Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-04-20)

67

THE ONE Bloomberg Pursuits April 20, 2020

El Casco’s 23-karat

stapler is for

home offices that

mean business

Photograph by

Jessica Pettway

The

Golden

Punch

Pants may be a

thing of the past in

many home offices

as social distancing

continues, but

paperwork persists.

El Casco, a century-

old Spanish maker

of desk accessories

such as letter

openers, hole

punches, and pencil

sharpeners, adds a

touch of formality

to any workspace

THE COMPETITION

• Is a stapler still a
  stapler if it doesn’t
  use staples?
  According to
  Japanese retailer
  Muji, the answer is
  yes, at least when it
  comes to its $8.90
  Stapler Without
  Staples, which can
  bind as many as four
  sheets together at a
  time by punching a
  hole and folding the
  chad back.


• The gracefully
  curved $84 Zenith
  520 Gold stapler
  is available in
  enameled red or
  black paint with
  23-karat gold
  details. It can power
  through 40 sheets
  of paper at a time,
  making this design
  icon from Balma
  Capoduri & C SpA
  of Italy more than a
  mere showpiece.


• Picture a stapler
  in your mind, and
  it’s probably the
  Swingline 747
  Business stapler
  (from $32) that you
  see. Clean lines and
  robust construction
  make this desktop
  accessory as
  timeless as it
  is useful.

THE CASE

The precise

construction and

reliability of the

M-1 LN reflects

El Casco’s origins

as a firearms maker:

The cartridge of its

larger M-10 stapler

evolved from a gun

barrel. And like

a revolver, every

part of the M-1 can

be removed and

replaced, be it the

slide spring or the

circular crimping

plate. It comes with

a box of refills, holds

50 standard-size

staples, and can

bind 25 sheets at

a time, which is

sufficient for most

paperwork duties,

whether you’re

at an actual desk

or a makeshift

one at your dining

room table. $137;

el-casco.es

with its matte black

23-karat M-1 LN

stapler ($137). The

ka-thunk sound

that comes from

pressing down on

the dome of the

hand-polished

handle is a perfect

sonic counterpoint

to clickity laptop

keyboards—a

satisfyingly solid

and mechanical ode

to the job at hand.

The M-1 LN stapler^

is 4.5 inches long

and 3.75 inches tall and

can hold 50 staples

r

PROP STYLIST: STEPHANIE YEH