# Best button cap nailer/stapler



## roadweiry (Feb 15, 2009)

Had a slow day friday so I ended up putting felt paper down and while I did have my old trusty bostich slap stapler I was thinking how much I would have rather had a cap nailer. Its rare that I even have to mess with felt but when I do I like to just get it done. 


So it seems like my options as I know it are. 

Coil nails /cap style 
Staple /cap style 

or 
Staple/cap.. slap stapler

Just wondering who prefers what?


----------



## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

Never used a cap nailer or stapler, we always whack it down with a slap stapler.


----------



## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I like my Bostitch Cap stapler


----------



## curapa (Oct 8, 2007)

I have used the Hitachi cap nailer and I did not care for it. In the end it was more productive to fill my pouch with hand drives and get it done.

The nailer would work fine for a while but every once in a while the tape wouldn't break on the caps and I would have a string of caps hanging out the gun, very aggravating. It's been a while but I seem to remember nails firing improperly causing them to not set the cap.

I have used a couple of different Hitachi cap nailers so I would say it's safe to assume I did not just have a bad gun.


----------



## paul100 (Dec 7, 2008)

I bought the one that harbor freight sells. I figured I had a 50/50 shot of it being any good. harbor frieght didnt have the staples or caps available. So I went lookign for them and I couldnt find the staples anywhere except on the internet. I decided just to return it. Never did get to try it out.


----------



## curapa (Oct 8, 2007)

I would also like to add I am a Hitachi fan, all of my framers are Hitachi so my opinion is not biased.


----------



## roof-lover (Sep 19, 2008)

curapa said:


> I have used the Hitachi cap nailer and I did not care for it. In the end it was more productive to fill my pouch with hand drives and get it done.
> 
> The nailer would work fine for a while but every once in a while the tape wouldn't break on the caps and I would have a string of caps hanging out the gun, very aggravating. It's been a while but I seem to remember nails firing improperly causing them to not set the cap.
> 
> I have used a couple of different Hitachi cap nailers so I would say it's safe to assume I did not just have a bad gun.


I had much of the same experience accept you didn't mention jamming.
Mine jammed. A lot.
I think it was the third or fourth time, i had had enough.
My favorite roofing guns have been the hitachi and bostitch.
I know them well and love both of them.

When i bought my power cap gun, i thought the only options were the hitachi and the Stinger.
Ofcourse i bought the hitachi.
It didn't work well and it jammed. 
It was really hard to unjam. You would be in pain from unjamming it.
We gave up and hand bang it.
Which is super hard because of how much the government demands on us. 
They demand 6 inches on center on the laps
Two runs of 12 inch on center in the center run of the roll.
That puts a lot of strain on our elbows/bodys.
We are putting on the shingles right away. Right now! Today! immediatelY!
The felt is not going to sit here for weeks and months and through a hurricane.

These ridicules price increasing rules(along with a whole slew of others)Are coming to your town soon.
You voted for it.

Before the government decided to be the gestapo here after october 07,
(after democrats gained control)---The way i did it was-- 
Round metal simplex installed 6 inches on center surrounding the entire perimeter but held back at least 3 inches from the edge to account for the eve drip metal. 
One run down the center of the roll at every 2ft.
On a roof that was 6/12 or over, i would put a simplex every 3ft across the top of the roll.
I did a great job. My felt wouldn't rip up or slide out when walking on it (8/12).
I did think others did much less nailing than i did and thought that they should do more but this is ridicules.

This is three times as much nailing as is really needed.
It's like me nailing the felt down.
Then coming back and renailing it again with the same amount of fasteners.
Then told to come back again and do it again.

Were still hand nailing it though...
Wearing out our bodies/less life for us, for our wifes and our children.
Then taking longer to do the job and charging more to the end user. YOU.

I am hearing from the " city inspectors" that all the new construction here(which has been exempt) is also going to have to comply with these same rules soon too.
I dont want for them to have to do it either. or you...

So all the new construction prices involving new homes and roofs are about to go up.

That should concern all you GCs that are trying to build a home.

