you pull the slide out, invert the tool, drop the staples straight into an opening in the bottom of the tool, then close the slide). The tool seems to hold up. If you're in the market for a lighter-weight staple gun, in the video review below the guy runs it through its paces. The tool is also bottom-loading, rather than slide-loaded (i. He also beats the crap out of it to see how tough the housing really is (it comes with a lifetime warranty), dropping it off a ladder onto concrete, driving over it, leaving it outside overnight in freezing conditions, etc.
