After a career in chemistry I was well aware of the utility of Parafilm© as a tool for sealing beakers and screw-cap sample vials to keep the cap in place when shipping, or to provide an extra seal to keep out moisture.
Now I use it to keep bananas from becoming over-ripe too soon.
The item I ordered and received was boxed 4" wide (catalog designation "Parafilm M PM996"). The box and product look the same as I remember from my lab days and I looked forward to applying the tricks of the trade in handling this handy though sometimes aggravating tool.
Good news/bad news: one characteristic of Parafilm was the difficulty of separating the film from its backing. My best approach was to crinkle the edge until a corner separated a little. But what I received was easy to separate; in fact, the film fell away on its own. I tried to show this in one of the uploaded photos. Also, the film is not as flexible and stretchy as I remember it. It should stretch to essentially double its resting length, but the material I received was more like rubber than chewing gum.
It may be that I received a box from old stock (the box printing seemed a bit faded) and that the material has dried out with time. It does seem to be getting a little more flexible towards the middle of the roll. There's no expiration or manufacturing date that I could find, unless it's encoded into the barcode (third photo).
Bottom line: I didn't subtract a star because it's still usable.
| Package Dimensions | 5.39 x 5.24 x 4.37 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.29 pounds |
| Manufacturer | Bemis Company, Inc |
| ASIN | B004VQP6CQ |
| Item model number | PM996 |
| National Stock Number | 7510-01-608-7661 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | January 16, 2008 |
