#HTE
This Tiny Tape Dispenser Is Sharper Than It Looks
Minimalism is a great design framework but it often streamlines out important niceties like comfort [Weigh in about your own thoughts on design minimalism through our recent Forum Frenzy]. With simple day to day tools like tape dispensers we take small design flaws in stride, since the irritation of picking at the end of a roll of tape isn’t the end of the world but it’s certainly worse than the crappy plastic dispensers we’re all familiar with. Zyp-Zyp is an admirably simple tool with surprisingly user-friendly functionality, designed by Pascal Heiler.
Crucially, the Zyp-Zyp does away with the ubiquitous dispenser without losing ease of use, grip or cutting quality. The description gets a little deep, “It always starts with the search for the end – the end of the tape,” which while dramatic is fair to both my design process and tape scrounging. There are several minimalist/roll-hugging designs out there, but the Zyp-Zyp’s unique trick is in its pivot.
To use it you thread* the start of your roll through the guide hole sticky side up, rip a piece off, then fold the tape backwards, over the back of the dispenser and onto the roll. When you’re ready to go again, press down on the cutting half to free the end of the tape. This secures the tool, avoids having to pick for the end, and keeps the tape from getting gunky between uses.
The traditional tape dispenser is pretty damn user friendly but desk dwellers and designers with a lot of sticking to do know how quickly that crappy plastic lip gets gunked up and worn down. Plus when I’m prototyping I burn through tape rolls like a bachelorette party goes through toilet paper: after a certain point it’s not eco conscious to keep tossing plastic stuff.
My ideal aesthetic is as uncluttered as possible, but as a tool user I tend unabashedly towards the ergonomic and pragmatic. This thing gets around the chic-yet-slippery side of simplicity with a stout cast body and molded-in grip lines. The curve of the tool looks easy on the hands. Though I wonder at how easy it is to avoid the toothy side while leveraging it I have managed to cut myself on a roll of tape outside of a dispenser, so YMMV.
All in all the Zyp-Zyp seems like a stylish and pragmatic addition to the ranks of minimalist desk tools. Given its portability it stacks up well in comparison with other slick designs like the popular ClickTape, or the weird and beautiful MSDS tape holder. I’m not about to give up my prized Claustrum, but at 24 Euros each I’d toss a Zyp-Zyp in a tool kit or take one to work.
What do you think, does this design stick to the wall?
*Double the end over if you aren’t starting fresh! You’d be appalled at how many smart people try threading a sticky thing through a tight space and expect success. It’s like the Purge out there.
http://www.core77.com/posts/55412/This-Tiny-Tape-Dispenser-Is-Sharper-Than-It-Looks