Best hockey tape?

[flashyprince 0]

hello, im just about to drop $200 on a few boxes full of hockey tape because im tired of having to buy it constantly. im probably going to go for friction tape just because its sounds cool and some claim that "it'll improve your puckfeel and therefore stickhandling" .

i basically got 2 options for pretty similar prices...so i'd like to know which one you guys prefer.

Until now, Renfrew was basically the only type of tape i tried but its kinda annoying (the little part that never unrolls right...you know what i mean)... so im thinking about switching to Jaybird.

Anyone has tried Jaybird before? And is it true that Friction tape is better?

Thanks!

[skyscrape 5]

I have not used friction tape since I was a kid. But from what I remember it definitely softens the feel of the blade since it is thicker. As far as grip goes it sticks more than cloth tape but as much as cloth with a ton of wax, I do not know. I would highly recommend buying a single roll and trying it out before you purchase a 200.00 dollar box of it. Just my thoughts.

[ibeck 38]

Isn't Jaybird medical tape? If you are going to buy a bunch of tape I would say go with andover. Very durable, for some reason it lasts longer than any other brand I've used before.

[trevor13478 1]

I don't think you can say friction tape is better or worse, it's mostly a personal preference thing. There are a lot of threads on here about different tape brands. I think i remember seeing something about Renfrew having different levels of quality depending on the color of the center of the roll. I think the black label was better than the blue but i'm not 100%

here's a few threads to check out

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/48071-renfrew-tape-improvement/page__p__713846__hl__renfrew__fromsearch__1#entry713846

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18590-friction-tape/page__st__15__p__593962__hl__renfrew__fromsearch__1#entry593962

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/12209-tape/page__hl__renfrew

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24201-anyone-used-this-tape/page__p__333601__hl__renfrew__fromsearch__1#entry333601

[theflash0000 0]

Dude, please don't drop $200 until you've had a chance to at least try the tape out yourself! Observations about durability aside, no one here can tell you if you're going to like one tape better than another.

[Powerfibers 8]

Every year we do a group buy and get Howie's tape and laces. Works out to about 12 rolls for $20. I find the quality to be good, and obviously saving money is a good idea. I don't know that I would buy friction ever though. I actually switched to using white and clear only. I use the white for the whole stick and skuff with a puck to darken the bottom half of the blade. 60% clear to 40% white seems to work pretty well. 12 rolls lasts almost a whole season playing twice most weeks. YMMV.

[Jarick 5]

I've only tried Jaybird a couple times but I really liked it. It's impossible to find around here so I stick with Renfrew cloth (black label). Very durable and has a decent amount of grit to it, plus it has a good amount of glue to keep it to the blade. Andover tape has been lousy for me the last couple years.

I can't stand friction tape because it doesn't stick to the blade and is really thick and heavy. I prefer regular cloth tape and change it out after every game. I actually think heavier tape would mess up my stickhandling more than improve it.

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

I actually think heavier tape would mess up my stickhandling more than improve it.

Seriously? We're concerned about the weight of STICK TAPE?

[Gefiltefish 9]

I think he may have meant weight by the thickness of it... not the actual gram weight. Perhaps I am wrong!!!

I have personally been using black-label Renfrew tape for a while. I had some blue-label Renfrew in 1.5 inch width and know what you mean about "the little part that never unrolls right". I have never had that problem with black-label Renfrew but I also have been using 1.0 inch black-label only. I cannot find 1.5-inch black label either locally or through the places I deal with on the internet.

[jbatafuco 6]

Can't comment on the friction version, but the regular version of jaybird lasts far longer than renfrew.

[Jarick 5]

I meant both. Mostly it's that weird deadened feel, not like wood, but like you wrapped your stick in a t-shirt. The friction stuff is 2-3 times thicker than cloth and you have to put way more on the blade because it's 3/4" thick and doesn't stick to the blade (only to itself), so you end up using something like 4-6 times as much weight on the end of the blade, which COULD screw up the balance if you use a light stick. I wouldn't know because I've never made it more than two shifts with that crap.

[tryandstopme 35]

I meant both. Mostly it's that weird deadened feel, not like wood, but like you wrapped your stick in a t-shirt. The friction stuff is 2-3 times thicker than cloth and you have to put way more on the blade because it's 3/4" thick and doesn't stick to the blade (only to itself), so you end up using something like 4-6 times as much weight on the end of the blade, which COULD screw up the balance if you use a light stick. I wouldn't know because I've never made it more than two shifts with that crap.

I dunno, the friction tape that i use sticks to the blade as well as to itself. i don't find myself putting more tape on the blade using friction vs. cloth.

[lampliter87 8]

Howies.

[StamkosWannaBe 0]

Howies.

i prefer 3M tape, doesnt have the little piece that never unrolls properly, and its much more durable than renfrew,plus its nice and thin/sticky/and has great grip on it

[sharks25 9]

As most people have said, try out the friction tape before you buy that much of it. I used it once and hated it! The feel and grip is much different than cloth tape. It feels thick and unresponsive IMO.

[raganblink 82]

+1 for howies. We've had literally every brand of tape we've heard of, and howies isn't the lowest cost therefore highest markup tape, from what our customers tell us and personal use, its the best in our opinion

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

Howie's isn't bad, but Sportstape is my absolute favorite by far.

[Jarick 5]

Howie's doesn't make 1.5" tape, do they?

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Howie's isn't bad, but Sportstape is my absolute favorite by far.

good to hear. Just bought some sportstape clear, white, gauze, and stretch grip tape.

[raganblink 82]

They make wide in white and black

[DBear 0]

As most people have said, try out the friction tape before you buy that much of it. I used it once and hated it! The feel and grip is much different than cloth tape. It feels thick and unresponsive IMO.

Yeah I agree... I bought a couple of rolls of friction tape awhile back. It didn't add much if anything and left a bunch of

black goo all over the blade of my stick. RE: the Renfrew vs Jaybird my LHS just switched over to

Jaybird - I don't think it wears as well as the Renfrew black label.

[flashyprince 0]

fuck friction then i guess lol...

looks like im going to go for the regular black cloth...and i might go for either Sportstape or Jaybird....

[jsykes 35]

I like Howies, but havent tried Sportstape.

[steelnation248 101]

I use black label Renfrew cloth tape. I tried friction tape and did not like it at all.

[Hermans 9]

I went to high school in the 'Frew (Renfrew) and it was only 20 minutes from the Quebec border and buying beer under age, cute girls from Shawville and last call at 3:00 a.m., ... good enough for me! Get Renfrew tape.