Best Gaffers Tape 2020 – Buyer’s Guide (February 2022)

You’ve got all your gear set up. The stage is set. Everything is in place. You’re just about to kick off the show and out of nowhere, someone trips over a power cord. Moral of the story? You should have secured those cables with gaffers tape!

That’s where we come in. We’re here to help you find the best gaffers tape to keep everything in its place. This means your guests stay safe and you stay happy. Gaffers tape (also called gaff tape for short) is a professional industry standard. Although it has many uses, it’s commonly used to secure loose cables, making any production look clean and excellent.

In this product review guide, we’ve reviewed gaff tape from the best companies on the market. Whether you need black, white, fluorescent, water-resistant, multi-colored, or UV-activated, we’ve got the best gaffers tape for you.

Read below for a quick summary of the best gaffers tape, categorized to make your life easier.

Name		Category	Price
Gaffer Power Black		Best Overall
GlowsLand		Best Glow Tape
Gaffer Power Colored		Best Multi-Color
Gaffer Power 4-Inch		Best Wide 4-inch
Tape Ninja		Best Waterproof
Lockport 3-pack		Best Bundle Deal
Gaffer Power Spike Tape		Best Spike Tape
Amazon Basics		Best Budget

1. Gaffer Power Black (Best Overall)

2. GlowsLand (Best Glow Tape)

If you’re looking for the brightest, most colorful gaffer tape out there, check out GlowsLand gaffers tape. GlowsLand includes six bright colors: yellow, blue, orange, green, pink, and purple. All of these colors are blacklight active, which adds that extra pop to make your event really standout. You can achieve so many cool effects with this product!

3. Gaffer Power Multi-Color (Best Multi-Color)

Gaffer Power Multi-Color gaffer tape is a premium grade, pro gaff tape. Made in the USA, the Gaffer Power Brand is made for the industry professionals and also home and personal uses as well. Perfect for a set or a stage, it’s non-reflective and hand-tearable. It’s also super colorful, which comes in handy when you’re using it to label things. In particular, we really dig their yellow gaffer tape, which is bright and fun. It’s perfect for marking off portions of a stage, or alerting people about stairs in a dark environment.

4. Gaffer Power 4-inch (Best extra wide)

5. Tape Ninja (Best Waterproof)

6. Lockport 3-pack (Best Bundle Deal)

The Lockport 3-pack is perfect if you need a lot of gaffers tape, or just want to stock up. Each roll features 30 yards of high-quality gaff tape. Lockport’s tape has a black matte finish that won’t reflect light, blends nicely with stage environments, and is highly durable. Each roll is two inches wide, residue free, and waterproof. Use it at home for workshop projects, home repairs, or anything you might need it for.

7. Gaffer Power Spike Tape (Best Spike Tape)

Gaffer Power Spike Tape features the strength and durability of their regular product, but in smaller half-inch form. This mini tape is ideal for labelling equipment, creating whiteboard grids, taping down small cords, or arts and crafts projects. The applications are endless, but this multi-colored spike tape is sure to meet your needs. In five bright, fluorescent colors (Blue, Red, Green, Yellow and Orange) that stand out in any environment, you will always know just what you’re looking for.

8. Amazon Basics Gaff Tape (Best Budget)

Amazon Basics gaffers tape is popular for a reason. Though some prefer buying industry-specific brands, Amazon gaffers tape truly delivers. A quick browse of their online reviews makes it clear – they’ve mastered the art of gaffer tape! Along with a quality product, they’ve also managed to sell tape at a very reasonable cost. While this tape may not be the strongest on the market, it’s perfectly up for the challenges of most gigs.

What is gaffers (gaff) tape?

Gaffers tape (also called gaff tape) is a heavy cotton cloth, pressure sensitive tape. Gaff tape usually has strong adhesive properties and tensile strength, but doesn’t leave sticky residue like duct tape does. The genius of this product is how easy it is to remove, without damaging walls or tearing off paint. Easy on, easy off!

