3M Scotch – 21200190087 H180 Industrial Packing Tape Dispenser for 2″ Tape – Lightweight and Portable for Commercial Packaging, Shipping, Moving, Carton and Box Sealing, Gray (19008)

OOhhhhhhhh so THIS is how a proper tape dispenser thingamajig should work…….I have a few others, the itty bitty meant as disposable sort that comes with the tape, a handled one that LOOKS like this dispenser but let me tell you is NOT like this dispenser…It’s weird cause the differences are so subtle I actually started getting buyer’s remorse before it even arrived here.I mean, 25.00 bucks for a tape dispenser, I don’t even spend that kind of moolah on..well..anything really…short of food or some sneakers…BUT the Amazon reviewers who pointed me in this direction with their reviews are sooooo right.THIS works.I actually taped boxes that were getting shipped out today more than they needed just to experience the little pleasure of a tape dispenser that works.Turns out that having to lift up a pair of scissors and cut the tape from the dispenser awkwardly making a mess is NOT necessary…aieeeee.Turns out I DON’T need to be doing as much tape buffering by hand after sticking it…cause that rubbery roller bit on this unit, ACTUALLY presses the tape down very securely. I think it’s because the roller is a dense, rubbery material, it just does a gopod job. My old dispenser had a hard plastic roller, cardboard while smooth-ish does have the corrugated insides that create a micro texture to the box, I think the rubber presses into that better creating a better seal..I am still getting the hang of this, I pack a lot of packages but am by no means an expert and am constantly refining my techniques…but I think this is really worth it.As others have said the blades are sharp..cause duh, they’re blades, my old tape dispenser (the one that needed scissors to assist the tape cutting) looks like a dull, little toothy wannabee compared to this little tape hacking beast.I actually looked at the blades side by side and the blade on this new dispenser has a nice long tooth, VERY sharp. Also it feels like stronger metal than the old dispenser’s blade. Perhaps a blade upgrade could have helped my old one..hmm..maybe…dunno. I have this one now.The old one won’t be thrown away. I’ll keep it as a back-up or take the handle off and use it as a masking tape dispenser by clamping it to my desk.We don’t have kids or pets that are in danger of runaway tape dispensers here so the lack of a blade cover is no concern to me.I just..I can’t stress enough, this works…Before purchasing it actually watched youtube videos of people taping cartons with tape dispenser gun thingamajigs just to double check I was doing it right cause it never felt right with the dispenser I had…it was too much work. Honestly there were days, plenty of days the little cheapy non-handled tape dispenser that comes free with tape did a better job than my old handled dispenser, that’s just wrong.Glad I found this.I’ll do a long term usage update down the road a ways, see how long the blade stays sharp etc.