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Last spring, I was sitting at home with my family watching football on a Sunday when my wife caught me doing what I often do: scrolling Zillow. “What don’t you like about the house we’re in?” she asked. I told her that ever since I finished the basement, I’d missed having a shop space to work on projects.
Her answer: “Then build that garage you always wanted.”
Fast forward eight months, and my new garage is up. I’m insulating the main level and sheathing it with OSB before adding cabinets and shelving and moving on to the upstairs. It’s a big garage; we’re talking 30-plus rolls of insulation on the main level, so on a run to pick up the next half-dozen rolls, I wandered down the tool aisle and saw the Ridgid 18V Cordless 3/8-in. Crown Stapler staring back at me.
Beyond getting the garage insulation up faster, it looked like a tool I’d keep using on future wiring and upholstery projects, and the same goes for anyone re-screening a porch, recovering a chair seat, or tacking down low-voltage wire.
Family HandymanRidgid 18V Cordless Crown Stapler
A cordless 3/8-in. crown stapler kit with a 2.0 Ah battery and charger, depth adjustment, an onboard wire and screen attachment, and a built-in LED light.
The Tool on Trial
The Ridgid 18V Cordless 3/8-in. Crown Stapler is a 3-lb. battery-powered stapler that runs on Ridgid’s 18V battery platform. It features an integrated LED light, an onboard wire and screen attachment, a depth adjustment knob, and a belt hook.
It drives 3/8-in. crown (T50) staples from 1/4 to 9/16 in. long. Ridgid claims it can drive 105 staples per minute and up to 6,800 staples on a single charge of a 4.0 Ah battery.
One last note, and in full transparency, I’m a regular user of Ridgid tools myself: Ridgid offers a lifetime service agreement on its tools as long as you register them within 90 days of purchase.
The Trial: How I Tested It
My goal was to install a half-dozen rolls of insulation, then run wire to an outlet to try out the wire attachment. I wanted to see how easy the tool was to use, whether it jammed, and what I liked and didn’t like about it.
The short version: this tool is awesome. No jams, nothing wonky. It’s as simple as load, point, and pull the trigger. It took a little playing with the depth knob to get the staples seating at the right depth, but I had it figured out within a handful of staples.
I really like the wire attachment. I try to keep my wiring clean and neat, usually with zip ties and tie mounts. With this attachment, running the wire was simple, and the stapler did it much more neatly than I expected.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the onboard LED light. It has its own trigger, separate from the firing trigger, so I could turn it on only when I needed it.
It’s also easy on the battery. I put up six rolls of insulation during the test and a couple more off camera, and the indicator on the 2.0 Ah battery didn’t budge.
There were a couple of things I didn’t like, though they’re minor. First, Ridgid advertises dry-fire lockout on this stapler, which I took to mean it wouldn’t fire once the staples ran out. On mine, it still did. To be fair, it never marred the work surface, which Ridgid lists as one of the lockout’s benefits, so it may be doing part of its job. But it was annoying to pull the trigger and have nothing come out, and it made it easy to miss that I was out of staples.
Second, the depth drifted. After every 20 or 30 staples, I’d notice they were no longer seating at the depth I’d set and were starting to sit proud. I don’t know if that was due to denser 2x4s or inconsistencies between strips of staples, but it was something to keep an eye on. When I noticed it, I’d add a few clicks on the depth knob.
The Verdict
I really like this tool. If you’re only insulating a garage, it’s really nice to have, but not essential. You could get by with a standard stapler. That said, the LED light, the wire attachment, and the price, especially with the battery and charger included, make this a tool I know I’ll use more than I expected on future projects.
Family HandymanRidgid 18V Cordless Crown Stapler
A cordless 3/8-in. crown stapler kit with a 2.0 Ah battery and charger, depth adjustment, an onboard wire and screen attachment, and a built-in LED light.
Where to Buy
The tool alone retails at The Home Depot for $119, but for the last few months, there’s been a special buy that includes the tool, a charger, and a 2.0 Ah Ridgid battery for $104.
FAQ
Who makes Ridgid 18V tools?
Ridgid is owned by Emerson Electric Co., which makes the red Ridgid plumbing and pipe tools directly. The orange Ridgid cordless power tools, including this stapler, are made by Techtronic Industries (TTI), the company behind Milwaukee and Ryobi, under a licensing agreement with Emerson.
Can I put any staples in a staple gun?
No. Staple guns need staples that match the tool’s crown width, leg length, and wire gauge. The Ridgid 18V crown stapler takes 3/8-in. crown staples from 1/4 to 9/16 in. long, including standard T50 staples. Other staplers may use different types, like narrow-crown or other heavy-duty series, so check the tool or the manual before you buy.
The post Tool Trials: Putting Ridgid’s Cordless Crown Stapler To the Test appeared first on Family Handyman.
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