Gaffer tape is commonly used in theater, photography studios, and film productions. It’s also very popular in the DJ circuit to help securely loose cords. Arts and craft junkies love it too! You can use it label everything from mixer channels to vegetable planters! The applications of gaff tape are truly endless.

Thanks to the fact that gaffers tape will not pull paint off walls or damage floors, DJs often use gaff tape to tape down cables to the floor or secure two cables together. You can also use it to label mixing or sound boards, and mark controllers for visual effect equipment like dimmers, strobe lights or wash lights. Gaffer’s tape can also withstand temperatures as high as 93 degrees without melting or running the risk of catching fire, unlike other tapes.

Gaffers Tape Vs. Duct Tape?

A lot of people wonder about the difference between gaffers tape and duct tape. It’s an excellent question, so let’s break it down.

Here’s what these tapes have in common: both gaffers tape and duct tape are known to have a super strong hold. Scotch tape or masking tape, while useful, aren’t nearly as secure. Thus, most people using either gaff or duct tape typically want a product that is extremely durable.

Now onto the differences between gaffer tape and duct tape …

Gaffers tape is made from cotton or other fabrics, making it easy to tear unlike duct tape. Typically you can easily tear off pieces of gaff tape by hand. Gaff tape is also heat resistant, so it won’t melt or run the risk of catching on fire, which can be a risk with duct tape. Lastly, gaffers tape does not leave any adhesive residue behind when you are done using it. This makes gaff tape especially useful for temporary jobs where there’s frequent setup and teardown.

On the other hand, duct tape is coated with a rubber-based adhesive. This gives duct tape more strength, while still being able to be cut or torn into pieces. There really isn’t a stronger tape on the market, which is why it’s perfect for long term repairs or fixes.

The downside of duct tape (and conversely where gaffer tape shines) is that it leaves a sticky, filmy residue behind. As a result, for any project that requires laying down tape and removing it soon after, we do not recommend duct tape. It’s simply too sticky and makes a mess. Also, keep in mind duct tape can potentially melt in extreme temperatures, and is also more flammable than gaff tape.

In conclusion, both gaffer tape and duct tape are useful. Choosing between them depends on what you’re using tape to do. Hopefully this guide has helped clarify which tape is right for your context.

Where To Buy Gaffers Tape

We’ve provided this buyer’s guide to help you find the best gaffers tape on the market. Because we are enrolled in the Amazon affiliate program, all our links will send you to their website. In our modern world, most people want gaff tape delivered right to their doorstep. This saves them driving time, and stores can be selective in what they carry.

However, if you’re up for making the drive, you can also find gaffers tape in hardware stores, art supply stores, craft supply shops, or teaching supply stores. Gaffers tape is also sold in framing stores and photography equipment suppliers. Naturally, prices will vary depending on the store.

Benefits of Gaff Tape

If you’ve ever had to google “how to remove sticky tape residue from plastic” or “how to remove sticky tape residue from wood” … chances are you learned about different types of tape the hard way. Here are the highlights of why gaffers tape rocks:

No Residue: Unlike duct tape, gaffers tape doesn’t leave any sticky residue. There’s nothing worse than tearing down a production set or house project, only to discover the tape you used leaves a sticky mess behind. Gaffer tape is specifically designed to tear off clean, which makes all the difference when you’re working hard.

Cable Management: The most common application for gaff tape is securing cables to the ground, and even a wall. Loose cables look sloppy, distract from what you’re doing, and can be a serious tripping hazard for people. Once you’ve got your cables taped down, there’s nothing more to worry about!

Non-Reflective: Some tapes are manufactured with a shiny veneer that reflects light in a distracting way. Especially for film crews and photographers, the last thing they want is tape reflecting back in their shots. Gaffer tape is intentionally designed with a matte, non-reflective material. This means it won’t reflect brightly and blends with most stage environments.

