Gaffer’s tape is fantastic stuff!
It’s not quite the hybrid child of duct tape and clean-release masking tape, but perhaps that gives you good idea of what you’re dealing with.
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It’s grippy, but doesn’t leave residue, at least not from most of the surfaces I’ve tried it with.
I resisted buying gaffer’s tape for a while, despite hearing great things about it, for one reason – it’s pricey. I bought my first roll a couple of years ago, and recently ordered a couple more rolls from Amazon.
Gaffer’s tape is usually available in 1″, 2″, 3″, and 4″ sizes. If you start with a larger piece than you need, that’s okay, it tears easily.
Don’t let the name or film and theater industry focus throw you off, this is great tape that can be used in all kinds of holding tasks and applications.
I like Pro Gaff tape, which features:
- Coated cloth backing
- Synthetic rubber adhesive
- 50 lbs per inch tensile strength
- 11 mil thickness
A 1″ x 55 yard roll is priced at ~$12, and a 2″ x 55 yard roll is priced at ~$22. Some colors seem to be priced a little higher, and others a little lower.
This particular brand is made in the USA.
Buy Now via Amazon: 1″
Buy Now via Amazon: 2″
The only thing I regret about these tapes so far is waiting so long to buy it. I tend to use duct tape for general purpose stuff, and gaffer’s tape when I need a little more texture and residue-free removal.
The residue-free removal works on most surfaces, and so far I’ve only tested it on hard solid surfaces. I wouldn’t recommend putting it on painted surfaces or other such surfaces where removal will cause damage. Although yes it could be considered a temporary tape, it’s also very strong and tacky. You have been warned.
Iron-iceberg
Shhhhhh gaffers tape is the best keep secret. I always have a roll with me. It you use duck tape on carpet it leaves some glue that will attract dirt and you will always have line where you applied the tape. No so with gaffers tape. Plus it’s nice and thick if you want to pad some thing to keep wear down. Squeak in your dash… just a little roll of it. Want to pad a screw driver to pry with gaffers tape.
Love it.
NoahG
Welcome to the dark side. 😉
Gaffers tape is also the best for labeling. Sharpie doesn’t smear like on duct tape.
Ken
I put a piece over a crack in my tub. I think it’s been there a year now.
Daniel
Gaff tape is THE tape in theater. I honestly can’t stand duct tape now. It is great for labeling random things, tears well.
Tom
Yep. Great stuff. Ran through rolls and rolls of black 2” back when I did sound and lightning… Try Full Compass for some more affordable pricing. The 1/2” version (“spike” tape) comes in a rainbow of colors and is used to mark spots for actors, scenery, equipment on the stage — also really useful to color code cables, crates, etc.
Joe
Use this stuff at work for emergency patches on belting and any time the floor mats start to creep up from the foot traffic. Two overlapping layers of 4″ gaff and the obligatory yellow and black safety tape overtop and that shtuff is staying put for months. Tripping hazard abated!
Brian M
I got a roll of that exact tape but in black for a job that specified a specific hack that used about a foot of tape…It was a life changer. The tape tears easier, sticks as good as duct tape and the adhesive stays on the tape. This tape was used specifically to stick to HDPE for a semi-permanent repair, I was surprised how well it stuck and it’s been holding up for over two years in several locations that haven’t upgraded to the new design. I wish it wasn’t soo expensive or I’d use it much more often.
Russ
I love gaffer tape and enjoy telling new people about it; usually after hearing their horror story about the mess duct tape left behind. ‘Gaffer Power’ is the brand I use; I keep a roll of black 2″ wide available.
JoeM
There are some legends about this stuff. Like it was originally called “Heavy Grip Tape” when first invented, or that it was “Fabric Tape” for a while. It wasn’t given its current, lasting, moniker until the Movie and Theatre industries adopted it and stage hands, set dressers, and prop masters started uttering the phrase “Just hand me that Gaffer’s Tape, I’ll get it done!”
I regret, I have not used it yet. But, I am among the indoctrinated. I’m somewhat of the mind that if 3M Magic Tape can’t do it, Plastic Medical Tape Can’t Do It, or Electrical Tape Can’t Do It, then it’s time to go for Duct Tape, or Gaffer’s Tape.
If none of these work, you were looking for a Tape Measure, and got lost among the Adhesive Tapes. Go back to the Measuring Tape section to solve the problem.
