Its time to buy some more masking tape as my rolls have finally run out. I usually buy a box or bag of them. I'm wondering what current brands work best these days......both regular and fine line.
Man, I have been having a hard time getting decent tape. I paid a lot for expecting better results, but my experiences have not been favorable. The cheap stuff sticks about the same as the $10/roll stuff. I have been using TCP's house brand of fine line, it's orange, and it seems to be ok.
I prefer 3M, but will use most other name brands. Remember automotive masking tape is different than other kinds. My father had a small hardware store years ago. 3M could sell him masking tape for a lot less than the automotive tape. The rep always said there is a reason the other tapes were cheaper. I tried the cheap ones. He was right. I search ebay for tape when I need it, Learn the automotive numbers. Sometimes it it best to buy it by the dozen then by the case.
Yeah don't use house painters tape. I paint a LOT of cars man, and i use 3M, one of those things you don't want to cheap out on
3M 233+ is tops...ya can get their yellow 2727...also good stuff...and yes house paint tape and automotive tape are 2 different animals
3m green for me, it sticks well , I like the color And it’s a Minnesota company. How is that for clear thinking?
I used to use the 3M green exclusively. Tried to save some money and bought the 3M yellow, on Amazon. Stuff sucks. Thinner, rips easily and doesn't stick as well. I can imagine how poorly the off brands are!
I don't buy more than I can use within a reasonable time...it does get old, and hard to use if it sits around too long. Another vote for 3M from the auto paint supply place, or wherever else you can find the exact same stuff.
^^^^ Another vote for buying fresh stock and only what I need. There may be deals out there but I have no idea how old or how the ebay deals were stored. Did it sit it someone's out building for the dead of Winter/heat of summer for a couple of years? If it's a big masking job, I utilize paper held down with regular tape on top of the painters tape line to save money. It's a real eye opener to watch a high end TV build on one of the car shows and see a front axle and suspension taped off with $40 worth of blue/green tape. Probably a $500 charge for 'masking materials' on the itemized bill. Guess it's all relative.
3M all the way, Only thing that will peel back off after sitting in the sun, With out using a chisel to get it off.
I like the 3M green tape,but it is pricey,i tried some tape made by Carworx,it is orange colored,it works as good as the 3M stuff,is half the money,ive been using it for 3 years now.It is a bit harder to remove then the green stuff,but it is still very good tape,has real good sticky stuff?,the 3 inch stuff is great too.The meaning of 3M is three times the money.
Unless you do it for a living...dealing with adhesive transfer, slivered tape, etc...than you’ll gladly pay up for the better stuff..
Hmmmm, never knew there was a special tape to use, I just used what was available at the hardware store and wasn't too expensive. Learn something new every day! What about that Frog tape?
Green, yellow, and foam. That's all i use. Yeah, little more expensive, but if I use cheap tape and have issues, you'll want me to fix it for free. Do it once, do it right.
Had good luck with TCP and FBS tapes. I like the 3m yellow. Have some orange thats crepe paper stle, 1/2 inch wide, but makes a decent turn. For fineline, nothing but 3m or FBS. blue or orange.
It's for things like door gaps, hood gap, e.t.c, to prevent overspray from getting inside. It's sticky on one side. And leaves a soft edge. Pictures for reference purposes only and do not actually depict its only uses
Tip. You can sometimes revive old tape that has started to dry out by putting a coffee cup with some water in the microwave set the tape on top and nuke for a few seconds. I wouldn't use it for serious masking of a car part, but at 10 oclock on a Friday night it might just keep your project rolling
OK,.............looks like the 3M 233 is the tape of choice. Just ordered 6 rolls from Amazon. Thanks everyone
I think it's also used when doing a repair and blending in with the existing paint, to avoid a hard line.
true dat. I work for a company that sells tape for shipping, not painting, but it is all the same when it comes to age. it gets old and useless.... much like humans. tossed hundreds of rolls away here at work over the years
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