Swingline Premium Staples -- Comparing them with Standard Staples
Written: Feb 14 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: staple up to 25 paper sheets at a time, staples are in reusable plastic container
Cons: these staples don’t staple perfectly all the time ... but what staple does?
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line has accidentally stapled itself to this review. I recommend that all staples and staplers be kept out of reach of the Bottom Line and small children.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Swingline Premium Standard Staples 25 Sheet Capaci... |
When I woke up this morning, I never thought I’d be writing a review about staples. A staple is a staple, right? That’s what I thought until I discovered Swingline Premium Staples. These staples worked great ... but then our office supply overseer purchased Swingline Standard Staples. So which staple works better?
Description
Okay ... raise your hand if you have never seen a staple? These Swingline Premium Staples are traditional in shape and function. There are 5000 staples (210 per strip) in the plastic box on my desk. The box came filled with the staples and has a hinged plastic cover for easy access. Each strip of staples is just shy of being 4" long with a 1/4" leg depth and fits into a standard size stapler.
What makes these staples unique is that each staple has a chisel point, which Swingline says is "precision engineered". The manufacturer states that these staples have 75% fewer misforms (meaning staples that don’t properly staple) and fewer jams in a stapler.
The plastic box is labeled: Swingline S.F. 4 Premium Staples. “Ultimate Staple Performance”
My Experiences
Our office supply person used to purchase generic staples, which had a difficult time stapling two pieces of paper together. Forget trying to staple multiple pages. Then my old stapler bit the dust and I received a new stapler that came with Swingline Premium Staples. When those premium staples ran out, I asked the office supply overseer to please order me more of the Swingline Premium Staples. She did.
When the generic staples ran out, the office orderer purchased Swingline Standard Staples. Now I wondered if the premium staples were better than the standard staples. Could there really be a difference? The premium staples are packaged in a reusable plastic case. The standard staples came in a cardboard box. Other than the packaging, what separated these elite staples from their common counterpart?
Comparing a strip of standard staples to a strip of premium staples (both made by Swingline), they look and feel the same. The difference is in the chiseled point of the premium staple. Running my finger along the edge of the premium staples, they definitely felt sharper.
But do the premium staples pierce paper more effectively than standard staples? I conducted a test, using both types of staples. I experimented by repeatedly stapling 20 sheets of 20-pound copier paper together, and then tested the staples on a stack of 25 sheets of the same paper.
The premium staples did have fewer stapling mishaps, but not enough to make a significant difference. Both types of staples, when they worked perfectly, pierced the paper leaving a smooth staple head on top. Where I most noticed the difference is on the back of the paper. The premium staples almost always folded well on the underside of the paper, grasping the back of the pages. The standard staples were more erratic, often partially piercing the back of the paper.
The premium staples are rated to staple up to 25 sheets of paper, while the standard staples are rated for up to 20 sheets of paper. Both staples did well stapling 20 sheets of paper. The premium staples did much better at consistently stapling 25 sheets of paper. My stapler never jammed using either type of staple.
So ... what did my findings reveal? Are these Swingline Premium Staples better than the Swingline Standard Staples? First, let’s look at cost.
Purchasing
One box of Swingline Premium Staples (5000 staples) costs $2.89 at Staples office supply store. The Swingline Standard Staples cost $4.99 for a 5-pack, which equals .998 cents a box (5000 staples). That’s a huge cost difference. Are the premium staples worth the inflated cost?
Summary
If my job entailed stapling just a few sheets of paper at a time, then I would purchase the Swingline Standard Staples, which are much more cost effective.
However, I staple a lot of documents that are between 20 and 25 pages (sometimes more). The Swingline Premium Staples definitely handle a thicker document better than the standard staples. I also prepare documents that are seen by many people. I like the staples to perform accurately so that they present a professional appearance. I hate having a staple misfire. That means wrestling with a staple remover to pry the staple free from the stack of paper. The more misfired staples I have to wrestle, the more time it takes from my job. And there is the added fact that I hate presenting documents to people that have multiple staple holes in them from staples gone wrong.
For those reasons, I prefer the premium staples. I just wish they cost less money!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Swingline is an Acco Brand
Acco Brands, Inc.
300 Tower Parkway
Lincolnshire, OL 60069
Toll-free Phone: 800-820-6220
Please read my other reviews.
Stanley Heavy Duty Stapler for up to 120 sheets
Swingline Tot Stapler with 1000 staples
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Sharpie Twin Tip Permanent Marker
Stanley Contemporary Electric Pencil Sharpener
Fiskars 8" SoftGrip Scissors
Olfa 45mm Heavy Duty Rotary Cutter
Ott True Color Light Flex Arm Plus
Casio KL60SR Label Printer
Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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