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by Peter Brett - May 2008
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01444 440188
No Loose Parts – on the Tacker or on the Job
The ways of attaching the rubber membrane are different to say the least and the CD that came with the membrane gave detailed instructions on how to proceed. Laying the ‘underfelt’ was given a whole section of its own and I was amazed at how quickly the operatives on the CD were able to tack the underfelt flat in the required areas, which they achieved using a hammer tacker.
I never thought that I would be able to learn the same level of skill. But, once my mate and I got going with the Rapid R2 11, it became clear that very nearly the same level of speed could be achieved and how essential a tool a hammer tacker could be for some craftspeople for some jobs.
I must admit that I started at the top in terms of tooling. There are inferior hammer tackers around but the Rapid is not one of them. It is a solid and weighty beast as befits its role. Made in Sweden from solid, ‘traditional’ pressed steel it also has a very ergonomically shaped shock absorbing rubber handle.
This has ribbing for good grip and a nice little hook shape on the handle end that allows the user to hang onto it in such a way that a sort of pendulum action ensues when using it. This pendulum action speeds things up tremendously when tacking, literally allowing tacks to be hammered home as fast as the operator can manage.
The R2 11 boasts that it has no loose parts. Clearly a good idea in what is effectively a hammer with its own built-in tack supply. It also means that when the user is up on a scaffolding and needs to replace the staples, no other bits are going to drop off and either cause an accident or a significant loss of time on the job while you look for them.
Another feature that ensures a long service life is the reversible staple driver. (Just remove the bolt on the top of the head, remove the driver, reverse it and replace it. QED.)
I haven’t even got close to the stage where the driver head needs replacing despite the Rapid having become one of my tools of choice, and it has also been borrowed quite a lot by my mate. My guess is that most ordinary users will need quite a lot of heavy usage before the driver needs reversing.
Another feature that was particularly useful to me when I was laying the underfelt on the roof was that there is a built-in buffer plate under the staple head that protects the stapled material. The underfelt could have been damaged by a tacker that simply had the bare tacks delivered straight into the material.
The slight downside might be that the plate stops a user getting quite up to an edge, but it is a very remote possibility given the way a tacker is used normally.
A really annoying feature of a tacker can be reloading the staples. Particularly if you are in a hurry, with the material to be tacked blowing in the wind and your fingers a little cold in our wonderful English weather. Loading a new row of staples takes literally a matter of seconds. Unclick the rear of the handle, pull it back, insert the row of staples and close the handle until it clicks shut. The range of staples is from 6 to 12mm in length and these are readily available from retail outlets. For stockists, they are a good repeat sale item without taking up a great deal of space in displays.
Other things I have used the Rapid for have been; laying some temporary carpet, putting up some paper backing for a photo shoot background, and fixing a corner of the roofing felt on my shed. My guess is that the Rapid Tacker’s biggest market would be with roofing professionals who need to tack down any number of fancy waterproof and insulating membranes before the tiles go on. Flooring professionals could use it for tacking underfelt and carpets wherever a wooden substrate made that possible.
The professional display industry would also make very good use of its not inconsiderable capability because, being just that little bit longer than a staple gun, even I could reach up past the two metre mark and staple something quite a lot taller than me without having to fetch a ladder.
Being as it is such a simple and robust tool, there are few, if any, downsides to the Rapid R2 11. It does what it does, does it professionally and with an expectation that it will continue to do it for a long time, well repaying the investment in it in the first place.
Most tradespeople will find the weight about right for the job it is intended to do and the rubber handle sturdy and grippy enough. My wife found the weight too much for her, and returned to using an electric stapler on her display boards. Not really an option on a roof construction though!
At a retail price of £41.66 (ex VAT, £48.95, inc VAT) it might be worth the gamble to find out how useful it could be to you. I know I am not going to part with mine.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications