Somewhere I have an older specimen of this same T50 staple gun, purchased in the early to mid 1990's. I used that staple gun for years around the house, and lots more at the shooting range for stapling up paper targets. In fact I'm sure it is now in an ammo can someplace... but I got a lot of ammo cans. So I ordered this new one. As far as I can see based on memory, the new one is perfectly identical to my old one. It is marked "Made in USA" on the side, and is essentially all steel construction. In these days of short-lived plastic gizmos, it is sure nice to see that the art of forming sheet steel into functional products has not gone extinct. It is especially nice to see this quality construction, in view of the product's very modest price.