# Plastic Wrap vs. Aluminum Foil Box Teeth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033 "2010-11-27T01:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/1 "2010-11-27T01:33:06Z")
Has anyone noticed that the teeth to cut the aluminum foil tends to be on the bottom lid of the box containing the foil and that the teeth to cut the plastic wrap tends to be on the top flap of the box containing the wrap. Why are they different? Maybe I just buy the cheap brands, but the if the plastic wrap is feeling particularly feisty that day, I sometimes end up bending the flimsy cardboard lid that the teeth are attached to. I have wondered, why don’t they just put the teeth on the bottom like the aluminum foil? What’s the deal folks? ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/2 "2010-11-27T03:09:21Z")
My cling wrap box has it on the bottom, my aluminium foil has no cutter. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/3 "2010-11-27T03:42:20Z")
Teeth on the top flap or the bottom lid makes no difference to me. I’m waiting for someone to invent plastic wrap that will cling to any surface and doesn’t cling to itself. Mine is on the bottom lid, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/4 "2010-11-27T04:30:04Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > My cling wrap box has it on the bottom, my aluminium foil has no cutter. [Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/96971033@N00/1399056239) is a good pic of teeth-on-top. That is actually “press and seal” I think, but it’s the same idea. I do not know how you handle the aluminum foil with no teeth. I notice your spelling of “aluminium”, is no teeth on the box a British thing? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/5 "2010-11-27T04:36:49Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > [Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/96971033@N00/1399056239) is a good pic of teeth-on-top. That is actually “press and seal” I think, but it’s the same idea. > > I do not know how you handle the aluminum foil with no teeth. I notice your spelling of “aluminium”, is no teeth on the box a British thing? I take the roll of foil out of the box and tear it like I would a roll of paper towels. The teeth are damn near useless, or maybe I just don’t know how to use the stupid box, but I get better results my way. Plastic wrap gets taken out of the box and cut on the cutting board with a sharp knife - this is WAY better than using the teeth if your knife is sharp. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/6 "2010-11-27T06:52:29Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > I’m waiting for someone to invent plastic wrap that will cling to any surface and doesn’t cling to itself. That would be Glad Press n Seal. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/7 "2010-11-27T10:35:25Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I notice your spelling of “aluminium”, is no teeth on the box a British thing? I don’t know, I’m not British. Foil parts easily, so any edge will suffice.. in this case, a serration on the lower lip. Just for a giggle, here’s a piccie. [http://home.arcor.de/bananas02/PB270003.JPG](http://home.arcor.de/bananas02/PB270003.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-wrap-vs-aluminum-foil-box-teeth/562033/8 "2010-11-27T11:51:46Z")
If the cutter is on the top edge of the box, all of the material that is still attached to the roll will be inside the box. This is not a problem with aluminum foil, you can easily grasp the free edge and pull out what you need. This is a colossal problem with plastic wrap, which will fall back down upon the roll and stick, making it impossible to grasp the free edge without taking the roll out of the box and fiddling with it forever. Put the cutter on the flap, or the bottom of the box, and the free edge of the plastic wrap hangs outside the box, and will be easy to grasp.