Gaffer Tape Is Better than Duct Tape

Did you know that gaffer tape is superior in many ways to the legendary duct tape? Especially for those in the photography and video world, only one tape product reigns supreme over the pop-culture favorite. Not only is it great in studios and on sets, but gaffer tape also has almost unlimited uses in the home and garage and outperforms duct tape in many categories.  

Looking for a different kind of tape? B&H Photo has a huge selection of different gaffer and specialty tapes… including duct tape! 

The Legend—Duct Tape 

Over the years, the ubiquitous duct tape has gained a reputation for strength and versatility and has become the choice of handy people everywhere. Finding uses all over the Earth, on popular TV shows, and even in emergency repairs on and inside spacecraft in flight and on the surface of the moon, duct tape has proven itself to be an amazing product with an incredible number of uses. 

However, there is a better solution in almost every case… 

The Gaffer’s Secret Weapon—Gaffer Tape 

One of the biggest downfalls of duct tape is the fact that it leaves an incredibly messy residue when you remove it. If the installation is permanent, then all is good, but if, for some reason, you need to remove, adjust, or replace the tape, duct tape is proud to leave its “fingerprints” behind. 

Gaffer tape leaves little to no residue when removed and, for this fact alone, it has become a staple in the photography and video world—on location and in studios. With gaffer tape, you can secure cords and gear, mark spots for actors or models to stand, affix light modifiers, label and mark gear, etc., and then remove the tape without mucking up your cords, floors, backdrops, expensive lighting, cameras, and more. 

Advantages of Gaffer Tape Over Duct Tape 

Besides the huge no-residue benefit of gaffer tape, there are many more advantages to using it over duct tape. 

Gaffer tape is usually made in matte, non-reflective colors. This makes it better for studio use where it reduces the chance of unwanted reflections from lights, but also makes it stealthier for use around the home and office. 

Gaffer tape is more heat resistant than duct tape—critical for thermally sensitive applications around electronics, lighting, etc. While you will see gaffer tape and duct tape rated to 200°F, duct tape experiences altered performance between 140-180°F and can melt at 200°F—talk about residue! In fact, scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found, in a 1998 study, that duct tape sealed ducts poorly (why is it then called duct tape?) due to its thermal properties. 

While duct tape is easy to tear across a strip, depending on the brand, it can be frustratingly difficult to tear it lengthwise to make smaller-width strips. Gaffer tape is tear-friendly along either axis (when you need to tear it) and this makes it possible to quickly lay down strips of different lengths and widths. 

A Few Advantages of Duct Tape Over Gaffer Tape 

To be fair, gaffer tape doesn’t win in every category. Duct tape is a bit more flexible and stretches more than gaffer tape. Also, duct tape’s plastic coating makes it more water resistant than gaffer tape’s cloth. Some studies have found that duct tape’s adhesive is stronger than the adhesive in some (but not all) kinds of gaffer tape. Lastly, duct tape is cheaper than gaffer tape but, as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” 

Gaffer Tape in the Photography and Video World and Everywhere Else 

I mentioned some of the uses for gaffer tape above, but there are countless jobs for gaffer tape on any location set or studio in the photo and video worlds; some photographers and videographers never leave home without gaffer tape in their camera bags. 

At home, one of my primary non-photographic uses for gaffer tape is for mounting plastic tracks for small, die-cast cars on a stool—giving my son a steep slope down which to accelerate the cars. Because the tape leaves no residue, I can remove the tape from the tracks and stool and leave no evidence behind. And, if I am careful when removing the tape, I can even re-use the same strip of gaffer tape again and again! 

* Depends on the brand/tape.

Do you have any questions about gaffer tape or its uses? Let us know in the Comments section, below!