PORTER-CABLE Upholstery Stapler, C-Crown, 1/4-Inch to 5/8-Inch, 22GA (US58)

I bought this stapler specifically for a single upholstery job, reupholstering a set of eight Ethan Allen dining room chairs that had dull, threadbare fabric over completely thrashed low-density one-inch foam. I re-topped them with black and gold brocade over three-inch high-density, high resilience seating foam. Stretching that heavy brocade over such dense foam and stapling by hand would have been a numbing job, but with the US58 it was a breeze. It's light, easy to handle, and the trigger action is positive and neither too heavy nor too light.Porter Cable says the US58 requires something like 6scfm of air at 70-120 PSI. The manual says 60-120 PSI but doesn't state the volume. However, I think that 6scfm is if you're using it in a high-volume commercial application where you're driving staples nearly continuously. My experience is that it runs very nicely at 90 PSI, and a 2.6scfm compressor will run it very happily, thank you. If you don't have an oiler in your air line, Porter-Cable supplies a bottle of air tool oil, and a drop or two into the stapler's air inlet before each working session is sufficient for occasional use. You'll probably want to dry-fire the first two or three staples into a piece of scrap wood; after doing that I never saw any oil on the fabric. If the US58 is putting oil on your work, it probably means you used way too much oil.No, it does not have a nose safety. It's an upholstery stapler. A nose safety would just obstruct using it. Pay attention to what you're doing, and you'll be fine. Trigger discipline is just as important with an air tool as it is anywhere else — keep your finger off the trigger until you're in position and ready to staple. That's a far better protection against stapling yourself than relying on a nose safety.The US58's magazine catch is very positive. Don't expect to be able to slide the magazine closed and just have the latch automatically snap over. You have to manually retract the catch to open AND close the magazine, and that is a good thing too. If you have to manually trip the catch, you *know* when it's latched. The entire stapler is substantial and feels well made. Part-to-part fit is good, and the air fitting snaps easily and positively into a standard QR fitting. You pay a little more for the US58 than you do for some budget upholstery staples, but the quality is worth the cost.One other thing: If you're debating whether to buy an air or an electric stapler, buy the air stapler. Trust me on this. An electric stapler just is not going to get the job done. Yes, they're cheaper and you don't need a compressor, but they do not drive staples as firmly and securely as an air tool will. If you want to do the job right, you want an air stapler, and if the job is upholstery, the US58 is the best bang-for-the-buck you're going to find. There are cheaper ones, but they're not nearly as good. There are perhaps others a little better, but they cost a lot more.

In short, I highly recommend the Porter-Cable US58 Stapler.Please know that I am not a Porter-Cable employee, nor do I own stock in the company, or know anything about the company other than I believe they have a reputation for making good quality products. Indeed, this is my third Porter-Cable tool and I can only say good things about their tools. So far. I purchased this Stapler and did not receive it for free as an Amazon Prime member to test and review. In other words, I have no ax to grind for, or against anyone. I spent my hard earned dollars on this product. The stapler was well packaged and arrived timely from Amazon, as usual. In the small project I completed, (upholstering a small footstool that I made),the Porter-Cable US58 Stapler performed perfectly. Not a single misfire in approximately 200 staples used. The material was not as heavy as canvas, but more substantial than the material found on a typical button down dress shirt. I barely needs to be mentioned that I also used some batting. If you don't know what it is, google it and you'll see why I state it 'barely' needs mentioning. Anyway, the fabric and batting were stapled into 1/2" plywood without any problems. This particular tool was recommended to me by a family member who has used it for a few years now upholstering weightlifting equipment. Last year I made 2 footstools and we struggled to upholster them with the Arrow Power Shot mechanical stapler. Every staple had to be hammered in after it was shot into the plywood. Not so with the Porter-Cable US58. Every single staple was fully embedded, even when the material was double or tripled over. I used B&C Eagle 71/06 1/4-Inch Length x 3/8-Inch Crown x 22 Gauge Galvanized Fine Wire staples, also purchased on Amazon. I can only recommend these staples based on someone else's experience compared to my own. They used another brand of staple with this stapler and had 3 misfires in about 300 staples. Each misfire takes time to clear the stapler and for the few extra dollars, I recommend a quality staple. I do have the same gripe as the other reviews that the stapler should come in some sort of case, and if Porter-Cable is listening, how about a case that can hold at least 3 boxes of staples of various sizes that come with the stapler. If basement (garage in Florida) projects are a fun and productive use of your time, you cannot go wrong with using the Porter-Cable US 58 Upholstery Stapler. It is a huge time saver over a mechanical stapler, and much easier to use. We had so much fun doing this project, I look forward to picking up an old chair to give it another go.

Upon receiving this stapler I was using it within 10 minutes of the UPS delivery. It came with the air fitting already installed. I slapped some 1/2" staples in it and I was off working. It has a great ergonomic handle that feels great in your hand and is lightweight. My wife likes it too!The stapler is of the high Porter-Cable expected quality. It made short work of my first project and expect many more hours of use. This tool is made for working. As fast you can pull the trigger the staples are set deep and no jamming. Recommended and the price was very reasonable.Here it is a month later and wanted to add a couple thoughts since first purchase. First, it is working great and I am very happy.Next, some have commented about a possible safety feature missing in that staples can be freely shot out, (no device needs to be pushed against the object being stapled first). After using it a lot, quite frankly I would find it a nuisance if there was such device. When working with fabric or some other material it would be a major impediment to have to reposition the stapler, push down and then pull the trigger. When stapling many staples with its current design you can just slide the stapler to the next position pull the trigger and move on. Much more efficient and faster.