A short glossary of the terms that come up when buying hand tools and
fixings. Written to explain what the thing is — not to sell you one.
TERMS
Definitions.
Staple gun
A hand tool that drives a U-shaped staple into wood, board or similar material. Bodies are either plastic or all-steel; heavy-duty models combine staple, brad and pin driving in one tool. In trade use it is also called a staple gun tacker.
Rivet gun / hand riveter
A hand-powered tool that sets a blind rivet by pulling a mandrel through the rivet body and breaking it off. No compressor or battery is needed, which is why it is still the standard for overhead work on a ladder.
Rivet nut tool
A hand tool that installs a threaded insert (a rivet nut, or nutsert) into thin sheet so that a bolt can be threaded into it afterwards. Interchangeable nosepieces let one tool cover several thread sizes.
Blind rivet
A rivet that can be set from one side of the workpiece only — essential when the back of the joint cannot be reached. The mandrel is pulled to expand the body, then snaps off.
Hollow-wall anchor
A fixing for plasterboard and hollow walls that opens behind the board so the load is spread over the back face rather than pulled through the front.
Setting tool
The tool that drives a hollow-wall anchor. A hand-powered setting tool needs no compressor, which matters because hollow-wall anchors are usually fitted overhead from a ladder.
Expansion anchor
A fixing that grips by expanding against the sides of a drilled hole as the bolt is tightened. Common metric sizes are M4 and M5.
GS-Mark (Geprüfte Sicherheit)
A German product-safety mark meaning "tested safety". It is issued after testing by an independent body and is verifiable in Certipedia under the approval number — which is why we publish the number rather than a picture of the mark.