NECA Show Coverage

2023 EC&M Product of the Year Silver Award Winner Honored at NECA Show

Oct. 2, 2023

Milwaukee Tool takes home second runner-up honor for its M12 cable stapler in this year's Product of the Year competition.

Ellen Parson

On the third and final day of the NECA Show in Philadelphia, EC&M editors stopped by the Milwaukee Tool booth to recognize its M12 cable stapler for winning the silver (second runner-up) award in this year's Product of the Year competition.

Representing the Tools (Power) category, this product features a compact, lightweight design to give users access to tight stud bays and increase efficiency during the rough-in process. It also offers improved ergonomics when stapling overhead or during difficult-to-reach situations. Moveable cable guides ensure proper alignment, and the coil-spring mechanism consistently sinks the staples to the appropriate depth when fastening NM-B sheathed cable (14, 12, 10 AWG) and low-voltage cables. The product, which is only compatible with 1-in. insulated staples (sold separately), gives the user the run-time needed to sink up to 1,200 staples on a fully charged M12 CP2.0ah battery.

The photo at right shows EC&M''s Group Editorial Director Mike Eby (right) and Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson (left) presenting Brennan Mach (center), product manager with Milwaukee Tool, with the trophy.

This year’s competition featured products introduced to the market between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022. A hand-picked panel of judges narrowed down the 110 entries to 34 category winners for the first phase of the competition. These category winners were then narrowed down to our three finalists through an online poll available to EC&M readers, who cast their votes to determine the three award-winning products.

About the Author

Ellen Parson | Editor-in-Chief - EC&M

Ellen Parson is the Editor-in-Chief for EC&M. She has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She's been a business-to-business writer and editor for more than 25 years, most of which have been covering the construction and electrical industries. Contact her at [email protected].