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As a dedicated A/V geek, this makes me cringe. Using staples to hold up wires is a big no-no! The force of the gun can make the staple can cut into the shielding of the wire, potentially causing shorts. This is especially a problem with the low profile wires that many people like to use.

Instead use wall-mounting zip ties. The tie attaches to the wall via a nail, and then zips up tight to hold the wire.

Even better, run a cable raceway conduit either along the ceilings or baseboards. You can paint it to match, and then when you have to run more wires, or replace existing wires, you don't have to pull a bunch of staples out of the walls.

I'm thinking of buying a power drill. Anyone have any recs?

I ditto max's sentiments.

I thought the same thing.

this + monster cable = disaster

I've seen insulated staples...however I still don't trust them

Zip cords are my best freind

There could actually be a whole thread on cables. I also opt for running stereo cables discretely around the wall either in an enclosed low-profile conduit or with self-sticking 12-guage low-profile wire. There's also a great alternative, Flat Wire which is paper thiin calbes that are glued to the wall then skim coated over for a in-wall appearance without the drama. But what ever way you go, DO NOT staple electric cords or stereo wires.

Pixie - a friend gave me a Black & Decker drill a few years ago & I hate it. It starts off so powerfully that I feel like I have no control at the begining when I need it the most. So everytime I use it I end up with a mess. Other friends who are more experienced with drills (just about everyone) who have used it agree that this drill is not for the novice. I'm about ready to give it to the salvation army.

Thanks Janice. Any idea which model it is?

Monster Cable makes me cringe in general, but I agree that this might not be the best idea.

Pixie, first choice you have to make is corded or battery.

Batteries don't make sense for a lot of tools. For example, a 4 minute duration on a Milwaukee Sawzall (the longest duration out of a test I saw of reciprocating saws against Porter Cable, DeWalt, etc.) weighs against the convenience of being able to saw without an outlet nearby or having cables get in the way. However, for a power drill it makes a lot of sense. The charge holds for a decent amount of time and the sheer convenience of not being tethered by a cord makes it a no brainer IMHO.

So let's say we are going for cordless. The next decision is what voltage. I would not go any lower than 14volts. Any lower and you don't have enough power to drill through masonry and metal if you ever need to. 14 volt batteries are appreciably lighter than 18 volt (try drilling or screwing a load of overhead screws while holding an 18 volter) and should last longer too. The reason being the cells are less tightly packed in the 14 volt so have less of a tendency to overheat. Overheating shortens the life of the battery dramatically and replacements are not cheap. I actually have an 18 volt Milwaukee and the batteries are over $70 each!
However, the higher voltage batteries hold the charge longer.

For brands, you can't go wrong with Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Bosch, and DeWalt (though I don't think the Dewalts have full metal chucks which is odd given their reputation). However, I also have a Ryobi jigsaw which I cannot fault. Ryobi make very afforable cordless and corded tools and you can get some extremely good value combo packages from them. I did not want a circular saw in the Milwaukee combo pack I got but am glad the one without was out of stock leading me to get the one with. In my closet projects it was invaluable.

Trouble with combo packs is that they make them look like good value because they leave out the expensive batteries. Actually they give you two which is not enough if you are working all day on something and are using at least two power tools. You need at least 4 to cycle through them. If you just buy a drill make sure you get 2 batteries included.

If I were to buy again I would by the Pansonic 15.6 volt drill that has been proven to last as long as the 18 volt drills and get through as many of the torture tests with the best of them. They also do an 18 volt version but the 15.6v performed as well as 18 volters that it should not be necessary to get that. BTW, panasonic provide the batteries for many of the well known brands of cordless tools.

All the testing I am referring to was done at various times by fine homebuilding magazine, one of the best DIY mags around because they cover some complex projects but in a way that a handy DIYer could do themselves with the right tools. www.finehomebuilding.com

One caveat about these cordless tools. The better ones run on NiMH batteries whereas some of the cheaper or older ones use Ni Cadmium (forgot the 2 letter code). Most ppl will know from the old cell phone and lap top days that both of those types of batteries suffer from the memory effect where they don't hold a charge for as long as possible if you have not conditioned them by fully charging and draining them. Problem is that because the cells are tightly packed, fully discharging them by actually using the tools until the batteries die causes so much heat to be generated that the cells are damaged causing the whole battery to die prematurely. Thus it is not really possible to do the discharge thing by using the tools. You need to stop using the battery as soon as it gets hot which will be a long time before it loses its charge. A pain I know but cheaper in the long run.

Hey Michael, I know exacly what you are talking about when it comes to monster cable.

However, in defense of Maxwell, I recently saw a Mission Organization where Maxwell used his trusty staple gun to tidy up the cords and it worked very well without digging into the cords.

Oh, and Monster Cable is a rip off. Don't buy it. You can get something just as nice for 1/10th of the price.

i wish i knew that before i bought my monster cable(s)! what is the better alternative??

Is stapling a big problem with non-av wires? My ex-roommate stapled ethernet cables all around her place, and we had no problems with the connection.

I bought a pack of little stick-on keepers to keep my landline cord in place. They are clear plastic with a strip of adhesive on one side and maybe an inch or so long. One pack has lasted me at least three apartments.

I absolutely hate seeing wires and cables strung all over the place. Check out Cable Turtles from the Container Store. (I'm not sure if that is their official name...or just what I call them)
They look like a bagel that you can turn inside out....wrap as much cord around as you liked...then flip shut again to hide the cord. They come in a variety of sizes and colors.

Now the only wires I see are the bare minimum it takes to get from the computer/tv/vcr-dvd/etc to the outlet.

I really don't think this product is especially noteworthy, the Arrow Powershot staple gun is both functionally and esthetically a clearly superior design.

You can find it at -

www dot tooled-up dot com

search for powershot

Would anyone be willing to recommend a stapler I could use for affixing upholstery fabric and batting to wood, MDF and the wall?

I think this is the same staple gun that I have. It can shoot brads!

In reference to Flat Wire - Anyone in the downtown NY area, I think I've seen this stuff at The Chocolate Bar, which is over somewhere between Bleecker and 14th Street on the West Side. You can enjoy a cup of cocoa and check out those flat cables, which they use on their wall speakers in the back. They look very cool exposed. I had seen them months ago and was very interested in them...and then forgot. Thanks to this thread I remembered them!

Here is a link for that flat wire - it's amazing -

www dot decorp dot com/decord.htm

Squixan, unless you have a high end system (in which case you would be looking at stuff better than Moster cables), just about any sort of speaker wire will do. You would be fine going to home depot and buying a bulk roll of 14 gauge speaker wire.

As for video cables and interconnects (the red and white booted wires that connect components), the premium you pay for Monster cable doesn't get you much. Go somewhere like www.cablesamerica.com and buy a generic. If you really feel that you should be spending money on the cables, go get broadcast quality stuff from a place like bluejeanscable.com.

Or even better, roll your own. If you are running many cables (perhaps a home theater setup with long runs), it may be cheaper. Buy a small spool of high quality cable (belden is good) and the tools to to cut, trim, and terminate it. You'll save hundreds of dollars. Of course, this is only for video and interconnects. Speaker wire you may as well use generic.

Again, unless you're dealing with a high resolution audio system (maybe $5000 and up for simple stereo), AND you are using it for critical listening, spending lots of cash on cables won't get you much of a sound quality improvement. Video is another matter, but any competently made cable will do. If it's good enough for the editing and production needs of Hollywood and the Networks, it's probably good enough for you to watch that DVD you picked up from Blockbuster on.

Jamie Pup, thanks for all the info on the power drill. Most helpful.

Max said it. Monster cables aren't bad, they're just overpriced/hyped. Same goes for Bose. A little research can get you better quality for less $.

Terry -- Something like this staple gun would be fine for upholstery. Search at your local hardware store and see what they have. Do check to see what type and how long a staple the stapler takes, but I think most of them take staples up to 3/4", which is all you'd need anyway. You can also get electric staple guns, if you plan on doing a lot of stapling...

thanks max and jon b!

Mary--thank you. I am about to do something to soundproof my walls. I plan to staple fabric over whatever I can find that will provide some relief.

There must be something wrong that so many of us are so eager to post comments about a stapler. Oh well...

Scotch Clear Removable Mounting Squares are the thing to use for speaker wires, according to Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools, which also has a good stapler recommendation as the lead item today.

I would give you links, but that's not allowed. Use google.

Terry,

Unless you are putting up something exceptionally heavy on your walls (mass loaded vinyl, another layer of drywall, etc.) anything you put up there will have a minimal effect on soundproofing. You may be able to absorb some very high frequency reflections within your room, but little else. If you want soundproofing advice drop me an email. 99% of the sound proofing people try to do on their own is a complete waste of time and simply results in lost $$.

Kevin Kelly just reviewed a much better staple gun for "Cool Tools" here.

Since I can't link to it, right now it's the fifth review down on the main page, entitled "Forward-Action Stapler."