Arrow ET501– Ergo
If you have been a regular user of Arrow staplers and nailers as I have been over the years, you would recognize that the Arrow brand is iconic. It is thoroughly American
in the best way, in the sense that it is a “can do” no-nonsense, practical brand of tools that do what they ought to do - well. But being iconic also places pressures on the brand – it cannot afford to slip behind the competition, so ongoing research and development become even more
important. My guess is that the new ET501 sent for review is just such a product. It seems to be aimed at a specific niche market and therefore has specific features. Not that the ET501 wouldn’t serve as a good all-purpose stapler/nailer for general use, it is just that some jobs need certain features. On the packaging the ET501 is declared to be “ideal for insulation and upholstery” and therefore has a set of features that are needed in those particular areas. The first of these is the fastener depth control. Depth control is not an exact science since the hardness of the material being stapled may vary a great deal. For example, in upholstery, of which I have done a bit, the thickness of the fabric and the hardness of the base sometimes make it quite hard to ensure that the job is
done exactly. However, the 6-position knob on the turret of the ET501 makes it easier to determine the correct power of strike to select. This does take a bit of trial and error, but it really isn’t difficult to do. Many handled tools now have these as a matter of course, but a well-designed rubbery grip can be an aid to comfort and safety for the user. The Arrow’s grip is very
subtly included but feels comfortable and useful and aids the feeling of ergonomic design that has obviously been striven for in this tool. Safety is rightly a focus these days, so I would expect that the ET501 would include a contact safety mechanism. This is a gently spring-loaded trigger mechanism on
the business end (where the staples come out) that has to be fully pressed into the work before the trigger can be operated. Thus there is no danger that a staple or brad will be fired across the room by someone accidentally pulling the trigger. Often manufacturers looking to squeeze costs will cut down a cord length to a silly degree, but Arrow has included a 1.8 metre (six foot) length of cord that is very
much on the generous side in a tool of this type. In fact, it long enough to cover the usual area in which such a machine might be used –an upholster’s bench. Finally, and I know it sounds like a trivial point, there is a small window in the side of the tool at staple magazine level that allows the user to check when the staples
are running out. My experience tells me that staples always run out just as you reach a crucial point in the job, so I have often found that a visual way of checking staples is actually quite a good idea.
8 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
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