So what's the story with electrical tape?

If you have used a product, let us know how well it works.
User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:32 pm

After nearly a month of sitting out in the Oregon weather (Jan 1st- Feb 14th) all the tape still appears to be hanging in there really well.
No worries, spring and summer is coming :-)
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:25 pm

After two more months it all still looks great.
I was hoping we'd start seeing some edge ravel or something by now :(
I guess I need to finish my abrasion test so I can declare a winner.... ;)
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Sun Apr 28, 2013 3:21 am

Another month of direct sun light and weather and they all look great :x
I was hoping for some real differences by now.
Patience will need to be exercised.
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:32 pm

Another month and they are all still holding up exceptionally well.
Surprising.
I figured by now we would see unraveling... :?
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:46 pm

After 8 months what have I found?
9-18-13 review.JPG
9-18-13 review.JPG (33.76 KiB) Viewed 7936 times
Well, I have to be honest.
Regardless of price they are all performing very well.
No loose edges or any sign of unraveling.
Remember, these have been outside in direct sun light as well as the normal Oregon elements.
In fact, if you look close, you can see that the red wire insulation is fading but the tape is holding tough.
Conclusions?
I'm in this for the long haul so no conclusions yet except for one thing.
The Chinese tape is doing by far better then I thought possible....
That being said, I will continue to buy American tape and support American jobs until such time as the Chinese tape proves itself superior.
So, this is not finished.
I will put the tape back outside and continue to let it bake..
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

User avatar
Sandblaster
Posts: 6313
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Eugene, OR
Contact:

Re: So what's the story with electrical tape?

Post by Sandblaster » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:00 pm

Can't believe it but it's been a whole year since I started this review!
Here's the latest pics of the wires and tape.
1 year pic.JPG
1 year pic.JPG (22.54 KiB) Viewed 7867 times
As you can see, all the brands are holding up very well.
In fact, it seems that the single most important thing about which tape you decide on is how you apply it.
If the surface is clean and you don't stretch the tape to break it off but rather cut it, the raw edges do not unravel.

So, which will I use?
Most likely I will use American tape.
American tape hold up well and applies easier in most cases.
True the Chinese tape is very strong and is holding up great but, if each of us were to increase our spending on US products by 64 dollars a year we would generate an average of 200,000 new jobs.
Think it over and you decide..
No, this test is not over :shock:
If bikes are for kids I'll never grow up.

Post Reply

Return to “Product Review”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests