Athletic Tape Info Center

Until recently, kinesiology tape was only available in rolls of varying lengths and widths. Strips are hand-cut from these rolls – sometimes in intricate patterns – to create a kinesiology taping application. The sales leader in kinesiology tape by the roll is Kinesio Tex Tape, the company that supplied 50,000 rolls to athletes in the Beijing Olympics.

Just this spring, however, a new player entered the scene, and it appears to be positioned to take kinesiology taping to the next level. The product is called SpiderTech Tape, and it provides pre-cut, ready to apply kinesiology tape applications for different parts of the body. No measuring or cutting is required – one simply removes the backing and applies the tape to the specific body part.

The intent of this posting is to examine the pros and cons associated with both types of kinesiology tape, to allow consumers to make an educated choice. Let’s look at several important factors and see how each stacks up:

Cost
The average cost for a 16.4’ roll of kinesiology tape ranges from $12 – $14. Usually several applications can be cut from one roll of tape. The average cost for a single pre-cut application ranges from $6 – $11.
Winner: Kinesiology Tape by the Roll

Time to Apply
The average amount of time for a trained kinesiology tape expert to design, cut and apply an application is 8 minutes. Pre-cut applications require no design or cutting time and take less than 2 minutes to apply.
Winner: Pre-cut Kinesiology Tape

User Friendliness
Kinesiology taping can be extremely complicated. It is virtually impossible for an individual with no training to design, cut and apply an effective kinesiology tape application. Instruction manuals can be purchased, but most require some knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and they’re not cheap. Training courses are also available, but they are only applicable to trained health professionals. Pre-cut applications, on the other hand, come with simple step-by-step instructions that make it possible for almost anyone to apply them. Online videos are also available showing how to apply each of the different applications.
Winner: Pre-cut Kinesiology Tape

Flexibility
In some cases, accommodations may be necessary for individuals with very small or very large body sizes. In addition, certain injuries or movements may require an application to be modified for optimal results. Hand-cutting kinesiology tape from rolls allows any type of modification to be made, while only minimal modifications can be made to pre-cut applications.
Winner: Kinesiology Tape by the Roll

Durability
Hand-cutting tape from a roll creates imperfections along the cut edges that lead to fraying within a couple of days. Because pre-cut applications are machine cut and require no hand-cutting, the machine-finished edges resist fraying for several days longer. Wear times of up to 1 week have been reported for pre-cut applications as opposed to 3-5 days for those hand-cut from rolls.

Winner: Pre-cut Kinesiology TapeConvenience
A quickly-applied kinesiology tape application can often allow an injured athlete to finish a match or competition, providing the injury is not serious. Pre-cut applications can be easily carried in an athlete’s sports bag or a trainer’s kit and applied within minutes of an injury. It can take significantly longer to create and cut an application from a roll of tape.
Winner: Pre-cut Kinesiology Tape

Well, there you have it – the pros and cons of pre-cut kinesiology tape vs. kinesiology tape by the roll. As you can see, each type has positives and negatives. Examine them carefully and you should be able to figure out which type will be best for you.