I’ll get around to using Gaffer’s Tape at some point. I know I need it for SOMETHING… just not at this second, that’s all.
Dave
If you want Gaff tape that’s less than 1″, look for Spike Tape, it’s the same thing only in 1/4″ or 1/2″ widths. The “Spike” in Spike Tape is for laying out stage positions, prop positions; the quintessential “mark” that actors lose or find when rehearsing.
Pro-Gaff is my preferred gaff tape also
Jeff
Thanks. I’ll definitely buy a half inch roll to keep me from using my gaffers tape for labelling stuff
dll932
I like gaffer’s tape much better than duct tape. It doesn’t degrade over time and come loose, not to mention coming off cleanly. Plus, you can pull it off and reapply most of the time because it remains sticky.
Justin
Has anyone tried the AmazonBasics gaffer’s tape? It’s a fraction of the price of some of the others, but not sure if I trust the reviews.
Stacey Jones
Don’t trust the reviews? Are you talking about the one with 900+ reviews @4.5 or the one with almost 7200 @4.4? In my experience I’ve never seen that many people be wrong. 40-50 Yes. Now if the reviews are obviously about different products, that might be an exception. Shun that product.
Koko The Talking Ape
You may not be aware that it’s possible, even common, to purchase good reviews. These review companies employ hundreds of people to write fake reviews of whatever product they’ve been hired to boost.
There are even websites that will evaluate the reviews of a product and rate them for fakeness.
Amazon does call out reviews from “certified buyers,” who actually bought the thing. Those reviews are probably more reliable. But as far as I know, there’s no way to filter them out of the mass of fake reviews, and get an average, etc.
Stacey Jones
Yeah I am aware of these, but in all of the cases I’ve seen ,except maybe one or two, it’s been like 50 obviously fake reviews. The one or two cases where there were hundreds of reviews were for completely different products under the same listing. Again, obviously fake. I think it’s harder to buy reviews than most think. If they offered that for me, I’d take their free item, then “update” the review later, simply because this is unethical of sellers, even if their product is excellent.
Vards Uzvards
Just one of the dozens of articles about fake product reviews on Amazon.com: https://thehustle.co/amazon-fake-reviews
Matthew Dong
I am a reviewer for Gladiator Garage products. I got offered to be a consumer tester because I engaged in social media with Gladiator when setting up my garage. THey sent me a notice that it was time to request some products (garage hooks mainly, nothing major). I got my first set of garage hooks; they asked me to write a review and then submit it. They did not give me any pressure to write a “positive glowing” review. However, I did give the product a good review- its hard to screw up a garage hook, really. I wonder when the second round is. I did notice some newer products and you have to request the items ASAP because its first come-first serve. I can not refer people to the Gladiator testing program – people are hand picked for whatever reason…
JoeM
Isn’t that a little like comparing Medieval Chain Mail to Rennaisance Era Plate Mail though? One’s cut proof, the other is designed to deflect the first generation of musket shot.
I really don’t think you can use Duct Tape and Gaffer’s Tape interchangeably. Their properties overlap a lot, yes, but the nature of each one’s composition makes them useful for things the other was never capable of, and that goes both ways.
Chaws
If I am running a rifle. I’ll use this kind of tape for extra grip,.. especially in wet/muddy conditions. A strip across the cheek rest is nice when im clean shaven.
When home, some of this on ratchets help with oil.
Gordon
I used some when my front bumper cracked. It held up for a number of years, and on a black car, it blended in nicely. It did rip off some of the paint when I pulled it off to redo it. But that just highlighted the fact that the bumper was cracked, filled, and repainted painted prior to me buying the car. So in a way, the tap made me feel better about not being responsible for breaking it in the first place.
Nate B
About twenty years ago, I was lucky enough to score some very large 6″ rolls of yellow gaffer’s tape at a surplus place, and those did just about everything for me. I’m still finding things labeled with Sharpie on bits of that yellow.
More recently I’ve got some brown and black around, and I don’t quite use it for everything, but it’s a regular part of my arsenal when it’s appropriate. Labeling is done with Painter’s Mate green masking tape, though. It’s cheaper, thinner, a beautifully unique color that draws the eye, and light enough to provide good contrast with a Sharpie mark.
