Revealed! Hidden Second Feature of a Office Stapler

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A little-known feature of a stapler hidden in plain sight has been revealed by a woman on TikTok.

Krista Marie, who goes by the handle @kristamarie1982, shared a video titled, “Can someone explain what the point is?” and pointed out the dual function of the small metal piece – the strike plate – on the stapler.

The plate is reversible and can be rotated. The main setting bends the staples inward to firmly hold a stack of papers together. When flipped, however, it bends the staple legs outwards to ‘pin’ a stack of papers temporarily.

She begins by stapling a sticky note together then pushes out the small piece of metal to twist it around.

Krista staples the same sticky note again to compare the length difference of the two staples – with the second being nearly twice the size than the other.

The video has since been viewed a staggering 18.2 million times, with many explaining the function to those still baffled by the plate’s purpose.

“The first one is for ‘permanent’ staples while the second one is for ‘temporary’ stapling,” she wrote.