Plain Jane Mom Reviews

My grandfather labeled everything, and I mean everything, with an ancient DYMO labeler. You remember them? You would turn the dial until it clicked to the letter you wanted, SQUEEZE the handle really hard to impress that letter onto the hard plastic label tape, and then turn the dial to the next letter and repeat. It was a total pain if you made a typo or didn’t squeeze hard enough, because then you’d have to start all over again.

About 15 or 20 years ago my mom gave him a Brother printing labeler — and it is so old now that they don’t make them anymore. But you know what? It is still (mostly) plugging away after all these years. Plus it has the added advantage of reminding me of my wonderful grandfather who died several years ago.

But when the folks at Cable Organizer contacted me about reviewing one of the many label makers they supply, I realized it was time to stop using my 20-year-old model and upgrade to something from this century. That is how I got to be the lucky owner of a Brother PT-18R label maker.

What can I say? I love that it uses my favorite label tape: TZ. That stuff goes through the dishwasher like a dream, and only comes off when my 2 year old exhibits his mad sticker-peeling skills. (It’s kind of a hobby with him, but he finally seems to be growing out of it.)

This fantastic labeler is rechargeable and sits in its charging base waiting for action. I grab it, make a bunch of labels, and place it back on the charger for next time. It is quite convenient as I never need to take the time to put in new batteries.

You can use different fonts and even change the orientation of the printing. There are tons of colors and widths of label tape available, and while I have never tried it out, you can also print iron-on clothing labels.

I use a Mac, but if you have a PC you can hook this baby up to your computer and print out even fancier labels. It is pretty cool.

So next time you find yourself irritated at having lost one more thing at the playground, library, carpool, or daycare, consider picking up a label maker. But keep your hands off mine, this one already has my name on it.