Left in place long enough, the adhesive will form a permanent bond, please be aware. I’m currently chipping some off my dashboard, where it held a GPS antenna for about 6 years…
Jeff
One thing that i use gaffers tape for that I’ve never seen any where else is this:
Whenever I have to repair a extension cord or power tool cord I first make the connection with electrical tape and then cover that with gaffers tape. I’ve had some of the repairs last for years of everyday job site use without turning into a sticky messy
Brian M
In cable repairs or making a cable I use heat shrink with adhesive and silicone self-fusing tape. It’s cheaper(though you get significantly less of it) and it doesn’t stick to anything other than itself so you can remove it if necessary. It’ also remains flexible depending on how tight you wrap it.
Greg
I used gaffer’s tape to hold the plastic piece and cover the crack of a 1″ piece in the front bumper of my car. It has held and covered the broken piece for 2 years now, through snow, ice, and hot humid summers.. and many drive through car washes. The color matches the car color so well that unless I point it out no one notices it. One of many applications where this stuff just works…period.
Garrick Neal
I’ve been using hockey tape for reinforcing the fingers on gloves where they wear out, and to hold shoes together sometimes. It also is made of easily tear-able cloth. On gloves, as long as it is put in before the original material tears or wears through, it is lasts long, and can be replaced, which keeps my well broken in gloves and shoes in a comfortable state of well broken in for a long time.
I think it may be both lighter duty and a bit cheaper than gaffers tape. It is certainly more easily available… though with online stores, it is only a short time difference these days.
Boggsy
HPHT
Hot Pink Hockey Tape for the win.
Just as strong as gaff, but definitely leaves residue. Wayyy cheaper though.
Garrick Neal
The residue is why it’s important to put in on the gloves before they wear through. While it can come in handy to have tape residue on my finger tips for getting hold of small parts, it almost impossible to clean off.
John
I’ve been a commercial photographer for over 20 years and used my fair share of gaff tape. It is superior to any duct tape, but it’s not what some people claim in the comments. It will leave residue if given enough time. It will dry rot and disintegrate as well with too much exposure and heat. I’ve had pieces as quick tear off spares inside and outside of equipment cases, on light stands, silk frames, some may be 15 year old pieces and you do notice a difference in how the tape ages. But it is a quality tape.
Mike
I work in the entertainment feild, before corona destoryed it. We go thru gaff at an alarming rate. My work box normally has 12 rolls of black, 6 white, 1 of all the neon colors, and a few other random colors. Along with another 15 rolls of specialty tapes, and around 100 rolls of e-tape. That usually will get my department thru 1 show.
Other cool things you can do besides whats been metioned. You can tear it down the length super easy, so you can get what ever width you need. It also cuts beautiful with a utilty knife so if you need to make a stencil or just it flush along another edge.
Also check out Artist Tape, we call it board tape. It’s a smooth paper tape that is low residue so great for marking electronics or fragile surfaces. Glow tape too, that’s a fun one.
David Zeller
Do you have any links for your artist/board tape and glow tape?
Arlan Crane
Like any quality product, it’s actually cheap, not expensive, if it solves a particular problem. And gaff tape does exactly that.
Some people might be interested in this associated product, which would be great for taping down floor covering or extension cords. Pricey, but very useful. Just search for “Gaff Gun”.
Another great tape is stucco tape. Vinyl tape with no residue, and very inexpensive. Not intended for long term application, though. Use the right tape for the project.
Avi
Seeing as everyone is mentioning weird tapes, what is that tape all over a new refrigerator. It resticks multiple times, and leaves no residue?
Jim Felt
Good post Stuart.
We’ve used it (several US made pro brands exist) for decades. Sometimes roll after roll and sometimes a few a year. 2” Black being our most frequently used. Though we keep other colors and widths in studios and in location rigs. Stills and video.
At home I keep a 1” and 2” roll around but like some noted it does eventually “dry out”. Takes a long desert shoot or just time as in years but I’ve definitely found some on light stands, camera columns and hard cases like Anvil or Pelican that was nearly brittle. De-Solv-It being the very cleanest remover.
Sam Greenfield
You can also peel it up and reuse it.
Matthew D
I need a solution for grips for my dip bars for exercise. The old grip split and I need some sort of replacement. Will this do or should I go for my original plan of buying thin rubber insulation tubing (which came with the original product)
Stuart
It’s hard to say. You could also try some inexpensive grip tape from the sporting goods store.
