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I am about to start hardwood project and need to buy a pneumatic hardwood flooring stapler. We will be doing the entire house instages since we are living in it, so renting at the HD doesn't make sense. The Bostitch MFS III costs over $450 new and rarely under $300, even well-used, on eBay. There is an off brand which is sold in a variety of colors by different vendors, but all have the same stampings in the body, and come with a case, safety glasses and mallet, etc. They go for around $250.00 on eBay and Harbor Freight sells theirs for $149.00. Obviously I am not a pro, and won't need to make my living with this tool, but if it's going to fall apart after a couple of rooms, then it's not worth it. Anyone have any experience with this off-brand?

I did a DIY floor this winter and also struggled with the price of the pro tools, but didn't want to take the risk with the no-name/Harbor Freight quality of tool. Nobody seemed to have first-hand-experience with the cheapo tools, but everybody unanimously endorsed the high-end ones (MIIIFS, for example), so I decided not to be the guinea pig.

Here's what worked for me. Buy the MIIIFS brand-new as cheaply as you can (Amazon.com has them for about $480, and often has $25-off-tools promotions, plus free shipping and no tax in most places), use it, then sell it to the next DIYer. I sold mine for $350. The $130 I ate was cheaper than the cheapest chinese-made tool, and cheaper than any rental option considering that I used it over several weeks, and I had the assurance of using a brand-new tool.

When it came time to sell, Ken was kind enough to let me post a "classified" on this forum, and it was sold to a forum reader in 1 or 2 days. Other avenues would work, also, as I had listed it in Craigslist and a local paper's on-line classifieds, and both generated potential buyers also. You can see from the eBay listings that there is a demand for these things, in any condition, so imagine what your used-once tool is worth to someone.

Good luck,
Garrett in San Diego

An excellent solution!

For $149, I have been thinking about buying the Harbor Freight stapler, just to check it out and actually compare.

I use several Harbor Freight tools, they are cheap, and cheaply made, but they do what I need them for and I have had one angle grinder($9) fry the gear, which I returned for a new one that has lasted 4 years now.

The switch on the table saw($89) I use when there isn't anything special needed on the job, went out. But that isn't a big deal, as I use a power strip with a on/off switch.

Just to let you know that I purchased a flooring stapler from Harbor Freight Tools on sale for $149. After the first staple, it jammed. I returned it and got another one. It jammed after 10 staples. I returned it and got my money back.
I then bought a Stanlet-Bostitch flooring stapler at Home Depot, for around $460. It has worked flawlessly.
I lost a 1/2 day fooling around with the H.F. stapler. It didn't work for me.
If you plan on putting in a lot of hardwood flooring, I recommend buying the Stanley or equivalent. For just one room, you might consider renting a stapler.
One final suggestion. If you do buy a stapler from Harbor Freight, purchase the $20 Replacement Warranty so you can return it when it jams and get another one.

Hi,

I had a similar experience with a Harbor Freight stapler. I spent more time with the stapler apart (to remove jammed staples) than I spent using it to attach the floor. I returned it for a refund and decided to rent one from HD. They have Bostitch staplers and they work great with no jams.

I'm not sure it was the actual stapler that was the problem, but more likely the staples that came with it. They are a thinner gauge then the standard staples and seemed more likely to be slightly bent. Because they are so thin, the will crinkle right up if they are even the tiniest bit off.

Good luck with your project,
Julie

Geez! Harbor Fraud?

Let me replay the speil I give to potential clients.

"Your price seems high,almost double what the other guy bid."

Chuck says,"If you walked into a car dealership showroom and saw a brand new car priced at 10 grand,would you believe anything the salesman said about how great the car was?