Best Budget-Friendly: Swingline Mini Stapler Tiny Tot

A mini-stapler has to be easy to use and fit in a backpack or bag. Swingline’s Mini Stapler Tiny Tot (so cute!) hits all the right notes—at a price that is easy on the wallet.

What We Liked

• Includes 1000 staples. 

• 12 sheet capacity. In reality, it is less than that in our real world tests—we’d say 5-8 pages, depending on the paper weight.

• Easy to use.

• Affordable.

What Needs Work

• Occasionally jams.

Best For Bigger Projects: Bostitch Office Heavy Duty 40 Sheet Stapler

Most mini staplers are for just a few pages—even those that claim they can staple 12 pages really can only do 5-8 pages in the real world.

What if you need a mini-stapler but need to actually staple 12 pages? We’d recommend Bostitch’s Office Heavy Duty 40 Sheet Stapler.

What We Liked

• Compact.

• Sturdy. We liked the non-skid rubber base.

• Can be stored horizontally or vertically.

• Staples are flatter than others.

• 40 sheet capacity. Ok, in reality it is more like 25 page maximum . . . but that is much more than other mini staples!

What Needs Work

• Must use Bostitch’s own brand of staples. It doesn’t work well if you use other brands.

• No staples included.

Best For Students: PraxxisPro Mini Staplers

We have to admit—these mini staplers are darn cute. We like this two-pack for students—they are easy to pop in a bag or backpack. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Great for travel.

• Good value—two-pack at a decent price.

• Bright colors: easy to see in a backpack.

• Can handle up to 18 sheets at once.

• Includes 800 staples.

What Needs Work

• Occasionally jams.

• Not for heavy-duty use. If you need a more robust model for bigger projects, we’d recommend the Bostitch model discussed earlier.

Best For Salespeople: Bostitch Office Mini Stapler

If you are a traveling salesperson, you probably need to staple a few pages together . . . but don’t have much room in your travel bag. We’d suggest Bostitch’s Office Mini Stapler for this use—good performance at a decent value.

What We Liked

• Easy to load.

• Includes 210 mini staples!

• Also functions as a staple remover.

• Also good for students, vehicles, school bags and more.

• Handles about 20 sheets of paper.

What Needs Work

• Works best if you have a flat surface (table) to staple on. Not as effective to staple free-style in the air!

• Occasionally jams.

• Have to push down rather hard to staple. Hence, this might not be best for smaller kiddos for school use.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!