I have been very frustrated with most brands of electrical tape. Most of them unravel after you wrap them tightly around wires, plastic looming, etc. I have tried many brands and few stay tight and in place. I always thought Scotch black electrical tape was the go to standard but even this brand unravels / loosens up.
Your recommendations for a good electrical tape that actually stays wrapped around wires tightly? Thanks, Kit
[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 08-27-2022).]
There's one made by 3m that does a good job, there's one I've used that has almost no sticky adhesive yet if you stretch it, it sticks to itself very well. it's unbranded.
Gaffer's tape does a good job of stayin' put, as is Gorilla tape, but that's more of a "duct tape" thang. But I feel like the tape from back in the 80's just did its job better.
Yes. This. Scotch makes several different "grades". This is worth the expense.
Gaffer's tape is good too. Once it's stuck, it stays there. I'm not sure about how waterproof it is, though. I've had to return several large packages to flea-bay or amazon. I always use gaffer tape for the returns. I even had one vendor to thank me for packing my return so well.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 08-28-2022).]
Actual wire harness automotive tape. My favorite is Nitto Denko, but there are a number of equivalents made by Elliot Tape, tesa, Great Lakes Tape, etc. The problem is they're sold in bulk in boxes, not generally to the public, but you can find them on eBay and other sites.
The non-scotch type tapes mentioned in this thread.........
What are the electrical insulating values of them?
(F-4 states 8kv and in the recent past I've had voltages that high (and higher) on my electric fences before but have never seen any tape that wouldn't leak voltage thru it in wet weather)
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 08-28-2022).]
I sell stainless steel. I wrap stainless tubing in bulk cheap crap. I don't believe in electrical tape as a permanent solution for my task or electrical work...
The stretch tape is silicone rubber, so whatever rating silicone is, and self-sealing. Plumbers use it to fix leaks and I 1st got into it working on slushy/ice-cram machines where the condensation is a BEAACCHHH to deal with. It solved a lot of problems for me, but nowhere near 8kv either.
Car harness wiring wrap is Not Electrical Tape and does Not uses adhesives or a least not like "normal" tapes.
First problem people use E-tape including best products like 3M Super 33+ & Super 88 is you pulled the tape very tight. Then you often try to wrap long sections. Just that 2 issues and the E-tape tries to return original shape and nothing is going to stop that more so when harness is bent often several to many times.
Plastic Wrapping Is an outgrowth of Cable Lacing using "string" to bundle wires. There are "rules" for tension, to start, wrapping, allow wires to exit at random points and end the wrap. If you fail any step then the wrap will fail and likely soon.
I think Eastwood.com and some others carry proper car wrapping "tape" in single packs. Not digging thru current offers.
Even for Electrical work where E-tape is made for... Can have same problem. People pull tape way too tight, worse not having enough overlap and then tries to self unwrap starting at the end. Many use typical 3/4 tape to wrap large spaces... Is a reason 3M and other offers 1" to 2" tape so you don't wrap a whole pack or more of narrow tape. Cheap tape is even worse because of the cheap "glue" that fails all by itself and often makes a huge mess doing so. Worse when is outdoors or in high heat places.
When you don't see a CSA UL etc ratings on the pack, core or both... Do Not Buy the crap. Example: 3M Super 88 have CSA -10 to 105°C, UL 539H Insulated Tape, and others. Even tho product is max 600v and 80°C
3M Super 33+ is 7mil thick 3/4" to 2" wide & Super 88 8.5mil thick only in 3/4" wide I've use a lot of both... Sometime thicker tape isn't good or need bigger width.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Car harness wiring wrap is Not Electrical Tape and does Not uses adhesives or a least not like "normal" tapes.
I didn't say wiring wrap, I said tape. If you'd bothered to look at the specs I'd posted, you'd see it does in fact use adhesive.
The difference between hardware store electrical tape and good tape is mainly the adhesive. Why don't you see good automotive-grade tape at auto parts or home improvement stores? The tapes you see for sale are produced at extraordinarily low cost, and are 'good enough' for most home applications. As a result, the market hasn't demanded a better tape. Anyone seeking a better tape will usually quickly find them, albeit at an increased price and lack of immediate availability.
There's a reason these catalogs have dozens of different tapes for different applications. OP said wiring and plastic looming, which probably means automotive, not UL household.
You can see a typical automotive electrical tape installation here:
Towards the end of the video: Look at the way she wraps it around the bundle, not stretching it, using a "half overlap" (half the width of the tape) technique. I've seen little old ladies that do this every day for years do this at a speed that surpasses most automated processes when you take setup into account, on all but the longest spans.
Despite long spans, the standard 19mm width tape I gave an example of in the previous post is typically used, due to versatility and economies of scale in mass production. Other tape types will be used where applicable, depending on heat resistance, potential exposure to liquid, NVH concerns, or potential for abrasion. Harness coverings (hard tubes, soft tubes, channels, corrugated tubing, etc) are used in conjunction with the tapes where applicable.
Here, you can see a wider cloth type tape. He's taping larger spans in an area where NVH is probably an issue.
I didn't say wiring wrap, I said tape. If you'd bothered to look at the specs I'd posted, you'd see it does in fact use adhesive.
The difference between hardware store electrical tape and good tape is mainly the adhesive. Why don't you see good automotive-grade tape at auto parts or home improvement stores? The tapes you see for sale are produced at extraordinarily low cost, and are 'good enough' for most home applications. As a result, the market hasn't demanded a better tape. Anyone seeking a better tape will usually quickly find them, albeit at an increased price and lack of immediate availability.
There's a reason these catalogs have dozens of different tapes for different applications. OP said wiring and plastic looming, which probably means automotive, not UL household.
You can see a typical automotive electrical tape installation here:
Towards the end of the video: Look at the way she wraps it around the bundle, not stretching it, using a "half overlap" (half the width of the tape) technique. I've seen little old ladies that do this every day for years do this at a speed that surpasses most automated processes when you take setup into account, on all but the longest spans.
Despite long spans, the standard 19mm width tape I gave an example of in the previous post is typically used, due to versatility and economies of scale in mass production. Other tape types will be used where applicable, depending on heat resistance, potential exposure to liquid, NVH concerns, or potential for abrasion. Harness coverings (hard tubes, soft tubes, channels, corrugated tubing, etc) are used in conjunction with the tapes where applicable.
Here, you can see a wider cloth type tape. He's taping larger spans in an area where NVH is probably an issue.
Edit.
Thanks.
[This message has been edited by ls3mach (edited 08-29-2022).]
Yes, I was referring mostly to automotive wiring / loom applications. I ended up buying the 3M Super 88. 😀 Thank you all for the informative input! Kit
[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 08-29-2022).]
