You know that feeling when you peel a roll of tape and it comes apart clean — no frays, no tears on the edge, just a smooth strip that lays down exactly where you want it? That's what Howies White Cloth Tape has felt like every single time I've used it. At 68 threads per square inch, it's not just the numbers — you feel the density the second you handle a roll. It's heavier and more solid than most tape on the market, which is exactly what you want when you're wrapping a blade.

The stamped adhesive is the other thing that sets it apart. Howies engineered it specifically to resist moisture, so when you're out there in the third period and the snow has been building up on your blade, the tape stays put. I've used rolls of generic tape where the edge lifts after a period — I haven't had that happen with Howies. For anyone who's particular about their TJ, that matters more than anything.

It comes in 16 colors (white, black, red, blue, green, lavender, neon green — you name it) and both 1" and 1.5" widths. I'm a traditionalist so white is my go-to, and it's clearly everyone else's too — this thing is their number-one seller by a wide margin. David Pastrnak is one of the better-known Howies guys, and if the tape is good enough for his wrist shot, it's good enough for mine.

One reviewer put it simply: “All the tape is awesome and a great deal.” Another: “Love everything about this company from its customer service to the product! 5 stars all the way!!!” Hard to argue with that.

Some guys hold their shin pads down with an old pair of laces. Some use electrical tape. I know guys who use duct tape, which is somehow both impressive and a little concerning. The thing about all those workarounds is they're either too rigid, cut off circulation, or come loose in the second period when your leg is pumping. Howies built their clear shin pad tape out of high-grade polyethylene specifically because it stretches — it expands and contracts with your leg muscles instead of fighting them.

The longer roll is the other thing worth mentioning. At 30 yards, you get 25% more tape than a standard cloth roll at the same price point. For something you're wrapping around bulky shin guards, that extra length matters. I've gone through a whole roll of cheap clear tape taping one pair of shins for a month — with Howies, a roll lasts me a season of regular play.

The reviews tell you what you need to know about this one. Rob: “Everyone always needs the clear. I feel like I'm supplying the whole team.” Laura: “Good to have in your bag. Someone is always forgetting theirs.” Kevin, who mentioned Howies actually called him after his order to check in — something you don't see from a company that doesn't actually care about their product. If you play on a team, keeping a roll of clear in your bag makes you the most popular person in the locker room. Keep doing that, by the way.

Some guys tape their top hand with regular cloth tape torn in half lengthwise. It works. But the moment you pick up a stick wrapped in proper grip tape, you feel the difference immediately — there's an actual texture that locks your glove in place, not just a sticky surface hoping for the best. Howies Pro Grip uses a coarse abrasive finish that grabs your glove palm without adding bulk you don't want.

At 1.5 inches wide, it's designed specifically for handles — you can do a clean single wrap without overlap or mess. The tape is self-adhering (it sticks to itself, not just your stick), which means no glue residue on your hands when you re-tape. The "no stretch" construction is intentional: some players want grip tape with a little give, others want it firm and planted. Pro Grip is the firm option. If you want stretch, Howies makes a Stretchy Grip version at $5.89 — same idea, different feel.

It comes in a wide range of colors — black, white, red, blue, navy, and more — so you can match your laces, your shin tape, whatever you're going for. I run white up top, traditionalist to the end, but the black looks sharp against a dark stick. For rec players up to competitive beer league, this is the straightforward top-hand solution at a price that doesn't make you think twice about replacing it.

If you've ever used a rubberized grip tape — Lizard Skins, Buttendz, the various hockey-specific grip wraps that have come out over the last decade — you already know the basic concept. Howies took that idea and built their own version from the ground up, and they made a very specific claim: at 1.1mm thick, APEX Grip is the thickest rubberized grip tape on the market. That's not nothing. Thickness in a rubberized tape translates directly to hand feel — more cushion, more feedback, more control on puck handling.

The thing that impressed me most about the APEX is what it doesn't do: it doesn't wreck your glove palms. The rubbery surface still creates friction, but it's a different kind of friction than the coarse abrasive on the Pro Grip. Your gloves last longer. For players who go through gloves quickly and have traced the wear back to grip tape, this is worth the premium. The full adhesive backing makes wrapping clean and keeps it locked down even in heavy snow or when your hands are sweating through the third.

At 100cm (about 1.1 yards), one roll is your handle — it's priced and sized as a single-stick product. At $11.99 it's double the cost of Pro Grip, which is a real number. But if you're the kind of player who pays attention to puck feel and wants elite handle control — the forward who works the corners and handles the puck in traffic, not the guy who just fires slappers from the point — the APEX delivers something the cloth grip tapes simply can't match.

It's new enough that formal reviews are still limited, but Howies is pushing it hard as their flagship premium tape. Available in black and multiple colors. Check your lace color and match accordingly — the purple looks particularly sharp on a white stick.

Building a proper knob is one of those things that every player does differently. Some guys go big and round, some like a flat-front J-knob, some barely put anything on at all. Whatever your style, the tape is the tape — and a half-inch roll is what you need because it wraps tight, builds up cleanly, and doesn't add unnecessary bulk. I've taped knobs with full-width cloth tape before and it always ends up too thick and lumpy. The 1/2" width is made specifically for this job.

Howies' knob tape is their cloth tape in the same 68-thread construction, just cut narrow. The high thread count means it layers evenly and holds its shape instead of spreading out and going lumpy when you start sweating. At $2.89 a roll it's the cheapest thing in their lineup, and a single roll will get you through several re-knobs before you need another.

Friction tape is old-school northern Minnesota hockey tape. It's been around longer than Howies, longer than most modern hockey brands — the old-timers used it and swore by it, and the reason it never went away is that it actually works. The double-sided adhesive construction means both sides are sticky: it sticks to your blade and to itself as you wrap, which creates a bond that standard cloth tape can't match. It also makes the surface rougher and grippier, which affects how the puck sits on your blade.

This is the tape for players who have been frustrated by blade tape peeling or lifting mid-game. I've had it happen — you go into the corner hard, dig the blade in, and come out with half your tape job peeling off the toe. Friction tape doesn't do that. The dual-adhesive doesn't lift, it conforms, and it holds through a full game even on a rough ice surface. The tradeoff is it's heavier and a little more rigid than cloth — but for durability-first players, that's a worthwhile trade.

Here's the thing about buying tape individually: you end up short on something every time. You've got blade tape but no grip tape, or you've got grip tape but you're running your last knob tape roll. The TJ Bundle solves that. It's Howies' best-selling product for a reason — they packed one white cloth roll, one black cloth roll, one Pro Grip tape, and one knob tape into a single package at $9.99. Buying those four items individually would run you about $16. That's a legitimate discount, not a rounding error.

This is the smart order for a player who's new to Howies and wants to try their core lineup, and it's also the smart order for an existing Howies customer who wants to stock up efficiently. I keep one of these in my hockey bag at all times as my baseline inventory. When the bundle runs low I know it's time to reorder, and I never have to think about whether I have the right tape for whatever job I'm doing before a game.