Looking for more creative ways to use gaffers tape? Check out the video below:

How To Rip Gaff Tape

One of the coolest characteristics of gaff tape is you can rip it by hand. It’s designed for industry professionals who are busy and need to lay down tape quickly. With no scissors necessary, setting up a stage or DJ booth is simple and safe.

Is Gaffer Tape Waterproof?

While several brands of gaff tape are water-resistant, not many are truly waterproof. If you’re looking for fully waterproof tape, check out Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal tape. This is not gaffer tape, but really gets the job done in wet situations.

However, many users of gaff tape do need it to be water-resistant. Most manufacturers indicate how water resistant their products are, so read labels closely. In most cases, professional grade gaffer tape prevents lights moisture from damaging your cables or gear.

Benefits for DJs

Mobile DJs often have to deal with lots of loose or unsecured cords, potentially causing a safety hazard. If you’re a DJ, use gaffer tape to secure cables, especially in high traffic areas. Having people tripping and stumbling over your loose cables is the quickest way to a lawsuit!

Not only does gaffers tape keep things safe, but it makes your DJ setup look clean and organized. Too few DJs take this seriously. Tangled, messy cables communicate that a DJ doesn’t care about the details. Presentation matters just as much as music performance, so make sure to keep your setup nicely organized – gaff tape can help!

Other Uses for Gaffers Tape

One reason why gaffer tape is so popular, and a standard in multiple industries, is that it’s highly versatile. Besides the common ways already discussed (DJs, production, theater, photography studios), here’s a few other interesting ways people use gaff tape:

Classrooms: Teachers love gaffer tape! It’s because they’re always moving things around their classrooms, and the last thing they want is a sticky mess. Gaff tape makes it easy to divide a chalkboard or whiteboard into segments. Teachers love the colorful options too, which gives their classrooms a vibrant, upbeat vibe.

Art Projects: Many people use gaffers tape to create colorful, creative projects. You can make virtually anything imaginable from this tape, including a coin purse, wall art, picture, rocket ship, you name it! It comes in all sorts of colors and patterns, so some people like to decorate entire walls with tape. If you can imagine it, create it!

Hanging Posters: If you’ve ever peeled an old poster off the wall, only to find chipped paint or sticky residue left behind, you need gaffer tape! The genius of this kind of tape is that it leaves little to no mess. This makes it ideal for indoor use, whether in your studio or home. Additionally, most quality gaff tape holds better than masking or packaging tape. This means you won’t have to worry about your poster or picture falling down constantly.

Labels: Since gaffer tape is easy to tear by hand, or cut with scissors, people use it to label things. As mentioned above, sound engineers use it to label channels on a mixing board. But you can use gaff tape to label anything – kitchen drawers, containers, toy bins, garden planters and pots, etc.

Clothing: Yes, believe it or not people actually make clothing out of gaffer tape. It’s a fun trend, and while gaff tape clothing may not be high-end, it’s certainly high-fun!

The Best Gaff Tape For You

There are lots of different types of gaffers tape out there. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right kind of gaffers tape.

Your Needs: What do you need it for? And how much do you need? Some of the products listed here come in packs of three or five. Several gaff tape brands are also available in wider sizes, if you are covering more space.

Color and Effects: Do you need it in black? In white? Fluorescent? Also, if you use strobe lights or black lights, you might want to consider finding gaff tape that reacts to those lights. This adds to your existing setup!

Durability: If you are using gaff tape outside, consider getting water-resistant gaff tape, and tape that doesn’t bleed color. If you’re set will remain in place for a weekend festival, then you’ll want gaff tape that doesn’t roll up or curl at the edges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to finding the best gaffers tape, we hope this review has been helpful. There are so many great products on the market, so check out our categories and individual product reviews to locate exactly what you need. Gaff tape makes every event more safe and fun, so whatever kind you choose, take your craft to the next level!