TOUGHGAFF?!

[rsmentele]

Found an interesting product while lurking online today:

Tough Gaff

I thought it was a nice idea. Better than tie line or a safety cable around the belt.

I have one on order to see how it stands up... I'll let everyone know, if your interested.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

That could be handy.

Just need one for e-tape now.

 

[avkid]

$30, really?

 

[gafftapegreenia]

$30, really?

Ah you found a price. Honestly, I was expecting more.

 

[porkchop]

I have no need to ever buy it, but they get 10 points for the ad they have one that page.

 

[techieman33]

I don't see something like that surviving long in load in/load out situations your going to forget it's there a couple of times and smash it on the sides of cases etc. and it will probably break. And since I can fit a roll of gaff over my hand and onto my wrist there isn't much of a need for it.

 

[Sayen]

I have no need to ever buy it, but they get 10 points for the ad they have one that page.

I'm tempted to buy it just to support the ad campaign.

 

[CrazyTechie]

I'm having mixed feelings over it. The only time I can see myself using it is on the day or two that I'm taping down all the cable runs at school. Otherwise I honestly don't know when I'd use it. Or I could just always carry around a roll of gaff, you never know when you'll need it.

 

[Footer]

Yes. Because the entertainment industry really needed one more thing to help distinguish "that guy" at every call. The only think that should be clipped to your belt is a radio and if your into it a small tool pouch... this thing is just looking for a reason to exist. Put on one of these and your will forever be the "gaff *****".

 

[shiben]

The only think that should be clipped to your belt is a radio and if your into it a small tool pouch...

This is incredibly situationally dependent and not really suited to be a hard and fast rule of anything. Gloves, multi-tools, additional radios, specialty tool pouches, etc all will add things on a belt that are needed but not on your idea of "appropriate". This gaff thing? Kind of a decent idea but probably not terribly useful. And they make one for ETape, to whoever was asking that. Get yourself an Electricians belt of pretty much any type, the chain with the T pin is specifically for Etape...

 

[KevinNRP]

That ad was hilarious. I wish they had one for 3" gaff tape, I would buy that.

 

[josh88]

That ad was hilarious. I wish they had one for 3" gaff tape, I would buy that.

a full 3 inch roll probably weighs enough that the spring gives and it drops it back out, at least it looks like its just a spring mechanism and not some kind of latch.

 

[rochem]

...And they make one for ETape, to whoever was asking that. Get yourself an Electricians belt of pretty much any type, the chain with the T pin is specifically for Etape...

That's what the antenna on your radio is for! Drop a few rolls of e-tape on the antenna and you're all set.

Yes. Because the entertainment industry really needed one more thing to help distinguish "that guy" at every call. The only think that should be clipped to your belt is a radio and if your into it a small tool pouch... this thing is just looking for a reason to exist. Put on one of these and your will forever be the "gaff *****".

Not to get too far off topic, but what should be on your belt varies wildly depending on where you are. I've worked calls where you need to have a pouch containing a c-wrench, strippers, dykes, 4-way screwdriver, utility blade, and gloves, at the minimum. Not in a tool bag offstage, but actually on your person at all times. Don't get caught pulling out a multi-tool ("a multi-purpose tool is a no-purpose tool"), and you'll be laughed at and sent packing if you try to hang an electric with a C-wrench instead of a ratchet. Then there are many other situations where a C-wrench is all you need, and having a multi-tool will make you "that guy". But I digress.

 

[Pie4Weebl]

I've worked calls where you need to have a pouch containing a c-wrench, strippers, dykes, 4-way screwdriver, utility blade, and gloves, at the minimum. Not in a tool bag offstage, but actually on your person at all times.

Sounds like you're working for people who take themselves waaaaay too seriously.

If you're going to use it once or twice in a call, its not worth carrying on your person IMO.

 

[fx120]

Yes. Because the entertainment industry really needed one more thing to help distinguish "that guy" at every call. The only think that should be clipped to your belt is a radio and if your into it a small tool pouch... this thing is just looking for a reason to exist. Put on one of these and your will forever be the "gaff *****".

In the TV/Film production world, it's hardly uncommon to see people walking around set with rolls of gaffers and other tapes on tie line clipped to their belt.

