said...

still pretty cute.

Heather @ REOlisticRenovation said...

Never heard of this thing! Interesting!

Elizabeth said...

What?! For real? This totally blew my mind. Are we going to have to come up for a new word for a stapler that doesn't use staples?

Carla said...

Thank you for this review, I was curious as to how those held up to anything over 4 pieces of paper.
They are cute though :3

Anonymous said...

I have one of these somewhere (I bought it when I worked at The Container Store). Its best use? Stapling multi-page bills! Then, at the end of the year, when you shred everything, no staples gum up the works.

Brooke said...

what a fabulous product! Thank you!

Tena said...

I got one for Christmas too!! It's my second try at staple free stapeling and it's a great idea, it's cute to have on my desk but you're right, it falls a bit short of being fantastic. Still great for a quick couple page attaching!