Everybodys got lots of money, right?:blink:

This is probably going to spread to other states, cities, towns.:whistling


ON a good note, "2nd Gen" a roofer in this forum had a good report about the air bostich cap stapler/guns. 
Much less capacity but flawless application.


----------



## Burkk (Apr 8, 2008)

roadweiry said:


> Its rare that I even have to mess with felt but when I do I like to just get it done.


I dont mess with felt that much but I did purchase a Stinger CH38 and works good for me. I am now looking to buy the new automatic CH38A. I just dont want to put too much money into something I rarely do.

Burkk


----------



## roadweiry (Feb 15, 2009)

Burkk said:


> I just dont want to put too much money into something I rarely do.
> 
> Burkk



Thats the same boat im in. Im leaning towards the bostich. While it lacks cap capacity reviews point toward reliability. And to boot it will match my other guns. :clap:


----------



## Roofing Money (May 28, 2011)

*CapGun*

I will take my hands off to a bostitch stapler cap gun. I used one for a solid year and only had your normal jams which wasn't hard to just unstop and keep on trucking. I used to work in furniture factories on production so I like to git er done. It is the best and fastest way to go even with the jams. I have heard bad things about them but I don't have anthing bad to say. I am about to buy one myself because I no longer work with the guy that had that one. I haven't decided rather to get a bostitch or senco though.


----------



## pro exteriors (Feb 12, 2012)

I have an older (5yrs old) bostitch cap stapler and it works great, we don't use it much just when putting down synthetic felt thats gonna be left for more than a day or two. Just bought the newer version and its even better, I just put down 165 sq. of synthetic felt on a hotel and it had no issues. The only thing is getting the depth adjusted right so it doesn't punch the staples through the caps or leave the staples sticking up, its more sensitive to the air pressure than a roofing nailer so you may have to adjust that a little. We've timed it and its definitely faster than putting as many staples in as you have to with a hammer tacker to equal the holding power of cap staples.


----------



## Mavis Leonard (Mar 13, 2013)

iuse the bosittch cap stple er. It works well. great for windy time or when you not covering it up the same day.


----------



## Designed2Fail (Apr 10, 2013)

We use the bostitch cap stapler all the time on synthetic underlayment. My only gripe is occasionally a cap will be upside down in the roll usually near the end, its no fault of the gun but it wont shoot it out. 

Aside from that its better than nailing it down by hand that's for sure.


----------



## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

I have the Bostitch cap stapler and it has worked out well. I would say that the hammer tacker is faster. However, the button caps have much more holding power and allow tyvek/synthetic roofing paper to be exposed much longer.


----------



## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

pro exteriors said:


> I have an older (5yrs old) bostitch cap stapler and it works great, we don't use it much just when putting down synthetic felt thats gonna be left for more than a day or two. Just bought the newer version and its even better, I just put down 165 sq. of synthetic felt on a hotel and it had no issues. The only thing is getting the depth adjusted right so it doesn't punch the staples through the caps or leave the staples sticking up, its more sensitive to the air pressure than a roofing nailer so you may have to adjust that a little. We've timed it and its definitely faster than putting as many staples in as you have to with a hammer tacker to equal the holding power of cap staples.


That's a lot of squares


----------



## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

i use the Stinger


----------



## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

You can't beat a joseph kihlberg stapler for speed. A cap gun won't hold a candle to one of these on the roof. I think it holds better to, less chance of wind getting underneath which is what really tears paper off.


----------



## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

I like bossmans Bostitch cap stapler... has been strong 3 years now.

Cool avatar!! Bob Weir is the man!!


----------



## CLConstruction (Feb 25, 2011)

I have the grip rite cap stapler at present. It has laid well over 200sq of tar paper in the last 2 years. I like it a lot more then the bostich. It is lighter and much shorter then the bostich as well as better balance. I sold the bostich 3 weeks after I got it because I didn't like it. The paslode is a nice gun too, my buddy has one. But it is a bear to load. I use the bostich cap nailer for shooting on rigid foam insulation on the outside of houses before the furring strips go on.


----------



## txgencon (Jan 4, 2011)

I have a Bostitch cap stapler. I have no complaints on it other than when it comes to trying to figure out how to get it back in the case.


----------

