The short version
Blade Slats for a fence you will look at for the next fifteen years. Fence tape for a long run, a jobsite or a budget. Both add privacy to a chain link fence without replacing it.
Privacy
Blade Slats fill the diagonal openings of the mesh with a flat slat, so the fence reads as a solid wall from a distance and mostly solid up close. Fence tape weaves horizontally through the diamonds and blocks a similar view line, with a little more see-through at an angle. The product pages list the privacy figure for each series.
Wind and time
Slats lock along the bottom rail with the bottom-locking channel, so they stay in line in wind and cannot be lifted out from the top. Tape is held by the weave and the fasteners at each end; on a windy site it can work loose over time and is easier to refresh than to lock down.
Install
Slats go in one at a time, top to bottom, following a row of diamonds; a two-person crew does a residential yard in an afternoon. Tape goes on by the roll, side to side, and covers a long run faster with no tools beyond snips.
Cost
Tape costs less per foot of fence. Slats cost more up front and last longer; the TruTech PVC and UV inhibitors are rated for years outdoors. For a rental, an event or a fence that comes down next year, tape wins. For a home or a commercial perimeter, slats win.
Hedge Slats: the third option
If the fence faces a street or a patio, the 6000 Series Hedge Slat gives the same bottom-locking fit with a leaf texture, so the fence reads as a hedge rather than a wall.
Compare them on the Blade Slats and fence tape pages, or ask us which one fits your fence.
