- You capitalize "Scotch," even though it was originally a pejorative term. It was used in the 1930s to suggest miserliness: The tape name was inspired by someone complaining that the bosses who manufactured tape were cheap.
- It's a brand name. Unless it's made by the people at Scotch Brands, the tape we think of as Scotch tape is called cellophane tape.
A third thing: Scotch tape is only the second-best type of tape. It's valuable for wrapping gifts, holding pieces of paper together and even getting lint of clothes, but it's not the best tape type (say that three times fast!).
How are tapes ranked? Good question. The top eight popular variations after three honorable mentions: Tape measures, measuring tape (I didn't realize until this moment how those types of tape have names that are just reverses of each other) and that scourge of elementary school fears, tapeworms.
The top eight:
8. Two-sided tape. This variation of cellophane tape seemed amazing the first time I saw it as a kid. Then I tried to use it and couldn't make it work right. It stuck to my fingers, eyelids and shoes. It's supposedly better than looping Scotch tape with the sticky out, but it isn't. All flash, little usefulness.
7. Tan masking tape. I differentiate masking tape types. This can be used for painting but is better for taping things on the wall without fear of peeling off paint. Masking tape is also versatile, a good substitute for Scotch tape and and emergency backup for the superior blue masking tape (see below).
6. Electrical tape. The black, shiny tape is very use-specific (to cover and/or insulate cables, wires or other materials that conduct electricity). That makes it valuable, but electrical tape can be used for other things (particularly by kids who can't find duct tape and use electrical tape to, for instance, tape up their bike seat or secure something heavy).
5. Cassette tape. OK, not an adhesive tape, but it's a type of tape, right? Music on cassette tapes was amazing because it made music portable! You could bring a tape recorder (or boombox or Walkman or whatever you had, depending on the era) and listen to music. You could replace the balky 8-track player (another type of tape that just missed this list) with a mobile player. And "fixing" a tape after it was "eaten" by the player required a pencil, wits and nerves of steel.
4. Packing tape. While I was writing this, Mrs. Brad used packing tape to wrap up something for her business, at one point startling me with the screech of the tape tearing. This is in the same category as electrical tape – a type with a specific use. I don't need it, but if you're shipping something, you do.
3. Blue masking tape. When someone says to "tape off" an area because they're painting, they usually mean to use the blue masking tape. At least I think so. I consider blue the Cadillac of masking tape and the fact that you can use this and then freely paint a wall – and wind up with straight lines – is fantastic.
2. Scotch. Or, of course, cellophane tape. Great for connecting paper, great for holding light-weight things on the walls and most importantly, widely available. You can get this at a drug store, grocery store, business supply store and perhaps even a pizza parlor or bar. I can only assume. We have backups of this because I generally buy three at a time.
1. Duct tape. Two things are true: 99% of us have never used duct tape on a duct, because we don't deal with ducts; also, every home needs to have a roll of duct tape available. It can hold virtually anything in place (or at least that's what we think when we use it), it's fairly easy to use and a roll has a lot of tape on it. I love duct tape, the LeBron James of tape.
Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.
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