Something to consider including in the emergency repair kit. Essential for Powerful Emergency Fixes, Plumbing + Otherwise - Improvised Life X-Treme Tape TPE-XZLCLR Silicone Rubber Self Fusing Tape, 1" x 10', Triangular, Clear: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
There's so much wrong with that picture I don't know where to begin, but not using tape and instead using plumbers putty and decent fittings might be a great start. Looks to be a cool emergency tape, I guess. The reviewers claim it smells bad. I generally don't like smelly things as a rule. I did make an exception once for a dog I had long ago, but only because he also made me laugh. This tape doesn't make me laugh.
It don't have to look purty or smell purty...it just has to work....but you're probably right about the plumbing issues...the cost benefit of smelly tape vs a smelly plumber at $$$$ per hour might weigh in favour of the tape .
Then again, plumber is not there forever, either. You're not just paying him to do the job (okay, you are) you are also paying him to get the hell out when he's done! That tape will be there a long time...and the smell...longer. The memory of that smell is eternal. Then, forty years later you will be in your rocking chair (well maybe not you) and the stove starts leaking gas which mixes with the scent of the lasagna and just a hint of your aftershave combined with the garbage which hasn't been taken out for four days which triggers the memory of that blasted TAPE. Then, you remember calling the plumber and his hairy rear end pops into your mind. Your day is now ruined. This is not how life should be.
No doubt that there are some applications you might not choose to use such an repair but truth is it is only an emergency measure period . there are few exceptions for making a repair like that become permanent . By the way on those pipe fittings the seal is not on the thread but the pipe joint its self .the threaded fitting only is meant to press the joint together metal to metal fit . In some circumstances it is practical to make a gasket to put between the joints to make the difference in the irregularities in the metal to metal fit. A simple piece of plastic milk jug can be the right thickness plastic to make a gasket to fit . Products like this are temperature sensitive and need to be kept in a relatively cool place and in a sealed container, zip lock baggy. It is not a product that one can use to cover a hole, say in a boat , it relies on being able to bond to it's self under pressure . This is where duct tape and guerrilla tape shine .
Good critiques from Brokor and arliegh...it's a horses for courses product that has particular applications, strengths, and weaknesses...which are best to consider when deciding its use for particular applications. More of an emergency quick fix, stop gap product, than a permanent solution....but if it gets you home, or saves your life, then it's probably worth the bad smell flashbacks.
There are a lot worse things than bad smells I've had to deal with in life , and for the product for that matter it is not intended to be a permanent fix , so in a sense you have a reminder to do the job right ASAP.