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That fancy automatic taper I bought in 2019 still collects dust in my truck
I dropped $600 on a battery powered automatic taper thinking it would speed up my corner work on new builds in Denver, but the thing jammed up on the third joint and I've never touched it again. Turns out my old manual bazooka and a steady hand do the same job without me fighting a machine that weighs a ton. Has anyone actually made one of those work long term or did I just get a lemon?
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the_robin3mo ago
I sold drywall tools in Denver for 7 years and I gotta say that $600 price tag sounds like you got hosed. I remember those battery tapers hitting the market around 2018 and the first gen models had a known issue with the drive gear stripping out on the third or fourth joint. The Bazooka brand manual taper is actually made in the USA and that automatic one you bought was probably a China import, which explains why it jammed up so fast. Did you ever check the clutch adjustment on it? Most guys don't know those have a tension screw on the side that needs to be set for your specific mud consistency.
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wendy_lee483mo ago
My father-in-law bought one of those and it sat in his garage for two years before he sold it on Craigslist for half price. I tried it once and the learning curve was steeper than just doing it the old way.
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cameron_hernandez693mo ago
That "steeper learning curve" is really just the setup, once you dial it in it's WAY faster.
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