Staple-free stapler reviewed

After yesterday's post, I had a few questions from people wondering if the eco staple-free stapler works well. My answer: yes and no.

Here's a blue sheet of paper stapled to a white sheet.

The stapler works by punching out tabs that get folded over and pushed through a tiny slit. The device only works when fastening up to four sheets of paper. Any more and the stack of tabs is too thick for the stapler to push through the slit. That means your papers will have a hole but won't be fastened together—no good! However, when it works properly, those sheets are stuck together very securely and the only way to get them apart is to undo the tab or tear the paper. It took me a few tries to realize you have to push the top of the stapler down hard all the way to get those tabs inserted.

The pros: it's super cute, good for the environment, and you never have to worry about running out of staples. The cons: If you want to staple more than four sheets, you're out of luck. Since it punches a hole, you might punch through a valuable bit of information on your sheet. And the hold isn't quite as secure as a metal staple, since paper can tear and metal won't.