Does this gadget work? A test of Rescue Tape

The premise:

Americans hate to give up on garden hoses. We will repair with more duct tape than hose to try to stop leaks. But duct tape comes unglued on dirty, oily, watery surfaces such as a spewing garden hose. Rescue Tape comes to the rescue.

The details:

Rescue Tape is a self-fusing silicone that sticks to itself but nothing else. That led me to buy two 12-foot rolls of the tape for just under $25 at the Yard, Garden & Patio show in Portland in February. The company claims Rescue Tape has "amazingly fast fusing time (seconds)" and 950 psi tensile strength, won't melt in 500-degree heat and remains flexible at minus-85 degrees. To make the tape bond, it must be stretched tightly and overlapped onto itself as it's wrapped. Sounds like a fix for my garden hose with a lengthwise split that's gummy with 2-year-old duct tape.

The test:

Ian, a gardener I know, tried it out. "I have no idea how they make it, but it works," he says. Ian wrapped a tool handle to stop hands from slipping and fixed a small puncture hole in his garden hose. He said the two jobs took seconds, since he didn't even have to wipe the dirt off to make the tape stick. Reviewers on Amazon.com and the Rescue Tape website (

) said they used it on outboard motors and fan belts, to stop noisy vibrations on a CD changer and to repair a watchband at sea. A recent check on

found that, out of 19 reviews, 12 gave the black version of the tape 5 stars, the top rating. Reviewer "alwaysglo" wrapped up a squirting washing machine hose with "no leaks, not even a single drip." Tracey L. Shaw said, "This stuff is the best. Right up there with Velcro and zip lock bags." BruceR of Georgia wasn't so lucky with irrigation pipe: "the tape moved, ballooned and popped within 10 seconds."

The verdict:

The tape feels like flattened-out Silly Putty. Rescue Tape bonds without glue or adhesive: So far my garden hose shows no sign of leaks. There are drawbacks. You need two hands to simultaneously, stretch, wrap and position the tape tightly; you can't rip it with your teeth (don't tell my dentist I'm using my teeth as a tool); and Rescue Tape won't repair flat surfaces unless you can wrap the tape entirely around the object. Other tapes -- duct ($10 for 60 yards) and Gorilla ($9 for 12 yards) -- work fine when laid flat and are less expensive (price ranges are from

magazine and purchases I made at

and

). All said, I've got to agree with my friend Ian: "It's expensive ($10 to $14 for 12-foot roll), but it's a great product if you can afford it."

Readers' take on the February gadget:

The Easy Arranger tool for arranging flowers in a vase was a hit. The reusable metal grid called Easy Arranger eliminates the need for floral foam in the bottom of a vase. Maureen Abelson says she wants to give it a whirl: "I arrange flowers for my church. We have been using Oasis for years. It is messy and expensive." Since the story was published Feb. 11, Main Street Stamp & Stationery in Tigard has reordered twice, selling 150, and the Easy Arranger website has sold 163.

LET'S HEAR FROM YOU: If you used Rescue Tape and would like to share your impressions with Anne Jaeger (or have any other gadgets you think are right-on or a rip-off), on Twitter,

or write to: Gadgets/Homes & Gardens of the Northwest The Oregonian 1320 S.W. Broadway Portland, OR 97201

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