My $60 auto-taper let me down on a big basement job

I grabbed a cheap auto-taper from a surplus shop last month thinking it'd speed up my mud work on a 1,200 sq ft basement. The thing jammed every 10 feet and I spent more time cleaning it than actually taping. Anybody else get burned by a budget tool that seemed too good to be true?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wren28d ago

Honestly that sounds about right for a $60 taper. The cheap ones are made with plastic gears that strip out if you look at them wrong and the tape tension is never consistent. You end up fighting the tool more than the drywall and the mud gets sloppy because the wheel wobbles. Ngl I've seen guys toss those things after one job and go back to hand taping because it's actually faster than clearing a jam every 10 feet. The price tag is tempting but it's just a headache waiting to happen on a big floor like that.

walker.alex28d ago

and thats exactly why my cheap taper now lives in the corner of the garage holding a door open, lol. the first time i used it i spent more time unjamming the tape than actually taping. i kept telling myself it was just a learning curve but nah, the wobble on the wheel was so bad the mud was flying everywhere. after one big room i gave up and borrowed my buddies taper and it was night and day. you really do get what you pay for with these things.

jesse98828d ago

and that tape tension thing @walker.alex mentioned is exactly why i wont touch another cheap one either.