Wasted $300 on a fancy automatic taper that barely worked

I bought one of those self-feeding automatic taping tools from a guy at a trade show last year. Paid $300 cash thinking it would speed up my work on a big hotel job in Columbus. First day on site it jammed every 10 feet and spewed mud all over my boots. Had to finish the whole project by hand and the thing is sitting in my garage now. Anyone else get burned by a tool that looked good in a demo but failed on real drywall?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_eric3d ago

Nah, you're right to be pissed. But I gotta gently correct something. That tool you bought? It's not a "taper" - it's a flat box or a banjo. Tapers are the people, not the tool. Real drywall tapers use a hawk and trowel. That automatic feeder you got is a specific tool for specific jobs, not a magic wand. Sounds like you got sold a demo unit that was already beat up. $300 for a used tool is a gamble unless you know the guy. I bet the mechanism was dirty or bent from the start.

emmaking2d agoTop Commenter

Hit up a local rental shop and see if you can borrow a clean one for a day. That'll tell you if your tool is the problem or if you just need more practice. Tear the whole thing apart and clean every screw and spring before you touch it again. Most jams come from dry mud crusting up in the moving parts.

hannah_wells2d ago

Hold up, wait. @the_eric are you seriously telling me that thing is actually called a banjo? Like the musical instrument? I just looked at mine sitting in the garage and I swear I can see it now. No wonder the guy at the trade show was smirking when I handed over the cash. That's almost as bad as the tool itself jamming up on me.