Duct Tape

Henkel 00-03020 Duck 1.88-Inch-by-20-Yard Colored Duck Tape, White

The Henkel Duck Colored "Duck" Tape is ideal for coordinating repairs, color-coding materials, and crafting. This professional-grade tape features excellent adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces like cloth, vinyl, leather, plastic, metal, and laminates, as well as a thicker construction, with more cotton fibers per square inch than the all-purpose-grade Duck-brand duct tape. It also tears easily by hand without curling, and it conforms to uneven surfaces. This tape is a versatile white color, making it ideal for a multitude of creative and practical uses. It comes in a 1.88-inch-by-20-yard roll.

Henkel B-615 Duck 1.88-Inch-by-60-Yard All-Purpose Duck Tape, Gray

The Henkel Duck all-purpose "Duck" tape is Henkel's original Duck-brand duct tape. This silver-colored tape is perfect for countless repairs around the home, school, or office, both indoors and outdoors. Its Dura Bond construction uses a thick, heavy-duty adhesive applied to a waterproof cloth backing for extra durability and to resist delamination in direct sunlight. The tape adhesive features a high initial tack, and it readily conforms to uneven surfaces for maximum adhesion. The cloth outer layer is also reinforced with cloth mesh for extra tensile strength, yet it tears easily without curling, making one-handed application possible. The tape comes in a 1.88-inch-by-45-yard roll.

MacGyver used it for the toughest problems so why not have some just in case. Use this professional grade duct tape in the garage or around the house for troublesome situations.

Henkel 00-03052 Duck 1.88-Inch-by-20-Yard Colored Duck Tape, Black

The Henkel Duck Colored "Duck" Tape is ideal for coordinating repairs, color-coding materials, and crafting. This professional-grade tape features excellent adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces like cloth, vinyl, leather, plastic, metal, and laminates, as well as a thicker construction, with more cotton fibers per square inch than the all-purpose-grade Duck-brand duct tape. It also tears easily by hand without curling, and it conforms to uneven surfaces. This tape is a versatile black color, making it ideal for a multitude of creative and practical uses. It comes in a 1.88-inch-by-20-yard roll.

Henkel 00-03050 Duck 1.88-Inch-by-20-Yard Colored Duck Tape, Red

The Henkel Duck Colored "Duck" Tape is ideal for coordinating repairs, color-coding materials, and crafting. This professional-grade tape features excellent adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces like cloth, vinyl, leather, plastic, metal, and laminates, as well as a thicker construction, with more cotton fibers per square inch than the all-purpose-grade Duck-brand duct tape. It also tears easily by hand without curling, and it conforms to uneven surfaces. This tape is a versatile red color, making it ideal for creating amazing costumes and other creative crafts. It comes in a 1.88-inch-by-20-yard roll.

3M 2120 Scotch Transparent High Performance Duct Tape, 1.88-Inch x 20-Yard, 1-Pack

Scotch, 1.88" x 20 YD, Transparent Duct Tape, Makes Your Repair Less Obvious, Will Not Fall Apart In Extreme Temperatures Or Harsh UV Conditions Like Other All Purpose Duct Tapes.

It's not often the word revolutionary can be associated with duct tape, that old, sticky standby used in plumbing repairs, hockey stick augmentation, and homeland security protection. By getting the gray out--and avoiding the "sore thumb" look of typical duct tape repairs--3M's Scotch Transparent Duct Tape can indeed lay claim to a revolution of the toolbox. But seeing through it is just the start. This duct tape can be easily torn by hand, is UV resistant, and, through accelerated weathering tests, has been shown to last six times longer than its old-school namesake.

Duct tape has been around since 1942 when the military needed a waterproof tape for sealing ammunition boxes. Originally colored green, it was referred to as "duck tape" due to its moisture resistance as well as its cotton duck construction--the same ribbed cloth used in bandages. After the war, it was adopted by contractors working in the booming housing industry, where it got its "duct" name for easily connecting heating and air conditioning ducts.

History's fine, but what can 3M's new, clear duct tape do for us? Virtually anything. First, we noticed its powerful stickiness--the roll itself adheres to just about any surface when laid on its side. As advertised, the tape was easily torn from the roll by hand with minimal force. 3M also seems to have ironed out one of the biggest complaints about duct tape: wrinkles. In our testing, we applied it repeatedly and evenly without the tape sticking to itself and without creating odd bumps and creases. And while the tape is rather sticky, it doesn't go overboard, easily lifting off surfaces when we needed it to and not leaving the tacky, viscous residue often found with other duct tapes.

As for its transparency, the tape blended well into just about any surface we applied it to. It was never "invisible" but did have the chameleon-like quality of reflecting the surface beneath it and only calling attention to itself when caught in direct light. Also, we placed bands of the tape over our computer monitor before writing this review (don't try this at home, kids). Peering through the fabric ribs was a nuisance, but we were able to compose the description you're now reading. How's that for transparency?

Our only complaint is that, as with most transparent tapes, finding where to start peeling the roll can be difficult. While this certainly isn't a showstopper, we did find a solution: mounting the roll onto a tape gun.

Tape, by its nature, is not a terribly exciting product (or topic). But 3M's Scotch Transparent Duct Tape is truly a tipping-point entrant, one that may someday become ubiquitous and banish gray duct tape to the nether reaches of our tool sheds, and memories. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Transparent, easily blends into the surface background
• Easily torn from the roll with minimal force
• Sticky, but not too sticky
• Adheres smoothly without wrinkles or creases

• So transparent that finding where to start peeling the roll can be difficult