Reattach the bumper for Surface Duo as often as you want for $5

Surface Duo 2020 OpnSource: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central

To bumper or not to bumper, that is the question. If you own a Surface Duo, the $40 white bumper in the box is a quick way to add some grip and confidence to the $1,400 dual-screen device. While it is only modest protection, most agree it is better than nothing.

The issue with the bumper for Surface Duo is the tape that holds it in place makes it difficult to remove and reuse. True, if you take it off for just a few minutes to add a decorative vinyl skin, you won’t have any problems (so long as you don’t pull up the tape), but if you take it off for weeks, or multiple times it is likely to lose its tackiness.

Solving this problem is technically easy: retape it. Luckily, I found five yards of double-sided 3M VHB Tape 4646 (0.125-inch width) that seems right for the job. The total cost: $4.68 (plus free Prime shipping) and about five minutes of your time.

The process is straightforward: remove the old tape from the inner bumper (or your phone). Wipe down with alcohol and reapply to the bumper. Using the old tape as a guide for placement helps, but this isn’t rocket science either.

The good news is there is enough left over so you could probably do this action six more times if you need too. Plus, at less than five bucks, this is hardly an investment.

Sopiguard Surface Duo Leather Main

SopiGuard “leather” vinyl skin with Surface Duo and bumper.Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central

The only downside is this tape is slightly thicker than what Microsoft uses with the Duo’s bumper out of the box. That means it sits about half a millimeter higher than before. Does it matter? Not really. This 3M tape is extraordinarily strong – the bumper stays put, does not wiggle, and I am confident you’re going to have to yank it off. But for purists, I am just letting you know.

At the very least, if you already removed your bumper and are having second thoughts try this $5 trick first before going all-in for $40 on a new one. Unless, of course, you want one of those three new bumper colors.

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