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Independent Tool Review
by Peter Brett - March 2007
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01444 440188
Rapid Cable Tacker
A design led solution to electrical cable tacking
Rapid seems to me the sort of company that does not take the most obvious approach to solving a problem. An obvious approach sometimes means that the main issue is dealt with, but may also throw up other issues that aren&Mac226;t. It is clear that there is a need for efficient cable tacking solutions because we are all surrounded by computers and electronic gadgets from which cables seem to proliferate. Health and Safety rules make it clear how these cables need to run and how they need to be fixed especially in public workplaces. How much of a rat&Mac226;s nest of cables Joe Public is prepared to tolerate in his own home is another story!
The most interesting bit about the new Rapid UTAC Cable Tacker is the fact that it uses non-conductive metal free staples designed to be suitable for 1-1.5mm diameter 230/240 volt mains lighting cables. I guess that, that is one of the more interesting parts of the solution that Rapid&Mac226;s R and D team had to solve. It would have been an obvious solution to go for the insulated staple option chosen by other manufacturers, but as I have said, Rapid doesn’t always seem to go for the obvious.
A close look at the metal free staples reveals what a clever design solution they are. As far as I can tell they appear to be made of some sort of reinforced plastic and the points on them are as sharp as those on metal staples. The way in which they are moulded in a long well organized set of about 80 staples per sprig seems to me another tiny technical triumph. The sprigs are easy to handle, not delicate and liable to fall apart, easy to load into the stapler magazine and yet give a very reliable performance in the stapler. I had only a tiny percentage of staples fail on me during my test of the UTAC.
On a few occasions, using another brand of insulated staples, I have had to redo the cable run because I have been suspicious that the cable had been pierced by the metal-legged staple. Clearly any cable damage would not be ideal, but with a non-conductive staple the results would not be disastrous. I have to say that the tacker I was using did not have a nose on it that straddles the cable. The UTAC and most other cable tackers now have such a feature and this makes it much easier to locate the cable underneath the tacker and avoid any damage to it when the staple is fired home.
The construction of the stapler follows a familiar pattern to most other staplers - it is made from well-chromed pressed steel components. Since Rapid has chosen this method of construction - despite it being the most conventional, it must have some merits.
Certainly the staplers I have been using for 20 years or so have been made in the same way and they are still working.
Underneath the firing handle there is a simple adjustment mechanism for regulating the amount of power with which the staple is propelled into the backing. There is some noticeable difference in how deep the staples go in, so it will be important to use this feature depending on the size of cable you are wanting to tack.
Loading staples is very easy, all you have to do is remove the sliding aluminium retainer by clicking the release mechanism, place a new row of staples into the slot revealed and push the retainer back in. The staples are accurately made and slide in properly first time, every time.
For storage, a simple wire clip will hold the handle down safely , but you have to fire a staple to get the handle to where it is not engaging the firing mechanism.
A fairly simple strip of rubberised material is fitted to the top of the finger grip to provide grip and prevent the user&Mac226;s hands from coming into contact with a hard metal edge.
On the nose, as I have mentioned, is a removable alloy nose-piece that is shaped to allow the stapler nose to straddle the cable being tacked.
Although I didn&Mac226;t make any direct comparisons with other staplers, Rapid has built in a noise damper inside the mechanism. This does appear to control the sometimes sharp noise of the striking stapling action, and there is not much recoil from the tool either.
This does make it comfortable and less irritating to use, especially if you are doing lots and lots of cable tacking.
After using the Rapid UTAC quite a lot putting practice staples into metres of cable, I found that I liked it a lot. It does seem strange that such a simple and basic tool should have a character of its own, but it does. It is quiet, civilised and efficient. The quality of the design and development strikes me as being a cut above - it is not simply made to do a job, but to do the job well. If you are working all day with a tool like this you will come to appreciate its virtues, but a tool that is rough and ready will, in the end, get on your nerves.
Since moving into my new house I have tried to make a bit more sense of my cabling, in my workshop, my studio, my office and the loft. In each case I have had to attach cables for lights, power and trying to tame the cables for my computer, internet access and printer. It would have been great to have had the Rapid UTAC to use because it would have been very helpful, but no dounbt I can find a few more jobs for it to do in the future.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications