Tape Dots and The End of An Era

You know you are a geek when you have a preferred drafting dot brand. But you know you are a geek with “issues” when you are upset when you can no longer get your favorite dots.

For years, my favorite drafting dots were made by Charrette. Why? Were they really any different than Alvin or Staedtler Mars dots? No, probably not. Could I buy them locally like I could the other brands? No, I had to order them. So, why did I like them so darn much? Well, one reason was the name. We like charrettes so why not have a drafting dot that says charrette? Also, unlike some brands, the color didn’t seem to rub off on the paper when you stuck them.

But it is all a moot point because Charrette got bought out by some stupid big company who did not care about our loyalty and the store was shut down forever. I can’t find any of their dots online anywhere.

However, one day while eating lunch at my desk and googling for my beloved dots I ran across a new company: Haut Dots. Their web site was not even totally functional yet so I emailed them. I was very intrigued by their tag line: “Premium drafting dots for the preferred scheme.” So, I ordered a box of each pattern. They came in the mail and I am giving them a whirl. They are not the usual crepe-ish kind of tape material but a smoother white surface with crisp, slick, minimalist graphics in a line, cross, and circle pattern. Pretty cool. They sell them for $7.95 online which is fairly comparable with other “regular” dots (about a buck and a half more than Staedtler Mars dots at Staples). They seem to actually stick too, which is the main job of a tape dot.

By the way, I always took drafting dots for granted until I did a charrette at Clemson once and I caught the students assigned to our team cutting them into quarters with an x-acto knife to make them last longer. I also worked with a landscape architect years ago who stuck them on her drafting lamp to re-use later but they usually ended up stuck in her hair (without her knowledge, usually).

I will probably continue to use Staedtler dots for day-to-day stuff but I will use my new Haut Dots for the “preferred scheme”. I will probably also hoard my last remaining boxes of Charrette dots until they are finally gone. I am such a dork.

http://www.hautdots.com/index.html