Scotch Super 33+ Electrical Tape
April 25th, 2005
There’s electrical tape, and there’s electrical tape. Everyone has some, and it gets used for all kinds of tasks, both electrical and not. It’s like the taciturn and mysterious ninja cousin to duct tape, which, by the way, now comes in a clear version.
The stuff you buy at most stores is just cheap vinyl tape, and it usually comes in rolls with a gigantic cardboard spindle, so that you actually end up with maybe 10 linear feet of tape. If you stretch it too much, it tends to snap, and it doesn’t do very well in cold weather. Cheap electrical tape also doesn’t stick very well, either to itself to to other things. It gets hot and it peels up and then it gets cold and it turns brittle.
Not this stuff. It comes in a plastic container, and there’s a LOT of tape on that roll. It’s high quality PVC that maintains that lovely stretchy quality of electrical tape even when it’s really freaking cold out. The adhesive is pretty aggressive, and once it’s stuck to something, it stays stuck.
Once you use up the tape, you have this nice circular plastic container with a snap top that’s handy for holding small bits of hardware.
The thing about electrical tape is that it’s so handy. The rolls are compact, so they’re easy to have nearby. I use it wrapped sticky side out on my bike handlebars as a base layer for the cork tape. It keeps the tape from slipping and gapping over time and since the non-sticky side is against the bar, you don’t end up with chunks of cork permanently bonded to your bars. I also use it to finish the handlebar wrap.
I use it to repair all kinds of things that probably would be more correctly repaired with something else, but it works. In combination with 3M 2242 self-fusing rubber tape, I’ve used it to water-seal and insulate wireless antenna connections. Some of those antennas have been in service for over 4 years with no problems at all. That’s good tape.
I even, on rare occasions, use it to protect and insulate electrical connections, which may shock and amaze you.
Super 33+ is rated for use from 0 Fahrenheit all the way up to 220F, it’s UV resistant, moisture resistant, abrasion resistant and flame retardant. It also makes a decent band aid when you hurt yourself, though I’m sure 3M would balk at that application.