The stuff that came with your original product could have been selected for its ease of installation or lower cost, or because it was found to perform better than tape materials.
Koko The Talking Ape
I can think of three options. One is to use an old mouse pad to wrap the handles. They are made of neoprene, which is tough and won’t rot like latex foam rubber. Measure carefully and cut the pad a bit short, so they will fit tightly. You need to stitch it so the two edges butt against each other, without overlapping. The stitch is like the pattern your shoelaces make in your shoes, if that makes sense. You can even stitch it loosely, slip on the covers, then tighten the stitches much like shoelaces. I imagine you want the fabric side in, so it can slide over the bar. Use rubber cement or something to keep it from sliding once installed.
Another possibility is cork handlebar tape for bicycles. There is also foam tape, but the stuff is slightly stretchy, and I think with the kind of weight and twisting force you’d put on the handles, I think the foam tape would shift and become slack. The cork tape is pretty thin and firm, but it absorbs sweat so it won’t become slick. It comes with a narrow strip of adhesive on the back so it doesn’t stick to itself when wrapped. The stuff will wear out, but it is meant to be replaced every so often.
If you grip the bars only in particular spots, you can use BMX handlebar grips. They are grippy and super-tough. The only issue is whether they will fit your tube diameter. They can slip, but bike shops use hairspray to make them stick. Or rubber cement. Or hose clamps.
Good luck!
Mike (the other one)
I do A/V work and use gaffer tape all the time for securing mic cables. However, I also do IT work and I’ve used gaffer tape for network cables, and other things. It’s great for eliminating tripping hazards.
I’ve even taped wiremold to the wall temporarily. I often work alone, so it basically functions as a third hand until I finish securing it properly.
Randy
Don’t use it on wood gym floors with polyurathane finish, it will take the finish off.
Stuart
I can definitely see that happening.
What do you use instead?
David Swearingen
I have never heard of “gaffer’s tape” before, so the first thing I did was look it up in my Funk & Wagnall’s. This is exactly what it said:
“gaf-fer n. 1. An old man: now contemptuous or humorous. Compare GAMMER.
2. Brit. A foreman. [alter. of GODFATHER]
Now I am more confused then ever.
Lava
FYI – the tape sold by the Gorrilla Glue people as Gorilla Tape is just Gaffer’s tape.
JoeM
Same goes for Gorilla Glue for Wood. It’s just Wood Glue. Gorilla BRAND Wood Glue, and Gorilla BRAND Gaffers Tape.
Gorilla Glue, the brand name, does some really nice quality products other than their original formula Glue. My current bottle of Wood Glue is Gorilla Brand. It doesn’t behave any different than other Wood Glue I’ve used in the past, aside from a few tighter bonds, and a strangely easy cleanup when your hand slips and you get overflow.
Only one of the Gorilla brand tapes that is TRULY theirs is their clear solid bond tape. You’d think “That’s just packing tape” nope… Thick like duct tape, sticky like their original formula glue, clear like packing tape. But, it’s their only one that isn’t just their version of the normal products from other brands.
DRT
I have to disagree with you on that one. I have used Permacell and Shurtape brands of gaffers tape. Gorilla tape is different from those. The gaffers tapes have a matte cloth backing, Gorilla has a shiny coating (like duct tape). Gaffers tape is matte, because it is designed to be used in the movie industry and it’s not supposed to reflect light. A “Gaffer” is a person who does movie lighting. The gaffers tapes have a lower grip adhesive because they are intended to be removable, Gorilla’s adhesive is significantly stronger. I have never had gaffers tape leave any residue. Gorilla sometimes does. Gaffers tape usually costs about $25 a roll. Gorilla, $9 a roll.
Stuart
No, it’s really not. It’s similar, maybe, but it doesn’t clean off easily at all (in my experience). I also find Gorilla Tape to have a very strong smell, and wouldn’t use it in the same manner as gaffer tape. Or maybe it is, and I’ve just had different experiences. Gorilla Tape is my “it’s got to stick and stick and stick” tape.
Stan
I’m a convert. I use it to draw together mitres on prefinished stock in high end kitchen installs so I don’t have nailheads showing. I caught a hardware store in Boston that catered to the theatrical world within 72 hours of them shuttering the doors. Ended up buying 6 rolls at 80% off. Wish I had bought the lot.