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Independent Tool Review
by Peter Brett - February 2007
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Arrow T72 Professional Cable Tacker – Its Cordless and Portable – and it works
One of my favourite bits of the Goon Show, (showing my age again) was when Neddy Seagoon was offered a device that he could take anywhere, and under his own steam, could raise himself to a certain height. The name of this device? - a ladder. I was reminded of this as I tried out the Arrow T72 cable tacker. We seem to be so very dependent on cordless and corded power tools these days, that when something like this tacker comes along we realize that it is possible to use just human power to make something work. Mind you, this thought does not make me immediately flee to my toolbox to dig out my screwdrivers!
Like a ladder, Arrow fastening tools tend to remind me of a basic premise of American tool design “that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. There is a reassuring sense of tried and trusted ways of doing things that have worked for a long time and that will continue to work for a while longer. This new T72 tacker is no exception, although it has obviously been recently designed to deal with some new challenges faced by Arrow tacker end users, it follows in a grand old company tradition of using solid chromed pressed steel for the body and handle. This body is held together with sturdy pins and circlips and occasional bolts. Thus, if it does “get broke” you can fix it. In fact the instruction leaflet includes a list of parts with order numbers and prices. The highest priced part, the staple pusher, is a mere £4.50. This is a far cry from some staplers that need to be discarded once a spring goes or something else breaks.
Practical? Money saving? Green? All these questions can be answered in the positive with most Arrow tackers.
Although a cable tacker does the essentially simple job of tacking cables, there are a few cable tackers I have tried that don’t do a particularly good job of it. The problem seems to be that delivering a staple with an insulated cover, usually of plastic or nylon, is not as easy as simply delivering a metal staple. The striking mechanism that drives the staple needs to hit the staple rather than the insulation, therefore the staple needs to be very accurately made and fit snugly inside the magazine so that it can be struck first time 99.9% of times. If there is any inaccuracy you end up with a very frustrated end user who will get fed up with endlessly emptying out misfired staples, not to mention the sheer waste of quite expensive staples.
The Arrow T72 fits two rows of ten insulated staples into the magazine at one time. It is noticeable that there is only the tiniest bit of play, just enough to ensure an easy passage for the staples down the magazine. It is followed by the staple pusher that exerts a good pressure on the staples to ensure that they are delivered to the striker anvil.
For those not gifted with large hands the next bit might be a bit more difficult, because the large plastic coated trigger handle is quite hard to push down. Clearly a strong spring is needed to ensure that the staple has enough oomph to be struck home properly, so some users might have to use two hands.
The good news is that it seems to become a little easier after a while - I don’t know whether this is because I got used to it or whether the spring wore itself in a little.
Aiming the staples into the correct place is quite easy too once you have got used to where to place the nose for the results you want. In truth it is just behind the nosepiece, so its not rocket science.
Another typically simple Arrow Tacker solution for tacking different size cables is a removable
nosepiece. This allows the user to accurately place the tacker over cables of either 12mm or 15mm wide to ensure that they are carefully tacked down without any danger of the legs of the staples piercing the insulation of the cable. Not every solution has to be High Tech - it just has to work efficiently.
For the retailer, having a reliable and evergreen product in stock would seem to be a distinct advantage. The Arrow range seems to me to be about as consumer proof as is possible. It is also wide enough to include corded tackers and nailers that are competitive in the market. Add to that the advantage of sales of staples, nails and accessories for the Arrow tackers, there is a possibility of having good sales margins. Arrow staples will also fit a wide range of other staplers too, so sticking with Arrow might not be a bad idea. I personally have found that Arrow staples are compatible with a range of non-Arrow staplers.
The T72 cable tacker is an addition to the Arrow insulated cable tacker range. I have had an old T59 for about 14 years and have used it off and on every year. It has been a reliable workhorse, as I have come to expect from Arrow staplers in general. If the T72 can build up a similar reputation, and it seems as though all the ingredients are there, then it too can expect to become another Arrow Classic.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications