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Rant: Comparing Dollar Store duct tape vs 3M at 3am in my kitchen

So my pipe under the sink started leaking at 2am last Tuesday in my apartment in Columbus. I grabbed the cheap duct tape I had in a drawer, the kind that feels thin and smells like old plastic. Wrapped it around the joint three times and it just peeled off within 5 minutes. Water everywhere again. Then I remembered I had a roll of Gorilla Tape in my toolbox from when I fixed a vent cover last year. Put one wrap on dry and that stuff held solid for 12 hours until the plumber showed up. The cheap tape cost me a mop and a wet rug to throw out. Has anyone else found a random tape brand that actually saved them in a pinch?
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3 Comments
david_reed22
My old man always swore by the silver Nashua tape from Home Depot, the one with the thick rubbery backing. I had a cracked radiator hose on my 92 F150 at 1 AM in a gas station lot once and that stuff held pressure for 30 miles to get me home. The dollar store stuff is basically colored wax paper with weak glue on it. If a tape says "all purpose" but costs less than a coffee, it's designed for wrapping gifts or sealing cardboard, not stopping water.
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sean_barnes24
Had a similar thing happen with a busted heater hose on my old Ranger at 3 AM in a snowstorm. That thick Nashua tape with the rubber backing is the only reason I made it home without the engine overheating. Dollar store tape would have just peeled off as soon as that coolant got hot.
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the_sean
the_sean13d ago
Yeah, that cheap stuff always lets you down right when you need it most.
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