Reviewed - DeWalt DCN701 electricians stapler

For years electricians have heard the constant thump of joiners firing nails into wood with a Paslode gun, watching in envy as plasterers whizz across drywall with collated screws. It seems the only people on site using nails on site these days are electricians as they crawl around in a roof void carefully fixing cables with nailed in cable clips. Now it's our turn to join in the fun with the introduction of the Dewalt DCN701 electricians stapler.

By Gary Hayers & Joe Robinson
Tuesday 9th July 2019

The new DeWalt DCN701 electricians cable stapler

It's effortless, place the stapler over the cable you want to fix and press the trigger, the DCN701 fires in a staple and holding the cable in place. Step and repeat until you've quickly exhausted a full magazine of around 30 staples.

You're left thinking why did it take so long to invent this product?

First impressions, the DCN701 is a robust tool which will take a few knocks on site. It uses the DeWalt 18V XR Lithium-ion battery system, so is compatible with other tools in the range. Our test kit included two batteries, a charger and a TSTAK VI carry case - all for £312.95 (inc VAT). You can buy the staple gun head only for £197.95 (inc VAT).

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The unit has an LED positioned near the staple head, which lights up with a slight press of the trigger, a useful feature to avoid stapling through adjacent cables when working in a dimly lit area.

The crown staples come in boxes of 540 in one size option 19mm wide 25mm deep, so can be used to fix flat cables up to 6.0mm twin and CPC. Used with smaller dimension cables, such as 1.0mm twin and CPC, the cable can flap about within the staple. It should be possible to fix two 1.0mm cables adjacent to each other with one staple if you plan your cable routes. If you don't then you may find yourself running out of space on narrow ceiling joists trying to accommodate multiple cable runs.

The staples have a plastic cap to protect the insulation; the staples can also be driven in with a hammer, which is useful for tight spaces. The hammer in feature may also prove helpful to overcome one slight downfall with the gun, in that the cable can still move freely backwards and forwards once stapled. To correct this, you may need to give the odd staple a tap with a hammer to avoid slack being pulled through on longer cable runs and to provide additional support for vertical drops.

Although no claims are made by DeWalt at this stage, the staples could be a great solution to aid compliance with the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations requirements, for prevention of premature collapse. The plastic cap is for protection of the insulation, support is provided by the steel clip.

Our verdict

If you undertake lots of new build residential installations or extension projects, you'll love this stapler. It would be good to see some different staple options and if DeWalt look to endorse the system to aid compliance with the requirements for premature collapse of wiring systems.

We tested

DeWalt DCN701D2-GB

Which includes 2 - 18 volt 2Ah XR batteries, multi-volt charger and TSTAK VI carry case.

Gun only option also available for users who already own charger and other tools with the XR battery system. DCN701N-XJ

Staples

DRS18100-XJ - 540 staples in a pack

We purchased our test unit from Tooled-UP.