Crafter's Companion Tape Pen, 22 metre

Having worked on several crafting projects with the kids we'd always end up using sellotape or a hot glue gun when stronger adhesive was required. Recently we discovered that this product existed - until then I had no clue and hadn't seen it around in any shops. Ordered it straight away to test on a paper Octopus project. It worked immediately and held fast when secured the paper into a roll. No mess, no heating, and hidden away (unlike the sellotape). It is a bit expensive so I worry about running out, but it's definitely worth it for the convenience.

This is a great little tape roller, it lasts a while and is much longer than most, easy to use, sticks paper, card and light wood with ease, good value when it’s on offer

I needed one of these to replace my old one which had broken. My old one was from a different brand and about the size of one of the tippex mini mice. I was expecting the same from this, but it’s huge! Photo of it on my hand for comparison.It seems to work great, the glue is a bit ‘wetter’ than my last one, as you pull the mouse away from where you’ve applied it there is sometimes a ‘string’ of glue. However the glue seems good and I haven’t had any issues yet. I like how it applies a bit thicker than my old one too. It’s an easy mechanism, you push it down and drag it across to apply. The glue tape comes out from the little roller at the end. Then ease pressure and lift it up when done. It’s a lot easier and less messy than a glue stick or PVA glue.The cap you have to take off and replace afterwards, this is a slight bug bear as it’s very small and thus easy to lose. If you lose it then the glue will dry out and you will end up wasting it. My old one had an attached cap that could be popped up and placed back down. If I could make one suggestion to the folk who make this I would say add a cap that doesn’t come off completely.Good value for money as it looks like it will last a while, my old one was smaller and a similar price. I also love the pretty purple colour. The glue tape itself is clear and not coloured so don’t worry if you don’t want coloured glue marks.Four stars, loses a star for portability and the lid.

The media could not be loaded. Works exactly how I expected. Anyone who has used these type of tape machines before (for decorative or tippex style tape) will get on fine with it.As with these types of machines, sometimes the glue doesn't fully come off the roll, or sometimes too much comes off and you end up with no adhesive on the plastic spool stuff. It's easy to sort this out though, no need to give up on the machine.If too much glue pulls off and you end up with a dry patch of nothing on the spool, just use your finger to gently keep moving the spool along til you get to a gluey bit again and you are good to go.I've made a video to show this :)As for the glue not coming off evenly, just keep an even pressure while applying the glue and keep an eye out that no adhesive is left on the tape going back up into the machine. If there is, just use your finger again to gently roll the glue off so it doesn't go inside and jam the machine.Every kind of tape machine I've used in this style does this so I don't think it's a flaw in this particular brand, it just comes with the territory I think.All in all I'm really happy with this little device, it makes it super convenient to quickly stick things together.

I loved this at first as it allowed me to glue larger areas easily when crafting. The issue came about 1/2 way through where it just stopped working - it wouldn’t roll anymore so I could not apply the tape. No matter what I done I could not get it to work again so had to order a new one.

Fantastic product sticks anything

Originally bought to create a photo book for my anniversary however it served many purposes. I have sensory issues and hate touching glue sticks so using this was an amazing alternative! So easy to use and works so well. Sticks paper down even batter than pritt sticks. 100% recommend and is amazing value for money.

I don't know if I just have a dodgy one, or if this is a known thing, but it can be a bit hit or miss with application. The glue is a bit patchy and often comes off the tape to get stuck where it shouldn't on the body of the pen. It can take several attempts to get the glue on the card as well as poking to get the reel moving again. When it works, it's great. The adhesive is impressively effective, and it's great for larger projects where you have a chance to get the reel moving. But it's too fiddly to make small projects easier, and you're better off with a pen or a brush.EDIT: Upgraded to 4 stars. I seem to have gotten the knack with it, which improves things considerably. The further I got into the reel, the less patchy it got, as well. Still needs the odd poke to get the tape back on its wheel, but I can overlook that given the other improvements. However, it's still a bit too bulky to use for small, fiddly products.