Picnic with gorilla tape
I have long been a fan of gorilla glue, but only recently have I even checked out gorilla tape. I thought that duct tape was good enough for most needs, but now I'm pretty much converted over to gorilla tape. Here's why.
Last weekend a group that I work with was having a pig roast/potluck in the park. It was a little breezy and I was in charge of putting up some of the signs. I figured I'd give the gorilla tape a try as I was stopping off at the hardware store and it was near the vinyl rope I was picking up.
When I got to the potluck site there were some other guys there tearing off sheets of butcher paper to be used as tablecloths. To attach them to the tables they were using big pieces of blue painter's tape. It was ridiculous. Before they were halfway through some pieces were already taking flight, making them run back with more painter's tape.
Long story short, I started tearing off small pieces of the gorilla tape and it stuck all the paper down to the old wooden tables good and tight. Everything held strong during the picnic and during clean-up the tape held strong and the paper ripped when we were puling them off.
Summary: Gorilla tape is pricier than duct tape, but I ended up using less of it than if I were using duct tape and it held on stronger. Wasn't able to check about residue however.
Discussions
9 years ago
I just checked and they no longer carry it, but American Science & Surplus (read Junk store) had, at one time, carried something called 90 mph (or 120 mph, or something) tape. Supposedly, having a 6 inch piece attached to something by one 2 of the 6 inches, and the tape would still hold in 90 (or 120) mph wind (or on the side of a vehicle going that fast).
Reply 9 years ago
90 MPH tape is what we used in the Army. Heavy olive drab stuff? I think it's halfway between duct tape and gorilla glue, but it's TOTALLY hit and miss with the quality. Some times we'd get rolls that wouldn't hold a piece of paper on the fridge, and other times you could reattach a muffler with it.
Reply 9 years ago
Well, I never got a chance to test any before they ran out
9 years ago
I taped up the top of a padded stool at work a couple years ago with gorilla tape. Everyone said it wouldn't last but I still use that stool to sell gorilla tape. We had 3 over 200 lb rear ends up and down off it all this time and it's just now fraying a bit along the edges but still stuck tight. I LOVE that tape! My 18 yr old was embarrassed when I taped a piece of her '94 Escort in place with it but it held so well she soon got over it. It's worth the $$ cause it LASTS.
Reply 9 years ago
Gorilla tape just hit the market recently. You must have been lucky to get a hold of that stuff in your area.
Reply 9 years ago
Not so lucky actually.....I work for Home Depot and SOMEtimes we ge stuff in a timely manner. I get to try a lot of new stuff "for store use" of course! :-D
9 years ago
We need a comparative test on this, over to you...? L
Reply 9 years ago
A test would be cool. What situations would you like to see compared? As for this, I was just happy that it worked a lot better than other tapes I've used. One of the things I did with the tape was to secure a piece of canvas that was 8'x3' to hang off the side of one of the tables. I didn't clean the table beforehand and I used less than a foot of tape. It held up just fine.
Reply 9 years ago
You need to find a suitable wall, and tape two willing HQ members to said wall, one with one tape, one with the other. We will not accept any other comparison.
Reply 9 years ago
Did you see the Brainiac experiment?
(I forget which won)
L
Reply 9 years ago
No.. I have attached myself to a wall using duct tape once. about 5 or 6 lengths and a makeshift tape harness kept me up for about 6 seconds.
Reply 9 years ago
Long enough for a photo I suppose. You attached yourself?
L
Reply 9 years ago
yeah, it was epic. I should have videoed it.
Reply 9 years ago
Yes you should. Perhaps we should run a tape competition on this? L
Reply 9 years ago
do it.
do it.
DO IT.
Reply 9 years ago
There is a certain contest at my scout meetings in which each patrol is given a roll of ductape and they have to tape a person to the wall. So far, due to my light weight and ~~shortness~~ the fact that I am vertically challenged, I have been stuck to the wall many times. I do not remember how long I have stayed up but I think it was around 30 seconds. Not exactly the most comfortable thing to do, especially when the whole roll is used and I am wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt.
Reply 9 years ago
ye they did two when they held a person up with sellotape then held a car up with sellotape it took 100 rools to hold the car up and 20 rolls to hold the man up
Reply 9 years ago
I didn't see the car! L
Reply 9 years ago
it was good they also made a tyre out of duct tape and it lasted 3 minutes at 12 mph
Reply 9 years ago
Have you seen Crash Test Dummies? They destroy things in fun ways... L
Reply 9 years ago
ye ive got the whole first series in tape
Reply 9 years ago
Lucky you! (Did you ever see that pair as "Big Cook Little Cook"?) L
Reply 9 years ago
ah big cook little cook i used to love that a couple of years ago!do u have kids?
