The Tape *They* Don't Want You to Know About

Though the title may be reminiscent of what your weird, semi-racist and problematic aunt posts on social media, we aren't talking about that kind of tape. We are talking about a tape that haunts all of us. A tape that almost everyone has a problem with.

Pictured: NOT this. But remember these? Or am I just old?

Office tape is a commonplace household item. And we all know how much it sucks (speaking of which, thank you all who answered me when I posted on Facebook).

Pictured: All the "magic" of a rock.

Shall we count the ways?

• God help you if you lose the end and it gets stuck. First you have to find the end, which can prove annoying. Then actually prying it off is another headache. And then you had better hope you got the whole tape and not just part of it, or you have to do it all over if you don't want tiny strips.

• It is sticky enough to not always hang on when you need it but strong enough to take the face of paper off with it. Hope you didn't put it on an important document!

• Too weak for most packing or other applications, necessitating buying different kinds of tape.

• In most dispensers, the roll can fall out completely, so each time you use it, you have to take it out and then deal with finding the end (again, see point 1).

• If you put the tape in the wrong place on accident (or the sticky side attaches to itself), all the stickiness is gone and you can't reuse it.

• General lack of variety in typical stores.

Perhaps what is most telling is that the people who make this tape pretty much have to sell you an applicator. Sure, refill rolls are a thing, but you have to put it back into another applicator for it not to suck enough for you to demand better.

But, what if I were to tell you that there is tape that doesn't suck. A tape that is so good, they sell it on its own without an applicator (that's faith in your product). I keep a roll in my purse and it has come in handy several times.

Let me introduce you to electrical tape. It's stickier and can be reused. You can tear off a piece without needing to cut it unless you need a cut end. You can use it for almost all use cases for other types of tape (packing, medical, masking, etc.). It comes in almost every color you can think of since there are so many different types of wires (and it even comes in clear) and various widths. And, because it is widely used in the electrical field, it's mass produced and actually slightly cheaper than normal office tape.

Pictured: The superior tape.

Now here's the good part. IT'S ALSO MADE BY 3M! They know exactly how to make good tape. They just don't. They let the world move along using subpar, third-rate tape while they profit off of it.

Fight the system. Buy good tape.

UPDATE FROM FOLLOWING MORNING:

After reflecting overnight, I feel like I have to say that there are some use cases that office tape handles well. But to use as the "go to" tape of every household? My original point stands.