Paper or Plastic?

... More appropriately it should read plastic or brass?

As I mentioned earlier, we bought our commercially available Maple Tree taps locally. they were made of plastic, which is a little difficult to easily hammer into the tree. I also felt the tap was a little narrow so I went to my local hardware store to see what I could find as a better option.

At first I thought about cutting PVC pipes into an appropriate length, however while browsing I ran across these in the plumbing area. They are 1/2" brass plumbing fittings that just happen to have ribs in them so I can easily secure my plastic jugs to the tree. Pretty cool huh?

The best thing is I was able to purchase 5 of them for what it cost me to buy 1 real Maple Tree tap! I was assured too that they would not harm the trees I am tapping!!!