[Confession: After using this unusual stapler for a couple of hours, it appeared to loosen up and began to perform like a conventional, effective, but ordinary stapler. I still maintain that the indented base of the stapler is the most logical resting place for the palm of the hand, though using it in that position does require relearning how to use a stapler "backwards." But based on my extended experience, the stapler will perform, eventually, like a regular stapler, allowing the user to place the curved base of the unit onto a desk where it can indeed be "punched down upon." Still, such usage seems a shame for a Handheld Stapler that, besides the features mentioned below, is covered with a soft, cushiony, especially hand-friendly cover. (I still plan to use this particular stapler as described below. It's a little like the right-handed pianist who ties that hand behind his back in order to develop better left-hand technique.)]
[Original Review:] I couldn't find my bright red Swingline stapler and needed a replacement (a surefire way of resurrecting the lost one). My only requirements were that it be cheap and "loudly" colored (but not red, which I already had--somewhere). This pink Swingline seemed to fit the bill, especially since Amazon was offering a coupon discount (no strings, no extra purchase required) in addition to the already deeply discounted price.
Reading the customer reviews clinched the deal. I've never seen a product (at least, a non-electronic one) so decisively maligned by one reviewer after another (admittedly, a reason I gave this stapler 5 stars). The challenge of making this thing work like a stapler was simply irresistible.
What I discovered initially is that previous reviewers were mostly right about this particular stapler's ineffectiveness. The stapler is puzzling, perverse, precarious, impractical--and completely counter-intuitive. All of the problems other users have observed played out for me and no doubt will occur if you use this like a "normal" stapler. The secret to using it effectively is to take notice of the indented curvature in one half of the stapler. That's where your palm goes. And therein lies the problem: the palm must be placed on the base, or bottom, of the stapler rather than the top side.
Whether Swingline designers botched the job or are simply being devilishly playful with customers is hard to say. But once you've figured out where your palm goes, the next step is to either: 1. get used to seeing the back side of each staple (the 2 closing pieces) appearing on the front of each stapled stack; or 2. come at each stack of paper from "behind" rather than in front (or on top) of the stack. (I recommend the second approach).
Much of the satisfaction of stapling comes from "punching down" on the stack. But in this instance, you must get used to "squeezing up." Admittedly, it's a complete mind-shift, but not all that difficult. And from my very first "squeeze," the stapler performed like a champ, producing tightly stapled (no "open" staples) stacks from 2 to 12 pp. with little effort.
Maybe the problem is that this singular stapler simply is not made for time-deprived, busy adults, who are likely to be habit-driven when it comes to staplers. I'm going to try this pink deceiver on three grand-daughters, each of whom is in, or close enough to, the age of appreciating "Barbie" to put my theory to the test. (I promise to watch closely, given the hazards others have noted.)
| Manufacturer | Swingline |
|---|---|
| Brand | Swingline |
| Item Weight | 6.4 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 6.2 x 2.2 x 1.8 inches |
| Item model number | S7079415 |
| Color | Pink |
| Number of Fasteners | 20 |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer Part Number | S7079415 |
