Creating is one of my passions so whenever I find out about a gadget that will make things a little simpler I am always on edge to try it out for myself. Since I received my Cricut there has been nonstop talk about the ATG guns by Scotch. All the crafters I follow have been saying that it makes crafting a breeze and works like a champ with almost all medias. Once my adhesive squares had run out, yes the scrapbooking ones, I decided it was time to give the advanced tape glider (ATG) a chance. At first I was excited and anxious as it is way bigger to work with then little mounting squares and a lot more expensive in comparison. There is a thing called coupon courage and let me tell you this was one of those times and on the way to the counter I also saw a glue pen to try too. Since the ATG is a larger tool compared to what I was used to I thought the glue pen would help cover any smaller intricate details that the tape glider couldn’t cover with ease.
The next project on my list was to create two baby shower cards so there was no better time than to try out both products. Below is the video of me using the products while making this product. Instead of getting used to the product and premiering ways to use it I thought it would be more worth it for people to see me use it for the first time on a project. Each card I designed with my Cricut and thus I had big and small pieces to assemble. So here is the breakdown. The Advanced Tape Glider, it is tricky to insert the tape roll for the first time, however, it gets easier with practice I assume since it does have quite a bit of tape to roll through before trying to load it up again. Strengths include the ability to remove items after placement without damage, a high stick rating, fast to apply, no dry time, easy to remove adhesive if placed in the wrong area and it is pretty fun to use. On the other side the tape glider can be a little frustrating when trying for the first time. The device requires the movement to rub off the adhesive to release it from the roll. You’ll see this issue happen a couple of times where it simply wouldn’t release/ cut the tape in the video. For the only negative thus far though it isn’t really the device’s fault but more of a learning curve to get over. After a couple of attempts I had no further issues with it. No more little sticker squares for me, the tape glider has won me over.
Onto the glue pen, it is shaped like a pen and in comparison to others on the market I did not want one that was similar to a liquid glue stick. There is no mess when using the glue pen by Tombow. It is similar to writing with a gel pen though it takes a little bit of work to get the first bit out. I do wish it was a bit more of a liquid consistency because it does take a lot of motions in order to get enough glue to come out of the pen to provide any significant stick. Once the pen does get going though it does work well for those little tiny areas that get easily ruined by the average glue stick. When it comes down to the price point I would say it is worth a shot if you work on projects with small pieces for cards only if you have a coupon. Would I purchase another one if it ran out, probably not, it would be less hassle to rip off a piece from the ATG gun and roll it into a small ball to use.
If you have any questions about these two products that I did not answer already, let me know in the comments.
XOXO Faith
MaddieAutumn 