Hell when I am doing conventions or other events spread across a large area, I will carry around a roll of tape on my belt while running around and keeping a check on everything.

 

[rochem]

Sounds like you're working for people who take themselves waaaaay too seriously.

If you're going to use it once or twice in a call, its not worth carrying on your person IMO.

These instances were for broadway load-ins. The Production Electrician I worked for had a pet peeve about wasting time with multi-tools and getting tools from your bag. He always said something along the lines of "I'm paying you 75 cents a minute, you don't get to waste a minute getting your tools." At the Beaumont, needing to run back from FOH to get a pair of dykes can easily eat up 5-10 minutes of work time.

 

[derekleffew]

...The Production Electrician: "I'm paying you 75 cents a minute, you don't get to waste a minute getting your tools." ...

"Really? YOU'RE paying me? Like out of your pocket? Silly me--I thought the producer was paying me. So how much are YOU being paid that you can afford to pay ME? And since I'm guessing you're not losing money and actually making a profit because of my labor and expertise, I would think you'd want to treat me better. By the way, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Steward. Mr. Steward, actually. His first name is Union."

 

[Morydd]

Don't get caught pulling out a multi-tool ("a multi-purpose tool is a no-purpose tool"), and you'll be laughed at and sent packing if you try to hang an electric with a C-wrench instead of a ratchet. Then there are many other situations where a C-wrench is all you need, and having a multi-tool will make you "that guy". But I digress.

So, when you're hanging an electric and you need to switch from the yoke bolt to the pan bolt, do you switch sockets on your ratchet?

And I've never had anyone question my use of a multi-tool. It seems if the people you're working with are more concerned with which tool you're using than if it gets the job done properly, there's some issues going on.

I'd agree that on most theater calls having this on your belt would make you "that guy", but It could come in handy when you're laying dance floor.

 

[65535]

So, when you're hanging an electric and you need to switch from the yoke bolt to the pan bolt, do you switch sockets on your ratchet?

And I've never had anyone question my use of a multi-tool. It seems if the people you're working with are more concerned with which tool you're using than if it gets the job done properly, there's some issues going on.

I'd agree that on most theater calls having this on your belt would make you "that guy", but It could come in handy when you're laying dance floor.

That's about the time I turn over my Speed Wrench and have at it. Though in our space most instruments have a lock washer on the pan bolt and once properly tightened no wrench is required to focus once hung.

 

[rochem]

"Really? YOU'RE paying me? Like out of your pocket? Silly me--I thought the producer was paying me. So how much are YOU being paid that you can afford to pay ME? And since I'm guessing you're not losing money and actually making a profit because of my labor and expertise, I would think you'd want to treat me better. By the way, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Steward. Mr. Steward, actually. His first name is Union."

Always said with a smile, Derek. Let's all take a step back here. This isn't a case of department heads having a stick up their posterior, it's a case of using the correct tool for the job. Sure, you can sit in the scene shop all day and cut down 1x3 with the saw on your leatherman, but eventually the Shop Foreman is gonna have some words with you.

Is there actually anyone here who can say that a multi-tool is a better choice than a tool specialized for a specific purpose? If you have the world's best multi-tool and can cut the jacket off and strip different gauges of wire as quickly and accurately as the guy next to you with a stripper, then more power to you. But I've never seen a multi-tool that can do this. It's much faster to whip out your screwdriver instead of pulling out your multi-tool, unfolding it, and pulling out the screwdriver tool - which will also probably not fit into some places that a screwdriver will. I own and use my multi-tool all the time, as carrying around a tool pouch on your belt gets really old, really fast. But I'm more than willing to do it when the nature of the call requires it.

So, when you're hanging an electric and you need to switch from the yoke bolt to the pan bolt, do you switch sockets on your ratchet?

It's actually really interesting to see what these guys have come up with. One electrician I know superglued the correct socket for yoke bolts onto his ratchet, then cut off the end and actually welded it to the head of an 8" c-wrench on the other end. Works wonderfully. I've seen less savvy people who taped two wrenches together in the same fashion, while some other guys will have speed wrenches. And there's a number of people who just keep a c-wrench in their tool pouch and pull it out when needed. I keep meaning to weld a c-wrench and a ratchet back to back for myself one of these days, but I've just never gotten around to it.