Reply 9 years ago
Complications: we need ~~victims~~ volunteers of equivalent weight, squirminess, and general oiliness. Currently no matched sets in sight.
Reply 9 years ago
Well, don't be silly! Just use the same 'volunteer' twice! Make sure to time it each time. Repeat for more accurate results if needed!
Reply 9 years ago
Ah, but you're presuming they'll possess the same qualities upon reuse! What about all the hair, skin grease, and weight lost due to quickly ripping off tape before an additional run? Squirming reduced due to fatigue? Changes in ambient temperature and humidity? Think like a scientist! This clearly calls for double-blind twin studies.
Reply 9 years ago
Yes, you are perfectly right. Lets put out an advert for twins in the SF Bay.
Reply 9 years ago
Why do that, when you could make the Mythbusters do it?
Reply 9 years ago
XD
Reply 9 years ago
or unwilling, preferably upside down.
Reply 9 years ago
You could try building a knex gun with a strong ram that requires tape, then make different rams, one with duct tape, one with gorilla tape.
Reply 9 years ago
Or just see wich one holds a peice of paper in a tornado longer
Reply 9 years ago
Tape a cookie to a plate in front of a five year old, whichever cookie lasts the longest.
Reply 9 years ago
Nah the kids might eath the tape
Reply 9 years ago
Different tapes, same conditions. I suppose you could cut strips of cloth and tape one each to a piece of wood, stopwatch each on a windy day. I did look for a clip of the Braniac experiment of taping a person to a board, but it doesn't seem to have been YouTubed... L
Reply 9 years ago
Popular Mechanics did it a few issues ago, it was between Duct Tape, Gorrilla tape, and scotch tape. They said the exact same thing that fungus amungus said, Gorrila Tape is stronger, Duct tape is cheaper but still pretty good.
Reply 9 years ago
And Scotch tape is weak? L
Reply 9 years ago
Yep right on the button. If duct tape isnt strong enough then you shouldnt have broke it
9 years ago
It's more expensive than regular duct tape. Never bought it but does it still leave a residue or does it grab better on rough dirty surfaces than regular duct tape?
Reply 9 years ago
This is late, but I've had experience using both, and Gorilla tape leaves WAY more residue. On your face. Dont ask.
Reply 9 years ago
I use gorilla tape a lot too and I would agree. Although I find it is easy to clean up and overall worth it.
Reply 9 years ago
These were old tables so I can't say anything about residue. Yes, they were rough and dirty surfaces and it held like a champ. Way better than duct tape in that regard.
9 years ago
Just like everything duct tape and gorrila tape are used for different things. Duct tape for ducts and gorrila tape for gorrilas?? and you cant make stuff out of gorrila tape cause if you mess up its over
9 years ago
For everyone asking for comparison tests, some of my friends and I did one during a break in my engineering class. Wondering which held better, and not having any scientific apparatus readily available, we decided to use them to rip hairs off a guy's leg. We put a square of each on both legs and pulled quickly. The duct tape got some scattered hairs, but the gorilla tape left a smooth, hairless square. Semi-scientific testing ftw!
9 years ago
Gorilla tape has two times the thickness of Duct Tape, and the same amount of extra adhesive. This is very good for jobs that need strength and durability. (Read - Jobs where the Tape is the final fix, not a temporary one. :P ) However, one problem I have with Gorilla Tape is that with 2 times the glue on the back, pressing it down firmly in place, or having a weight on top of the stuck up job causes an amount of adhesive to smear out from under it. Also, twice the glue means two times the amount of residue. Not so much of a problem if you got the right stuff to remove it, but it's messy nonetheless. Gorilla Tape has it's niche and Duct Tape has it's uses, I don't think either one can effectively replace the other completely.
9 years ago
i did a test i got 8 pieces of duct tape on top of each other and shot it with my pellet gun and the pellet ripped through leaving a giant tear but gorrilla tap just had a little hole the size of the pellet but scitch tape just ripped in half so i declare gorrila tapa the strongest
9 years ago
I thought the secondary picture thing was only for instructables.. Not forum topics... ..ouch. :(
Reply 9 years ago
That's a bug. It's in the queue to be fixed.
Reply 9 years ago
OK, looks like it was fixed already. Are you still seeing it?
Reply 9 years ago
Nope! Thanks Fungus! :D