Where do I buy dual lock tape?

TallTom said:
I think I have seen it in Home Depot. I saw a rack where the whole rack was 3m products. I am assuming you are talking about that ultra heavy duty stuff they use for EZ Passes for the windshield. It's a beast of a velcro type product.
Click to expand...

No, Dual Lock tape is not heavy duty Velcro. In other words, it is not a "hook & loop" product. It works in a similar manner in that it has two pieces of tape that "lock" together but Dual lock tape uses two identical opposing sides that are made with protruding plastic "nubs". Imagine hundreds of opposing "T" shaped protuberances facing each other head to head where the bottom parts of the "Ts" lock onto each other.....no fabric loops or hooks. The "Ts" are really like little mushrooms.

Edit: Hmm, TallTom, I see from your links we are probably talking about the same thing. I guess I was trying to make the distinction that 'Velcro" is a different thing.
 
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niko said:
check this one:

http://edcforums.com/threads/3m-dual-lo ... cro.39098/

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... tRGOtTta-0

There are different strength types of 3M Dual Lock

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250804917165
3M Dual Lock Tape.

A heavy duty tape ideal for business and industrial applications or people who just want a really strong alternative to VELCRO.

This tape mates to itself or other dual lock products, there are no 'hook' or 'loop' parts. Please bear this in mind when buying - if you are trying to put a 1m tall object on the wall, you will need 2m - one for the wall, one for the object. The two 1m lengths will then connect to each other.

The mushroom type tips of the stems lock together with an audible click so you know the link is secure.

The adhesive backing provides an invisible bond to the intended surface, no drilling or stapling required.

Please click here for a detailed specification sheet (opens in a new window).

http://www.hookandloop-direct.co.uk/ind ... virtuemart

Which tape do I need?

SJ3540 is an excellent general purpose, black, heavy duty tape. It's best used indoors and has a strong rubber adhesive and connection strength. It can mate to itself or SJ3550, but cannot mate with SJ4570. This is the most popular dual lock used.

SJ3550 has the same grip strength as SJ3540 (and the two can mate) but has a very high performance VHB acrylic adhesive on the back making it suitable for very heavy duty work and for use outside. It cannot mate with SJ4570.

SJ4570 is a good alternative to heavy duty VELCRO. It's clear, has a low profile and a strong acrylic adhesive making it suitable for use outside. It cannot mate with SJ3540 and SJ3550 and can only mate with itself.
Click to expand...
The SJ3550 is also rated at 200deg F whilst the sj3540 is rated at 120deg F. I didn't know the two could mate to each other, which is useful to know. :)
 
Although I live in Canada I get my Dual Lockat radio shack when I'm across the line. We have a product with the same
Name and numbers here but it is a bit different. Ours has a left and right.
The US version has both sides identical.
I use it for my RC cars to keep the electronics in place.

 
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I thought you guys might find this interesting.

As a photographer I've been using a product for about 25 years called the Photo-Lok Tape Mounting System that is identical to Dual Lock Tape and although I have been unable to find any definitive information, as far as I can tell the inventor is a man named Stanley Weinberg, a long time scientist and inventor who has created not only new products but "entire new industries and new product categories". He is the owner of Wein Products, in Los Angeles, a company well known in the photographic industry for decades. They produced the first ever studio flash meter and were key in developing high performance slave trigger units for studio strobe systems and other important professional photography products. They introduced Photo-Lok sometime in the 1980's as I recall. Here's a little blurb about him on the Wein web site.

Just the other day I was rummaging around my studio and I came across some equipment that I had applied Photo-Lok tape to years ago and it jogged my memory about the origins of this stuff. Photo-Lok tape is no longer offered for sale by Wein Products but you can still find it listed here and there from certain photo suppliers but then if you try to order some it is perennially out of stock. For some reason it still gets listed even though any that is still available is rare old stock and back-order notices will never get filled. Anyway, there was nothing else like it available and I was bummed that I couldn't find it anywhere for years until I discovered Dual-Lock. So my best guess is that Stan Weinberg must have sold the patent to 3M and they developed it and modified versions of it with different patterns of stalks and different types of adhesives into the whole product line they have today.

Plok.jpg

photolock.png
 
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My brain has swelled with new information. It hurts slightly but that's just something else dying to make room. Hopefully its not anything too important.


When is my girlfriends birthday again?
 
I've mentioned in another thread, but since this one got bumped. I had never used Dual lock tape before. I am working on a CB Radio install in my Camaro since space is tight there is not much room to mount things. I tossed around the idea of using dual lock tape to secure everything, but was not sure how it would hold up.

I bought a small package at my hardware store. It had two sets and was only 3 dollars. As a test i applied it to the DashBoard of my other vehicle to keep a CB mic holder and and second handheld CB on my Dash.

This stuff is so strong that if I tug on my mic holder a little it starts to pull my plastic bezel out of place as opposed to letting the mic holder come loose. It's been holding for about a week or so now. I'm pretty impressed.
 
CheckYourLights said:
This stuff is so strong that if I tug on my mic holder a little it starts to pull my plastic bezel out of place as opposed to letting the mic holder come loose.
Click to expand...

Dual-Lock really is pretty amazing. On the 3M website they describe it this way, "3M™ Dual Lock™ Reclosable Fasteners are a fastening solution that can replace screws, bolts and rivets."
 
Dashmellow said:
Dual-Lock really is pretty amazing. On the 3M website they describe it this way, "3M™ Dual Lock™ Reclosable Fasteners are a fastening solution that can replace screws, bolts and rivets."
Click to expand...
I just replaced a few body parts on a car. That kind of makes me wish i could have dual lock taped them just to test such a claim. I made two or so trips to the hardware store for body bolts and plastic fasteners.
 
Well, this sort of off topic post doesn't really have anything directly to do with Dual-Lock tape (although I 'spose it could;)*) but somehow the discussion about how secure Dual-Lock tape is jogged my memory about a David Letterman show from thirty years ago and I thought you guys might find it amusing. Sure enough, it was on YouTube.
*Maybe we can get Jimmy Kimmel into a Dual Lock suit, I'm sure he'd be game for it.

 
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The world would be a better place if only all walls were made of Velcro and we all had Velcro suits.
 
Back on topic here, this is an interesting short video with additional info about the different products, densities and pattern types of Dual Lock that are available. What was most interesting to learn is that you can combine the various product types to achieve different levels of tensile strength.

 
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Very informative video...a while ago, I experimented w/ using their Command Strip picture frame hanger mated w/ the dual-lock for my DC mount. Using both sides w/ dual-lock pulled off the attachment from the rubber weatherstrip were I mounted the cam. I replaced that side (the cam mount retained the dual-lock) w/ the Command Strip & am now able to remove the cam w/o pulling off the main attachment. I posted pics of this in my main thread about the 4 cars, when I did the Datsun.
 
extraoneya said:
Very informative video...a while ago, I experimented w/ using their Command Strip picture frame hanger mated w/ the dual-lock for my DC mount. Using both sides w/ dual-lock pulled off the attachment from the rubber weatherstrip were I mounted the cam. I replaced that side (the cam mount retained the dual-lock) w/ the Command Strip & am now able to remove the cam w/o pulling off the main attachment. I posted pics of this in my main thread about the 4 cars, when I did the Datsun.
Click to expand...

That sounds interesting. How about posting a link to the thread where you posted this?
 
Thanks extraoneya. I hadn't seen this thread before. Lot's of hard work obviously went into it. Nice job!
 
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